"The Way We Were" was the first of five Hot 100 #1 singles recorded by Barbra Streisand. This was written by Mike Somerville, who was the band's lead guitarist from 1973-1980, and again from 1994-2003. I was the old man of the By Head East Artist Head East Type Album Released Great voice!! say that the first time Never Been Any Reason was performed it What I do know is there is no better high than playing on stage [3] Released on their own record label, Pyramid Records, all 5,000 records and 500 eight-tracks produced were sold. CRR Concert Review - Uriah Heep & Head East - Classic Rock Revisited here, said Flota, who recalls playing at the Surf Ballroom in It's copper-clad windows and sturdy brick were a backdrop to countle. We would play two night per week in about three different towns The beloved vocalist is currently in the studio working on his next solo album. 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Eddy Jones - drums, vocals (2006present), Greg Manahan - bass guitar, guitar, vocals (2006present), Darren Walker - lead vocals, occasional live bass guitar (2006present), Mark Murtha - lead guitar, vocals (2022present), Steve Huston - drums (19691973, 19741983), Mike Somerville - guitar (19731980, 19952003; died 2020), Tony Gross - guitar (19801984, 19871991), Kurt Hansen - bass, lead vocals (19831997), Mike Mesey - drums (19971999, 20002006), Richie Callison - guitar, lead vocals (20012006), Glen Bridger - lead guitar, vocals (20042022), This page was last edited on 21 April 2023, at 19:52. Led by founding member and keyboardist Roger Boyd, Head East blasted a set of straight ahead meat and potatoes rock and roll for the enthusiastic, albeit sparse crowd. They honed their craft playing colleges and clubs in the midwest, which is where they developed "Never Been Any Reason." The song has been featured in such films asSahara,The Education of Charlie Banks, andDazed and Confused, as well as TV series such asFriday Night LightsandThat 70s Show, and is considered by many to be the Rock 'n' Roll National Anthem.In 2011, the band was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'n' Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame. Classic rock radio stations often pepper it into their playlists, as it's one of the few songs that listeners seem to love even if they've never heard it before. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame as the lead singer of Petra, one of the most successful Christian rock bands of all time. Its been an interesting life.. Rita worked and then taught at the SIU School of Medicine for 15 years. His most recent album, The Grafting, is available on 4K Records and is distributed by New Day Christian Distributors in the U.S. and internationally by Go Global Entertainment. The song has also been used on TV's That '70s Show and Friday Night Lights. sign in RYM new musicgenres charts listscommunity Close Search:Music Film Games for: New MusicGenresChartsListsCommunity artistreleaselabelworkfilmvideopic x Live! The keyboardist and only remaining original member of Head East recently agreed to speak with me and it was one of the easiest conversations I've ever had with someone from the golden age of the 70s. Legendary rock vocalist, Grammy and Dove Award-winning GMA Hall of Famer John Schlittrecently joined the popular classic rock band, Head East, for a reunion concert event which was held at the Wildwood Springs Resort in Steeleville, Missouri. She and Roger met in 2003 during faculty orientation at SIUE. Check out Head East Live! SP 6007; Vinyl LP). The hit is still one of the most frequently played classic rock . After thinking on it briefly, the band liked the unusual nature of it and has kept the name. Head East - Wikiwand Brad Flota, one of the original members of Head East, was Enterprises newspaper. moved to Osage about five years ago. She is the only artist ever to receive an Oscar, Tony, Emmy and Grammy as well as record a #1 single and album. Head East Official - Facebook Iowa has been a great venue for Head East. He started piano lessons at an early age, and went on to play trumpet in the school band. Mark operated his own recording studio in the early nineties, and produced recordings for many area groups. Clear Lake, in Des Moines and at the Roof Garden in Okoboji as Was never a huge fan of Head East, but - The Gear Page Schlitt was the lead singer for Head East from 1972-1980, during which time the band released six albums, with their first, Flat as a Pancake (A&M Records, 1975) reaching Platinum status empowered by "Never Been Any Reason," which has now become a staple of classic rock radio. For all band submissions, review submissions, press materials, and more, please email: We do read every one, but we also get a high volume of mail. Eventually both Larry and Danny dropped out of the band and were replaced by Mike Somerville (guitar) and Dan Birney (bass). 97 talking about this. Head East, rock band with Southern Illinois ties, returns for HerrinFesta Manage Settings Spicemas Launch 28th April, 2023 - Facebook band when it was formed in 1967. in front of thousands of fans who are there because of your Midwest group boasting an effective blend of hard melodic rock with progressive rock tendencies and awesome vocal arrangements. For more information on Schlitt and The Grafting or The Greater Cause, visit www.johnwschlitt.com. Visit our official website at https://www.head-east.com/ Head East Official The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who Martin would open for on tour, were his backing band on the song. venues. Description. Head East Band Member Page Feel free to contribute! 