I would like to thank fellow Vet Country Joe Mc Donald for all his help and support for Strumming for Vets. Please visit Country Joe at http://www.countryjoe.com.
I would also like to thank Daryl Hall and John Oates for taking the time out at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga Ca. to sign a guitar for Strumming for Vets.
And if you folks have a chance to catch those guys while on tour you're in for a treat. http://www.hallandoates.com
What can I say? How do you say thanks for your friendship and your dedication to your craft and sharing your souls with us all these years. Thank You. Peace
Paul Kantner – Starship - along with Marty Balin founded Jefferson Airplane in 1965. THE AIRPLANE were the biggest rock group in America during the 1960s and the first San Francisco band to sign a major record deal, paving the way for other legends like GRATEFUL DEAD & JANIS JOPLIN. They headlined the original WOODSTOCK FESTIVAL in 1969 and like THE BEATLES with whom they are critically compared, lasted a mere 7 years ... though their influence and impact on rock music continues well into the 21st century.
Donny Baldwin – Starship / became part of the San Francisco music scene in the early 70s growing, up there. From 1973 to 1978 Donny was with the "Elvin Bishop" Band. During this time he toured and recorded six albums which included the #1 hit single, "Fooled Around and Fell In Love". From 1981 to 1989, Donny was a member of the group JEFFERSON STARSHIP. In January 1994, he joined the JERRY GARCIA BAND. He has toured, recorded and played with artist such as KENNY LOGGINS, PABLO CRUISE, CHUCK BERRY, VAN MORRISON, RUSSELL HITCHCOCK, RONNIE MONTROSE, GREGG ALLMAN, HEART, LYDIA PENSE & COLD BLOOD, 38 SPECIAL and EDDIE MONEY.
Mark Slick Aguilar – Jefferson Starship lead guitarist is only the 3rd person to hold that position in the 40 year history of both legendary bands … and he marked 20 years with PAUL & MARTY in 2005, dating back to their KBC BAND in 1985.
Before that he was lead guitarist with DAVID CROSBY and before that, KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND. His lead guitar has soared the music of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE & JEFFERSON STARSHIP far longer than the Airplane’s legendary JORMA KAUKONEN and Starship’s CRAIG CHAQUICO.
David Freiberg – Starship / Quicksilver - is co-founder of the legendary Avalon/Carousel/Fillmore era San Francisco band who along with THE DEAD & THE AIRPLANE, often shared the bill. DAVID is an extraordinary singer, producer and multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, bass, viola and keyboards. He has also been a member of both JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and JEFFERSON STARSHIP.
Gary Duncan – Quicksilver Messenger Service - There aren't many, if any, medals or awards given for the positions of best second lead guitar players in rock history. If there were, though, Gary Duncan would be right up there for his work in Quicksilver Messenger Service. Quicksilver is most-remembered for John Cippolina's striking, shimmering leads. Yet part of what made them a solid band, rather than just a pretext for guitar solo grandstanding, was Duncan's sympathetic second guitar, which could play (often in the same song) both rhythm and accomplished lead lines on its own, with a more traditional tone than Cippolina's.
Tom Constanten – Grateful Dead – Phil Lesh was standing in line at Cal Berkeley's music department in 1961 when he overheard a young man, Tom Constanten by name, remark that Music stopped being created in 1750 and began again in 1950. They shook hands, and became friends for life. Shortly after, T.C. persuaded Phil to apply for a special class in electronic composition at Mills College with Luciano Berio, which would become one of the touchstones of Lesh's life. As the Grateful Dead emerged and began to create, Phil returned the favor to T.C., who became the Dead's advisor/keyboard creative spirit, altering normal piano sounds by inserting combs, Dutch dimes, and a gyroscope into the body of the keyboard.
Country Joe McDonald - I was not aware they were filming. I was just aware that I did not want to fill in after Richie Havens. There were too many people. I was scared. They found a guitar, a Yamaha FG 150, and tied a rope on it and pushed me on stage. The rest is history.
Kim Wilson – Fabulous Thunderbirds - Born in Detroit in 1951, he grew up in California and fell under the sway of the blues in the late '60s, honing his chops under the tutelage of people like George Smith, Luther Tucker and Peewee Crayton. After a brief time leading a band of his own around the Minneapolis area, he moved to Austin, Texas in 1974 and formed The Fabulous Thunderbirds with guitarist Jimmy Vaughan.
