Formed in 1968 in Phoenix, Arizona as an outlet for the songs of Charlie Gearheart, aka Ritchie Hart, Goose Creek Symphony was best known for their 1972 cover of Janis Joplin's song, Mercedes Benz. The band recorded their first album at (Phoenix, AZ) Audio Recorders in 1968-69 and were subsequently signed to Capitol Records in 1970.
Goose Creek Symphony is considered by many to be one of the most original bands of their time. Major record labels (Capitol & Columbia) of the 60s/early 70s didn’t know what to do with a band that played a mixture of rock and roll, folk, jazz and country with an undeniable hillbilly influence, a hippie attitude and a reckless sense of instrumental daring. They used horns and fiddles as well as effects and blended it with psychedelic rock and roll. The true definition of "Cosmic American Music".
In the 70s they fit into a country rock mode, but they were more esoteric and versatile than many of their contemporaries and had more grit and a rugged, less commercial sound. They were/are a good time band that love to jam and stretch out regardless of the genre. They recorded three eclectic albums for Capitol, Est 1970, (1970) Welcome to Goose Creek (1971) and Words of Earnest (1972). All were moderately successful with the last boasting a hit single cover of Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz”. In 1974 the band moved over to Columbia and recorded Do Your Thing But Don’t Touch Mine, which was their weakest to date thanks to an outside, unwanted producer. Shortly thereafter the band took a hiatus…. a really long one which lasted almost 17 years. Then out of nowhere they came back (and musically it sounds like they never went away), and lo and behold they sound almost contemporary.
The Goose Creek story brings new meaning to “you were ahead of your time.” Unlike many of the other bands from the 70s Goose Creek hasn’t mellowed or gotten more commercial. They aren’t resting on old laurels, if anything they’ve gotten looser and more varied. They found most of their old audience as well as many new fans.
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**Other 2011inductees into the Arizona Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame include: actors and musicians Dick Van Dyke, , Sam Moore, Tanya Tucker, Chico Chism, Al McCoy, Lee Hazlewood, Billy Williams, Dolan Ellis, Marshall Trimble and the Reed Family. The evening includes performances by the Goose Creek Symphony, Margo and Michael Reed, Marshall Trimble, Dolan Ellis, Bob Corritore, Hans Olson, Billy Cioffi and Alice Tatum.
Induction Ceremonies will be Sunday Feb. 13th at the Phoenix Convention Center.
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