Potliquor (sometimes erroneously referred to as Pot Liquor) was a
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War i ...
rock group from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The band was formed by George Ratzlaff and Guy Schaeffer after the breakup of a successful cover band named the Basement Wall. Like several other bands of the American South, their musical style was a synthesis of influences such as
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...
,
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
,
Jimmy Reed, and more, making Potliquor a part of the nascent Southern rock genre.
Potliquor released four albums plus a compilation album but had only one hit single written and sung by George Ratzlaff.
Potliquor was a top regional touring band during the early 1970s, and although they made several national tours with prominent rock groups of the time, they never became the headliner of their own tour, but did headline specific shows with some surprising opening acts, like
ZZ Top,
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
, and
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
. The group suffered through internal conflicts after the death of their manager in 1973, and after several personnel changes, they were never able to recover the momentum built up through 1970–1973 to reach national prominence like some of the big name bands and individuals they performed with:
the Allman Brothers, Billy Joel,
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...
,
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
,
Lou Rawls
Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American record producer, singer, composer and actor. Rawls released more than 60 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably his s ...
, Aerosmith,
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
,
ZZ Top,
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
,
Faces, and many more. Potliquor held the dubious distinction of being the only band booked to play the
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...
just before it closed forever. The promotional posters still exist.
Name
Potliquor took its name from the term "
pot liquor
Pot liquor, sometimes spelled potlikker or pot likker is the liquid that is left behind after boiling greens (collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens) or beans. It is sometimes seasoned with salt and pepper, smoked pork or smoked turkey. ...
" which is the broth that is left after cooking vegetables and meats. In the South, it is commonly drunk or otherwise used rather than being thrown away. While many argue that the traditional spelling of "potlikker" is correct, "pot liquor" has become the acceptable form. This was only one of many references to their region and state of origin that Potliquor made in their work.
Influences and style
Potliquor played a south Louisiana-tinged version of Southern rock. Combining references to their native
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
in many of their album and song titles and lyrics ("Down the River Boogie", "Ol’ Man River", "Riverboat", "Levee Blues", "Waiting for Me at the River", "Louisiana Rock & Roll", "Red Stick", "Louisiana Lady") with lead singer George Ratzlaff's powerful, gospel/soul voice, Potliquor became a part of the Southern rock wave of the early 1970s. Much of their music was blues-based as revealed in song titles such as "Levee Blues", "Rooster Blues", "Taj and Jimmy’s Blues", "St. Jude’s Blues", and several songs were gospel-based ("When God Dips His Love in My Heart", "Beyond the River Jordan", "H", "St. Jude’s Blues").
Martin Popoff
Martin Popoff (born April 28, 1963) is a Canadian music journalist, critic and author. He is mainly known for writing about the genre of heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has additionally ...
wrote a review printed in the book ''Southern Rock Review'' of Potliquor's first album. His comments though were particularly aimed toward the music of the first album.
The band's sound is a hotbed of cool southern traditions crossed with the psych stylings of the Guess Who Guess Who may refer to:
*Guess Who (B.B. King album), ''Guess Who'' (B.B. King album), 1972
*Guess Who (Slim Whitman album), 1971
*Guess Who (EP), ''Guess Who'' (EP), a 2021 EP by South Korean girl group Itzy
*Guess Who (film), ''Guess Who'' (film) ...
and the Hammond
Hammond may refer to:
People
* Hammond Innes (1913–1998), English novelist
* Hammond (surname)
* Justice Hammond (disambiguation)
Places Antarctica
* Hammond Glacier, Antarctica
Australia
*Hammond, South Australia, a small settlement in South ...
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
of Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...
. Many attractions along the way: the band's cover of "You're No Good
"You're No Good" is a song written by Clint Ballard Jr., first performed by Dee Dee Warwick for Jubilee Records in 1963 with production by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It has since been covered by many artists, including charting versions by ...
" is bruisingly power-chorded almost to Sabbatherian levels (in the mean time kicking Van Halen
Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
's dopey take outta bed), or at least hard Fireball
Fireball may refer to:
Science
* Fireball (meteor), a brighter-than-usual meteor
* Ball lightning, an atmospheric electrical phenomenon
* ''Bassia scoparia'', a plant species
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''The Fireball'', a 1950 film starring ...
