Brewer & Shipley
Encyclopedia
Brewer & Shipley were an American
folk rock
music duo of the late 1960s through 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriter
s Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies
and socially conscious
lyrics. Their greatest success was the song "One Toke Over the Line" from their 1970 album Tarkio
. They also had two other single albums which scored the Billboard
charts: "Tarkio Road" (1970) and "Shake Off The Demon" (1971). They continue to perform, both separately and together, usually in the Midwest of the USA.
gigs before settling in Los Angeles
to write music together in 1968, producing their first two albums, Down in L.A.
and Weeds
. Even though mutual friends in bands such as The Association
and Buffalo Springfield
lived in Los Angeles, they left California during 1969, returning to Kansas City
, Missouri, where they made a meager living by playing in college towns. They derived the name of their next album, Tarkio, from a regular gig they played in Tarkio, Missouri
. This album was their most successful commercially, featuring the song "One Toke Over the Line", which they wrote as a joke while preparing backstage for a performance.
"One Toke Over The Line" was performed for the The Lawrence Welk Show
, a television program known for its conservative, family-oriented format, by a duo known as "Gail and Dale." At the conclusion of the performance of the song, Welk remarked, without any hint of humor, "There you've heard a modern spiritual
by Gail and Dale."
This caused Michael Brewer to comment:
Brewer & Shipley have performed with many notable acts, including Stephen Stills
of Crosby, Stills & Nash
, Bruce Springsteen
, Black Sabbath
, and Jerry Garcia
of the Grateful Dead
, who played pedal steel guitar for "Oh, Mommy".
. Tom Shipley lives in Rolla, Missouri
, where he is part of the staff of Missouri University of Science & Technology (formerly the University of Missouri - Rolla). He is manager of distance learning, video, audio, and other special video productions for the university.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk rock
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
music duo of the late 1960s through 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
s Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
and socially conscious
Social consciousness
Social consciousness is consciousness shared within a society. It can also be defined as social awareness; to be aware of the problems that different societies and communities face on a day-to-day basis; to be conscious of the difficulties and hardships of society.- Theory :Many studies have been...
lyrics. Their greatest success was the song "One Toke Over the Line" from their 1970 album Tarkio
Tarkio (album)
Tarkio is the third album by Brewer & Shipley. Released in 1970, the album yielded the hit singles "One Toke Over the Line" and "Tarkio Road".The title came about when they left California in 1969 returning to the Midwest, this time to Kansas City, Missouri,...
. They also had two other single albums which scored the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts: "Tarkio Road" (1970) and "Shake Off The Demon" (1971). They continue to perform, both separately and together, usually in the Midwest of the USA.
Early history
The two Midwestern natives met each other numerous times at various coffeehouseCoffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
gigs before settling in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to write music together in 1968, producing their first two albums, Down in L.A.
Down in L.A.
-Track listing:All tracks composed by Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley; except where indicatedSide A#"Truly Right" – 2:46#"She Thinks She's a Woman" – 3:26#"Time and Changes" – 2:05#"Small Town Girl" – 2:10#"I Can't See Her" – 2:50...
and Weeds
Weeds (Brewer & Shipley)
Weeds was the second album by Brewer & Shipley and was released in 1969. The album was recorded at Golden State Recorders in San Francisco and produced by Nick Gravenites using the pseudonym "Nicky Gravy"...
. Even though mutual friends in bands such as The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
and Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
lived in Los Angeles, they left California during 1969, returning to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri, where they made a meager living by playing in college towns. They derived the name of their next album, Tarkio, from a regular gig they played in Tarkio, Missouri
Tarkio, Missouri
Tarkio is a city in Tarkio Township, Atchison County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,583 at the 2010 census . It was platted in 1880 and incorporated in 1881. The name "Tarkio" is from a Native American word meaning "place where walnuts grow"...
. This album was their most successful commercially, featuring the song "One Toke Over the Line", which they wrote as a joke while preparing backstage for a performance.
"One Toke Over The Line" was performed for the The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show
The Lawrence Welk Show is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years , then nationally for another 27 years via the ABC network and first-run syndication .In the years since first-run syndication...
, a television program known for its conservative, family-oriented format, by a duo known as "Gail and Dale." At the conclusion of the performance of the song, Welk remarked, without any hint of humor, "There you've heard a modern spiritual
Spiritual (music)
Spirituals are religious songs which were created by enslaved African people in America.-Terminology and origin:...
by Gail and Dale."
This caused Michael Brewer to comment:
The Vice President of the United States, Spiro Agnew, named us personally as a subversive to American youth, but at exactly the same time Lawrence Welk performed the crazy thing and introduced it as a gospel song. That shows how absurd it really is. Of course, we got more publicity than we could have paid for.
