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It's a Beautiful Day is an American band formed in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, 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 performed as a soloist with the
Utah Symphony Orchestra The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving ...
, had previously been in the group Orkustra playing
five-string violin A five-string violin is a variant of violin with an extra string tuned below the violin's usual range. In addition to the G, D, A, and E strings of a standard violin, a five-string violin typically includes a lower C string. Violins with 6 or more ...
. The other members of It's a Beautiful Day in its early years were Val Fuentes (drums), Mitchell Holman (bass) and Hal Wagenet (guitar). Although they were one of the notable San Francisco bands to emerge from 1967's
Summer of Love The Summer of Love was a major social phenomenon that occurred in San Francisco during the summer of 1967. As many as 100,000 people, mostly young people, hippies, beatniks, and 1960s counterculture figures, converged in San Francisco's Haig ...
, the group never achieved the level of success that contemporaries such as the
Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
,
Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...
, and
Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...
did, with whom they had connections. The band created a unique blend of rock, jazz, folk, classical, and world-beat styles.


Early history: 1967–1969

The band's original manager, Matthew Katz, had previously worked with the rock bands
Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1965. One of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the San Francisco Bay Area, ...
and
Moby Grape Moby Grape is an American rock band founded in 1966. Part of San Francisco's psychedelic music scene, the band merged elements of rock and roll, folk music, pop, blues, and country. They were one of the few groups of which all members were lea ...
. The members of the band were unaware that the other two bands were already trying to end their business relationships with Katz. During 1967 and early 1968, Katz prevented It's a Beautiful Day from performing in San Francisco, telling them they were not ready. He booked their first public appearances at a club he controlled in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
, formerly known as the Encore Ballroom. Katz renamed the club San Francisco Sound. While in Seattle, the group lived in the attic of an old house leased by Katz while writing and rehearsing new songs in between club performances. Few customers came to the club during the band's engagement in Seattle during December 1967. The band's signature song " White Bird" was inspired by the experiences David and Linda LaFlamme had while living in Seattle. The song was partly inspired by Seattle's rainy winter weather. In a later interview, David LaFlamme said:
Where the 'white bird' thing came from ... We were like caged birds in that attic. We had no money, no transportation, the weather was miserable. We were just barely getting by on a very small food allowance provided to us. It was quite an experience, but it was very creative in a way.
By the time the group members returned to San Francisco they had no money and were frustrated by Katz's attempts to manipulate their career. In desperation, they began playing at a few clubs without his approval. They also began a long process of trying to disentangle themselves from his control. The band gradually gained some recognition and earned some money. Some of that recognition came from their performance at the Sky River Rock Festival and Lighter Than Air Fair, occurring over the 1968 Labor Day weekend in Sultan, Washington. Sky River is considered by many to be the first successful multi-day rock festival, and a number of major bands had the opportunity to hear It's a Beautiful Day there. The group got its first big break when offered a chance to open for
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 proces ...
at the
Oakland Coliseum Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, often shortened to the Oakland Coliseum, is a multi-purpose stadium in Oakland, California, United States. It serves as part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, located next to Oakland Arena. In 2 ...
, in
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
, California, on October 4, 1968, during that group's farewell tour. The band's debut album, ''
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 ...
'', was produced by David LaFlamme in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California, and released by
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
in 1969. It remained on the ''Billboard'' Top 200 charts for 70 continuous weeks, and achieved Gold Record certification in November 1972. This LP features tracks such as "White Bird", "Hot Summer Day", and "Time Is". The album reached number 47 in the U.S. charts"It's a Beautiful Day USA chart history"
Tsort. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
and number 58 in the UK."It's a Beautiful Day UK chart history"
The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
The theme from the song "Bombay Calling" was later used, at a slower tempo, by
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, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
as the intro to "
Child in Time "Child in Time" is a song by English rock band Deep Purple, released on their fourth studio album, '' Deep Purple in Rock'' in 1970. It is the longest track on the album, running over ten minutes. The song's lyrics are loosely inspired by the ...
" on its ''
Deep Purple in Rock ''Deep Purple in Rock'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Deep Purple, released on 5 June 1970. It was the first studio album recorded by the Mark II line-up of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Pai ...
'' album. The band retaliated by recording " Don & Dewey" which was, to all intents and purposes, identical to Deep Purple's "Wring That Neck". The vocals and violin playing of David LaFlamme plus Santos' singing attracted FM-radio-play attention, and nationally, "White Bird" bubbled under ''Billboard's'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 118."It's a Beautiful Day USA chart history"
Top 40 Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2025.


