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Big Head Todd and the Monsters

 

 
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Big Head Todd and the Monsters
 
 
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Big Head Todd & the Monsters is a rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 band
Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music. In each musical style different norms have developed for the sizes and composition of different ensembles, and for the repertoire of songs or musical works that these ensembles perform....
 formed in 1986
1986 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986....
 in Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
. The band has released a number of albums since 1989 with their 1993 album Sister Sweetly
Sister Sweetly

Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
 going platinum in the United States. The band has developed a sizable live following especially in the Mountain States
Mountain States

The Mountain States form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
 of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. They are known for their powerful live performances
Live performance

A live performance can refer to:*A play or musical theatre*A concert*Live radio*Live television...
 and unique sound.

band was formed in 1986 with Todd Park Mohr
Todd Park Mohr

Todd Park Mohr is the singer and guitarist for the United States rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters. He also occasionally provides keyboards and saxophone....
 on guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
 and vocals, Brian Nevin on drums and vocals and Rob Squires on bass
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
 and vocals.






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Encyclopedia


Big Head Todd & the Monsters is a rock
Rock music

Rock music is a loosely defined genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the mid 1950's. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rhythm and blues, country music and other influences....
 band
Musical ensemble

A musical ensemble is a group of two or more musicians who perform instrumental or vocal music. In each musical style different norms have developed for the sizes and composition of different ensembles, and for the repertoire of songs or musical works that these ensembles perform....
 formed in 1986
1986 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1986....
 in Colorado
Colorado

The State of Colorado is a U.S. state located in the Mountain States of the United States of America. Colorado may also be considered to be a part of the Western United States and Southwestern United States regions of the United States....
. The band has released a number of albums since 1989 with their 1993 album Sister Sweetly
Sister Sweetly

Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
 going platinum in the United States. The band has developed a sizable live following especially in the Mountain States
Mountain States

The Mountain States form one of the nine geographic divisions of the United States that are officially recognized by the United States Census Bureau....
 of the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. They are known for their powerful live performances
Live performance

A live performance can refer to:*A play or musical theatre*A concert*Live radio*Live television...
 and unique sound.

Band history

The band was formed in 1986 with Todd Park Mohr
Todd Park Mohr

Todd Park Mohr is the singer and guitarist for the United States rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters. He also occasionally provides keyboards and saxophone....
 on guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
 and vocals, Brian Nevin on drums and vocals and Rob Squires on bass
Bass guitar

The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
 and vocals. The trio
Trio

A trio is a group of three identical or similar objects, or a grouping of three persons for a common purpose. In music*Trio , three people performing music in some way...
 had attended Columbine High School
Columbine High School

Columbine High School is a secondary school in unincorporated area Jefferson County, Colorado, Colorado, United States.The school is located at 6201 South Pierce Street, one mile west of the Littleton, Colorado city limits and half a mile south of the Denver, Colorado city/county line....
 together and formed a band at the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder

The University of Colorado at Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado. Considered a Public Ivy, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado system and was founded five months before Colorado was admitted to the union in 1876....
. The band name is a tribute to legendary blues/jazz "heads" (eg. Eddy Clean-head Vincent, etc.) It was actually just a fluke
Fluke

Fluke may refer to:* A fluke, the pair of horizontal tail fins of whales, dolphins, and porpoises* Flounder, type of flatfish* Trematoda, class of flatworms...
—they were scheduled to perform their first gig
Gig

* Gig , live performance by a musician or other performer** Temporary work, by extension* Trident, a multi-pronged spear similar to a trident* Gigging, the practice of hunting fish or frogs with a gig...
, but had no name
Name

A name is a label for a noun, , normally used to distinguish one from another. Names can identify a class or Category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given wiktionary:context....
...Todd
Todd Park Mohr

Todd Park Mohr is the singer and guitarist for the United States rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters. He also occasionally provides keyboards and saxophone....
 came up with that at the spur of the moment and it stuck.

The band soon built up a following in Denver
Denver, Colorado

Denver is the Capital and the Colorado municipalities of the state of Colorado, in the United States. Denver is a consolidated city-county located in the South Platte River on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains....
 and Boulder
Boulder, Colorado

Boulder is a Colorado municipalities#Home_Rule_Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County, Colorado, Colorado, in the United States....
. They toured extensively throughout the Mountain States and West Coast of the United States in their van dubbed "The Colonel", which clocked up over 400,000 miles.