-era Purple. Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
's " The Raven" gets a damp and creaky House Of The Rising Sun-type treatment, all creeped out toward Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly with harsh electric guitar soloing. " Old Man River" swings right round the other way, reverential, deep-seated although slightly affected. Originals are just as diverse, pioneering and often heavy. Opener "Down The River Boogie" is a proto-southern rocker built on a gentle riff
A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...
but a riff nonetheless. "Riverboat" and "Price 20 Cents A Copy" are fast James Brown
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...
-type showy tunes buoyed by the band's patented harmonies and raucous arrangements. And wiggin' right out is "Toballby", a committed Deep Purple jam complete with an eclectic Paicey-style drum solo. Bit of a roll call there, but the point is, this thing is sequenced for driving pleasure. Potliquor finding fortune at the crossroads between late 60's hard rock, the newly emerging southern sound combining gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
, boogie and the blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
, and the last vestiges of foggy proggy psyche.
History
Beginnings
Formed in 1969 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Potliquor was originally composed of George Ratzlaff (keyboards, rhythm guitar, vocals), and Guy Schaeffer (bass, vocals). The group auditioned drummers and guitarist and chose Jerry Amoroso (drums, percussion, vocals) and Les Wallace (guitar, vocals). Each of the members was a veteran of the Baton Rouge music scene. Ratzlaff, and Schaeffer in fact, had been members of the Basement Wall, the highest-paid cover band in the South during the late 60s, according to the Louisiana Entertainment Association.
Jim Brown, a local promoter and owner of a Baton Rouge club, the Speakeasy, was uniquely instrumental in the formation of the band and arranged the "name-the-band-contest" that resulted in Potliquor's naming.
When the
New Orleans Pop Festival was being planned Jim Brown offered to coordinate acts and times on stage. This enabled him to place his act, Potliquor, in a prime time slot on Saturday night of the festival. The New Orleans Pop Festival, held August 30 - September 1, 1969—only two weeks after the
Woodstock Music Festival
Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...
—at the Louisiana International Speedway in
Prairieville, LA about 65 miles up the
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
from
. Reports of attendance varied greatly. Some saying 25,000 - 30,000 and other believe it to have been well over 100,000 people, the festival boasted an impressive amount of national talent, including five veterans of Woodstock—
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 ...
, the
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
,
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
Boats
* Santana 20, an American sailboat design by W. D. Sch ...
,
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 ...
,
Country Joe and the Fish—along with
Canned Heat, the
Byrds,
the Youngbloods, Iron Butterfly,
Oliver,
It's a Beautiful Day
It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967, featuring vocalist Pattie Santos along with violinist David LaFlamme and his wife, Linda LaFlamme, on keyboards.
David LaFlamme, who as a youth had once p ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Lee Michaels
Lee Eugene Michaels (born Michael Olsen, November 24, 1945) is an American rock musician who sings and accompanies himself on organ (music), organ, piano, or guitar. He is best known for his powerful soulful voice and his energetic virtuosity o ...
,
Spiral Starecase
The Spiral Starecase was an American pop band, best known for its 1969 single " More Today Than Yesterday".
The band, from Sacramento, California, United States, was recognizable for its horns and lead singer/guitarist Pat Upton's voice. The g ...
, and
Tyrannosaurus Rex (before they were renamed T. Rex).
1970
Potliquor helped headline the smaller Festival of Man and Earth in May 1970, held in the Baton Rouge area with Ginger Valley, Goat Leg,
Eternity's Children
Eternity's Children was an American sunshine pop band that originated in Cleveland, Mississippi as a folk group known as the Phantoms. The Phantoms began with two students, composed of vocalist/keyboardist Bruce Blackman and drummer Roy Whittaker ...
,
Bloodrock
Bloodrock was an American hard rock band based in Fort Worth, Texas, that had success in the 1970s. The band emerged from the Fort Worth club and music scene during the early to mid-1970s.
Early career
Bloodrock initially formed in Fort Worth ...
, Ox, and the
Ides of March
The Ides of March (; la, Idus Martiae, Late Latin: ) is the 74th day in the Roman calendar, corresponding to 15 March. It was marked by several religious observances and was notable in Rome as a deadline for settling debts. In 44 BC, it became ...
also performing.
