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 with modern psychedelic and rock elements. Their music has been kept alive through frequent use in film soundtracks.

Early career

Originally from Carthage, Mississippi, the Chambers Brothers first honed their skills as members of the choir in their

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

church. This arrangement ended in 1952 when the eldest brother, George, was drafted into the Army. George relocated to

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after his discharge, and his brothers soon joined him. Beginning in 1954, the foursome played gospel and folk music throughout the Southern California region, but remained little known until 1965 when they began performing in

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. Consisting of George (September 26, 1931 – October 12, 2019) on washtub bass (later on bass guitar Danelectro and Gibson Thunderbird), Lester (b. April 13, 1940) on harmonica, and

Willie Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and sc ...

(b. March 3, 1938) and Joe (b. August 22, 1942) on guitar, the group started to venture outside the gospel circuit, playing at coffeehouses that booked folk acts. They played at places like The Ash Grove, a very popular Los Angeles folk club. It became one of their favorite haunts and brought them into contact with

Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...

, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Reverend Gary Davis, and Barbara Dane. When Dane spotted the brothers there, she knew they would be perfect to do these freedom songs that people wanted to hear then. Dane became a great supporter, performing and recording with the brothers. With the addition of Brian Keenan (January 28, 1943 – October 5, 1985) on drums, Dane took them on tour with her and introduced them to

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notabl ...

, who helped put the Chambers Brothers on the bill of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. One of the songs they performed, "I Got It", appeared on the Newport Folk Festival 1965 compilation LP, which was issued on the

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label.Richie Unterberger.co
Liner Notes for The Chambers Brothers' Shout! By Richie Unterberger
/ref> They were becoming more accepted in the folk community, but, like many on the folk circuit, were looking to electrify their music and develop more of a rock and roll sound. Joe Chambers recalled in a May 1994 '' Goldmine'' article that people at the Newport Folk Festival were breaking down fences and rushing to the stage. "Newport had never seen or heard anything like that." After the group finished and the crowd finally settled down, the MC came up and said "Whether you know it or not, that was rock 'n' roll." That night they played at a post-concert party for festival performers and went to a recording session of the newly electrified

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

. Shortly after appearing at Newport, the group released its debut album, ''People Get Ready''. The group recorded "

All Strung Out Over You "All Strung Out Over You" was an early hit for The Chambers Brothers. It featured Lester Chambers on lead vocals. It would later be sampled by Fatboy Slim for " Weapon of Choice". Info on the song The song was composed by Rudy Clark. The Chambe ...

" which was composed by Rudy Clark. It was released on

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

4-43957 on December 19, 1966. It was rushed out by Columbia after the label had rejected an early version of " Time Has Come Today". "All Strung Out Over You" became a regional hit for the group which gave them the opportunity to re-record "The Time Has Come Today".

"Time Has Come Today"

The band scored its only major hit in the fall of 1968 with "Time Has Come Today", an 11-minute opus written by Joe and Willie Chambers and highlighted by echoing vocal effects and Keenan's drumming which gave the song a psychedelic feel. "Time Has Come Today" was edited for release as a single and spent five consecutive weeks in September–October at #11 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, just missing the Top Ten.

Later years

Later incarnations of the group included session guitarist

Steve Hunter Stephen John Hunter (born June 14, 1948) is an American guitarist, primarily a session player. He has worked with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper, acquiring the moniker "The Deacon". Hunter first played with Mitch Ryder's Detroit, beginning a long a ...

(known for his work with

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, guilloti ...

) An album recorded in 1972 for Columbia, ''Oh! My God'', has remained unreleased until October 28, 2022 when it was finally made available through multiple digital platforms. Although the group disbanded in 1972, they reformed and moved from Columbia to Avco Records and released ''Unbonded'' (1974) and ''Right Move'' (1975). In 1976 the brothers released ''Recorded Live In Concert on Mars'' for the Roxbury label. They have toured irregularly since. They were signed to support Maria Muldaur on her ''Gospel Nights'' album. They also made commercials for