1973 and 1974, he is credited with being an original member of the The band formed in southern Illinois in 1969 but went through a number of member changes before arriving at their core lineup in 1973. Head East Reunion - Get up and enjoy yourself (John Schlitt) bill. One of the ways Boyd helped his social work students gain empathy for their clients was through the Single Parent Family Day activity he created. Roger Boyd is the only remaining original member of the band in the current lineup. Iowa Hall of Fame inductees 2011. Head East is an American rock band formed in East Central Illinois. They met and formed the band while John, Roger, and Larry were studying at the University of Illinois, Steve was at Eastern Illinois University 45 miles away and Danny was not in college. [4], The band's original guitarist and songwriter Mike Somerville (born Michael A. Somerville on August 15, 1952 in Peoria, Illinois) died on February 28, 2020, at age 67.[7][8]. The band followed with the albums Get Yourself Up and Gettin' Lucky, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively. A&M was impressed enough to sign the band and re-release the album in 1975 which went gold by 1978. Head East - Band Members John's is the higher voice that is occasionally mistaken by fans to be a female voice. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. August 6, 1969 is recognized as the date the band officially . The band achieved peak popularity and success during the 1970s, but later fell into obscurity. Flota, along with the other original members of the band, were Instead of touring year-round, many bands began touring only in the summer a schedule that aligned well with the academic calendar in higher education. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. [2] However, other members of the band dispute Huston's story about the naming. A Different Kind of Crazy US 1 Onward and Upward Choice of Weapons Concert Classics Vol 7 Live on Stage The Best of Head East (The Millennium Collection) Head East / Gettin' Lucky (2 LPs on 1 CD) One Night With Head East Raise A Little Hell Head East Rocks! His students would spend a day simulating life as a single parent trying to complete everyday tasks, such as caring for their children and getting to work, on a limited budget without reliable transportation. It is often considered Head East's signature song, [1] peaking at number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100, and continues to be played on classic rock radio stations in the US, generations after it was released. The special one-night-only performance during the Iowa Rock n Roll Music Associations 2011 Hall of Fame coincided with Schlitts induction into the states Hall of Fame and marked the first time in 30 years that the musicians were on stage together. By the mid-80s, John Schlitt, had joined Petra, a christian rock band when lead singer Greg X. Volz left the band. We all lived within 30 miles of each other back then and I This schedule allowed Boyd to focus all of his attention on his students while a faculty member at SIUE. A concert followed at Arnolds Park with Head East headlining the Head East was a hard rock quintet originally from south central Illinois, then Champaign, Illinois, USA. Head East co-founder, SIUE retiree still rockin,' weekend 50th police officer for 25 years. (January, 1979) also peaked in the Top 100, as did A Different Kind of Crazy (October, 1979), and the band performed on the soundtrack to the comic anthology film J-Men Forever! Then on Memorial Day, Id pack my mortar board away and put on my rock n roll clothes.. HEAD EAST - Live - Amazon.com Music She then became a faculty member at the SIUE SON, earned her doctoral degree from SIU Carbondale and accepted a position as a tenure-track faculty member at SIUE. Head East. entertainment, news presenter | 4.8K views, 28 likes, 13 loves, 80 comments, 2 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from GBN Grenada Broadcasting Network: GBN News 28th April 2023 Anchor: Kenroy Baptiste. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. a teenager back in the 60s.. The induction took place over three days, with ceremonies, presentations, meet and greets and performances by the 2011 inductees. The band was founded by vocalist John Schlitt, guitarist Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Larry Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. Do their first three albums have French titles? This lineup of John Schlitt (vocals), Mike Somerville (guitars), Roger Boyd (keyboards), Dan Birney (bass) and Steve Huston (drums) would last through four more studio albums and a double-LP live album when in 1980 Schlitt, Birney and Somerville left the band although Somerville would return for 1994 through 2003. MCPD played a big role in keeping people safe in Monday's blaze. Many unusual folks appear in Grateful Dead songs. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Head East's Mike Somerville Dies after Illness", Heavy Harmonies page (Partial Discography), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Head_East&oldid=1151082703, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from December 2010, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Vernon, Ill., was divorced in 1999 [4] Several midwest album rock radio stations, chief among them KSHE 95, St. Louis and KY-102 in Kansas City and others, began airing songs from the album as well. The concert gathered all of the remaining original Head East band members and current band members together onstage. This song, along with the rest of Head East's debut album, was recorded at Golden Voice Recording, a tiny studio in Mike Somerville's hometown of South Pekin, Illinois. [3] Both the last line of each verse and the choruses feature multi-part vocal harmonies sung by all the members of the band. Having been up all night sitting in the front yard consuming acid, the roadie said that when the sun rose, it turned into a giant talking head and told him the band's new name should be "Head East". In 1999, a live album titled Live on Stage was released. Genres: Hard Rock, AOR. A founding member of Head East and the only original member remaining, Roger Boyd, was a professor in the SIUE Department of Social Work from 2003 until his retirement in 2011. The city of Mason City will work with Kirk Apartments owner Ed Kent in the aftermath of the fire that gutted the building Monday, City Adminis. Original band members from the A&M era included Schlitt, Roger Boyd, Mike Sommerville, Steve Huston, and Dan Birney, who passed away in 2003. They released their first album, Flat as a Pancake, in 1974 on their own record label (Pyramid Records) selling all 5,000 records and 500 eight-tracks produced. "" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. Live! by Head East (Album, Hard Rock): Reviews, Ratings, Credits, Song Today, he is the only remaining member of the original band, but he is the force that has kept the band a relevant part of the classic rock music scene for the past 50 years. Boyd and his current bandmates are celebrating that milestone later this month with back-to-back 50th anniversary shows on Jan. 24-25 at the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. He and Greg Manahan were classmates in junior high and high school, and played in several bands through those years, and eventually in London Drive. They met and formed the band while John, Roger, and Larry were studying at the University of Illinois, Steve was at Eastern Illinois University 45 miles away and Danny was not in college. On January 6, 2008 it became the first song ever to sell 3 million digital copies in the States. The album is still viable today 45 years later. Head East is an American rock band formed in East Central Illinois. This 1970s rock songrelated article is a stub. Head East Band Member Page Band Members ROGER BOYD Keyboards & Vocals Roger grew up in Carlyle, Illinois. While earning his degrees, Boyd never parted with his first love, rock n roll. Head East went through several lineups and musical approaches before consolidating in St. Louis in the early '70s as a hard rock quintet consisting of John Schlitt (vocals), Mike Somerville (guitar), Roger Boyd (keyboards), Dan Birney (bass), and Steve Huston (drums), all alumni of the University of Illinois. All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. (1979), but at the end of the year, Birney and Somerville left the group while Schlitt joined the Christian rock group Petra. Schlitt recently joined more than a dozen classic contemporary Christian music artists, includingPhil Keaggy,Jaci Velasquez,Rick Cua,Bruce Carroll,The Katinas, Big Tent Revival, Guardian, Wes King, Al Denson, Tammy Trent, Geoff Moore, Clay Crosse, and others who shared their music and special memories during the CCM United Music, Moments, and Memories concert event held at the historic Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. Several other musicians are credited on this release, including former members Dan Birney, Ricky Lynn Gregg, Brian Kelly, and Joel Parks. Continue with Recommended Cookies. The five original members of Head East Roger Boyd on keyboards, Steve Houston on drums, Larry Boyd on bass and Danny Piper and Flota on guitar were from southern Illinois and popular. At this point in time, I dont see an end in sight.. Another is serving as a John Schlitt, legendary recording artist and Gospel Music Hall of Famer, best known as the lead singer for award-winning Christian band Petra during the era when the band won its four Grammy Awards and 10 Dove Awards, recently reunited with the popular 70s mainstream rock band Head East. The couple The song is about a guy who returns home - possibly from a tour - and has it out with his woman. My greatest accomplishment in my education was returning to school in 1995 and continuing on to earn my PhD.. In 1979, the band released the double-LP Head East Live!,[3] and A Different Kind of Crazy. As Boyd gears up for the upcoming 50th anniversary shows at the Wildey Theatre, he has no intention of making them the last milestone shows he performs with his band. The band members were presented with plaques honoring their talent, dedication, longevity and major impact on the Iowa music scene, where the band frequently played throughout the 70s. Vernon for about $50 per night that was good money for And the third is being one of the original members of the Even in retirement, Boyd is still working to support SIUE students. music.. I've been blessed to continue singing rock 'n' roll for the King of Kings with Petra in 1986, and I'm thrilled to still be singing after all these years. They are best known for their 1975 hit "Never Been Any Reason", which remains a staple of AOR stations. They would still continue to play around, with guitarist Somerville returning from 1994 to 2003. When I left the University of Illinois in 1970 to play music, the School of Engineering dean told me Id never come back, said Boyd. HRA-Release: 21.09.2021 Label: A&M Genre: Rock Subgenre: Hard Rock Artist: Head East Album including Album cover I`m sorry! Flota return from his military service and rejoined Head East in ", Head East exploded onto the music scene in 1974 when its self-produced debut album,Flat as a Pancake, started generating regional airplay. These might seem like divergent career paths, but not for Roger Boyd, PhD (97 and 98). Kearney Amphitheater