- Mason Proffit
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Mason Proffit Origin Chicago, Illinois, USA Genres Folk rock Years active 1969–1973 Labels Happy Tiger, Ampex, Warner Website www.masonproffit.com Past members Terry Talbot, John Michael Talbot, Tim Ayers, Art Nash, Ron Schuetter, Bruce Kurnow, Bill Cunningham[1] Mason Proffit was a folk rock band from Chicago, Illinois that released five albums between 1969 and 1973.[2]
Contents
History
Brothers Terry Talbot and John Michael Talbot played together in several local bands around Indianapolis, Indiana and later in Chicago. After their group Sounds Unlimited disbanded, in 1969 they formed Mason Proffit with a focus on the emerging blend of folk, country and rock that would come to be called country rock.[3] Older brother Terry's "Two Hangmen" from their first album Wanted... Mason Proffit, became a regional hit and helped their second album, Movin' Toward Happiness, chart on the Billboard 200. In 1972, the band signed to Warner Bros. Records and continued touring, performing up to 300 concerts each year. Some of Mason Proffit's opening acts during that time included The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, John Denver, and Mac Davis. Their country-rock-bluegrass style was innovative yet difficult to place in a marketing genre. Their live shows were high energy. And once, while jamming with The Scruggs Review, John Hartford and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Earl Scruggs called John Talbot "the best banjo player I've ever heard." Warner Bros. re-released their two first two albums as a compilation called Come And Gone plus two more discs, Rockfish Crossing and Bareback Rider. Mason Proffit disbanded when brothers John and Terry Talbot left the band and began performing as a duo. Warners then released The Talbot Bros., the first of three duo albums with the remaining two released on Sparrow Records. Sparrow eventually re-issued the first Talbot Bros. album, minus the track "Moline Truckin."
After the break-up, the Talbot brothers began to record contemporary Christian music on Sparrow Records, earning themselves a Grammy Award nomination and several Dove Award nominations. The Talbot brothers opened for The Eagles on a national tour.
Ron Schuetter 1971 Coe College
John Talbot 1971 Coe CollegeDiscography
Year Title Chart Position Label Number 1969 Wanted Happy Tiger 1009 1971 Movin' Toward Happiness 177 1019 Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream 186 Ampex A-10138 1972 Rockfish Crossing 211 Warner Bros. BS-2657 1973 Bare Back Rider 198 BS-2704 1974 Come And Gone * 203 2S-2746 2005 Still Hangin' * double album reissue of Wanted and Movin' Toward Happiness
References
- ^ "NME Artists - Mason Proffit". Muze UK LTD. 2008. http://www.nme.com/artists/mason-proffit. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Mason Proffit Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p19206/biography. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
- ^ Krakow, Steve (2008-10-23). Mason Proffit. Interview with Nick Digilio. The Secret History of Chicago Music. WGN. Chicago, Illinois. http://wgnradio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=45490&Itemid=543. Retrieved 2009-03-22.
External links
Categories:- American folk rock groups
- American country rock groups
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