The Blues Image
Encyclopedia
Blues Image was a critically acclaimed late 1960s rock
band
. Their most successful song
was "Ride Captain Ride
" in the last half of 1970, which reached #4 on the both the Billboard Hot 100
and the Canadian RPM magazine
charts. Blues Image was a well-respected band among their peers. In an interview conducted by British
magazine
Melody Maker
, Jimi Hendrix
said that Blues Image was "one of the best up and coming bands around". Shortly before Hendrix's demise, Hendrix and Manny Bertematti were seen jamming at the popular underground
club
, 'The Experience' on Los Angeles
' Sunset Strip
.
, Florida
in 1966 by singer
-guitarist
Mike Pinera
, singer-drummer
Manuel "Manny" Bertematti, singer-percussionist
Joe Lala
, keyboardist Emilio Garcia, and bassist Malcolm Jones. They were later joined by keyboardist
Frank "Skip" Konte
when Emilio Garcia left the band to become a pilot. Blues Image moved to Miami
in 1968, where they were instrumental in helping promoters form the most innovative music venue in South Florida
, 'Thee Image'. Blues Image became the house band
at the club, which featured bands like the Grateful Dead
, Cream
, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.
The band moved to Los Angeles and signed with Atco Records
, releasing their self-titled debut album in February 1969. Their second album, Open
(April 1970), included the popular hit
"Ride Captain Ride
". Featuring Kent Henry
on guitar solo and fills, and Pinera playing solo at the end, the song
was co-composed
by Pinera and Konte. This disc
sold over one million copies, and earned a gold record
from the R.I.A.A.
in August 1970.
Pinera left the band and was replaced by singer Denny Correll
and guitarist Kent Henry
. The band later broke up but did release a third album, Red White & Blues Image in May 1970.
The various members of Blues Image went on to become parts of other rock
bands. Bertematti later played with New Cactus Band. Pinera later played with Iron Butterfly
, Ramatam
and Alice Cooper
. Konte joined Three Dog Night
, and Lala played with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
. Lala's percussion work figures prominently on the Stephen Stills
/Chris Hillman
led group, Manassas
. Henry played lead guitar with Steppenwolf
prior to their break-up in the early 1970s. Bertematti toured with Chi Coltrane
and Bobby Womack
.
Correll later recorded a series of successful Contemporary Christian
rock albums, helped expand CCM's commercial appeal, and achieved airplay with several singles on CCM radio during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He died in 2002. Gary Dunham
, who also toured with the last incarnation of Blues Image, also became a solo CCM artist.
Pinera has released several solo
albums, most recently In the Garden of Eden.
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...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
. Their most successful song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was "Ride Captain Ride
Ride Captain Ride
"Ride Captain Ride" is a song recorded by the American rock band Blues Image. The song was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist Mike Pinera and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte. It was included on the group's 1970 album, Open...
" in the last half of 1970, which reached #4 on the both the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and the Canadian RPM magazine
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
charts. Blues Image was a well-respected band among their peers. In an interview conducted by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
said that Blues Image was "one of the best up and coming bands around". Shortly before Hendrix's demise, Hendrix and Manny Bertematti were seen jamming at the popular underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
, 'The Experience' on Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
' Sunset Strip
Sunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
.
Career
Blues Image was formed in TampaTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1966 by singer
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
-guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera
Mike Pinera is an American guitarist who started professionally in the late 1960s with the group Blues Image, which had a #4 hit in 1970 with their song "Ride Captain Ride". After the breakup of that group, he joined Iron Butterfly, and later formed the group Ramatam...
, singer-drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Manuel "Manny" Bertematti, singer-percussionist
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Joe Lala
Joe Lala
Joe Lala is an actor and voice actor, notable for his dubbing of Kun Lan of the video-game Killer7.He also played drums and percussion on 32 gold and 28 platinum albums. His credits include Blues Image, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Manassas, The Bee Gees, Whitney Houston, and many...
, keyboardist Emilio Garcia, and bassist Malcolm Jones. They were later joined by keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Frank "Skip" Konte
Skip Konte
Frank "Skip" Konte is an American keyboardist. He joined The Blues Image in 1967, and stayed with them until they split in 1971. He then joined Three Dog Night as second keyboardist in 1973, and left in 1976. He has since become a record producer. He is currently working on a Sci-Fi movie titled...
when Emilio Garcia left the band to become a pilot. Blues Image moved to Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in 1968, where they were instrumental in helping promoters form the most innovative music venue in South Florida
South Florida metropolitan area
The South Florida metropolitan area, also known as the Miami metropolitan area, and designated the Miami–Fort Lauderdale–Pompano Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area by the U.S...
, 'Thee Image'. Blues Image became the house band
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
at the club, which featured bands like 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...
, Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
, and Blood, Sweat and Tears.
The band moved to Los Angeles and signed with Atco Records
Atco Records
ATCO Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, currently operating through WMG's Rhino Entertainment.-Beginnings:Atco Records was founded in 1955 as a division of Atlantic Records. It was devised as an outlet for productions by one of Atlantic's founders, Herb Abramson, who...
