The Corporation were an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
,
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, active in the
1960s
File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...
.
History
The Corporation formed in 1968, when the Kondos brothers joined up with members of a band called Eastern Mean Time, and they started appearing at the Galaxy Club, located in
Cudahy, Wisconsin
Cudahy () is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 18,204 at the 2020 census.
History
Originally known as the Buckhorn Settlement, it was renamed in the late 1800s when Patrick Cudahy purchased of land in the ...
, a southeastern suburb of
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...
.
[The Corporation]
''Interstellar Medium'', 23 September 2014 A few months later, they were discovered 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 ...
executives, while playing at The Bastille club.
["The Corporation 1969 : splendid garage psych rock"]
''Rock Asteria'', 27 February 2011
The Corporation members were Daniel Peil (born Daniel Vincent Peil in Superior, Wisconsin; September 26, 1942 – January 3, 2012)
[ on lead vocals; Gerard Jon Smith on lead guitar and backing Vocals; John Alexander Kondos on guitar, flute, harp, piano, and backing vocals; his brother Nicholas Alexander "Sandie"][ Kondos on drums and backing vocals; Kenneth Bernard Berdoll on bass and backing vocals; and Patrick Daneil McCarthy on keyboards and trombone.][
Their debut, self-named ]album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
was a regional hit in early 1969 and was in 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 ...
'' Top LP Chart for four weeks, while hitting number three in Milwaukee and doing relatively well in Little Rock, Arkansas
(The Little Rock, The "Little Rock")
, government_type = council-manager government, Council-manager
, leader_title = List of mayors of Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor
, leader_name = Frank Scott Jr.
, leader_ ...
.[''Get On Our Swing'' and ''Hassels In My Mind'' by The Corporation]
by Rob Finnis, Ace Records UK website The whole second side was taken up by The Corporation's version of John Coltrane's "India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
."
Except for appearances in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
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and St.Paul, the band remained local, without television appearances or corporate promotion. A European tour was in the planning stages, but it fell apart when disagreements with Capitol Records surfaced.[
Within two years, The Corporation made two further albums, ''Hassels In My Mind'' and ''Get On Our Swing'', on the Age Of Aquarius label, a custom rock imprint of Cuca Records. Cuca was a Wisconsin recording studio and pressing plant whose output was subsequently anthologised by Ace Records in a 3-volume CD.][
The band broke up in 1970.][
]
Aftermath and legacy
Guitar player John Alexander Kondos in the 1970s and 1980s toured the club and bar circuit with various groupings of musicians such as John Kondos and his Fabulous Galaxies, Eastman Blues Band, and others. He died in June 2007 from cancer.[John Alexander Kondos obituary]
''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...
'', 21 June 2007
Vocalist Daniel Vincent Peil, in August 1979, lost his wife and all their three children in a house fire. In the early 1980s, he started singing with various semi-pro groups, such as Dan Peil and Friends, and toured throughout Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
, North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and South Dakota
South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
. He married briefly in the mid 1980s and had two children. In 1988, after divorcing his second wife, he started a relationship with Marlene Lindgren, and, in 1991 while in Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, they had a son, Daniel. Peil returned to Minnesota, with his family, settling on a farm there. He died on January 3, 2012, at age 69.[Daniel Vincent Peil obituary]
''Park Rapids Enterprise'', 3 January 2012
In the years after the band's demise, The Corporation's first, eponymous LP acquired a large audience for its "great musicianship" and "original melodies."[The Corporation]
Clemens Antikvariat
See also
* Music of Wisconsin
References
External links
The Cuca Records database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Corporation, The
Musical groups established in 1968
American psychedelic rock music groups