By early September, Potliquor had signed with
Janus Records, a subsidiary of the
GRT Corporation. On a small, full-color ad on the front page of the September 26, 1970 edition of ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'', Janus describe Potliquor as a "river blues" group from Baton Rouge who "created a sensation at the New Orleans Pop Festival and were sought after by many record labels..." and who were about "to embark on their first national tour." Officially released by Janus Records in November, Potliquor's debut album, ''First Taste'', had been recorded in the previous months at Baton Rouge's Deep South Recording Studio, produced by manager Jim Brown and engineered by Cy Frost. Frost also wrote (as Giuseppe Efronetée) and played guitar on "Driftin," a song later released as a Decca single by the British rock group Fat Chance. ''First Taste'' got a very favorable review by Bob Glassenberg of ''Billboard'', who ended the review with "It should hit with impact." About a month later, Glassenberg reviewed a live performance by Potliquor at the
Village Gate club in
Greenwich Village, New York, calling the group "a hard rock group" with "tinges of the Bayou country on every song." He described them as "stylistically unique" and concluded by saying that they were "a good, energetic new group on the pop scene."
1971
While the beginning of 1971 saw
Pye Records' progressive label
Dawn
Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...
release ''First Taste'' in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
and
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, Potliquor was back in Baton Rouge beginning work in February on their second album, ''Levee Blues'', at the Deep South Recording Studios, but this time even though Jim Brown's title on the album remained 'producer' he turned over the actual production responsibilities to Cy Frost, a genius in his own right.
Another tour took the group back to the west coast where they appeared with the
Joy of Cooking and
Hugh Masekela and the Union of South Africa on April 3, 1971, on a special program, ''Calebration'', on a
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
TV station. This special, held in conjunction with the Bay Area Hi-Fi Show had radio stations in San Francisco,
San Jose, and
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' ...
broadcasting a
quadraphonic stereo signal. Later in the month, the group was booked to perform at
Winterland (
Bill Graham’s larger, alternative venue to the
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Stre ...
) in San Francisco with
Ten Years After and
Cactus
A cactus (, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, a family comprising about 127 genera with some 1750 known species of the order Caryophyllales. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek ...
on April 30 - May 1, 1971, but this performance was never to be as both venues shut down. The promotional poster and other advertising were already in place but the concert never happened.
Although the new album was scheduled to be completed in May, it wasn't until August that Potliquor completed work on ''Levee Blues'',
and the LP was released at the end of 1971.
At this point, things were looking very promising for Potliquor. ''Billboard'' reported in September that a U.K. tour was in the planning stages and Chess/Janus Records executives were publicly stating their plans to promote ''Levee Blues''. An article in the December 25, 1971 ''Billboard'', which described the evolving strategy of emphasizing album promotion over purely album sales, quoted the newly hired Chess/Janus Records promoter Don Graham as saying that Potliquor was his special project and that he was convinced that he could break them nationally. "I've got until January to make Potliquor tomorrow's hero. Thank God I've got something to work with." Additionally, Potliquor's ''Levee Blues'' was one of six Chess/Janus albums which were promoted in a full page ad in ''Billboard''. ''Billboard'' ended a good year for Potliquor by describing ''Levee Blues'' as having "...the heavy material and performance to break them into the chart with solid sales impact. Group of the south is really together with their own rockin' with strong cuts..."
1972
The future continued to look bright for Potliquor as 1972 began with ''Billboard'' singling out Potliquor's new single, "Cheer", off the ''Levee Blues'' album, as having the potential to "make a heavy dent on the
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
chart." Marvin Schlachter, the president of Chess/Janus, publicly praised Potliquor's potential: "We just released a cut from their ''Levee Blues'' LP as a single because we found that that cut 'Cheer' was receiving a great deal of play from air personalities across the country. ...We have a strong artist roster… Artists such as Potliquor...are examples of the newer artists that we have...".
By the beginning of February, "Cheer" had broken into ''Billboards Hot 100 chart. Touring in support of the ''Levee Blues'' album with
Savoy Brown
Savoy Brown (originally Savoy Brown Blues Band) were an English blues rock band formed in Battersea, south west London, in 1965. Part of the late 1960s blues rock movement, Savoy Brown primarily achieved success in the United States, where they ...