Brewer & Shipley have performed with many notable acts, including Stephen Stills
Stephen Stills
Stephen Arthur Stills is an American guitarist and singer/songwriter best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills & Nash . He has performed on a professional level in several other bands as well as maintaining a solo career at the same time...
of Crosby, Stills & Nash
Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young)
Crosby, Stills & Nash is a folk rock supergroup made up of David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, also known as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young when joined by occasional fourth member Neil Young...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
, and Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, who played pedal steel guitar for "Oh, Mommy".
Regrouping, touring, and present-day status
During 1989 they performed a gig together, and a brief time later began composing together again, producing two albums, SHANGHAI (1993) and Heartland (1997). They have continued to tour together, part time, since the 1990s. At present, Michael Brewer lives outside of Branson, MissouriBranson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. Tom Shipley lives in Rolla, Missouri
Rolla, Missouri
Rolla is a city in Phelps County, Missouri, United States, midway between the larger cities of St. Louis and Springfield along I-44. The population in the 2010 United States Census was 19,559.It is the county seat of Phelps County...
, where he is part of the staff of Missouri University of Science & Technology (formerly the University of Missouri - Rolla). He is manager of distance learning, video, audio, and other special video productions for the university.
Discography
- Down in L.A.Down in L.A.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley; except where indicatedSide A#"Truly Right" – 2:46#"She Thinks She's a Woman" – 3:26#"Time and Changes" – 2:05#"Small Town Girl" – 2:10#"I Can't See Her" – 2:50...
(1968) on A&M RecordsA&M RecordsA&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that operates under the mantle of its Interscope-Geffen-A&M division.-Beginnings:... - WeedsWeeds (Brewer & Shipley)Weeds was the second album by Brewer & Shipley and was released in 1969. The album was recorded at Golden State Recorders in San Francisco and produced by Nick Gravenites using the pseudonym "Nicky Gravy"...
(1969) on Kama Sutra RecordsKama Sutra RecordsKama Sutra Records was started in 1964 by Arthur "Artie" Ripp, Hy Mizrahi and Phil Steinberg as Kama Sutra Productions, a production house. The word "Kama Sutra" is a Sanskrit terminology.... - TarkioTarkio (album)Tarkio is the third album by Brewer & Shipley. Released in 1970, the album yielded the hit singles "One Toke Over the Line" and "Tarkio Road".The title came about when they left California in 1969 returning to the Midwest, this time to Kansas City, Missouri,...
(1970) on Kama Sutra Records - Shake Off the DemonShake Off the Demon-Track listing:all songs Brewer & Shipley except where markedSide A#"Shake Off the Demon" – 3:08#"Merciful Love" – 1:58#"Message from the Mission " – 3:09#"One by One" – 2:58#"When Everybody Comes Home" – 1:58Side B#"Working On the Well" – 3:17...
(1971) on Kama Sutra Records - Rural SpaceRural Space-Track listing:all songs Brewer & Shipley except where markedSide A#"Yankee Lady" – 3:25#"Sleeping On The Way" – 2:19#"When The Truth Finally Comes" – 2:33#"Where Do We Go From Here" – 2:17...
(1972) on Kama Sutra Records - ST-11621 (1974) on Capitol RecordsCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
- Welcome To Riddle Bridge (1976) on Capitol Records
- Brewer and Shipley Greatest Hits (1989) on Pair Records
- SHANGHAIShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
(1993) on One Toke Productions - Archive Alive! (1997) on Archive Recordings
- Heartland (1997) on One Toke Productions
- One Toke Over the Line: The Best of Brewer & Shipley (2001) on Buddah RecordsBuddah RecordsBuddah Records was founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's founding...
U.S. singles chart positions
- "One Toke Over the Line" scored 14 weeks on the charts, maximizing at #10 during April 1971 (#5 in Canada)
- "Tarkio Road" scored 8 weeks on the charts, maximizing at #55 during June 1971 (#41 in Canada)
- "Shake Off the Demon" scored 3 weeks on the charts, maximizing at #98 during February 1972
Cultural references
- In the first chapter of Hunter S. ThompsonHunter S. ThompsonHunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
's novel Fear and Loathing in Las VegasFear and Loathing in Las Vegas (novel)Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream is an autobiographical novel by Hunter S. Thompson, illustrated by Ralph Steadman. The book is a roman à clef, rooted in autobiographical incidents. The story follows its protagonist, Raoul Duke, and his attorney, Dr...
, Raoul Duke's attorney, Dr. Gonzo, sings the line "One toke over the line, sweet Jesus, one toke over the line" while the two of them drive from Barstow to Las Vegas.
- One Toke Over the Line is an addiction status in the video game Grand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IVGrand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
.