, releasing their self-titled debut album in February 1969. Their second album, Open
Open (Blues Image album)
Open is Blues Image's second album and most acclaimed album, which featured the #4 hit single, "Ride Captain Ride".-Track listing:All songs by Blues Image except where noted.#"Love Is The Answer" - 2:35#"Running the Water" - 2:37#"Clean Love" - 7:49...
(April 1970), included the popular hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
"Ride Captain Ride
Ride Captain Ride
"Ride Captain Ride" is a song recorded by the American rock band Blues Image. The song was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist Mike Pinera and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte. It was included on the group's 1970 album, Open...
". Featuring Kent Henry
Kent Henry
Kent Henry was an American guitarist and songwriter best known for his contributions to Steppenwolf and Blues Image.-Blues Image:...
on guitar solo and fills, and Pinera playing solo at the end, the song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
was co-composed
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
by Pinera and Konte. This disc
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
sold over one million copies, and earned a gold record
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
from the R.I.A.A.
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in August 1970.
Pinera left the band and was replaced by singer Denny Correll
Denny Correll
Dennis "Denny" Correll was a singer in the 1960s rock music group Blues Image as well as a Contemporary Christian musician active in the 1970s. He was an early touring member of the seminal Jesus music band Love Song, writing their tune "Changes" which appeared on that band's debut LP Love Song...
and guitarist Kent Henry
Kent Henry
Kent Henry was an American guitarist and songwriter best known for his contributions to Steppenwolf and Blues Image.-Blues Image:...
. The band later broke up but did release a third album, Red White & Blues Image in May 1970.
The various members of Blues Image went on to become parts of other 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...
bands. Bertematti later played with New Cactus Band. Pinera later played with Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly
Iron Butterfly is a US psychedelic rock band best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".Their heyday was the late 1960s, but the band has been reincarnated with various members. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the 31st best-selling album in the world, selling more than 25 million copies.-History:The...
, Ramatam
Ramatam
Ramatam was a 1970s rock band featuring Mike Pinera on guitar and vocals, April Lawton on lead guitar, and, for a short time, Mitch Mitchell on drums....
and Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
. Konte joined Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night
Three Dog Night is an American rock band best known for their music from 1968 to 1975. During that time the band charted 21 Billboard top 40 hits in America, three of which reached Number One...
, and Lala played with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
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...
. Lala's percussion work figures prominently on the 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...
/Chris Hillman
Chris Hillman
Christopher Hillman was one of the original members of The Byrds which in 1965 included Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby, and Michael Clarke....
led group, Manassas
Manassas (band)
Manassas was an American rock band, formed by Stephen Stills in 1971. The nucleus of the band had already backed Stills on his July 1971 album, Stephen Stills 2, and in May 1972, the double album, Manassas, was released. Down The Road was released in 1973, but in October of that year the band split...
. Henry played lead guitar with Steppenwolf
Steppenwolf (band)
Steppenwolf are a Canadian-American rock group that was prominent in the late 1960s. The group was formed in 1967 in Los Angeles by vocalist John Kay, guitarist Michael Monarch, bassist Rushton Moreve, keyboardist Goldy McJohn and drummer Jerry Edmonton after the dissolution of Toronto group The...
prior to their break-up in the early 1970s. Bertematti toured with Chi Coltrane
Chi Coltrane
Chi Coltrane is best known as an American rock-pop-jazz songwriter, pianist, and singer.-Career:...
and Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
.
Correll later recorded a series of successful Contemporary Christian
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
rock albums, helped expand CCM's commercial appeal, and achieved airplay with several singles on CCM radio during the late 1970s and early 1980s. He died in 2002. Gary Dunham
Gary Dunham
Gary Dunham is an American Contemporary Christian recording artist. He has played professionally since the late 1960s. In addition to his two solo albums, he has written songs for many other artists including Kathy Troccoli, Sandi Patty, and the Gaither Vocal Band...
, who also toured with the last incarnation of Blues Image, also became a solo CCM artist.
Pinera has released several solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
albums, most recently In the Garden of Eden.
Albums
- Blues Image - (1969) - #112 (Billboard 200Billboard 200The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
) - OpenOpen (Blues Image album)Open is Blues Image's second album and most acclaimed album, which featured the #4 hit single, "Ride Captain Ride".-Track listing:All songs by Blues Image except where noted.#"Love Is The Answer" - 2:35#"Running the Water" - 2:37#"Clean Love" - 7:49...
- (1970) - #147 (Billboard 200) - Red White & Blues Image - (1970) - #204 (Billboard 200)
Singles
- "Lay Your Sweet Love on Me" / "Outside Was Night" (1969)
- "Ride Captain RideRide Captain Ride"Ride Captain Ride" is a song recorded by the American rock band Blues Image. The song was co-written by the band's singer-guitarist Mike Pinera and keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte. It was included on the group's 1970 album, Open...
" / "Pay My Dues" (1970) - #4 (Billboard 100) - "Gas Lamps and Clay" / "Running Water" (1970) - #81 (Billboard 100)
- "Rise Up" / "Take Me Back" (1971)?