The Chambers Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Chambers Brothers is a soul-music
group
, best known for its 1968 hit record
, the 11-minute long song
"Time Has Come Today
". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements, spawning a heady mix integrating all these factors. Based on their Southern roots, the brothers brought a raw authenticity to their recordings and live performances that was missing from many other acts of that era. Their music has been kept alive through heavy use in film soundtracks.
The Chambers Brothers first honed their skills as members of the choir in their Baptist
church. This set up ended in 1952 when older brother George was drafted into the army. After his discharge George moved to Los Angeles
. The other Chambers brothers soon settled there as well. As a foursome, they began performing gospel and folk throughout the Southern California region in 1954, but they more or less remained unknown until appearing in New York City
in 1965. Also in 1965, Brian Keenan
joined the group as their drummer. Brian's eerie drumming on "Time Has Come Today" was one of the elements of success of that hit.
In the early 1960s, these four brothers
from Mississippi
, Joe and Willie on guitar, Lester
on harmonica, and George on washtub bass, started to venture outside the gospel circuit, playing at coffeehouses that booked folk acts. They played at places like The Ash Grove
, one of Los Angeles's most popular folk clubs. It became a favorite haunt of theirs and brought them into contact with Hoyt Axton
, Ramblin' Jack Elliott
, Reverend Gary Davis
, and Barbara Dane
. Dane became a great supporter, performing and recording with the brothers. She took them on tour with her and introduced them to Pete Seeger
, who helped put the Chambers Brothers on the bill of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival
. One of the songs they performed, "I Got It", appeared on the Newport Folk Festival 1965 compilation LP, which was issued on the Vanguard label.
They were becoming more accepted in the folk community, but, like many on the folk circuit, they were looking to electrify their music and become more rock and roll. Guitarist Joe Chambers recalled in a May 1994 Goldmine
article that people at the Newport Folk Festival were breaking down fences and rushing to the stage. "Newport had never seen or heard anything like that." After the group finished and the crowd finally settled down, the MC came up and said "Whether you know it or not, that was rock'n'roll." That night they played at a post-concert party for festival performers and went to a recording session of the newly electrified Bob Dylan
. Now having gone electric George would trade in his washtub bass for a Danelectro
bass guitar.
Shortly after this, the group recorded
its debut album
People Get Ready.
and that's where they met David Rubinson. Actually, Warner Brothers and RCA
wanted to sign them as well but wanted to change the bands image and put them in uniforms and have them put down their instruments. This is something that the brothers did not want! In the beginning it didn't seem much better with Columbia.
Columbia president Clive Davis
didn't want them to record their song "Time" and said that they didn't record that kind of stuff at Columbia. He also wanted to find a white group to record the song for them. The band said that this would never happen. When they broke the news to David Rubinson he was very heartbroken as he was really looking forward to producing "Time". He found a solution to the problem. He told the brothers that he might lose his job for doing this but they were going to record the song. He told them to come in early for the session. Everything would be ready but they wouldn't have any time to overdub or fix anything on the recording. They went into the LA studio in 1966 and recorded it with Rubinson adding some strange sitar like sounds over the song with some primitive / early Roland Farfisa synthesizers that he found in the studio. It didn't do any good because Columbia refused to put the single out.
Later on when the group had a regional hit with the song "All Strung Out Over You", Columbia allowed Rubinson and the Chambers Brothers to re-record "Time" in 1967. By this time they had expanded "Time" to be the showpiece of their live show. They recorded the new version in one take with all of the effects live in the studio. Rubinson had set up the reverb and reinsertion things with Fred Catero, the studio engineer. Rubinson recalled that it was just one of those incredible magic sessions with all of them reacting to each other and even the trippy time tunnel section in the center of the song was a spontaneous creation.
The band scored its first major hit in 1968 with "Time Has Come Today
" (written
by Joe & Willie Chambers), from the group's similarly named third album, The Time Has Come. The song spent five consecutive weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100
, just missing the Top Ten.
However, due to a succession of dishonest promoters and managers, the group found it difficult to build on this success and eventually split up in 1972. The 1972 album they recorded for Columbia, Oh! My God, remains unreleased. They reformed in 1974 to record Unbonded and Right Move (1975) for the Avco label. In 1976 they released the final Recorded Live In Concert on Mars for the Roxbury label. They have toured irregularly since.
They were signed to support Maria Muldaur
on her Gospel Nights album. They also made commercials for Levi's jeans.
Lester moved to New York and formed a band with former Electric Flag
bassist Harvey Brooks
.
