The Peanut Butter Conspiracy was an American,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
-based,
psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...
/
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
group from the 1960s. The band is known for
lead singer
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
Barbara Robison
Barbara "Sandi" Robison (born Barbara Jeane Moyer, October 14, 1945 – April 22, 1988), also known as Sandi Peanut Butter, was an American singer who achieved the most success as the lead vocalist for the psychedelic rock band the Peanut Butte ...
and for briefly having
Spencer Dryden
Spencer Charles Dryden (April 7, 1938 – January 11, 2005) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Jefferson Airplane and New Riders of the Purple Sage. He also played with Dinosaurs, and the Ashes (later known as the Peanut Butt ...
of
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...
as a band member.
History
The band formed in Los Angeles in August 1966 from the
folk rock
Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...
group "The Ashes", which included John Merrill (guitar/vocals),
Barbara "Sandi" Robison (vocals), Alan Brackett (bass/vocals),
Spencer Dryden
Spencer Charles Dryden (April 7, 1938 – January 11, 2005) was an American musician best known as the drummer for Jefferson Airplane and New Riders of the Purple Sage. He also played with Dinosaurs, and the Ashes (later known as the Peanut Butt ...
(drums), and Jim Cherniss (guitar/vocals).
The group had earlier been known as The Young Swingers, who released two obscure singles. The Ashes released a first single on the Vault label in February 1966, "Is There Anything I Can Do?", written by
Jackie DeShannon
Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songwr ...
. Dryden left The Ashes (May 1966) to replace
Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence (April 18, 1946 – April 16, 1999) was a Canadian-born American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. In the same year, he released his only s ...
in
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...
, Robison left (June 1966) to give birth, and the group temporarily disbanded. Alan Brackett hooked up with a new guitarist, Lance Baker Fent, and a new drummer, Jim Voigt, naming the new trio "The Crossing Guards". Merrill and Robison rejoined and the five-piece band became The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.
The group signed with
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in late 1966, releasing a single "It's A Happening Thing" produced by
Gary Usher
Gary Lee Usher (December 14, 1938 – May 25, 1990) was an American rock musician, songwriter, and record producer, who worked with numerous California acts in the 1960s, including the Byrds, the Beach Boys, and Dick Dale. Usher also produced fict ...
.
It reached number 93 on the national pop chart. The band's first album, ''
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading
''The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading'' is the debut studio album by the Los Angeles psychedelic rock band, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy. It was released in March 1967 under the Columbia Records, Columbia label.
Backed by producer Gary U ...
'', followed.
It was also produced by Usher, who brought in studio musicians including
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...
and
James Burton
James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...
to bolster the group's sound. The album charted at number 196 on the ''
Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...
''. Their late 1967 single "Turn On a Friend (to the Good Life)" also failed to chart.
However, they toured nationally with a new guitarist, Bill Wolff, and recorded a second album for Columbia, ''
The Great Conspiracy''.
The group recorded songs for movies, including ''Angels from Hell'', ''Run Angel Run'', ''Jud'', ''Cherry Harry and Raquel'', ''Hell Ride'', ''2000 Years Later'', and ''
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' is a 1970 American satirical musical melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, and David Gurian. The film was directed by Russ Meyer and scr ...
''.
In 1968, they moved to the
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...
subsidiary label Challenge with a revamped line-up featuring ex-
Clear Light
Clear Light was an American psychedelic rock band that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 1966. The group released one studio album, ''Clear Light''. It had moderate national success before the group disbanded.
History
In 1966, The Brain Tr ...
organist Ralph Schuckett and drummer Michael Ney (Stevens). They recorded their final album, ''
For Children of All Ages
''For Children of All Ages'' is the third and final album by the American psychedelic rock band the Peanut Butter Conspiracy (PBC), and was released on Challenge Records, in 1969 (''see'' 1969 in music). The album came after the band's contra ...
'', written and conceived by Brackett, in 1969.
Meanwhile, Merrill had reformed a version of Ashes, whose only LP was eventually released in 1970 on the Vault label.
