Quicksilver Messenger Service is 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 formed in 1965 in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, 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 List of Ca ...

. The band achieved wide popularity in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...

and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, and several of their albums ranked in the Top 30 of the

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 ...

Pop charts. They were part of the new wave of album-oriented bands, achieving renown and popularity despite a lack of success with their singles (only one, "

Fresh Air ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 6 ...

" charted, reaching number 49 in 1970). Though not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and 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, ...

, Quicksilver was integral to the beginnings of their genre. With their

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and classical influences and a strong

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

background, the band attempted to create an individual, innovative sound. Music historian

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

wrote: "Of all the bands that came out of the San Francisco area during the late '60s, Quicksilver typified most of the style, attitude and sound of that era." Member

Dino Valenti Chester William Powers, Jr. (October 7, 1937 – November 16, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter, and under the stage names Dino Valenti or Dino Valente, one of the lead singers of the rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service. As a songwri ...

drew heavily on musical influences he picked up during the folk revival of his formative musical years. The style he developed from these sources is evident in Quicksilver Messenger Service's swing rhythms and twanging guitar sounds. After many years, the band has attempted to re-form despite the deaths of several members. In 2009, original members

Gary Duncan Gary Duncan (born Eugene Duncan, Jr., adopted at birth and named Gary Ray Grubb, September 4, 1946 – June 29, 2019) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver M ...

and

David Freiberg David Freiberg ( ; born August 24, 1938) is an American musician best known for contributing vocals, keyboards, electric bass, rhythm guitar, viola and percussion as a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, and Jefferson ...

toured as the Quicksilver Messenger Service, using various backing musicians.

History

Formation

There is some confusion as to the real origins of the group. According to

John Cipollina John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 – May 29, 1989) was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. After leaving Quicksilver he formed the band C ...

: The next day, Valenti was arrested for possession of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

and spent the better part of the next two years in jail. However, Gary Duncan has stated: Whether or not Quicksilver Messenger Service was what Valenti had in mind, it appears from Duncan's recollections that he had at least talked with Cipollina about forming a band; Cipollina remembered that:

, a folk-guitarist friend of Valenti, was recruited to the group. He had previously been in a band with

Paul Kantner Paul Lorin Kantner (March 17, 1941 – January 28, 2016) was an American rock musician. He is best known as the co-founder, rhythm guitarist, and vocalist of Jefferson Airplane, a leading psychedelic rock band of the counterculture era. He cont ...

and

David Crosby David Van Cortlandt Crosby (born August 14, 1941) is an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Crosby joined the Byrds in 1964. They got ...

but like Cipollina he had been arrested and briefly jailed for marijuana possession and had just been released. "We were to take care of this guy Freiberg," Cipollina recalled, and though they had never met before, Freiberg was integrated into the group. The band also added

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 ...

on guitar and began to rehearse at

Marty Balin Martyn Jerel Buchwald (January 30, 1942 – September 27, 2018), known as Marty Balin (), was an American singer, songwriter, and musician best known as the founder/leader and one of the lead singers and songwriters of Jefferson Airplane and ...

's club,

the Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

. Balin, in search of a drummer for the band he was organizing (which became Jefferson Airplane), convinced Spence to switch instruments and groups. To make up for poaching Spence, Balin suggested that they contact drummer Greg Elmore and guitarist–singer Gary Duncan, who had played together in a group called The Brogues. This new version of the group played its first concert performance in December 1965, playing for the Christmas party of

the Committee (improv group) The Committee was a San Francisco-based improvisational comedy group founded by Alan Myerson and Jessica Myerson (formerly known as Irene Ryan and Irene Riordan, later known as Latifah Taormina). The Myersons were both alums of The Second City i ...

. Drummer

Greg Elmore Gregory Dale Elmore (born September 4, 1946, in the Coronado Naval Air Station, California) is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is a ...

and guitarist Jim Murray were added to fill out the original band. It was a band without a name, Cipollina recalled:

Management

The group's early management was by Ambrose Hollingworth, who became a paraplegic as a result of an automobile crash near

Muir Beach, California Muir Beach is a census designated place (CDP), unincorporated community, and beach on the Pacific Ocean. The community is located northwest of San Francisco in western Marin County, California, United States. Unlike many other entities in the ar ...

in 1967. Hollingworth's stewardship, which also included the all-female

Ace of Cups Ace of Cups is a card used in Latin suited playing cards (Italian, Spanish and tarot decks). It is the Ace from the suit of Cups. In Tarot, it is part of what card readers call the "Minor Arcana", and as the first in the suit of Cups, signif ...