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Jeans. Lester moved to New York and formed a band with former Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks. Guitarists Willie and Joe would find work as session men; George went back to singing gospel musicClassic Bands.co
The Chambers Brothers
/ref> and would later become a deacon of his church. Keenan retired to Stamford, Connecticut where he set up his own recording studio, and died of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

in 1985 American Session Drummer, Lee Szymborski, also from Stamford Connecticut, was hired by George Chambers to replace Brian Keenan in 1980, in Los Angeles, CA., and performed live with The Chambers Brothers at the Hollywood Bowl's Fourth Annual Survival Sunday Anti-Nuclear Benefit Concert, with Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, Bonnie Rait, Graham Nash, Gary U.S. Bonds, Peter Yarrow, Kenny Rankin and others in Los Angeles, CA. on June 14, 1981. Lee Szymborski also performed live with The Chambers Brothers and Etta James for two shows at McCabe's Guitar Shop 3101 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA. July 16, 1981. Art Ramsey was hired as a replacement drummer. He performed live, on-the-road and in many different cities and venues with the Chambers Brothers band after Lee Szymborski's departure. Later, L.A. session drummer Fabian Jolivet joined the band for a 1997 tour that ended with the full line up returning to the Ash Grove and playing a gospel set. In 2006, guitarist Willie Chambers sat in with a group called Vince and the Invinceables at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee of the group

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and delivered an acclaimed performance. In 2015, Joe Chambers was appearing at venues such as Harold's Place on Pacific Ave. San Pedro as The Joe Chambers Experience. In 2016, Willie, Joe, and occasionally George, along with their nephew Jerry Warner on bass, Crazy Tomes on guitar, and LA drummer Jon McCracken, reformed as the Chambers Brothers to do shows in the Los Angeles area; including the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA. George Chambers died October 12, 2019, at age 88. Joe Chambers collaborated with Marva Holiday, recording their version of " To Love Somebody".

Summer of Soul

In 2021 the Chambers Brothers appeared in the

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music documentary "

Summer of Soul ''Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)'' is a 2021 American documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut. It had its world premiere at the ...

," about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

Charted singles

Billboard albums listing * 1967 '' The Time Has Come'', Black Albums, #6; Pop Albums, #4 * 1968 ''A New Time-A New Day'', Black Albums, peaked at #24 * 1968 ''A New Time-A New Day'', Pop Albums, #16 * 1970 '' Love, Peace and Happiness'', Black Albums, #17; Pop Albums #58 * 1970 ''The Chambers Brothers Greatest Hits'' (Vault), Pop Albums #193 * 1971 ''New Generation'', Black Albums #36; Pop Albums #145 * 1972 ''The Chambers Brothers' Greatest Hits'' (Columbia), Pop Albums, #166 * 1974 ''Unbonded'', Pop Albums, #144

Discography

Studio albums

* '' The Time Has Come'' (1967) * ''A New Time – A New Day'' (1968) * ''Shout'' (1968)Allmusic The Chambers Brothers Shout!/ref> * '' Love, Peace And Happiness/Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore East'' (1969) * ''Feelin' the Blues'' (7/1969) * ''New Generation'' (1971) * ''Unbonded'' (1974) * ''Right Move'' (1975)

Live albums

* ''People Get Ready'' (1966) * ''Now!'' (1967) * ''Live in Concert on Mars'' (1976) * ''Live Fillmore West 65'' (2004) * ''Live'' (2005)

Unreleased album

* ''Oh, My God!'' (1972) Finally released on multiple digital platforms on October 28, 2022.

Compilations

* ''Groovin' Time'' (1968) * ''Chambers Brothers' Greatest Hits'' ouble Album(1970) * ''Greatest Hits'' (1971) * ''The Best of the Chambers Brothers'' ouble Album(1973) * ''The Time Has Come / A New Time – A New Day'' on 1 Album(1975) * ''Greatest Hits'' (1988) * ''Goin Uptown'' (1995) * ''Time Has Come: Best Of The Chambers Brothers'' (1996) * ''Time'' (1998) * ''Now/People Get Ready'' on 1 CD(1999)

Collaborations

* ''Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers'' (1966) * ''Mike Bloomfield: From His Head To His Heart To His Hands'' (incl. Tombstone Blues - Alternate Chambers Brothers Version, with Bob Dylan) * ''The Four Sides of Buzzy Linhart'' - Buzzy Linhart (1982, EP)

References

Reviews

Your Top 20 Favorite Psychedelic Songs of All-Time

Chambers Brothers' Time Has Come Today Once Again
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers Brothers, The American soul musical groups Columbia Records artists Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1954 Musical groups disestablished in 1972 Musical groups reestablished in 1974 Psychedelic rock music groups from California Sibling musical groups