In 1989, the band formed Big Records and released their first album Another Mayberry in 1989. Midnight Radio was released the following year. By 1993, Big Head Todd and the Monsters had developed a considerable live following across the United States. Their first live album Big Head Todd and the Monsters Live was recorded at the H.O.R.D.E. Festival in 1993.

The group signed with Giant Records
Giant Records

Giant Records was launched as a joint-venture in 1990 in music between Warner Bros. Records and Irving Azoff, who had sold his companies to MCA Records for $15.7 million....
 in 1993 and recorded Sister Sweetly
Sister Sweetly

Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
 with Prince associate David Z.
David Z.

David Z. is a music producer, engineer, mixer, and writer from Minneapolis, Minnesota who currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee. He is most well known for his long-standing work with Prince , but has also contributed to award winning albums by Etta James, Billy Idol, Neneh Cherry....
 producing. This album went platinum and spawned three singles that made the rock charts including "Bittersweet
Bittersweet (Big Head Todd song)

"Bittersweet" was the debut single from Boulder, Colorado based rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters' third album and major label debut Sister Sweetly, which eventually went platinum album....
", "Broken Hearted Savior
Broken Hearted Savior

Broken Hearted Savior is the most successful song by United States rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters. It was released as the second single off of their major label debut album Sister Sweetly in 1993, reaching number nine on the US Mainstream Rock charts....
", and "Circle
Circle (Big Head Todd song)

"Circle" was the third single from Boulder, Colorado based rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters' major label debut album Sister Sweetly, which eventually went platinum album....
".

Mohr produced the next album Strategem released in 1994. It reached #30 on the Billboard album charts but did not sell as well as its predecessors due to the lack of a hit single from the album.

The band contributed the song Tangerine
Tangerine (Led Zeppelin song)

"Tangerine" is a song composed by Jimmy Page and performed by England rock music band Led Zeppelin. It was released on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III....
 to the 1995 Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock music band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page , Robert Plant , John Paul Jones and John Bonham . With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal music bands....
 tribute album
Tribute album

A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist....
 Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.

Jerry Harrison
Jerry Harrison

Jerry Harrison is an American songwriter, musician and producer. He was the keyboardist and guitarist for the influential New Wave music group, Talking Heads....
, formerly of the Talking Heads
Talking Heads

Talking Heads was an American rock music rock band formed in 1974 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison....
, produced the next album released in 1997. Blues
Blues

Blues is a music genre based on the use of the blues chord progressions and the blue notes. Though several blues musical form s exist, the 12-bar blues chord progressions are the most frequently encountered....
 legend John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker

John Lee Hooker was an influential United States post-war blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter born in Coahoma County, Mississippi near Clarksdale, Mississippi....
 was recording an album in the same studio and played with the band on a version of his best-known song "Boom Boom". Rob Squires described the recording of the track on the band's website. "Hooker has just this incredible presence. He walked into the room and literally everyone was intimidated including our producer and the people who work in the studio." (1) Bernie Worrell
Bernie Worrell

George Bernard "Bernie" Worrell, Jr. is an United States Keyboard instrument and composer best known for his work with Parliament-Funkadelic and Talking Heads....
, formerly of P-Funk
P-Funk

P-Funk is a shorthand term for the repertoire and performers associated with George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective and the distinctive style of funk music they performed....
, played some keyboards on the albums title track "Beautiful World". Corey Mauser filled out the other key parts on the album. The album spawned two hit singles on the rock charts namely "Boom Boom" and "Resignation Superman". The Live Monsters album followed in 1998.

In 2002, the group released the follow up studio album Riviera. As Giant Records had closed its doors, the self-produced album was released through Big Records with distribution through Warner Music. Crimes of Passion was released in 2004 with Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records

Sanctuary Records is a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world....
 distributing it. Another live album Live at the Fillmore was released in 2004.

In 2005, the group joined the throng of Internet-based music sales by releasing the single "Blue Sky" exclusively on iTunes
ITunes

iTunes is a Proprietary software digital media media player application, used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program is also an interface to manage the contents on Apple's popular iPod digital media players as well as the iPhone....
. This single was written at the request of crewmembers of the Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the three currently operational Space Shuttle orbiter in the Space Shuttle fleet of NASA, the space agency of the United States....
 for their STS-114
STS-114

STS-114 was the first "Return to Flight" Space Shuttle mission following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. The Space Shuttle Discovery launched at 10:39 a.m....
 Return to Flight mission in 2005, the first mission after the Columbia disaster. "Blue Sky" was written and performed as a tribute to the men and women of the American space program, from the people keeping the space shuttle flying to the astronauts doing the flying. The song has been used as Senator Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign song.