Guitarists Willie and Joe would find work as session men; George went back to singing gospel music and would later become a deacon of his church.
Keenan retired to Connecticut where he set up his own recording studio, plied his trade as a carpenter , and died of heart failure in 1985.
Later, another member of the band, Art Ramsey, was hired as a replacement drummer. He performed live, on-the-road and in many different cities and venues with the Chambers Brothers band after Keenan's departure.
In 2006 Guitarist Willie Chambers brought the house down, sitting in with a group called Vince and the Invinceables at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee
of the group Love
.
Billboard albums listing
CD Albums
CD
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...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, best known for its 1968 hit record
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...
, the 11-minute long 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...
"Time Has Come Today
Time Has Come Today
"Time Has Come Today" is a song recorded by The Chambers Brothers in 1966. It was then released on album in November 1967, and it spent five weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1968....
". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements, spawning a heady mix integrating all these factors. Based on their Southern roots, the brothers brought a raw authenticity to their recordings and live performances that was missing from many other acts of that era. Their music has been kept alive through heavy use in film soundtracks.
The Chambers Brothers first honed their skills as members of the choir in their Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church. This set up ended in 1952 when older brother George was drafted into the army. After his discharge George moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The other Chambers brothers soon settled there as well. As a foursome, they began performing gospel and folk throughout the Southern California region in 1954, but they more or less remained unknown until appearing in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1965. Also in 1965, Brian Keenan
Brian Keenan (musician)
Brian Edmund Peter Keenan was an American musician, best known as the drummer for The Chambers Brothers...
joined the group as their drummer. Brian's eerie drumming on "Time Has Come Today" was one of the elements of success of that hit.
In the early 1960s, these four brothers
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, Joe and Willie on guitar, Lester
Lester Chambers
Lester Chambers is an American recording artist, and former member and lead singer of the 1960s soul rock group The Chambers Brothers, who had the hit single, "Time Has Come Today." He sang lead on the Chambers Brothers songs "All Strung Out Over You," "People Get Ready," "Uptown," "I Can't Turn...
on harmonica, and George on washtub bass, started to venture outside the gospel circuit, playing at coffeehouses that booked folk acts. They played at places like The Ash Grove
Ash Grove (music club)
The Ash Grove was a folk music club located at 8162 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, founded in 1958 by Ed Pearl and named after the Welsh folk song, "The Ash Grove."...
, one of Los Angeles's most popular folk clubs. It became a favorite haunt of theirs and brought them into contact with Hoyt Axton
Hoyt Axton
Hoyt Wayne Axton was an American country music singer-songwriter, and a film and television actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. As he matured, some of his songwriting efforts became well...
, Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Ramblin' Jack Elliott
Ramblin' Jack Elliott is an American folk singer and performer.-Life and career:Elliot Charles Adnopoz was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish parents in 1931. Elliott grew up inspired by the rodeos at Madison Square Garden, and wanted to be a cowboy...
, Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
, and Barbara Dane
Barbara Dane
Barbara Dane is an American folk, blues, and jazz singer.-Early life:Barbara Dane's parents arrived in Detroit from Arkansas in the 1920s. Out of high school, Dane began to sing regularly at demonstrations for racial equality and economic justice. While still in her teens, she sat in with bands...
. Dane became a great supporter, performing and recording with the brothers. She took them on tour with her and introduced them to Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, who helped put the Chambers Brothers on the bill of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
. One of the songs they performed, "I Got It", appeared on the Newport Folk Festival 1965 compilation LP, which was issued on the Vanguard label.
They were becoming more accepted in the folk community, but, like many on the folk circuit, they were looking to electrify their music and become more rock and roll. Guitarist Joe Chambers recalled in a May 1994 Goldmine
Goldmine (magazine)
Goldmine, established in 1974, is an American magazine that focuses on the collectors' market for records, tapes, CDs, and music-related memorabilia. Each issue features news articles, interviews, discographies, histories, current reviews on recording stars of the past and present. Discographies...
article that people at the Newport Folk Festival were breaking down fences and rushing to the stage. "Newport had never seen or heard anything like that." After the group finished and the crowd finally settled down, the MC came up and said "Whether you know it or not, that was rock'n'roll." That night they played at a post-concert party for festival performers and went to a recording session of the newly electrified Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. Now having gone electric George would trade in his washtub bass for a Danelectro
Danelectro
Danelectro is an American manufacturer of musical instruments and accessories, specializing in rock instruments such as guitars, bass guitars, amplifiers and effects units.-History:...
bass guitar.