, transferred to

Ron Polte Ronald Thomas Polte (April 24, 1932 – September 14, 2016) was an American manager in the California Bay Area rock and roll scene. He was well known as the manager of the psychedelic music groups, The Ace of Cups quintet, one of the earliest a ...

. Polte was known for going to great lengths to accommodate the needs of his musicians. When perennial studio musician

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

joined the band in 1969, it was the first and only band that officially included him in its performing and recording revenues.Quicksilver Messenger Service manager Ron Polte dies in Mill Valley at 84
''

Marin Independent Journal The ''Marin Independent Journal'' is the main newspaper of Marin County, California. The paper is owned by California Newspapers Partnership which is in turn mostly owned by MediaNews Group.

'', Paul Liberatore, September 16, 2016. Retrieved March 1, 2021. Hollingsworth died in 1996, and Polte in 2016.

Early years

Jim Murray left the group not long after they performed at the

Monterey International Pop Festival The Monterey International Pop Festival was a three-day music festival held June 16 to 18, 1967, at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by the Jimi Hendrix ...

in June 1967. The band began a period of heavy touring on the West Coast of the United States where they built up a solid following and featured on many star-studded bills at the

Avalon Ballroom The Avalon Ballroom was a music venue in the Polk Gulch neighborhood of San Francisco, California, at 1244 Sutter Street (or 1268 Sutter, depending on the entrance). The space is known as the location of many concerts of the counterculture move ...

and 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 Str ...

. Sound system pioneer, inventor, and engineer (and famous LSD chemist)

Owsley Stanley Augustus Owsley Stanley III (January 19, 1935 – March 12, 2011) was an American-Australian audio engineer and clandestine chemist. He was a key figure in the San Francisco Bay Area hippie movement during the 1960s and played a pivotal role ...

regularly recorded concerts at major San Francisco venues during this period, and his archive includes many Quicksilver Messenger Service live performances from 1966 and 1967, which were released on his Bear Recordings label in 2008 and 2009. Quicksilver Messenger Service initially held back from committing to a record deal but eventually signed to

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 ...

in late 1967, becoming the last of the top-ranked San Francisco bands to join a major label. Capitol was the only company that had missed out on signing a San Francisco “hippie” band during the first flurry of record company interest and, consequently, Quicksilver Messenger Service was able to negotiate a better deal than many of their peers. At the same time, Capitol signed the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

, with whom Quicksilver Messenger Service had appeared on the movie and soundtrack album ''

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

'', together with the group Mother Earth. Quicksilver Messenger Service released their eponymous debut album in 1968. It was followed by '' Happy Trails'', released in early 1969 and largely recorded live at the

Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. I ...

and the

. Like most live albums of the time, ''Happy Trails'' made extensive use of studio overdubs, and the last two songs were recorded entirely in the studio, but it has nonetheless been called the most accurate reproduction of the band's acclaimed live performances. ''Happy Trails'' was awarded a gold album in the United States. These albums, which have been hailed as "...two of the best examples of the San Francisco sound at its purest," emphasize extended arrangements and fluid twin-guitar improvisation. Cipollina's highly melodic, individualistic lead guitar style, combined with Gary Duncan's driving minor scale, jazzy guitar playing, resulted in a clear, notable contrast to the heavily amplified and overdriven sound of contemporaries like

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

and

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. In 2003 ''Happy Trails'' was rated at No. 189 in the ''Rolling Stone'' Top 500 albums survey, where it was described as "...the definitive live recording of the mid-Sixties San Francisco psychedelic-ballroom experience..." Archetypal Quicksilver Messenger Service songs include the elongated rendition of

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

's " Who Do You Love?" on ''Happy Trails''. Duncan left the group not long after the recording of ''Happy Trails''; according to David Freiberg, this was largely because of his escalating problems with

opiates An opiate, in classical pharmacology, is a substance derived from opium. In more modern usage, the term ''opioid'' is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain (including antagonist ...

and

amphetamines Substituted amphetamines are a class of compounds based upon the amphetamine structure; it includes all derivative compounds which are formed by replacing, or substituting, one or more hydrogen atoms in the amphetamine core structure with sub ...