, Potliquor ended the tour in Los Angeles where they performed at the
Whisky a Go Go on February 24, 1972. This performance received national publicity when ''Billboard'' described their performance as "truly foot-itching, get-up-and-dance music" and described the band as having paid "their dues with years of minor deep-South gigs."
After a month and a half, "Cheer" reached its highest position at number 65 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on March 18, 1972. Few weeks later, "Cheer" recorded its final week at number 87 after being on the chart for 11 weeks.
At the beginning of March, Potliquor started a six-week tour with Bloodrock and Cactus with a break in the schedule to appear at the
Mar Y Sol Pop Festival in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
on April 1–3, 1972. Other notable artists appearing at the festival were
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...
, the
Allman Brothers Band,
B. B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...
,
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
,
Brownsville Station
Brownsville station is a Metrorail station in Brownsville, Florida. It is located at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue ( SR 9) and 52nd Street, opening to service May 19, 1985.
Station layout
Places of interest
*Brownsville
*Joseph Ca ...
, Cactus,
Dave Brubeck
David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...
,
Emerson Lake and Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percu ...
,
Faces, the
J. Geils Band
''J. The Jewish News of Northern California'', formerly known as ''Jweekly'', is a weekly print newspaper in Northern California, with its online edition updated daily. It is owned and operated by San Francisco Jewish Community Publications In ...
,
Long John Baldry
John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including t ...
,
Herbie Mann, and the
Mahavishnu Orchestra with
John McLaughlin John or Jon McLaughlin may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* John McLaughlin (musician) (born 1942), English jazz fusion guitarist, member of Mahavishnu Orchestra
* Jon McLaughlin (musician) (born 1982), American singer-songwriter
* John McLaugh ...
.
By the middle of the year, record executives were feeling very positive about Potliquor's future. The group appeared on the ''Real
Don Steele VShow'' on June 18, 1972, with
Peter Yarrow and Billy Joel. Chess/Janus President Marv Schlachter announced that the merger of the
Chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
, Janus, and GRT records labels, the hiring of national promotion and college/FM exploitation staff, and a stable of solid talent had turned the bottom line of the company around. He made the claim that they had broken Potliquor nationally.
Before heading back to the studio, Potliquor played with
Uriah Heep and Long John Baldry at the Sunshine Inn in
Asbury Park, New Jersey
Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area.
As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188 , on June 27, 1972. Back at home, Potliquor had two notable appearances, performing at
City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, where they closed down
WRNO-FM
WRNO-FM (99.5 MHz) – branded ''News Talk 99.5 WRNO'' – is a commercial talk radio station licensed to serve New Orleans, Louisiana. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station serves the New Orleans metropolitan area. The WRNO-FM studios are loc ...
's Day in the Park concert on July 23, 1972, playing several songs with fellow southern rock musicians
Dickey Betts and
Gregg Allman
Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Br ...
, and on August 24, 1972, at Baton Rouge's Independence Hall with
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...
.
While Potliquor appeared in December on the ''Real Don Steele Shows "Salute to the Hits of 1972" special, work was being completed on their third album.
1973
''Louisiana Rock & Roll'' was released in January 1973,
again produced by Jim Brown and engineered by Cy Frost.
Chess/Janus supported the new LP with a full-color advertisement across the bottom of Page 1 of the February 10, 1973 edition of ''Billboard''
and a full page B&W advertisement promoting 11 new albums from the artists, including Potliquor.
The first part of 1973 saw Potliquor in concert with
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs (born June 8, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. An early bandmate of Steve Miller in The Ardells and the Steve Miller Band, he began his solo career in 1969, though he lacked a major hit until h ...
, but on May 3, 1973, Potliquor was involved with a very unusual concert, particularly for the time. The group played at a Youth Concert at the
Pete Maravich Assembly Center
The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972. It is home to the Louisiana State University Tigers and Lady Tigers basketball teams, the LSU Tigers women's gymnastics ...
with the
Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, each playing separate sets and then combining for Potliquor music backed by the orchestra. This was one of the first instances of a rock group performing live with a
symphony orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, ce ...
.