Shortly after this, the group recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
its debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
People Get Ready.
The Time Has Come Today
One night while playing at the Cheetah Club the band were met by a man smoking a cigar who said that he was there to bring them to Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and that's where they met David Rubinson. Actually, Warner Brothers and RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
wanted to sign them as well but wanted to change the bands image and put them in uniforms and have them put down their instruments. This is something that the brothers did not want! In the beginning it didn't seem much better with Columbia.
Columbia president Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
didn't want them to record their song "Time" and said that they didn't record that kind of stuff at Columbia. He also wanted to find a white group to record the song for them. The band said that this would never happen. When they broke the news to David Rubinson he was very heartbroken as he was really looking forward to producing "Time". He found a solution to the problem. He told the brothers that he might lose his job for doing this but they were going to record the song. He told them to come in early for the session. Everything would be ready but they wouldn't have any time to overdub or fix anything on the recording. They went into the LA studio in 1966 and recorded it with Rubinson adding some strange sitar like sounds over the song with some primitive / early Roland Farfisa synthesizers that he found in the studio. It didn't do any good because Columbia refused to put the single out.
Later on when the group had a regional hit with the song "All Strung Out Over You", Columbia allowed Rubinson and the Chambers Brothers to re-record "Time" in 1967. By this time they had expanded "Time" to be the showpiece of their live show. They recorded the new version in one take with all of the effects live in the studio. Rubinson had set up the reverb and reinsertion things with Fred Catero, the studio engineer. Rubinson recalled that it was just one of those incredible magic sessions with all of them reacting to each other and even the trippy time tunnel section in the center of the song was a spontaneous creation.
The band scored its first major hit in 1968 with "Time Has Come Today
Time Has Come Today
"Time Has Come Today" is a song recorded by The Chambers Brothers in 1966. It was then released on album in November 1967, and it spent five weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1968....
" (written
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 Joe & Willie Chambers), from the group's similarly named third album, The Time Has Come. The song spent five consecutive weeks at #11 on 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...
, just missing the Top Ten.
Later years
Later incarnations of the group included session guitarist Steve Hunter (Alice Cooper) and session whiz Stephen Patt (Northwind). , freeing the brothers up to become front men, not just instrumentalists.However, due to a succession of dishonest promoters and managers, the group found it difficult to build on this success and eventually split up in 1972. The 1972 album they recorded for Columbia, Oh! My God, remains unreleased. They reformed in 1974 to record Unbonded and Right Move (1975) for the Avco label. In 1976 they released the final Recorded Live In Concert on Mars for the Roxbury label. They have toured irregularly since.
They were signed to support Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur
Maria Muldaur is a folk-blues singer who was part of the American folk music revival in the early 1960s...
on her Gospel Nights album. They also made commercials for Levi's jeans.
Lester moved to New York and formed a band with former Electric Flag
Electric Flag
The Electric Flag was a blues rock soul group, led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg and drummer Buddy Miles, and featuring other well-known musicians such as vocalist Nick Gravenites and bassist Harvey Brooks. Bloomfield formed the Electric Flag in 1967, following his stint...
bassist Harvey Brooks
Harvey Brooks
Harvey Brooks is an American bassist. He has played in many styles of music...
.
Guitarists Willie and Joe would find work as session men; George went back to singing gospel music and would later become a deacon of his church.
Keenan retired to Connecticut where he set up his own recording studio, plied his trade as a carpenter , and died of heart failure in 1985.
Later, another member of the band, Art Ramsey, was hired as a replacement drummer. He performed live, on-the-road and in many different cities and venues with the Chambers Brothers band after Keenan's departure.
In 2006 Guitarist Willie Chambers brought the house down, sitting in with a group called Vince and the Invinceables at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee
Arthur Lee (musician)
Arthur Lee was the frontman, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of the Los Angeles rock band Love, best known for the critically acclaimed 1967 album, Forever Changes.-Early years:...
of the group Love
Love (band)
Love was an American rock group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They were led by singer/songwriter Arthur Lee and lead guitarist Johnny Echols...
.