BHT toured in the summer
Summer

Summer generally refers to the warmest and most humid season between spring and autumn, from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox. In the Northern Hemisphere, this falls from the June solstice to the September equinox, while in the Southern Hemisphere it falls from the December solstice to the March equinox....
 of 2008. Here is a link to the sound check before their show at the Dallas House of Blues
House of Blues

House of Blues is a corporate chain of music halls and restaurants founded in 1992 by Hard Rock Cafe founder Isaac Tigrett and his friend and investor Dan Aykroyd....
 http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=28790@ktvt.dayport.com Here is a link to an interview with Todd http://cbs11tv.com/video/?id=28789@ktvt.dayport.com

Line up

  • Todd Park Mohr
    Todd Park Mohr

    Todd Park Mohr is the singer and guitarist for the United States rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters. He also occasionally provides keyboards and saxophone....
     - vocals, guitar
    Guitar

    The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
    , keyboards, saxophone
    Saxophone

    The saxophone is a conical-Bore transposing instrument musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and are played with a Single-reed instrument mouthpiece similar to the clarinet....
  • Brian Nevin - drums, percussion, vocals
  • Rob Squires - bass guitar
    Bass guitar

    The electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum.The bass guitar is similar in appearance and construction to an electric guitar, but with a larger body, a longer neck and Scale length, and usually four strings tuned to the same pitches as those of the double bass, whic...
    , vocals
  • Jeremy Lawton - keyboards, pedal steel guitar
    Pedal steel guitar

    The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal slide to stop the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar....
    , vocals


Discography

  • Another Mayberry 1989
  • Midnight Radio 1990
  • Sister Sweetly
    Sister Sweetly

    Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
     1993
  • Strategem 1994
  • Beautiful World 1997
  • Live Monsters 1998
  • Riviera 2002
  • Crimes of Passion 2004
  • Live at the Fillmore 2004
  • From The Archives 2007
  • All The Love You Need 2007


Chart Success

The following albums have charted on the Billboard album charts:
  • Sister Sweetly
    Sister Sweetly

    Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
     #1 Billboard Heatseeker, #117 Billboard Album Chart 1993
  • Strategem #30 Billboard Album Chart 1994
  • Beautiful World #54 Billboard Album Chart 1997
  • Riviera #166 Billboard Album Chart #2 Internet Chart
  • Crimes of Passion #253 Internet albums


Charting singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock
1993
1993 in music

This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993....
 "Bittersweet
Bittersweet (Big Head Todd song)

"Bittersweet" was the debut single from Boulder, Colorado based rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters' third album and major label debut Sister Sweetly, which eventually went platinum album....
"		 - #14 Sister Sweetly
Sister Sweetly

Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
1993
1993 in music

This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993....
 "Broken Hearted Savior
Broken Hearted Savior

Broken Hearted Savior is the most successful song by United States rock band Big Head Todd & the Monsters. It was released as the second single off of their major label debut album Sister Sweetly in 1993, reaching number nine on the US Mainstream Rock charts....
"		 - #9 Sister Sweetly
Sister Sweetly

Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
1993
1993 in music

This is a summary of significant events in music in 1993....
 "Circle
Circle (Big Head Todd song)

"Circle" was the third single from Boulder, Colorado based rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters' major label debut album Sister Sweetly, which eventually went platinum album....
"		 - #21 Sister Sweetly
Sister Sweetly

Sister Sweetly was the third album by Colorado rock band Big Head Todd and the Monsters, released in 1993. It was the band's first album with Giant Records, and sold over 500,000 copies, going platinum album....
1997
1997 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997....
 "Resignation Superman" #38 #13 Beautiful World
1998
1998 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1998....
 "Boom Boom" - #29 Beautiful World


External links

  • at the Internet Archive
    Internet Archive

    The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free and openly accessible online digital library, including an archive site of the World Wide Web....
    's live music archive
  • on Whole Wheat Radio
    Whole Wheat Radio

    Whole Wheat Radio is a listener-controlled, internet-only Internet radio and Mediawiki wiki based in Talkeetna, Alaska, centered around Indie aired 24 hours a day, that is financially and operationally maintained by an all-volunteer community as a grassroots alternative to mainstream media....
  • "Big Head Todd & the Monsters" article in Contemporary Musicians Volume 20 1997 cited on Galenet Biography Research Centre
  • "Rock favourites Big Head Todd & the Monsters Set to Release New Album Riviera Set to Release New Album on Warner Bros Distributed Big Records" PR Newswire January 28 2002
  • Management: Alex Brahl for Brahl Management