The middle of the year saw Potliquor in concert with several different bands in different venues: 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 ...
and the
Charlie Daniels Band
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock music, rock, country music, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his numb ...
at
The Warehouse in New Orleans;
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970charting ten albums according to Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Their style is punctuated ...
at the
Monroe Civic Center
The Monroe Civic Center is a 7,600-seat, full-service, multi-purpose arena located in Monroe, Louisiana, built in 1965. The facility was home to the Monroe Moccasins ice hockey team and Louisiana Bayou Beast indoor football team.
Entertainment ...
in
Monroe, Louisiana
Monroe (historically french: Poste-du-Ouachita) is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and parish seat of Ouachita Parish. With a 2020 census-tabulated population of 47,702, it is the principal city of the Monroe metropolita ...
;
in
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
;
at Independence Hall in Baton Rouge with
Steely Dan
Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...
and Gladstone; and with
Wishbone Ash
Wishbone Ash are a British rock band who achieved success in the early and mid-1970s. Their popular albums included ''Wishbone Ash'' (1970), ''Pilgrimage'' (1971), '' Argus'' (1972), ''Wishbone Four'' (1973), ''There's the Rub'' (1974), and '' ...
in
El Paso, Texas
El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...
.
Dissolution
At some point in 1973, however, things started going downhill for the group. The band's long-time manager and record producer, Jim Brown, died in a car accident. Apparently Brown was the group's peacemaker, and with his death, the band became embroiled in internal conflicts. Local musician, Leon Medica, later of
LeRoux, had been filling in from time-to-time for bass player, Guy Schaeffer. He, in fact, substituted for Schaeffer on two tracks during the ''Levee Blues'' recording sessions and during some of the ''Louisiana Rock & Roll'' sessions and played with Potliquor, at the very least, for the May 3, 1973 concert with the Baton Rouge Symphony. After Brown's death, Schaeffer was dropped from the group. Several members of a local Baton Rouge group, the Warbabies, were added, and drummer Jerry Amoroso was also dropped from the band. According to Amoroso, he held the copyright on the name "Potliquor", but George Ratzlaff owned the publishing company and the entire catalog of original songs from the first 3 albums.
Re-formation
Amoroso called up former bandmate Schaeffer and with local guitarist Mike McQuaig re-formed Potliquor. However, the loss of Ratzlaff's distinctive voice and of the songwriting talents of Ratzlaff (11 of 14 of the original songs on the first three albums were written by Ratzlaff with additional written by all four members, 2 by Wallace) made this version of Potliquor quite different in nature from the first. Through 1977, there were no national or regional tours and no promotional efforts on behalf of Chess/Janus Records. Emerging as the group's leader, Amoroso flew to
New York, New York
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
to sell a record company on a recording deal for the group but to no avail. Finally in early 1977, Potliquor signed a contract with
Capricorn Records and released the single, "New York City You Ain’t" in March 1977.
This effort led to no direct success for the band, but eventually Amoroso, Schaeffer, Mike McQuaig, and new guitarist Steve Sather went into the
Studio in the Country
Studio in the Country is a recording studio located at 21443 Hwy 436 in Washington Parish, Louisiana.
The studio has been in operation since 1972. It was conceived and originally owned by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans. It sits on ...
in
Bogalusa, Louisiana to record their eponymous album ''Potliquor'' which was released in 1979 by
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. Unfortunately, the new radio-friendly style lacked not only the old southern rock groove but failed to get any
Top-40 traction, and the new band broke apart soon after.
Retrospective
Potliquor was one of the early groups of the new genre of music that came to be known as Southern rock. Incorporating a blending of elements of differing native musical styles and the inclusion of lyrics and titles from their southern Louisiana, Potliquor was a group of originality and creativity. They entered the business of rock music at a crucial time where much was possible, and they rubbed shoulders with many groups who would become immensely successful. (Potliquor played gigs where
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
,
ZZ Top, and Billy Joel opened for them, according to Ratzlaff, "but they were young then.")
However, Potliquor's regional musical style and relatively small record label worked against them. The group's disintegration in 1973 ended a very promising career, and by the time the group was re-formed a few years later, their window of opportunity had closed.
Album art and cultural references
As previously stated, Potliquor and its musical content and style are integrally connected to its Southern U.S. and south Louisiana culture. Potliquor's choice of
album art
An album cover (also referred to as album art) is the front packaging art of a commercially released studio album or other audio recordings. The term can refer to either the printed paperboard covers typically used to package sets of and 78-rpm ...
also makes explicit its geographic and cultural foundations.
