Rising Sons (Blues) Biography
One of the most legendary unrecorded groups, the Rising Sons consisted of Taj Mahal (Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, 17 May 1940, New York City, New York, USA; vocals, guitar), Ry Cooder (vocals, guitar), Gary Marker (bass), Ed Cassidy (drums) and Jesse Lee Kincaid (vocals, guitar). Kevin Kelley also deputized on drums during their brief recording period when Cassidy injured his wrist playing a frenetic version of "Blind" Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues". Formed in Los Angeles, California, USA, in 1965, the group was signed to Columbia Records but their album was never issued. One single, "Candy Man"/"The Devil's Got My Woman", did surface, but the group had by then disbanded. Mahal became a prominent blues/folk performer, Cooder made his name playing sessions and later recorded successfully under his own name. Kelley briefly joined the Byrds and Cassidy became a mainstay in Spirit. Marker became a renowned journalist. Sessions from the album, produced by Byrds/Paul Revere associate Terry Melcher, became widely bootlegged due to interest in the various participants, and nearly two decades later they were given an official release by Columbia Records. Mahal contributed three new vocal takes for this project, but its patchwork quality finally laid to rest one of the great mysteries of the 60s.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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