. His 'farewell' performances were the studio recordings that ended up on ''Happy Trails'' and a final live performance with the band on New Year's Eve 1969. Duncan recalled 18 years later: Freiberg later recalled that Duncan's departure shook the core of the band: "Duncan was the 'engine' man, it just didn’t WORK without him ... for me. I was really ... I was devastated..." For their 1969 album '' Shady Grove'', Duncan was replaced by renowned English session keyboardist

, who had played on scores of hit albums and singles by acts like

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

the Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

, The

Jeff Beck Group The Jeff Beck Group was a British rock band formed in London in January 1967 by former Yardbirds guitarist Jeff Beck. Their innovative approach to heavy-sounding blues, rhythm and blues and rock was a major influence on popular music. Firs ...

and Steve Miller. Hopkins' virtuoso piano boogie dominates the album, giving it a unique sound within the Quicksilver catalog.

Dino Valenti rejoins

Gary Duncan and Dino Valenti both returned to Quicksilver Messenger Service at this time, expanding the group to a six-piece. The next two albums, ''

Just for Love ''Just for Love'' is the fourth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. Released in August 1970, it marks the culmination of a transition from the extended, blues- and jazz-inspired improvisations of their first tw ...

'' and '' What About Me'', were recorded simultaneously in Hawaii. Much of ''What About Me'' was recorded at

Pacific High Recording Pacific High Recording (also referred to as Pacific High Studios) was an independent recording studio in San Francisco. Founded in 1968, the studio was part of the San Francisco sound and the location for recordings by such notable artists as S ...

in San Francisco, and both albums were mixed at Pacific High. The band's approach to recording was undisciplined, with Valenti hiring a building without electricity to record in. The finished albums took many hours in the studio because the group had a contract which allowed unlimited studio time with no Capitol producer present unless invited. The producer was only invited to the studio to hear the playing of the finished albums. The albums are a departure from the group's earlier sound, with Valenti taking over as lead singer and, under the pseudonym of Jesse Oris Farrow, principal songwriter. The records sold relatively well and produced the group's one hit radio single, "

." John Cipollina and Nicky Hopkins departed soon after their experiences in Hawaii. Hopkins apparently left during the Hawaii recording sessions, as founding

Paul Butterfield Blues Band Paul Vaughn Butterfield (December 17, 1942May 4, 1987) was an American blues harmonica player, singer and band leader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his n ...

keyboardist

Mark Naftalin Mark Naftalin (born August 2, 1944) is an American blues keyboardist, recording artist, composer, and record producer. He appears on the first five albums by Paul Butterfield Blues Band in the mid 1960s as a band member, and as such was induc ...

takes his place for three cuts on ''What About Me''.

Later years

The band continued with the lineup of Gary Duncan, Greg Elmore, Dino Valenti and David Freiberg until September 1971, when Freiberg was jailed for marijuana possession; he was replaced by Mark Ryan. Following his recent session contributions, Naftalin joined the band in earnest. This lineup recorded two commercially unsuccessful albums (''Quicksilver'' 971; No. 114and ''Comin' Thru'' 972; No. 134 that left the group without a recording contract. Duncan's "Doin' Time in the USA" from the latter album enjoyed a modicum of FM radio play at the time, while the ''Quicksilver'' track "Fire Brothers" was later covered by 4AD founder

Ivo Watts-Russell Ivo Watts-Russell (born 1954) is a British music producer and record label executive. He was joint-founder with Peter Kent of the indie record label 4AD. He has produced several records, although he prefers to use the term "musical director". Ea ...

This Mortal Coil This Mortal Coil were a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD. Although Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members, the band's recorded output featured a large rotati ...

on ''Filigree and Shadow'' (1986). Now largely a part-time vehicle for Valenti and Duncan, the group continued to tour sporadically over the next two years, playing a mixture of headlining club dates and arena/stadium support slots for more popular groups such as

The James Gang James Gang is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss ...

. Naftalin departed the band in 1972 and was replaced by Chuck Steaks. Harold Aceves, formerly a roadie for the band, also joined the band at the same time as a second drummer. Ryan was fired in 1972 after missing a flight; he was replaced by Roger Stanton. Stanton had played with Aceves in a popular

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

band Poland. Stanton remained with the band until 1974 when he was replaced by Bob Flurie, who was a well-known East Coast virtuoso guitar player. This Quicksilver lineup disbanded in 1975. Aceves, Stanton, and Flurie later backed former Country Joe and the Fish guitarist

Barry Melton Barry "The Fish" Melton (born June 14, 1947) is the co-founder and original lead guitarist of Country Joe and the Fish and Dinosaurs. He appears on all the Country Joe and the Fish recordings and he also wrote some of the songs that the band re ...