Fito De La Parra = Canned Heat - Adolfo "Fito" De la Parra has played drums professionally since he was 14 years old. He was born in Mexico City on February 8, 1946, and as he grew older, had become a member of a series of Mexican rock bands… starting with Los Sparks in 1958 and including Los Juniors, Los Sinners, Los Hooligans and Javier Batiz / the “Godfather of Rhythm & Blues” in Mexico and Carlos Santana’s first guitar mentor… all of which mainly played covers of American hits. Los Sinners evolved into Los Tequilas and, after a number of gold records, entered the U.S. in 1965 to play in clubs in the Los Angeles area. After some success, de la Parra returned to Mexico where he married an American woman and soon returned to the U.S. again. This time, as the drummer for the house band at the Tom Cat Club in Torrance, California, he played behind some of the greatest R&B artists of the time, including the Coasters, T-Bone Walker, Ben E. King, Mary Wells, Etta James, and the Platters. After a short stint with the Sotweed Factor, they broke up and he joined Bluesberry Jam.
On December 1, 1967, Fito played his first gig with a group of record collectors called CANNED HEAT.
Alan Wilson – Canned Heat - Wilson was an excellent harpist, slide guitarist and vocalist with a unique tenor style. His friend, Mike Bloomfield introduced him to Charlie Musselwhite as “the best goddamn harp player there is. He can do things that you’ve never heard before.” Wilson occasionally worked for his father’s construction firm laying bricks but, thankfully, he preferred laying down unforgettable riffs to hard physical labor.
Dale Spalding – Canned Heat - When not on tour with legendary band Canned Heat or Latin Jazz giant Poncho Sanchez, Dale Spalding can either be found performing solo or leading his band in his native California, or in Austin, Texas, where he's now based and holds down a weekly solo gig and performs as a member of Austin’s premier blues band, “Little Elmore Reed.” The in-demand musician has also appeared and/or recorded with Dave Alvin, James Cotton, Marcia Ball, Ruthie Foster, Papa Mali, Otis Rush, Pinetop Perkins and Redd Volkaert, among the many.
Larry Taylor – Canned Heat - Best known as the bassist for Canned Heat between 1967-1970, Brooklyn-born Larry Taylor has had a long and distinguished career as a session musician. Beginning his professional career by touring with Jerry Lee Lewis when he was 18, Taylor eventually became the resident bassist for many of the Monkees' sessions, including the hits "Last Train to Clarksville" and "(Theme From) The Monkees." After joining seminal West Coast blues group Canned Heat, Taylor became the bassist for John Mayall's first all-American backing band on the British blues musician's USA Union album. During his 30-plus-year career Taylor has supplied bass lines for everyone from Tom Waits to Albert King and Little Milton. He also founded Larry Joe Taylor's Annual Texas Music Festival, which ran for many years.
Peter Albin – Big Brother and the Holding Company - Had it not been for the melodic and accomplished guitar work of Peter Albin flowing out of an upper story window at 1090 Page Street in the early summer of 1965, there might never have been a Big Brother and the Holding Company. It was on that day that Sam Andrew happened down Page Street in San Francisco and was so impressed by what me heard, that he went in and introduced himself.
Sam Andrew – Big Brother and the Holding Company - He loved the relaxed atmosphere of San Francisco in the early 60s, and spent many hours taking long walks through the city. One day while walking down Page Street and admiring a huge Victorian on the corner, he heard guitar music coming from an upper floor window. With a love for music and a sense of adventure, Sam boldly walked into the house to investigate. It was here that he met Peter Albin and the seed for Big Brother was planted.
Dave Getz – Big Brother and the Holding Company - In the winter of 1965-66 in a café downstairs from his loft while taking a break from painting, Dave met Peter Albin. Dave told Peter that he played the drums and had heard of the group that Peter played with, Big Brother and the Holding Co. One month later Dave became the new drummer for the group. Three months later Janis Joplin joined the band and, as the expression goes, ‘the rest is history’.
Cathy Richardson – Big Brother and the Holding Company/ Starship - CATHY RICHARDSON is JEFFERSON Starship’s newest member, anchoring the historic ‘role’ made famous by GRACE SLICK. She is an award winning music artist, graphic artist, and clothing designer. Her professional credits include fronting her successful rock band, producing and releasing seven albums on her various indie record labels. She was nominated for a GRAMMY Award for Art Direction of her band's 2003 release, “The Road to Bliss.” “The Road to Bliss” also received two DIY Awards (Do It Yourself in Film, Books and Music) for Album Art of the Year and Producer of the Year. Her latest release, “Delusions of Grandeur,” topped the 2007 DIYs when she won both Album and Producer of the Year.
