Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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MOBY GRAPE

Rock band formed '66 in San Francisco, named for punchline of absurd joke ('What's blue, large, round and lives in the sea?'). Nucleus of group formerly the Frantics: Bob Mosley (b 4 Dec. '42, Paradise Valley CA), bass; Jerry Miller (b 10 July '43, Tacoma WA), guitar; Don Stevenson (b 15 Oct. '42, Seattle), drums; adding second guitar Peter Lewis (b 15 July '45, LA; ex-Peter and the Wolves) and Alexander 'Skip' Spence (b 18 April '46, Windsor, Ontario; ex- drummer with Jefferson Airplane) on rhythm guitar. Guided by ex-Airplane manager Matthew Katz, they all sang, established reputation for tight harmonies, three-guitar weaving. Columbia won the race to sign them, but spoiled debut Moby Grape '67 with simultaneous release of five singles. There were foreshadows of Crosby, Stills and Nash ('8:05'), the Doobie Bros ('Omaha') etc with Miller playing lead, Spence rhythm and Lewis finger-picking. Wow '68 was also marred by gimmicks, incl. a track that could be played at 78 r.p.m. and indulgent bonus 'Grape Jam' with Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield. Spence left to go solo (LP Oar '69); remaining quartet made Moby Grape '69, but Mosley quit before release (joined Marines), band folded, trio re-formed plus Bob Moore to make Truly Fine Citizen '70 in Nashville, which was universally panned. Meanwhile a fake Grape played at Altamont, manager Katz claiming to own the name. Spence helped John Hartman to form Doobie Bros, though not a member; 20 Granite Creek '71 was first of several reunions but a shadow of the first album; Miller, Lewis and Mosley worked as Maby Grope '74; Grape Live '79 featured future Doobie Cornelius Bumpus on keyboards and sax with Spence, Lewis, Miller and drummer John Oxendine, Christian Powell on bass. Like UK's Brinsley Schwarz their career was blighted by hype; reissue of first LP on Edsel '84 showed that (for the time, anyway) there was some substance.