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy undertook a final tour and split up about 1970. Merrill and Brackett continued writing and producing for other artists. Brackett worked as a music publisher and produced Randy Meisner's first solo LP after leaving the
Eagles
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
. Brackett also produced, wrote and performed songs for scores of movies and television shows including ''
Witness
In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...
'', ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...
'', and ''
Top Gun
''Top Gun'' is a 1986 American action drama film directed by Tony Scott, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. The screenplay was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr., and was inspired by an a ...
''.
Robison joined the Los Angeles production of the musical ''
Hair
Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals.
The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and f ...
'' for an 18-month stint. Afterwards, she continued performing locally. In September 1971, Robison, Merrill, and Brackett joined a band called 'Froggy' which worked in a local saloon in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
. By late 1972, she joined another American band called 'Rush' which Merrill also joined. Here she worked with pianist Ivan Jean, whom she continued to tour with for years to come.
Barbara "Sandi" Robison (born Barbara Jeanne Moyer, October 14, 1945,
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
) fell ill while performing in
Butte, Montana
Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...
, and died of toxic shock poisoning 16 days later, on April 22, 1988, in a hospital in
Billings
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...
, at the age of 42.
Jim Voigt (born September 24, 1946) died of a heart attack on November 7, 2000, at the age of 54.
Guitarist Fent continues to create rock and roll through his GreenManMedia label. The three surviving members of The Peanut Butter Conspiracy performed Brackett's song "Eventually" at Amoeba Records on September 22, 2009. The song was originally recorded in 1966 and is part of the Rhino box set ''Los Angeles Nuggets — Where the Action Is''. Singer Karen Mitchell and drummer Jim Laspesa joined original members Brackett, Merrill and Fent in the re-formation of The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.
In 2005, ''
Spreading From The Ashes'' was released on
Ace Records in England. It covered the years that Merrill, Robison, and Brackett were together prior and during the time they were in the Peanut Butter Conspiracy, including songs by the Young Swingers and The Ashes and many songs previously unreleased by the PBC.
In 2014 a further CD was issued, ''Barbara'', compiled by Brackett and featuring tracks recorded by Robison. It is a tribute to her life and her career. The album has a mixture of genres with the purpose of focusing on Robison's musical talents. Some diverse tracks include the psychedelic folk song "Shuffling Tune", bluesy "Fool Hearted Woman", and the vocal-pop song "Good Feelin'".
Name
![PBC ad 1967 8](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2b/PBC_ad_1967_8.jpg)
According to Brackett:
South African group
A South African group of musicians using the same group name (though sometimes rendered as Peanutbutter Conspiracy) began recording in 1968, and charted a number of hits in South Africa, Rhodesia and Mozambique in 1971 and 1972. There is no connection between the two groups.
Discography
Albums
*''
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading
''The Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading'' is the debut studio album by the Los Angeles psychedelic rock band, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy. It was released in March 1967 under the Columbia Records, Columbia label.
Backed by producer Gary U ...
'' (
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
, March 1967)
*''
The Great Conspiracy'' (Columbia Records, December 1967)
*''
For Children of All Ages
''For Children of All Ages'' is the third and final album by the American psychedelic rock band the Peanut Butter Conspiracy (PBC), and was released on Challenge Records, in 1969 (''see'' 1969 in music). The album came after the band's contra ...
'' (
Challenge Records, 1969)
Compilations
*''West Coast Love-In'' (Vault, 1967) with The Ashes
&
The Chambers Brothers
The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1967 psychedelic soul hit "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions wit ...
*''Turn On A Friend'' (Drop Out Records, 1988)
*''
Spreading from the Ashes'' (
Ace Records, 2005) with The Ashes
*''Living Dream - The Best of the Peanut Butter Conspiracy'' (
Sundazed Records
Sundazed Music is an American independent record label based in Coxsackie, New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 2000, Sundazed had a staff of 15 and two mixing studios, including a vintage audio ...
, 2005)
*''Barbara'' (2014) featuring Barbara Robison
References
External links
Lance Baker Fent's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The
1966 establishments in California
Columbia Records artists
Musical groups established in 1966
Musical groups disestablished in 1970
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Psychedelic rock music groups from California