1970s and beyond

By 1970, the original lineup of the band had changed; the LaFlammes had split up and Linda left the band and was replaced by Fred Webb. On July 5, 1970, the band played the second Atlanta International Pop Festival in Byron, Georgia, to an estimated 250,000 people. The group's second album, '' Marrying Maiden'', recorded at Pacific High Recording Studios in San Francisco, was released in 1970. It was their most successful on the charts, reaching number 28 in the U.S. and number 45 in the U.K."It's a Beautiful Day UK chart history"
The Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 10, 2012.
In that same year, the band performed at the Holland Pop Festival at the Kralingse Bos in
Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...
, Netherlands, and at the
Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music The Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music was a counterculture era music festival held at the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England on 27–29 June 1970. Bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin performed ...
in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
, England. It's a Beautiful Day was one of the last acts to appear at 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 ...
in San Francisco in July 1971. Its performance of "White Bird" was featured as part of the musical
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
'' Fillmore'', released the following year. Mitchell Holman and Hal Wagenet left in the summer of 1971, later forming the group Natural Act with songwriter Tim Dawe. They were replaced by bassist Tom Fowler (later with
Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...
) and guitarist Bill Gregory. Their first performance was broadcast live on San Francisco's KSAN FM radio, with host Tom Donahue introducing them as the band's two new members. The group released their third album, ''Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime'', in 1971, followed by the live album, ''It's a Beautiful Day at Carnegie Hall'', in 1972. Tom Fowler left that same year. Citing exhaustion, and with differences arising over the direction and management of the band among band members, David LaFlamme resigned later in 1972. ''It's a Beautiful Day...Today'' was recorded and released the following year, and the band toured until the summer of 1973 when it split up. A large factor in the group's decision to break up was over renewed litigation brought by Matthew Katz. Replacement bassist and vocalist James "Bud" Cockrell would help form
Pablo Cruise Pablo Cruise is an American pop/ rock band from San Francisco currently composed of David Jenkins (guitar and vocals), Cory Lerios ( keyboards and vocals), Sergio Gonzalez (drums), Larry Antonino (bass and vocals), and Robbie Wyckoff (vocal ...
shortly thereafter, and violinist Gregory Bloch joined the Italian progressive rock group
Premiata Forneria Marconi Premiata Forneria Marconi (PFM) (translation: ''Award-winning Marconi Bakery'') is an Italian progressive rock band founded in 1970 which continues to the present day. They were the first Italian group to have success internationally. The group ...
and later the
Saturday Night Live Band The Saturday Night Live Band (referred to in the closing credits as The Live Band) is the house band of the NBC television program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Role on ''Saturday Night Live'' The band consists of mostly jazz, R&B, and ...
. Fred Webb became a member of the Bay Area band
Stoneground Stoneground was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1970 in Concord, California. Originally a trio, Stoneground expanded to a 10-piece band by the time of their eponymous 1971 debut album. The group appeared in two films, ''Medicine Ball ...
later in 1973, while Bill Gregory returned to the club circuit in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, eventually releasing a solo album ''It's a Bluesy Day'' in 1980. After her earlier departure, Linda LaFlamme formed the jazz-rock ensemble Titus' Mother which evolved into A Thought in Passing by 1972. In 1976, David LaFlamme released his first solo project with Amherst Records. Included on this album was a new version of "White Bird" which finally cracked the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at No. 89. Pattie Santos, who had formed Cockrell & Santos with her husband, former bassist Bud Cockrell, in 1977, was killed in a car crash near Geyserville in Sonoma County, California, on December 14, 1989. Cockrell himself died in 2010. It's a Beautiful Day reformed occasionally for reunions and special concerts. They performed at Chet Helms' Tribal Stomp at the Greek Theatre in
Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...
, California, in 1978. This outdoor show featured Linda Baker (under the stage name Dominique Dellacroix) on vocals with
Mitchell Froom Mitchell Froom (born June 29, 1953) is an American musician and record producer. He was a member of the bands Gamma and Latin Playboys, and is the keyboardist for Crowded House. He has produced albums for several artists, including David LaFl ...
guesting on keyboards. A series of additional reunion concerts were later performed between 1996 and 1999, the band augmented by Larry Blackshere on vibes and keyboards. The band's music continued under the name David LaFlamme Band as well as It's a Beautiful Day until Katz let his trademark of the name go unrenewed, and the use of It's a Beautiful Day was formally resumed. From 2000, It's a Beautiful Day featured founder David LaFlamme and original drummer Fuentes. Other band members are LaFlamme's current wife, whom he met in 1973, Linda Baker LaFlamme (vocals), Toby Gray (bass), Gary Thomas (keyboards), Rob Espinosa (guitar), and Michael Prichard (percussion). This line-up was the longest continual group that has ever performed the band's material. In 2014, Rob Cunningham replaced Espinosa on lead guitar. Rob Espinosa returned as lead guitar in 2018. In 2009 David LaFlamme began playing with the Phil Lawrence Band and transformed the group into It's a Beautiful Day Acoustic. The band played acoustic versions of the best-known originals from the early albums, plus instrumental originals by Phil Lawrence on the mandolin. They performed until the pandemic shutdown in March 2020. In later years, David LaFlamme suffered from Parkinson's disease. He died in Santa Rosa, California, on August 6, 2023, at the age of 82. Linda LaFlamme died from vascular dementia on October 23, 2024, at the age of 85.


