March 7, 2016

Last week Monday on my favorite radio show, "The Rock Ride", on WMSE here in Milwaukee, host Tom Crawford played some Silverhead. They were a British band that you just don't hear about anymore.

Being a hard rock "glam band" that wasn't that good and only lasted a couple of years, may have had something to do with it! Only a couple of albums were made and then they disappeared.

Front man of the band was sometime actor Michael Des Barres. He wore a lot of makeup and that is where the glamour rock part came from.

They came to Milwaukee on February 28, 1973, opening the show for Uriah Heep at the Milwaukee Auditorium.

Take a little peek at a few photos from long ago.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Silverhead, at the Milwaukee Auditorium on February 28, 1973.

February 29, 2016

This past week we added another talented musician to the great band upstairs, Dan Hicks.

He played on his own but most of the time he performed with his band, The Hot Licks! Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks is a great name for a band isn't it?

He was a little different and that was why he was good. Part folk, a little rock, and a great story teller made a for a great musician.

Enjoy a look at Dan at the popular club in Milwaukee, Humpin Hanna's on an August night in 1973.

Have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, at Humpin Hanna's in August of 1973.

February 22, 2016

I have been featuring the Siegal Schwall Band the past few weeks and this is the last show I have in my records of them. They opened up the show for Jim Dandy and his band, Black Oak Arkansas at the Riverside Theater on October 30, 1973.

Personally, I think it should have been the other way around with the Siegal Schwall band being the headliner.  It's all a matter of personal taste right? Which would you like to see as the main act? Let me know and we will take a little survey just for fun!

Enjoy a look at the show that night long ago. Siegal Schwall is coming to Milwaukee in a few weeks and guaranteed to be just as good or better than 1973.

Please join me on Facebook at Rich Zimmermann Photography if you haven't already.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

The Siegal Schwall Band, when they opened the show for Black Oak Arkansas, at the Riverside Theater, on October 30, 1973.

February 15, 2016

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentines Day! It was a cold weekend here but we had fun.

This week we continue looking at the Siegal Schwall Band. At this show they opened for the band It's A Beautiful Day, at the UW Whitewater gymnasium on October 19, 1972.

It's A Beautiful Day, in 1972, was a very popular band with signature vocals from Patti Santos. Her vocals along with David LaFlamme's vocals and violin playing, propelled the band to a few great hits. "White Bird" and "Hot Summer Day" were the most notable hits of their career. I remember telling David LaFlamme after the show backstage what a great show they did and he said, "Of course it was great"!

In the early days of the band, they could have become even more famous had a flip of a coin gone their way. Bill Graham and Michael Lang needed one band to open Woodstock, and it was either Santana or It's A Beautiful Day on that coin flip. Santana won and opened up the show at Woodstock! As they say, the rest is history, and Santana played a legendary performance (supposedly on LSD)!

This was a great show for a little college gymnasium on a cold October night in Whitewater, Wisconsin.

Have a great week and I think I have one more Siegal Schwall show from 1973 for next week!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

It's A Beautiful Day, playing at the UW Whitewater Gymnasium on October 19, 1972. The opening act, also shown here, was the Siegal Schwall Band.

February 8, 2016

Last week's blog was about The Jeff Beck Group at the Riverside Theater on May 10, 1972. The opening act that night was The Siegal Schwall Band. I feature them today in my blog.

Corky Siegal and Jim Schwall formed the Siegal Schwall Band in the 1960's and were a popular Chicago house band. They played in Wisconsin a lot, and were the opening act for many shows in the 1970's.

In the next few weeks, we will explore a few more of those shows.

Enjoy a look back and have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

The Siegal Schwall Band, when they opened the show for The Jeff Beck Group, at the Riverside Theater on May 10, 1972.