Vietnam and stabbed twice as a cop then there was my time as a I was just a long-haired hippie and had never fired a gun The band was founded by vocalist John Schlitt, guitarist Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Larry Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. The induction took place over three days, with ceremonies, presentations, meet and greets and performances by the 2011 inductees. Okoboji. After its commercial heyday, Boyd led the band in continued touring and recording for small labels. releases new EP, Superstitions, HM PREMIERE: Lift The Curse unleashes new single and music video, Tidal Wave, So What?! "Performing with Head East is a special joy for me," Schlitt says of the event. 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. 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. "Never Been Any Reason" is the debut single by Head East from their debut album Flat as a Pancake. The band was founded by vocalist John Schlitt, guitarist Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Larry Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. As long as I can still lift my synthesizer over my head like I do at the end of every show, Ill keep playing, said Boyd. The first five tracks are from a 1980 show featuring the original personnel, while the last 10 tracks are from a 1981 show featuring the latter line-up. I joined. Live!, an Album by Head East. A&M Records in 1975. Tags : John Schlitt petra head east john schlitt news. He fronted The Union of Sinners and Saints, featuring Billy Smiley (Whiteheart) and Jason Fowler, during the band's Storyteller tour, and joined fellow Petra alum Bob Hartman for a Scandinavian tour, among other events. This was written by Mike Somerville, who was the band's lead guitarist from 1973-1980, and again from 1994-2003. About John Schlittt: An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. here, said Flota, who recalls playing at the Surf Ballroom in John's is the higher voice that is occasionally mistaken by fans to be a female voice. I was the old man of the 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. Head East was a hard rock quintet originally from south central Illinois, then Champaign, Illinois, USA. During the next few years, the Head East line-up continued to evolve into the early 90's. Original band members from the A&M era included Schlitt, Roger Boyd, Mike Sommerville, Steve Huston, and Dan Birney, who passed away in 2003. He taught computer science and communications classes at a local community college for over 20 years, until he retired in 2016 to play music on a full-time basis. They honed their craft playing colleges and clubs in the midwest, which is where they developed "Never Been Any Reason." The band remained active in some form for decades, and the song was always their showstopper. More songs that got a recording contract for an artist, More songs used in the movie Dazed And Confused. The singles "Never Been Any Reason" and "Love Me Tonight" became minor pop chart entries, and the album spent six months on the charts, eventually going gold. 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. We would tour all summer, and when Labor Day came, I would put my rock n roll clothes in the closet and put on my mortar board, said Boyd. Eventually both Larry and Danny dropped out of the band and were replaced by Mike Somerville (guitar) and Dan Birney (bass). The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, who Martin would open for on tour, were his backing band on the song. The song is about a guy who returns home - possibly from a tour - and has it out with his woman. Flota, originally from Mt. Head East is an American rock band formed in East Central Illinois. inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. band when it was formed in 1967. Flotas clean-living style didnt seem to fit with the rest of [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. (1979), but at the end of the year, Birney and Somerville left the group while Schlitt joined the Christian rock group Petra. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Another is serving as a (DVD) For more information about Schlitt, visitjohnwschlitt.com. Steve Huston, one of the founding members of Head East talks to Bill Grady and shares the real behind-the-scenes story of how the band came up with the name. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, UPDATE: Kirk Apartments destroyed in huge downtown fire, Downtown landmark arose on site of previous fire, Police also vital at Kirk Apartment scene, Medical board charges ex-MercyOne heart surgeon with incompetence, harmful practices, Mason City breaks ground on Highline Trail, City will work with Kirk Apartments owner in the aftermath, The fire last time: A history of Kirkland Flats, Kirk Apartments, Mason City native, entrepreneur John Pappajohn dies at age 94, High school track and field: Five area athletes to watch at the 2023 Drake Relays, Chris Lovell named chief operating officer at CL Tel, Iowa restaurant inspection update: Dead rodents, yellow slime and dodgy hotdogs, 2023 Drake Relays notebook: Reese Brownlee breaks Clear Lake record in girls' 400-meter run, Newman holds ground blessing for $15 million capital campaign, Local residents recall business titan John Pappajohn, More extreme heat waves are expected as the world gets warmer, Student misbehavior rises further since the return of in-person classes, study says. By the time Choice of Weapons was recorded, Steve Huston had departed the band to become a recording studio engineer, in Indianola, Iowa in the early 1990s, leaving Boyd as the only original member. The band achieved peak popularity and success during the 1970s, but later fell into obscurity. The two lead voices that share lines back and forth during the song are drummer Steve Huston and lead vocalist John Schlitt. Originally known as the TimeAtions, the band adopted the name Head East on August 6, 1969, at the suggestion of the band's roadie, Baxter Forrest Twilight. [5] The album reached gold status by 1978 and would remain their most popular album, spawning another hit in the song "Love Me Tonight", which peaked at number 54. HRA-Release: 21.09.2021 Label: A&M Genre: Rock Subgenre: Hard Rock Artist: Head East Album including Album cover I`m sorry! Iowa Hall of Fame inductees 2011. Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. The band achieved peak popularity and success during the 1970s, but later fell into obscurity. 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! Flota, along with the other original members of the band, were by Head East on Amazon Music. 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. [2] However, other members of the band dispute Huston's story about the naming. Description. Head East was a hard rock quintet originally from south central Illinois, then Champaign, Illinois, USA. Get Yourself Up (April 1976) and Gettin' Lucky (March, 1977) were less successful, but Head East (February, 1978), spurred by the minor singles chart entry "Since You Been Gone," reached the upper half of the Top 100. The concert gathered all of the remaining original Head East band members and current band members together onstage. 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. [6] He would later recover, become a born-again Christian and reappear as the lead singer of the Contemporary Christian Music band Petra. 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". Rita worked and then taught at the SIU School of Medicine for 15 years. 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. He learned firsthand about social issues such as addiction and substance abuse while in the music industry, and he wanted to teach students how to support individuals who may be dealing with these types of issues. About the show Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City . Mark was born in Kansas, but his family relocated to North Carolina, Texas, and New York before finally settling in the Kansas City, Missouri area. Eventually both Larry and Danny dropped out of the band and were replaced by Mike Somerville (guitar) and Dan Birney (bass). Boyd and Huston recruited Mark Boatman, Tony Gross, and Dan Odum to record U.S. 1 (October 1980), Head East's last album to reach the charts and last newly recorded release on A&M; it was a minor chart entry. 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. 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 retired faculty member in the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Social Work was also a founding member of the legendary rock band Head East. Famous quotes containing the words band and/or members: " There was a young lady called Gloria Who was had by Sir Gerald Du Maurier And then by six men And Sir Gerald again And the band of the Waldorf-Astoria. Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz. Continue with Recommended Cookies. 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. She and Roger met in 2003 during faculty orientation at SIUE. 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. August 6, 1969 is recognized as the date the band officially . A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. From 2003 until his retirement in 2011, Boyd taught in the Department of Social Work and also courses in sociology and criminal justice. bill. What I do know is there is no better high than playing on stage in front of thousands of fans who are there because of your We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. Show Coincides With Schlitts Induction Into Iowa Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, The Devil Wears Prada shares video for Ignorance, bonus track off upcoming re-release, Fallstar releases new single and music video, Crooks & The Damned, Volumes releases instrumental version of their fourth studio album, Happier?, Beartooth shares brand new song, Sunshine!, Parkway Drive announces Monsters of Oz tour as band celebrates 20th anniversary, SleepTokenannounces fall 2023 U.S. headline tour, Holding Absence shares video for new single, A Crooked Melody, Currents releases So Alone video off upcoming album, The Death We Seek, Nothing More shares video for new single, Best Times feat. Roger Boyd took over leadership of the band for one mildly successful album, U.S. 1, and two more studio albums before the band became an oldies act. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Do their first three albums have French titles? It was composed by the band's guitarist, Mike Somerville. than 500,000 in record sales. 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. Schlitt was recently named the best rock singer in Christian music history by GospelMusicChannel.com, and according to the website, Schlitt remains one of the most distinctive and impactful men to ever stand behind a microphone. Schlitt was also named Best Male Vocalist in About.coms 2011 Readers Choice Awards.Schlitt is currently in the studio recording his fourth solo album, The Greater Cause. According to lead singer John Schlitt, they would sometimes introduce it as a song by Three Dog Night because club owners didn't want them playing original songs. [3] Neither album achieved the success of their debut album. After thinking on it briefly, the band liked the unusual nature of it and has kept the name. say that the first time Never Been Any Reason was performed it Head East with John Schlitt, Steve Huston & Roger Boyd. See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction. It took us from being a regional band to being a national act. singles back then, were certified gold in 1978, representing more The band was inducted into the Iowa Rock & Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame in 2011. He is a founding member of Head East and has been it's keyboardist and leader for the past five decades. Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. [4][5] Head East also performed at the Culver Academies Graduation party in 1979, which in the prior years had been headlined by Styx and Quicksilver. The band formed in southern Illinois in 1969 but went through a number of member changes before arriving at their core lineup in 1973 . For more information on Schlitt and The Grafting or The Greater Cause, visit www.johnwschlitt.com. They will perform the bands 1979 double-live album, Head East Live, which includes many of the songs from their most well-known album, Flat As A Pancake, including Never Been Any Reason and Since You Been Gone., Recording Flat As A Pancake is one of my proudest accomplishments as a musician, said Boyd. Mark operated his own recording studio in the early nineties, and produced recordings for many area groups. into testing for the job, so I did, and the rest is history, said