Savage Grace (progressive rock band)
| Savage Grace | |
|---|---|
 Savage Grace 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Progressive rock |
| Years active | 1968-1972 |
| Labels | Reprise |
| Associated acts | Measured Chaos, Mitch Ryder |
| Members |
Al Jacquez Mark Gougeon Mark Tomorsky Frankie Charboneaux Jim King |
| Past members |
Original Members: (See:full listing) |
Savage Grace was Detroit, Michigan's progressive rock band of the late 1960s. With Guitarist Ron Koss, keyboardist John Seanor, and drummer Larry Zack as the nucleus of a jazzy trio called Scarlet Letter (with two albums on Mainstream), the addition of vocalist/bassist Al Jacquez transformed the group into Savage Grace. The band was soon signed to Reprise and released their eponymous debut album in 1969. Upon moving to Los Angeles the following year, the group embarked on a second album, which took almost two years to complete. By 1972, the trail had ended and the group went their separate ways. Savage Grace never achieved the success that seemed like their due; certainly their musicianship was top notch and their songwriting was good enough, but in the long run, was also perhaps a bit too eclectic to find a mainstream audience.
Biography
The beginnings of this seminal Michigan band starts on the east side of Detroit in the late 1960s. Session guitarist Ron Koss, a self-taught musician who paid his dues in the local bar scene and recorded sessions with Wilson Pickett, Marv Johnson, and Hank Marvin and the Midnighters, joined forces with classically trained keyboardist John Seanor and rock drummer / percussionist Larry Zack to form the core of “The Scarlet Letter.” The trio decided to find a bass player who could sing and Ann Arborite Al Jacquez was added on lead vocals and bass.
The new band spent three months in daily rehearsal, writing and stretching the boundaries of their music before performing throughout the Midwest in clubs, ballrooms, colleges, high schools, and pop festivals. They were combining classical, jazz, R&B, and rock and roll with the energy that is Detroit, becoming a precursor of what is referred to as progressive rock. Savage Grace created quite a “buzz” at the time as a unique band whose performances and musicianship broke the all the molds. Their dedication, along with their strong original songs, earned the band opening act spots for Three Dog Night, Procol Harum, Sha Na Na, The Moody Blues, Small Faces and countless others. At one festival, Yes, Soft Machine and Alice Cooper opened for Savage Grace.
A high-energy opening set for Creedence Clearwater Revival cemented a contract with Reprise Records. Their first album, simply titled "Savage Grace," was released in 1969. Standout tracks are “Come On Down”, “Lady Rain”, and an impressive reworking of Bob Dylan’s “All Along The Watchtower." The group continued to work the road, wowing audiences at the Goose Lake International, the Cincinnati, and the Atlanta Pop Festivals.
In the fall of 1970, Savage Grace relocated to Los Angeles. They recorded basic tracks for their second album, only to discard them and start again in early 1971. “Savage Grace 2” was released in May. “SG 2” found them still experimenting with musical styles but finding a harder edge than the previous release. Standout tracks are “Sandscript”, “Roll River Roll”, and “Yonder." The group resumed touring with Jimi Hendrix and John Sebastian, but performance opportunities soon began to dwindle. Their delicate balance of musical styles and differences, held in check by performing, eventually unraveled due to months of inactivity and ended the musical partnership. Their mercurial rise was over.
During the late 1990s Ron Koss and Al Jacquez reunited and teamed up with bassist Mark Gougeon (Lightnin’, Mitch Ryder), guitarist Jeff Jones (Guardian Angel, Lightnin’) drummer Bill Gordon (Frigid Pink), and keyboardist Jim Claire (America) to produce “Savage Grace 3” - officially titled; “One Night in America.” (available on iTunes) The new Savage Grace performed several times until the untimely death of Ron Koss in 2004.
Al Jacquez moved on and created the blues, soul & rock and roll vehicle Measured Chaos with bandmate bassist Mark Gougeon (the new Savage Grace, Mitch Ryder), guitarist Mark Tomorsky (Mark Lindsay, The Grass Roots), and drummer Frank Charboneaux (Eric Burdon, Mick Taylor)
Line-up
Current members
- Al Jacquez − bass, guitar & vocals
- Mark Gougeon - bass & vocals
- Mark Tomorsky − guitar & vocals
- Frankie Charboneaux − drums
- Jim King − keyboards
1990's members
- Ron Koss − guitar & vocals
- Al Jacquez − guitar & vocals
- Mark Gougeon - bass & vocals
- Jeff Jones - guitar
- Bill Gordon - drums
- Jim Claire - keyboards
Original members
- Ron Koss − guitar & vocals
- Al Jacquez − bass & vocals
- John Seanor − piano, harpsichord
- Larry Zack − drums, percussion
Discography
Albums
- Savage Grace (1969)
- Savage Grace 2 (1971)
- One Night in America