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Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore was an American rock and early heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York City, that was formed in 1968 and consisted of lead vocalist and drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bassist Gary Justin. In a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, Creem magazine as containing the first documented use of the term "heavy metal" to refer to a style of music. AllMusic described them as "arguably America's first bona fide heavy metal band". Sir Lord Baltimore featured a drumming lead singer, traditionally a rarity in rock and metal music.
In 2006, Garner and Dambra reunited as Sir Lord Baltimore and released a new album, Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw. The reformed band featured an overt Christian focus and lyrics, an emphasis not found in their earlier work. Justin, no longer an active musician, did not participate. Garner died on December 5, 2015, of liver failure, ending the band.
Having first met in high school, Garner (the band creator), Dambra, and Justin started rehearsing together in 1968. At the time of their formation, Dambra (as Louis Caine) was also playing for a group called the Koala, who released an eponymous album in 1969. Justin has cited Cream's Jack Bruce as an influence on his early career choice.
After a relatively short time, the new band auditioned for Mike Appel, who was then working as a talent scout (he would later launch and manage the career of Bruce Springsteen). Appel agreed to mentor them and reportedly gave them the name Sir Lord Baltimore, taken from a character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. For the group's debut album, Appel served as co-producer as well as contributing to arrangements and lyrics.
That album, Kingdom Come, was recorded at Vantone Studios and engineered by Nick Masse, with Jim Cretecos serving as Appel's co-producer. Additional tracks, mixing and overdubbing were done at Electric Lady Studios with legendary engineer Eddie Kramer, better known for his work with Jimi Hendrix. According to Appel, Pink Floyd had the opportunity to hear Sir Lord Baltimore during these sessions, and were reportedly impressed.
Released on Mercury Records in 1970, Kingdom Come featured very fast-paced hard rock with high levels of distortion in the guitar and, in some cases, the bass, and extensive[citation needed] multi-tracking to further enhance the guitar sound. Though this style would become popular in later years, it was considerably different from the majority of that era's contemporary rock music.
On February 19–20, 1971, Sir Lord Baltimore played consecutive nights at New York's Fillmore East as the opening act on a bill that included the J. Geils Band and Black Sabbath, as part of the latter's Paranoid tour. (Sir Lord Baltimore played additional dates on this tour, as well.) A photo of the band used in the Fillmore East's programs was later used as the cover of their 2006 reunion album, Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw.
In May 1971, Mike Saunders (of later Angry Samoans fame) wrote a favorable review of Kingdom Come for Creem. Of historical note was Saunders' assertion that "...Sir Lord Baltimore seems to have down pat most all the best heavy metal tricks in the book", one of the first printed uses of the term "heavy metal" to reference a musical genre.
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Sir Lord Baltimore
Sir Lord Baltimore was an American rock and early heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York City, that was formed in 1968 and consisted of lead vocalist and drummer John Garner, guitarist Louis Dambra, and bassist Gary Justin. In a 1971 review of their debut record, Kingdom Come, Creem magazine as containing the first documented use of the term "heavy metal" to refer to a style of music. AllMusic described them as "arguably America's first bona fide heavy metal band". Sir Lord Baltimore featured a drumming lead singer, traditionally a rarity in rock and metal music.
In 2006, Garner and Dambra reunited as Sir Lord Baltimore and released a new album, Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw. The reformed band featured an overt Christian focus and lyrics, an emphasis not found in their earlier work. Justin, no longer an active musician, did not participate. Garner died on December 5, 2015, of liver failure, ending the band.
Having first met in high school, Garner (the band creator), Dambra, and Justin started rehearsing together in 1968. At the time of their formation, Dambra (as Louis Caine) was also playing for a group called the Koala, who released an eponymous album in 1969. Justin has cited Cream's Jack Bruce as an influence on his early career choice.
After a relatively short time, the new band auditioned for Mike Appel, who was then working as a talent scout (he would later launch and manage the career of Bruce Springsteen). Appel agreed to mentor them and reportedly gave them the name Sir Lord Baltimore, taken from a character in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. For the group's debut album, Appel served as co-producer as well as contributing to arrangements and lyrics.
That album, Kingdom Come, was recorded at Vantone Studios and engineered by Nick Masse, with Jim Cretecos serving as Appel's co-producer. Additional tracks, mixing and overdubbing were done at Electric Lady Studios with legendary engineer Eddie Kramer, better known for his work with Jimi Hendrix. According to Appel, Pink Floyd had the opportunity to hear Sir Lord Baltimore during these sessions, and were reportedly impressed.
Released on Mercury Records in 1970, Kingdom Come featured very fast-paced hard rock with high levels of distortion in the guitar and, in some cases, the bass, and extensive[citation needed] multi-tracking to further enhance the guitar sound. Though this style would become popular in later years, it was considerably different from the majority of that era's contemporary rock music.
On February 19–20, 1971, Sir Lord Baltimore played consecutive nights at New York's Fillmore East as the opening act on a bill that included the J. Geils Band and Black Sabbath, as part of the latter's Paranoid tour. (Sir Lord Baltimore played additional dates on this tour, as well.) A photo of the band used in the Fillmore East's programs was later used as the cover of their 2006 reunion album, Sir Lord Baltimore III Raw.
In May 1971, Mike Saunders (of later Angry Samoans fame) wrote a favorable review of Kingdom Come for Creem. Of historical note was Saunders' assertion that "...Sir Lord Baltimore seems to have down pat most all the best heavy metal tricks in the book", one of the first printed uses of the term "heavy metal" to reference a musical genre.