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Head East
Head East is an American rock band from Illinois. The band was formed by singer John Schlitt, guitarist Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Larry Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. They met and formed the band while Schmitt, Piper, and Boyd were studying at the University of Illinois and Huston was at Eastern Illinois University. Boyd is the only remaining original member. Piper left the group in 1972, Boyd left in 1974, Schlitt took a break for part of 1973–74 before leaving in 1980, and Huston took a break for part of 1973–74 before leaving in 1983. Mike Somerville (guitar) and Dan Birney (bass) replaced Piper and Boyd during the band's 1970s heyday, while the entire lineup (except Boyd) has gone through numerous changes since the 1980s. The band's biggest hit was "Never Been Any Reason", released in 1975.
Originally known as the TimeAtions, the band adopted the name Head East on August 6, 1969, at the suggestion of the band's roadie, Baxter Forrest Twilight. In a 2011 interview, founding member Huston claimed that soon after sunrise one morning in 1969, Twilight woke the band members in their communal home/practice facility. Having been up all night sitting in the front yard consuming acid, the roadie said that when the sun rose, it turned into a giant talking head and told him the band's new name should be "Head East". The band liked the unusual nature of it and has kept the name.
Head East recorded and produced their first album, Flat as a Pancake, in 1974 at Golden Voice Recording Studio in South Pekin, Illinois. Released on their own record label, Pyramid Records, all 5,000 records and 500 eight-tracks produced were sold. Several midwest album rock radio stations, chief among them KSHE 95, St. Louis and KY-102 in Kansas City and others, began airing songs from the album as well. With those sales, and the song "Never Been Any Reason" on radio, A&M was impressed enough to sign the band and re-release the album in 1975. The album reached gold status by 1978 and would remain their most popular album, spawning another hit in the song "Love Me Tonight", which peaked at number 54.
The band followed with the albums Get Yourself Up and Gettin' Lucky, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively. The band's fourth album titled Head East (1978) produced another hit with the band's cover of former Argent singer Russ Ballard's "Since You Been Gone", which peaked at number 46.
In 1979, the band released the double-LP Head East Live!, and A Different Kind of Crazy. The former peaked at No. 96 on the US Hot 100 charts. The band performed on the soundtrack to the comic anthology film J-Men Forever. Head East performed at the Culver Academies graduation party in 1979, which in the prior years had been headlined by Styx and Quicksilver.
In March 1980, bassist Birney and guitarist Somerville left the band, while singer Schlitt was fired due to drug dependency. Once sober, he became a Christian and was lead singer of the Contemporary Christian Music band Petra.
Remaining members Boyd and Huston hired bassist Mark Boatman, guitarist Tony Gross, and drummer and singer Dan Odum to record their album U.S. 1, released in October 1980. The album was their last to reach the charts and last recorded release on A&M.
In 1982, Head East released Onward and Upward on Allegiance Records. Odum and Huston left the band in 1983, leaving Boyd as the only original member. Following a six-year hiatus from releasing new material, the band reappeared with the album Choice of Weapons (1988) on Dark Heart Records, featuring bassist Kurt Hansen, who joined the band in 1983, taking on primary lead vocal duties. Choice of Weapons remains the last Head East studio album consisting of new original material.
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Head East
Head East is an American rock band from Illinois. The band was formed by singer John Schlitt, guitarist Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Larry Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. They met and formed the band while Schmitt, Piper, and Boyd were studying at the University of Illinois and Huston was at Eastern Illinois University. Boyd is the only remaining original member. Piper left the group in 1972, Boyd left in 1974, Schlitt took a break for part of 1973–74 before leaving in 1980, and Huston took a break for part of 1973–74 before leaving in 1983. Mike Somerville (guitar) and Dan Birney (bass) replaced Piper and Boyd during the band's 1970s heyday, while the entire lineup (except Boyd) has gone through numerous changes since the 1980s. The band's biggest hit was "Never Been Any Reason", released in 1975.
Originally known as the TimeAtions, the band adopted the name Head East on August 6, 1969, at the suggestion of the band's roadie, Baxter Forrest Twilight. In a 2011 interview, founding member Huston claimed that soon after sunrise one morning in 1969, Twilight woke the band members in their communal home/practice facility. Having been up all night sitting in the front yard consuming acid, the roadie said that when the sun rose, it turned into a giant talking head and told him the band's new name should be "Head East". The band liked the unusual nature of it and has kept the name.
Head East recorded and produced their first album, Flat as a Pancake, in 1974 at Golden Voice Recording Studio in South Pekin, Illinois. Released on their own record label, Pyramid Records, all 5,000 records and 500 eight-tracks produced were sold. Several midwest album rock radio stations, chief among them KSHE 95, St. Louis and KY-102 in Kansas City and others, began airing songs from the album as well. With those sales, and the song "Never Been Any Reason" on radio, A&M was impressed enough to sign the band and re-release the album in 1975. The album reached gold status by 1978 and would remain their most popular album, spawning another hit in the song "Love Me Tonight", which peaked at number 54.
The band followed with the albums Get Yourself Up and Gettin' Lucky, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively. The band's fourth album titled Head East (1978) produced another hit with the band's cover of former Argent singer Russ Ballard's "Since You Been Gone", which peaked at number 46.
In 1979, the band released the double-LP Head East Live!, and A Different Kind of Crazy. The former peaked at No. 96 on the US Hot 100 charts. The band performed on the soundtrack to the comic anthology film J-Men Forever. Head East performed at the Culver Academies graduation party in 1979, which in the prior years had been headlined by Styx and Quicksilver.
In March 1980, bassist Birney and guitarist Somerville left the band, while singer Schlitt was fired due to drug dependency. Once sober, he became a Christian and was lead singer of the Contemporary Christian Music band Petra.
Remaining members Boyd and Huston hired bassist Mark Boatman, guitarist Tony Gross, and drummer and singer Dan Odum to record their album U.S. 1, released in October 1980. The album was their last to reach the charts and last recorded release on A&M.
In 1982, Head East released Onward and Upward on Allegiance Records. Odum and Huston left the band in 1983, leaving Boyd as the only original member. Following a six-year hiatus from releasing new material, the band reappeared with the album Choice of Weapons (1988) on Dark Heart Records, featuring bassist Kurt Hansen, who joined the band in 1983, taking on primary lead vocal duties. Choice of Weapons remains the last Head East studio album consisting of new original material.