Billboard singles and albums listing
Billboard Singles listing- 1968 I Can't Turn You Loose — Pop Singles — Peaked at # 37
- 1968 Time Has Come Today — Pop Singles — Peaked at # 11
- 1969 Wake Up — Pop Singles 92
- 1970 Love, Peace And Happiness — Pop Singles — Peaked at # 96
- 1971 Funky — Black Singles — Peaked at # 40
- 1974 Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go — Black Singles — Peaked at # 76
Billboard albums listing
- 1968 A New Time-A New Day — Black Albums- Peaked at # 24
- 1968 A New Time-A New Day — Pop Albums — Peaked at # 16
- 1968 The Time Has Come — Black Albums — Peaked at # 6 - Pop Albums — Peaked at # 4
- 1970 Love, Peace and Happiness — Black Albums — Peaked at # 17 - Pop Albums — Peaked at# 58
- 1970 The Chambers Brothers Greatest Hits (Vault) — Pop Albums — Peaked at# 193
- 1971 New Generation — Black Albums — Peaked at# 36 - Pop Albums — Peaked at# 145
- 1972 The Chambers Brothers' Greatest Hits (Columbia) — Pop Albums — Pop Albums — Peaked at # 166
- 1974 Unbonded — Black Albums — Pop Albums — Peaked at# 144
Discography
Record Albums- People Get Ready (Vault 9003, 1966)
- Now (Vault SLP-115 - 1966)
- Barbara Dane and The Chambers Brothers (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
FA 2468 - 1966) - The Time Has Come (Columbia CL 2722 (Mono)/CS 9522 (Stereo) - 1967)
- Groovin' Time (Folkways RecordsFolkways RecordsFolkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.-History:...
FW 31008 - 1968) - Shout (Vault SLP-120 - 1968) & (Vault VS 390 - 1968)
- A New Time – A New Day (Columbia CS 9671 - 1968)
- Love, Peace And Happiness / Live At Bill Graham's Fillmore EastLove, Peace and HappinessLove, Peace and Happiness is a double album by soul artists The Chambers Brothers which was released in December 1969, according to Amazon.com....
(Columbia CS 9934, 1969) - Shout - (Liberty, LBS 83272 - 1969), Reissue
- Feelin' the Blues (Vault 128 - 1970)
- New Generation (Columbia C 30032 - 1971)
- Oh, My God! (Columbia 31158 - 1972) [*Unreleased*]
- Unbonded (Avco AV 11013 - 1974)
- Right Move (Avco AV 69003 - 1975)
- Live in Concert on Mars (Roxbury RLX-106 - 1976)
CD Albums
- Now! Live (One Way 35142 - 1999, reissue of Now Vault SLP-115 LP)
- The Time Has Come (Columbia/Legacy 63984 - 2000), also on (Repertoire 2337 - 2007 with Bonus tracks)
- Live Fillmore West 65 (Falcon Music Germany 3537 - 2004)
- Live (Acrobat 4046 - 2005)
- Soul Up (Karussell 635050 - 19??, reissue of Now Vault album)
- People Get Ready (Collectors' ChoiceCollectors' Choice MusicCollectors' Choice Music is a company primarily in two businesses. They are best known for re-issuing albums originally recorded in LP record form as compact discs...
08302 - 2007 reissue of (Vault 9003, 1965 LP) - Now (Collectors' Choice 08312 - 2007 reissue of Vault SLP-115, 1966 LP)
- Shout (Collectors' Choice 08322 - 2007 reissue of (Vault SLP-120 - 1968)
- Feelin' the Blues (Collectors' Choice 08332 - 2007 reissue of Vault 128, 1970 LP)
- The Time Has Come (Sony/BMG Special Markets, 2008)
Compilations
LP- Chambers Brothers' Greatest Hits [Double Album] (Vault SLP 135, 1970)
- Greatest Hits (Columbia 30871, 1971)
- The Best of the Chambers Brothers [Double Album] (Fantasy 24718, 1973)
- The Time Has Come / A New Time – A New Day [2 on 1 Album] (Columbia CG 33642, 1975)
CD
- Greatest Hits (Columbia CK-30871, 1988)
- Goin Uptown (Sony Special Products, 1995)
- Time Has Come: Best Of The Chambers Brothers (Legacy/Sony, 1996)
- Time (Sony Special Products, 1998)
- Now / People Get Ready [2 on 1 CD] (Repertoire, 1999)
Contributions
- Lifted: Songs of the Spirit (2002, SonySony, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
/Hear MusicHear MusicHear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
)—"People Get Ready" - The song 'Funky' was sampled by Tribe Called Quest for 'I Left My Wallet In El Segundo'
External links
- Classic Bands Profile
- "I Move Easy," written by TJ Tindall and sung by Willie Chambers
- My Space, The Time Has Come Today
- http://cdbaby.com/cd/georgeechambers