Personnel

Current members * Linda Baker LaFlamme vocals, backing vocals, percussion (1978, 1996–present) * Val Fuentes drums, vocals, backing vocals (1967–1973, 1978, 1996–present) * Toby Gray bass, harmonica, backing vocals (1980–1985, 2000–present) * Gary Thomas keyboards, backing vocals (2000–present) * Rob Espinosa guitar, backing vocals (2000-2014, 2018–present) * Michael Prichard percussion (2006–present) Former members * David LaFlamme vocals, violin, rhythm guitar, flute, backing vocals (1967–1972, 1978, 1996–2023; died 2023) * Pattie Santos vocals, percussion, backing vocals (1967–1973; died 1989) * Linda LaFlamme keyboards (1967–1969; died 2024) * Mitchell Holman bass, harmonica, backing vocals (1967–1971, 1978, 1996-1999) * Hal Wagenet guitar (1968–1971, 1978, 1996-1999) * Fred Webb keyboards, French horn, harp, backing vocals (1969–1973; died 1989) * Tom Fowler bass (1971–1972; died 2024) * Bill Gregory guitar (1971–1973) * Bud Cockrell vocals, bass (1972–1973; died 2010) * Greg Bloch violin, mandolin (1972–1973; died 1989) * Larry "Lord" Blackshere electric vibraphone, keyboards (1996–1999; died 2002) * Rob Cunningham guitar, backing vocals (2014–2018) Timeline


Discography


Studio albums

*''
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 ...
'' (Columbia Records, 1969) US LP Chart No. 47 / UK LP Chart No. 58 / CA LP Chart No. 72 / US RIAA: Gold *'' Marrying Maiden'' (Columbia Records, 1970) US LP Chart No. 28 / UK LP Chart No. 45 / CA LP Chart No. 35 *''Choice Quality Stuff/Anytime'' (Columbia Records, 1971) US LP Chart No. 130 *''It's a Beautiful Day...Today'' (Columbia Records, 1973) US LP Chart No. 114


Other albums

*''At Carnegie Hall'' (Live) (Columbia Records, 1972) US LP Chart No. 144 *''White Bird'' (David LaFlamme) (Amherst Records, 1976) *''Inside Out'' (David LaFlamme) (Amherst Records, 1978) *''Last Flight'' (Live at the Fillmore West in 1971) (Big Sur Records, 1996) *''Creed of Love'' (Live at the Fillmore West in 1971) (Strawberry Records, It's About Music, 1998) *''Workin' the Gold Mine'' (Live) (David & Linda LaFlamme) (It's About Music, Classic Music Vault, 2000) *''Beyond Dreams'' (David LaFlamme Band) (Repertoire Records, It's About Music, Classic Music Vault, 2003) *''Hot Summer Days - San Francisco Nights'' (David LaFlamme Band) (Non-labeled, 2004) *''Live in Seattle'' (Live) (David LaFlamme Band) (It's About Music, 2004) *''Misery Loves Company'' (David LaFlamme Band) (It's About Music, 2005) *''Original Demos 1968'' (It's About Music, 2013) *''Live at the Fillmore '68'' (Live) (Classic Music Vault, 2013), with DVD ''The David LaFlamme Story''


Compilation albums

*''A Thousand And One Nights'' (CBS Records, 1973) (UK Import) *''The Best of It's a Beautiful Day'' (CBS/Sony, 1973) (Japan only) *''Rock Giants'' (CBS Records, 1982) (German/Dutch Import) *''Greatest Hits'' (TRC Records, 1995) (German Import) *''It's a Beautiful Day / Marrying Maiden'' (Sony Music, 1998) (UK Import) *''The Best of It's a Beautiful Day'' (It's About Music, 2001) *''Choice Quality Stuff / Today'' (Estrella Rockera, 2004) (Spanish Import) *''The Columbia Years 1969-1973'' (Limited Edition Box Set) (Muskrat Records, 2008) (Japanese Import)


Singles

*"Bulgaria" / "Aquarian Dream" (1968) San Francisco Sound 11680 *" White Bird" / "Wasted Union Blues" (1969) Columbia 44928 *"Soapstone Mountain" / "Good Lovin'" (1970) Columbia 45152 *"The Dolphins" / "Do You Remember the Sun" (1970) Columbia 45309 *"Anytime" / "Oranges and Apples" (1972) Columbia 45536 *"White Bird" / "Wasted Union Blues" (1973) Columbia 45788 *"Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" / "Time" (1973) Columbia 45853


See also

*
List of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area This is a list of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area, music groups founded in the San Francisco Bay Area or were closely associated with the region for a significant part of the group's active existence. Individual musicians who formed bands ...


References


External links

* Allmusic.com* * {{Authority control 1967 establishments in California Musical groups from San Francisco Musical groups established in 1967 Psychedelic rock music groups from California Columbia Records artists