Full Tilt Boogie Band
Encyclopedia
Full Tilt Boogie Band was a rock band originally headed by guitarist John Till
and then by Janis Joplin
until her death in 1970. The band was composed of Till
, pianist Richard Bell
, bassist Brad Campbell, drummer Clark Pierson, and organist Ken Pearson.
In its original late 1960s incarnation, the Full Tillt Boogie Band (the two "Ls" being a play on the spelling of Till's last name), Till fronted the group as a side project from his usual gigs as a New York City studio musician. Like Till, the other members of Full Tillt were Canadians, mostly hailing from Stratford
and Woodstock
, Ontario
, Canada
.
When Joplin's management convinced her to discard Big Brother and the Holding Company
as her backing band, her record label put together a new group of musicians for her. This group, dubbed the Kozmic Blues Band, consisted of Till and several other Full Tillt Boogie Band members — all studio musicians that her label was familiar with and felt were reliable — plus a horn section. Joplin was not happy touring with some of the group members, however, feeling them to be too "square," and the disappointing reviews of their 1969 album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
led her to scrap everyone in the group except Till.
Till shortly convinced Joplin to hire his Full Tillt Boogie band in its entirety, and he agreed to drop one of the "L's" from its name, thus creating Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie backing band. Joplin took a more active role in putting together the Full Tilt Boogie Band than she did with the Kozmic Blues Band, and she believed that hiring the remainder of Till's band would provide her with the powerhouse boogie outfit she needed to back her. Joplin was quoted as saying, "Full Tilt Boogie Band is my band. Finally, it's my band!"
Full Tilt played their first session with Joplin on April 4, 1970, at the Fillmore West
studios in San Francisco, and began touring in May 1970. From June 28 to July 4, 1970, Joplin and Full Tilt joined the all-star Festival Express
tour through Canada, performing alongside the Grateful Dead
, Delaney and Bonnie, Rick Danko
and The Band
, Eric Andersen
, and Ian & Sylvia. They played concerts in Toronto
, Winnipeg
, and Calgary
.
The Full Tilt Boogie Band's last public performance took place on August 12, 1970 at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. A positive review appeared on the front page of the Harvard Crimson newspaper despite the fact that the band performed with makeshift sound amplifiers after their regular equipment was stolen in Boston.
During September 1970, Full Tilt and Joplin began recording a new album in Los Angeles with producer Paul A. Rothchild
, who had produced recordings for The Doors
. Although Joplin died before all the tracks were fully completed, there was still enough usable material to compile an LP, which became Pearl
.
John Till
John Till is a Canadian musician. Born in Stratford, Ontario, Till played in local bands until the early 1960s when he was picked to play in Ronnie Hawkins band The Hawks, to replace previous members who had left to tour with Bob Dylan...
and then by 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...
until her death in 1970. The band was composed of Till
John Till
John Till is a Canadian musician. Born in Stratford, Ontario, Till played in local bands until the early 1960s when he was picked to play in Ronnie Hawkins band The Hawks, to replace previous members who had left to tour with Bob Dylan...
, pianist Richard Bell
Richard Bell (Canadian musician)
Richard Bell was a Canadian musician best known as the pianist for Janis Joplin and her Full Tilt Boogie Band. He was also a keyboardist with The Band during the 1990s.-Early life and career:...
, bassist Brad Campbell, drummer Clark Pierson, and organist Ken Pearson.
In its original late 1960s incarnation, the Full Tillt Boogie Band (the two "Ls" being a play on the spelling of Till's last name), Till fronted the group as a side project from his usual gigs as a New York City studio musician. Like Till, the other members of Full Tillt were Canadians, mostly hailing from Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
and Woodstock
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
When Joplin's management convinced her to discard Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the same psychedelic music scene that produced the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service and Jefferson Airplane. They are best known as the band that featured Janis Joplin as their...
as her backing band, her record label put together a new group of musicians for her. This group, dubbed the Kozmic Blues Band, consisted of Till and several other Full Tillt Boogie Band members — all studio musicians that her label was familiar with and felt were reliable — plus a horn section. Joplin was not happy touring with some of the group members, however, feeling them to be too "square," and the disappointing reviews of their 1969 album I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama!
I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! is a 1969 studio album by Janis Joplin. It was the first solo studio album Joplin recorded after leaving Big Brother and the Holding Company. The LP was released on September 11, 1969 and reached gold record status within two months of its release. It was...
led her to scrap everyone in the group except Till.
Till shortly convinced Joplin to hire his Full Tillt Boogie band in its entirety, and he agreed to drop one of the "L's" from its name, thus creating Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie backing band. Joplin took a more active role in putting together the Full Tilt Boogie Band than she did with the Kozmic Blues Band, and she believed that hiring the remainder of Till's band would provide her with the powerhouse boogie outfit she needed to back her. Joplin was quoted as saying, "Full Tilt Boogie Band is my band. Finally, it's my band!"
Full Tilt played their first session with Joplin on April 4, 1970, at 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...
studios in San Francisco, and began touring in May 1970. From June 28 to July 4, 1970, Joplin and Full Tilt joined the all-star Festival Express
Festival Express
Festival Express is a 2003 documentary film about the eponymous 1970 train tour across Canada taken by some of North America's most popular rock bands, including The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band and Delaney & Bonnie & Friends...
tour through Canada, performing alongside 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...
, Delaney and Bonnie, Rick Danko
Rick Danko
Richard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
and The Band
The Band
The Band was an acclaimed and influential roots rock group. The original group consisted of Rick Danko , Garth Hudson , Richard Manuel , and Robbie Robertson , and Levon Helm...
, Eric Andersen
Eric Andersen
Eric Andersen is an American singer-songwriter.-Biography:In the early 1960s, Eric Andersen was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York...
, and Ian & Sylvia. They played concerts in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, and Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
.
The Full Tilt Boogie Band's last public performance took place on August 12, 1970 at Harvard Stadium in Boston, Massachusetts. A positive review appeared on the front page of the Harvard Crimson newspaper despite the fact that the band performed with makeshift sound amplifiers after their regular equipment was stolen in Boston.
During September 1970, Full Tilt and Joplin began recording a new album in Los Angeles with producer Paul A. Rothchild
Paul A. Rothchild
Paul A. Rothchild was a prominent American record producer of the late 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rothchild grew up in Teaneck, New Jersey and graduated from Teaneck High School in 1953....
, who had produced recordings for The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
. Although Joplin died before all the tracks were fully completed, there was still enough usable material to compile an LP, which became Pearl
Pearl (album)
-Personnel:* Janis Joplin – vocals, guitar on "Me and Bobby McGee"* Richard Bell – piano* Ken Pearson – organ* John Till – electric guitar* Brad Campbell – bass guitar* Clark Pierson – drums-Additional personnel:...
.