. In 1975, Elmore, Duncan, Valenti, Freiberg and Cipollina recorded a reunion album, ''

Solid Silver ''Solid Silver'' is the eighth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service and their mid-1970s comeback album, reuniting the band's entire core lineup. Though the album charted slightly higher than their previous two rel ...

'', on Capitol Records. The album also included contributions from a variety of Bay Area musicians, including former keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, session vocalist

Kathi McDonald Kathryn Marie "Kathi" McDonald (September 25, 1948 – October 3, 2012) was an American blues and rock singer and songwriter. As a teenager she sang with different bands around the Pacific Northwest before she was discovered by Ike Turner. She s ...

and Jefferson Starship multi-instrumentalist

Pete Sears Peter Roy Sears (born 27 May 1948) is an English rock musician. In a career spanning more than six decades, he has been a member of many bands and has moved through a variety of musical genres, from early R&B, psychedelic improvisational rock o ...

. Freiberg had initially replaced

in Jefferson Airplane following his release from prison in 1972 and remained with the group as they evolved into the mammothly successful Jefferson Starship. Released in November 1975, ''

'' fared better from a commercial and critical standpoint than the preceding two albums but only managed to peak at No. 89. While Freiberg elected not to rejoin the live group as a result of his Jefferson Starship commitments, Cipollina, keyboardist Michael Lewis and bassist Skip Olsen toured with the returning trio for a handful of concerts in 1975, culminating in an appearance at San Francisco's

Winterland Ballroom Winterland Ballroom (more commonly known as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland) was an ice skating rink and music venue in San Francisco, California. The arena was located at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street. It was converted for ...

on December 28. Shortly thereafter, Cipollina departed once again and the remaining quintet continued to tour clubs intermittently until finally dissolving in 1979.

Remnants and reunions

After leaving Quicksilver in October 1970, Cipollina formed

Copperhead Copperhead may refer to: Snakes * ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America * '' Austrelaps'', or Australian copperhead, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Ta ...

, which was initially a loose and variable aggregation before coalescing around the less transitory lineup of Cipollina, Gary Philippet (vocals, guitar, and organ), Jim McPherson (vocals, bass, and piano),

(bass, piano)(Sears was to leave after a matter of months being replaced in 1972 by longtime

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

bassist

James "Hutch" Hutchinson James Hutchinson (born January 24, 1953) is an American session bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt. Though his work takes him nearly everywhere he primarily resides in Studio City, Los Angeles, CA and Haiku-Pauwela, Hawaii. Ca ...

, who appeared on the album and played with the band until its demise), and David Weber (drums). Although

Clive Davis Clive Jay Davis (born April 4, 1932) is an American record producer, A&R executive, record executive, and lawyer. He has won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer, in 2000. From 1967 to 1 ...

was particularly enamored of the group and signed them to a lucrative deal 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 ...

, their eponymous 1973 debut failed to gain traction in the marketplace despite heavy touring, leading to Columbia refusing to release their second album and hastening their disbandment. Unable to secure a major label contract in the aftermath of the 1975 Quicksilver reunion, Cipollina continued to perform regularly with many other Bay Area acts, including one billed as Thunder and Lightning, a joint venture with

Nick Gravenites Nicholas George Gravenites (; born October 2, 1938) is an American blues, rock and folk singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his work with Electric Flag (as their lead singer), Janis Joplin, Mike Bloomfield and several influentia ...

, who had co-produced Quicksilver's debut, and another billed as Fish and Chips, with Barry Melton; Greg Elmore played drums for the former, Spencer Dryden for the latter, with Peter Albin on bass; various bass players, including Albin and Roger Troy, played with the former. During the same period, Cipollina became a founding member of the Dinosaurs in 1982 while continuing throughout the 80s to play club gigs with both other bands. In 1974, Cipollina guested with Quicksilver-idolizing Welsh progressive rock group

Man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

, playing with them at their 1974 Winterland concerts and on a subsequent UK tour; these efforts resulted in the 1975 live album ''

Maximum Darkness ''Maximum Darkness'' is the tenth album by the Welsh rock band Man and was released on the United Artists Records label September 1975. It was the second live album released by the band, excluding contributions to two "various artists" live alb ...

''. He died in 1989 at the age of 45 from complications of

emphysema Emphysema, or pulmonary emphysema, is a lower respiratory tract disease, characterised by air-filled spaces ( pneumatoses) in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alve ...

exacerbated by

Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD or AATD) is a genetic disorder that may result in lung disease or liver disease. Onset of lung problems is typically between 20 and 50 years of age. This may result in shortness of breath, wheezing, or an inc ...

