New To Circulation: Hampton Grease Band At Atlanta Pop Festival

While Col. Bruce Hampton may be best known to our readers as the leader of Aquarium Rescue Unit, he first made his mark as the leader of the Hampton Grease Band in the late ’60s and early ’70s. The avant-garde act opened for such legendary bands as the Grateful Dead and The Allman Brothers Band and were known for their unusual on-stage antics. Recently, a crispy recording of the group’s set at the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1970 has surfaced as first noted by Blog Hit Sally Inside.

If you like your music weird and groovy, the Hampton Grease Band should be right up your alley. Col. Bruce is joined in the group by multi-instrumentalist Jerry Fields, bassist Mike Holbrook and guitarists Harold Kelling and Glenn Phillips. The ensemble was signed by Columbia Records and the label released the Grease Band’s double album Music To Eat in 1971. According to Wikipedia, the LP was “the second-lowest selling album in Columbia’s history, second only to a Maharishi Mahesh Yogi yoga instructional record.” Take a listen to the Hampton Grease Band’s set at the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1970:

Watch a clip from the Col. Bruce documentary Basically Frightened about the Hampton Grease Band and the group’s relationship with Duane Allman:

[via Blog Hit Sally Inside / Hat Tip – @Bourgwick]