The Beacon Street Union was an American

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

band in the late 1960s, named for a street in their native

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, United States. The band was composed of Boston College students, singer John Lincoln Wright (September 23, 1947 - December 4, 2011), guitarist/singer Paul Tartachny, bassist/singer Wayne Ulaky, keyboardist Robert Rhodes (born Rosenblatt) and drummer Richard Weisberg. With the exception of a few rock standards, their diverse music was composed by members of the band, primarily Wright and Ulaky. The band's label,

MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...

promoted them as part of the so-called

Bosstown Sound The Bosstown Sound (or Boston Sound) was the catchphrase of a marketing campaign to promote psychedelic rock and psychedelic pop bands in Boston, Massachusetts, in the late 1960s. The concept was conceived by the record producer Alan Lorber as a m ...

(along with the bands

Ultimate Spinach Ultimate Spinach was a short-lived American psychedelic rock band from Boston, Massachusetts which was formed in 1967. In terms of style and national recognition, the band was one of the most prominent musical acts to emerge from the "Bosstown S ...

and

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with Jaso ...

), shepherded by the record producer

Alan Lorber Alan Lorber is an American music arranger, record producer, and composer. References Record producers from New York (state) Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) American music arra ...

. The band met with little nationwide success. Their debut album, ''The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union'', charted at number 75 on May 4, 1968. The band relocated to New York and recorded its second album, ''

The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens ''The Clown Died in Marvin Gardens'' is the second album from Beacon Street Union, a psychedelic rock group based in Boston, Massachusetts. The album was released in 1968. The dead clown on the cover was also used previously in 1967, by Joel Br ...

''. Wright, Ulaky, Weisberg, and Rhodes recorded another album, ''Come Under Nancy's Tent'' in 1970 under the band name Eagle for

Janus Records Janus Records was a record label owned by GRT Records, also known as General Recorded Tape. The label was in operation from 1969 to 1979. History Janus was founded in July 1969 as a joint venture of GRT and British label Pye Records. In its ea ...

. On August 12, 1970, Beacon Street Union opened for

Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and musician. One of the most successful and widely known Rock music, rock stars of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and "electric" stage ...

Harvard Stadium Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson footba ...

, which was her last public performance before her death. In 1970, The Beacon Street Union recorded their final single "Lord Why Is it So Hard" / "Can’t Find My Fingers", adding Charlie Vatalaro on tenor sax. Wright went on to perform and record as a country artist shorty after, and fronted the Sour Mash Boys. He regularly toured across North America, through to the mid-1990s. He died on December 4, 2011, at age 64, following a series of strokes and a long-time drinking problem. Due to health problems, he stopped performing in 2007. Bandmate and producer Larry Flint admitted by 2007 that Wright "was in pretty bad physical shape, and even his voice was going", with an album recorded that year left unreleased. At the time of his death, he was separated from his wife, who refused to divorce him to ensure that he stayed on her health insurance.

Discography

Albums *''The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union'' (March 1968) *''

'' (August 1968) *''Come Under Nancy's Tent'' (as Eagle) (March 1970) Singles *"South End Incident" / "Speed Kills" (1968) *"Four Hundred and Five" / "

Blue Suede Shoes "Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by American singer, songwriter and guitarist Carl Perkins in 1955. It is considered one of the first rockabilly records, incorporating elements of blues, country and po ...

" (1968) *"May I Light Your Cigarette" / "Mayola" (1968) *"Lord Why Is It So Hard" / "Can't Find My Fingers" (1970)

References

Bibliography

Roxon, Lillian (1971). ''Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia''. Grossett and Dunlap, Universal Library Edition. . Musical groups from Boston Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1969 Psychedelic rock music groups from Massachusetts MGM Records artists {{US-rock-band-stub