Cold Blood
Encyclopedia
Cold Blood is a long-standing soul
-rock
-jazz
band founded by Larry Field in 1968 and originally based in the San Francisco East Bay
area. They have also gone by the name Lydia Pense and Cold Blood due to the popularity of their lead singer, Lydia Pense
.
Bill Graham
signed them after an audition and they played the Fillmore West
in San Francisco. Pense has been compared to Janis Joplin
, and it was Joplin who recommended the audition to Graham.
The band has often been compared to another long-standing popular Northern California group, Tower of Power
, and like Tower of Power they were rare in that they featured a horn section in addition to guitar, bass and drums. The Tower of Power horn players have performed with Cold Blood on a regular basis since the early 1970s. Skip Mesquite and Mic Gillette
have been members of both Tower Of Power and Cold Blood. Their fan base also overlaps with the Sons of Champlin
, although their musical styles are quite different.
Their initial four albums, Cold Blood, Sisyphus, First Taste of Sin (produced by Donny Hathaway
), and Thriller remain their best known work. The band disbanded in the late 1970s, reformed in the 1980s and stabilized with its current membership in the 1990s. Cold Blood continues to record and perform today, and some former band members such as Raul Matute (and some from Tower of Power) appear on the band's most recent album.
Original band members were founder Larry Field (lead guitar), Lydia Pense
(vocals), Danny Hull (tenor saxophone and songwriter), Larry Jonutz (trumpet), Pat O'Hara (trombone; born May 25, 1946 (?), died Aug 1977 of an overdose), Raul Matute (Hammond organ, piano, arranger and songwriter), Jerry Jonutz (baritone, alto and tenor saxophone), David Padron (trumpet), Rod Ellicott (bass), Paul C Saenz (guitar), and Frank Davis, who was replaced on drums by Sandy McKee (real name Cecil James Stoltie, born 12 July 1945, died 15 October 1995) during the Sisyphus sessions. Narada Michael Walden
and Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett both mention McKee on their short list of drummers most influential in their stylistic development.
Over the years there have been various incarnations of the band including singer/trumpet player Max Haskett (born 7 March 1947, died 15 September 1999, ex-Rubicon
), Tower Of Power horn player Mic Gillette
, Journey
keyboardist Stevie "Keys" Roseman
on Hammond B-3 organ, Sons Of Champlin drummer Jim Preston, guitar player Michael Sasaki, Tower Of Power guitarist Jeff Tamelier, Boz Scaggs
horn player Tom Poole, Elvin Bishop
sax player Bill Slais, bass player Michael White & others.
Current personnel are Lydia Pense
(vocals), Steve Salinas (keyboards), Steve Dunne (guitar), Mike Morgan (percussion), Evan Palmerston (bass), Rich Armstrong (trumpet, percussion), Rob Zuckerman (alto, tenor, baritone saxes) and Donny Baldwin
(drums).
Cold Blood is featured playing live in Fillmore
, a documentary of the last concerts at The Fillmore
auditorium.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
-rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
-jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
band founded by Larry Field in 1968 and originally based in the San Francisco East Bay
East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
area. They have also gone by the name Lydia Pense and Cold Blood due to the popularity of their lead singer, Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who since 1969 has performed with the band Cold Blood...
.
Career
The band first came to prominence in 1969 when rock impresarioImpresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
Bill Graham
Bill Graham (promoter)
Bill Graham was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.-Early life:...
signed them after an audition and they played the Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
in San Francisco. Pense has been compared to Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, and it was Joplin who recommended the audition to Graham.
The band has often been compared to another long-standing popular Northern California group, Tower of Power
Tower of Power
Tower of Power is an American R&B-based horn section and band, originating in Oakland, California, that has been performing for over 43 years. They are best known for their funky soul sound highlighted by a powerful horn section...
, and like Tower of Power they were rare in that they featured a horn section in addition to guitar, bass and drums. The Tower of Power horn players have performed with Cold Blood on a regular basis since the early 1970s. Skip Mesquite and Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette is an American brass player born in 1951 and raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin....
have been members of both Tower Of Power and Cold Blood. Their fan base also overlaps with the Sons of Champlin
Sons of Champlin
The Sons of Champlin is an American rock band, formed in the late 1960s and hailing from the San Francisco-Bay area. They are fronted by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Bill Champlin, who was also a member of the rock band Chicago.-Early years:...