. Some of Cipollina's equipment is displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hopkins continued his career as a session and touring musician with a variety of acts, including Jefferson Airplane, the

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

(most notably on ''

Exile on Main St. ''Exile on Main St.'' is the 10th British and 12th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on 12 May 1972 by Rolling Stones Records. Recording began in 1969 in England during sessions for ''Sticky Fingers'' a ...

'' and the group's ensuing 1972 American tour), the

Jerry Garcia Band The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly tour ...

and

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

. In the 1980s, he joined the controversial

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a scientology as a business, bu ...

and credited the organization's

Purification Rundown The Purification Rundown, also known as the Purif or the Hubbard Method, is a detoxification program which involves heat exposure for up to 5 hours a day and can exceed 4 weeks in length. It was developed by Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard a ...

with vanquishing his long struggle with substance abuse. Hopkins died in September 1994 from complications resulting from intestinal surgery related to his lifelong battle with Crohn's disease. Valenti underwent brain surgery for an arteriovenous malformation in the late 1980s; despite suffering from short-term memory loss and struggling with the adverse effects of anti-convulsive medications, he continued to write songs and perform with various Marin County musicians until his sudden death in November 1994. In 1984 Gary Duncan resurrected the brand as ''Gary Duncan's Quicksilver'' and released several albums with a reconstituted lineup, including '' Peace By Piece'' in 1986, ''Shapeshifter Vols. 1 & 2'' in 1996, ''Shapeshifter Vols. 3 & 4'' and ''Strange Trim'' in 2006. He also issued several live albums and created a website, quicksilvermessengerservice.com. The group also toured as ''Quicksilver '96'', and after that on occasion through the early 2000s, with a lineup of Duncan, Michael Lewis (keyboards), Greg Errico (drums), Bobby Vega (bass), John Bird (guitar), and Tony Menjivar (percussion). In 2006 Gary Duncan and David Freiberg launched a 40th-anniversary Quicksilver celebration tour as Quicksilver Messenger Service, with Bobby Vega (soon to be replaced by Keith Graves on bass), singer Linda Imperial (Freiberg's wife and contributor to Quicksilver projects before as a backup singer) and Jefferson Starship players

Prairie Prince Charles Lempriere "Prairie" Prince (born May 7, 1950) is an American drummer and graphic artist. He came to prominence in the 1970s as a member of the San Francisco–based rock group The Tubes, was a member of Jefferson Starship from 1992 to ...

(drums) and Chris Smith (keyboards). Following a series of tours, Duncan left the band in 2009. He was replaced by Peter Harris, and the band continued as David Freiberg's Quicksilver Messenger Service. Still active as of 2021, they often opened for the reconstituted Jefferson Starship (led by Freiberg and

) until Kantner's death in 2016. Duncan died at age of 72 on June 29, 2019 in

Woodland, California Woodland is a city in and the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The population was 61,032 at the 2020 census. Woodland's origins date to 1 ...

after suffering a seizure and falling into a coma. Quicksilver Gold, a tribute band, formed in 2002. Members included Dino Valenti's son, Joli Valenti, as well as John Cipollina's brother, Mario Cipollina, and some members of

Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...

. This band broke up in 2004.

Personnel

;Current members *

– bass (1965-1971, 1975), rhythm guitar (2006–present), lead and backing vocals * Chris Smith − keyboards (2006–present) * Linda Imperial − backing and lead vocals (2006–present) *

Donny Baldwin Donald Baldwin (born June 22, 1950/1951) is an American drummer best known as a member of Jefferson Starship (1982–1984; 2008–present) and its continuation Starship (1984–1989). Early life Baldwin was raised in Palo Alto, California. He att ...

− drums (2008–present) * Peter Harris − rhythm and lead guitar, backing and lead vocals (2009–present) *

Jude Gold Jude Gold (also credited as Judah Gold) is an American guitarist who has toured with Jefferson Starship since 2012 and has toured with Kristin Chenoweth, JGB (formerly the Jerry Garcia Band), Eddie Money, 2 Live Crew, Jeff Berlin, and more. He ...

− lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2012–present) * Steve Valverde − bass (2015–present) ;Former members *

– lead and rhythm guitar (1965-1971, 1975; died 1989) *

– rhythm and lead guitar, lead and backing vocals (1965-1969, 1969–1979, 1984–1996, 2006–2009; died 2019) *

– drums (1965-1979) * Jim Murray – rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals (1965-1967; died 2013) *

– keyboards (1969-1971; died 1994) *

– lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar (1969-1979; died 1994) *

– keyboards (1971-1972) * Mark Ryan – bass (1971-1972) * Harold Aceves – drums (1972-1975) * Chuck Steaks – keyboards (1972-1975) * Roger Stanton – bass (1972-1974) * Bob Flurie – bass (1974-1975) * W. Michael Lewis – keyboards (1975-1979, 1984–1996) * Skip Olsen – bass (1975-1979) * Sammy Piazza − drums (1986-1988) * Bobby Vega − bass (1988-1996, 2006–2007) * Greg Errico − drums (1988-1996) * John Bird − rhythm and lead guitar (1988-1996) *

− drums (2006-2008) * Keith Graves − bass (2007-2015)

Lineups

Timeline

Discography

Studio and contemporary live albums

Gary Duncan's Quicksilver

*'' Peace By Piece'' (1986) *''Shape Shifter Vols. 1 & 2'' (1996) *''Three in the Side'' (1998) *''Shapeshifter Vols. 3 & 4'' (2006) *''Strange Trim'' (2006) *''Six String Voodoo'' (2008)

Live albums

*''Smokin' Sound'' (1968) *'' Happy Trails'' (1969) (Certified Gold-US). *''Live at Fieldstone'' (1997) *''Live at the 7th Note'' (2007) *''Live 07'' (2008) *'' Reunion (live at The Sweetwater, Mill Valley, CA, June 7, 2006)'' (2-CD, 2009) *'' Maiden of the Cancer Moon'' (2-LP, 1983) *''

At the Kabuki Theatre ''At The Kabuki Theatre'' is a live album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. The last four tracks are taken from studio rehearsal tapes, probably made in 1970 and not in 1969 which is stated on the album cover. Tra ...

'' (2-CD, 2007) *''

Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, 9th September 1966 Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Live! (2007 film), ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film *Live (2014 film), ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *''Live (Apocalyptica DVD), ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *L ...

'' (CD, 2008) *'' Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, 28th October 1966'' (CD, 2008) *'' Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 4th February 1967'' (2-CD, 2008) *'' Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 6th February 1967'' (CD, 2008) *'' Live at The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, 4th April 1968'' (2-CD, 2008) *'' Live at the Quarter Note Lounge, New Orleans, LA, July 1977'' (2-CD, 2009) *'' Live at the Fillmore, June 7, 1968'' (CD, 2013) *''Live at The Old Mill Tavern - March 29, 1970'' (2013) * ''Live at the Winterland Ballroom, December 1, 1973'' CD (2013) * ''Fillmore Auditorium - November 5, 1966'' (2014) * ''Cowboy On The Run (Live In New York) LP (2015) * ''Live in San Jose - September 1966'' (2015) * ''Fillmore Auditorium - February 5, 1967 Live'' (2015) * ''Stony Brook College, New York 1970 Live'' (2015) * ''Live Across America 1967-1977'' (2016) * ''More Happy Trails 1969 - Live'' (2016)

Compilations

*''

'' (Movie Soundtrack) (1968) with

and Mother Earth *''Quicksilver Anthology'' (2-LPs, 1973) *''Sons of Mercury 1968-75'' (2-CD, 1991) *'' Unreleased Quicksilver Messenger Service - Lost Gold and Silver'' (2-CD, 1999) *''Classic Masters'' (Remastered, 2002) *''Castles in the Sand'' (Studio Jam 1969/70) (CD, 2009)

Singles

*1967 - "

Pride of Man "Pride of Man" is a 1964 song by Hamilton Camp. It is Camp's best-known composition. Rife with apocalyptic imagery and religious language ("Can't you see that flash of fire / Ten times brighter than the day... Shout a warning to the nations that th ...

" *1968 - "Dino's Song" (#63) *1968 - "Stand By Me" *1969 - "Holy Moly" *1969 - "Who Do You Love" (#91) *1969 - "Shady Grove" *1970 - "

" (#49) *1971 - "What About Me" (#100) *1971 - "I Found Love" *1972 - "Changes" *1975 - "Gypsy Lights"

References

External links

Quicksilver Messenger Service official sitePoster
in the Smithsonian, for Quicksilver Messenger Service concert {{DEFAULTSORT:Quicksilver Messenger Service Acid rock music groups Musical groups from San Francisco Psychedelic rock music groups from California Cleopatra Records artists Capitol Records artists Musical groups established in 1965 Musical groups disestablished in 1979 Musical groups reestablished in 2006 Musical groups disestablished in 2019