* The front cover of the ''First Taste'' album is a photograph of the group sitting down (left to right, Guy Schaeffer, George Ratzlaff, Jerry Amoroso, Les Wallace) with a glass jug, like one which would be thought to hold
moonshine
Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...
, being held by Amoroso. On the inside foldout, a large image of a similar jug is displayed with liner notes printed on it. The title, "First Taste", and the moonshine jug implies that this debut album is a first taste of the music of Potliquor, a play on the term "pot liquor" which is not liquor but is actually the broth that is left in the pot after cooking down vegetables. The other inner photo shows the group horse-playing in shallow water of a Louisiana
bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
. On the back cover, the group is photographed around a campfire.
* The ''Levee Blues'' album art consists of a monochromatic
pen and ink drawing in a
psychedelic
Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...
style. On the front, the four musicians are drawn sitting on the bank of a river or bayou. The drawing continues on the back where there is a plantation home set back a short distance from the river on the top of the river
levee
A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...
. The inside of the foldout cover contains photos of the band in the recording studio with liner notes written in
cursive
Cursive (also known as script, among other names) is any style of penmanship in which characters are written joined in a flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing faster, in contrast to block letters. It varies in functionalit ...
around the pictures.
* The front cover art of Louisiana Rock & Roll is a drawing of a bayou with
swamp
A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
vegetation and
Spanish moss
Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Uni ...
-laden
live oak trees. The four members of Potliquor are drawn sitting around
mushrooms which are cut and oriented so as to spell out the name "Potliquor"; the album name is spelled out in a watery font. The LP covers open up so that the front and back covers are a continuation of the art, and on the back, the faces of the band members appear half-hidden behind vines and the root system of a
cypress
Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs of northern temperate regions that belong to the family Cupressaceae. The word ''cypress'' is derived from Old French ''cipres'', which was imported from Latin ''cypressus'', the ...
tree. On the inside is a concert photograph of Potliquor on stage with liner notes to the right.
* For both the Potliquor and The Best of Potliquor albums, the front covers feature a photo of small group of people standing on a levee bordering a large river with a
paddle wheel riverboat passing by. The back cover of the ''Potliquor'' album has pictures of the four band members in a four square pattern with liner notes above them and to the left side of the back cover.
Discography
*''
First Taste'' (1970)
*''
Levee Blues
''Levee Blues'' is the second album from American band Potliquor
Potliquor (sometimes erroneously referred to as Pot Liquor) was a 1970s rock group from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The band was formed by George Ratzlaff and Guy Schaeffer after the ...
'' (1971)
*''
Louisiana Rock & Roll
''Louisiana Rock & Roll'' is the third album by American southern rock band Potliquor. It was released in 1973.
At least one newspaper had begun reporting ''Louisiana Rock & Rolls release at the end of January, and by early February 1973, Janus ...
'' (1973)
*''
Potliquor'' (1979)
*''
The Best of Potliquor'' (2008)
Singles
Recognition and awards
* Potliquor was inducted into the Louisiana Entertainment Hall of Fame on June 12, 2005, at an induction ceremony concert at
Boomtown New Orleans
Boomtown New Orleans (formerly Boomtown Westbank) is a casino hotel located on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish in Harvey, Louisiana. It is on a site. It is owned by Gaming and Leisure Properties and operated by Penn ...
in
Harvey, Louisiana.
* On October 20, 2013, Potliquor was inducted into the
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. The band performed an induction ceremony concert at Club Coozan in Baton Rouge with LMHOF Executive Director Mike Shepherd on hand to formally induct the band.
* Original keyboardist/vocalist George Ratzlaff was nominated for a 1981
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for his songwriting contribution of "Everyday I've Got To Sing Some" to the nominated album, ''
Spreadin’ Like Wildfire'', by the
Archers in the category of Best Gospel Performance – Contemporary Or Inspirational. The Archers performed Ratzlaff's song during their Grammy performance that year. In later years, Ratzlaff formed a Christian group named Legacy.
References
{{Reflist, 30em
External links
Potliquor Music Facebook Page
American southern rock musical groups
American blues rock musical groups
Rock music groups from Louisiana
Musical groups from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Musical groups established in 1969
Musical groups disestablished in 1979
Capricorn Records artists
Capitol Records artists