, although their musical styles are quite different.
Their initial four albums, Cold Blood, Sisyphus, First Taste of Sin (produced by Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
), and Thriller remain their best known work. The band disbanded in the late 1970s, reformed in the 1980s and stabilized with its current membership in the 1990s. Cold Blood continues to record and perform today, and some former band members such as Raul Matute (and some from Tower of Power) appear on the band's most recent album.
Original band members were founder Larry Field (lead guitar), Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who since 1969 has performed with the band Cold Blood...
(vocals), Danny Hull (tenor saxophone and songwriter), Larry Jonutz (trumpet), Pat O'Hara (trombone; born May 25, 1946 (?), died Aug 1977 of an overdose), Raul Matute (Hammond organ, piano, arranger and songwriter), Jerry Jonutz (baritone, alto and tenor saxophone), David Padron (trumpet), Rod Ellicott (bass), Paul C Saenz (guitar), and Frank Davis, who was replaced on drums by Sandy McKee (real name Cecil James Stoltie, born 12 July 1945, died 15 October 1995) during the Sisyphus sessions. Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden
Narada Michael Walden is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards...
and Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett both mention McKee on their short list of drummers most influential in their stylistic development.
Over the years there have been various incarnations of the band including singer/trumpet player Max Haskett (born 7 March 1947, died 15 September 1999, ex-Rubicon
Rubicon (US band)
Rubicon was a one-hit wonder funk rock band from California, who had a hit single in 1978 with "I'm Gonna Take Care of Everything". The song peaked at #28 on the Billboard magazine national singles charts, spending 11 weeks on the Hot 100....
), Tower Of Power horn player Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette
Mic Gillette is an American brass player born in 1951 and raised in northern California's East Bay area. He is famous for being a member of Tower of Power, Cold Blood, and The Sons of Champlin....
, Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
keyboardist Stevie "Keys" Roseman
Stevie "Keys" Roseman
Stevie "Keys" Roseman is a keyboardist and performer born in Oakland, California. He has worked as a session and live musician since the late 1960s, most notably with the rock band Journey....
on Hammond B-3 organ, Sons Of Champlin drummer Jim Preston, guitar player Michael Sasaki, Tower Of Power guitarist Jeff Tamelier, Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
horn player Tom Poole, Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop
Elvin Bishop is an American blues and rock and roll musician and guitarist.-Career:Bishop was born in Glendale, California, and grew up on a farm near Elliott, Iowa. His family moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, when he was ten years old...
sax player Bill Slais, bass player Michael White & others.
Current personnel are Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense
Lydia Pense is an American rock-soul-jazz singer who since 1969 has performed with the band Cold Blood...
(vocals), Steve Salinas (keyboards), Steve Dunne (guitar), Mike Morgan (percussion), Evan Palmerston (bass), Rich Armstrong (trumpet, percussion), Rob Zuckerman (alto, tenor, baritone saxes) and Donny Baldwin
Donny Baldwin
Donny Baldwin is an American drummer best known as a member of Jefferson Starship and its continuation Starship.Donny began his career as a drummer for Elvin Bishop during the 1970s where he worked with future Jefferson Starship bandmate Mickey Thomas...
(drums).
Cold Blood is featured playing live in Fillmore
Fillmore (film)
Fillmore — also known as Fillmore: The Last Days, and as Last Days of the Fillmore — is a music documentary film, primarily shot at the Fillmore West auditorium in San Francisco, California, from June 29 through July 4, 1971. It was released on June 14, 1972.Fillmore documents the final run of...
, a documentary of the last concerts at The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
auditorium.
Albums
- Cold Blood (1969)
- Sisyphus (1971)
- First Taste of SinFirst Taste of SinFirst Taste of Sin is the third album by the Oakland, California band Cold Blood.-Track listing:#Visions - 3:23 #Lo And Behold - 4:12 #Down To The Bone - 5:45...
(1972) - Thriller (1973)
- Lydia (1974)
- The Best of Cold Blood (1975)
- Lydia Pense And Cold Blood (1976)
- Vintage Blood: Live! 1973 (live album, 2001)
- Transfusion (2005)
- Lydia Pense & Cold Blood:Live Blood (live album, 2008)
Singles
- "You Got Me Hummin'" (1970, #52 Pop)
- "Too Many People" (1970, #107 'Bubbling Under' chart)