Rotary Connection was an American psychedelic soul/jazz fusion band, formed in Chicago in 1966. The highly experimental band was the idea of Marshall Chess, son of Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. Marshall was the director behind a start-up label, Cadet Concept Records, and wanted to focus on music outside of the blues and rock genres, which had made the Chess label popular. This led Marshall to turn his attention to the burgeoning psychedelic movement. He recruited Charles Stepney, a vibraphonist and classically-trained arranger and producer. Marshall then recruited members of a little-known white rock band, the Proper Strangers: Bobby Simms, Mitch Aliotta, and Ken Venegas. Sidney Barnes, a songwriter within the Chess organization, also joined, as did Judy Hauff and a Chess receptionist named Minnie Riperton, who would later be successful in her own solo career. Marshall also called up prominent session musicians associated with the Chess label, including guitarist Phil Upchurch and drummer Morris Jennings.
Biography
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Links & Information
Links
- Wikipedia article on Rotary Connection
- Last.fm page on Rotary Connection
- Discogs at discogs.com/artist/Rotary Connection
- MusicBrainz entry on Rotary Connection
Members
- Sidney Barnes (1967-1974),
- Charles Stepney (1967-1974),
- Bobby Simms (1967-1974),
- Kenny Venegas (1967-1974),
- Judy Hauff (1967-1974),
- Phil Upchurch (-1974),
- Mitch Aliotta (1967-1974),
- Minnie Riperton (1967-1974)
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Links & information come from MusicBrainz. You can add or edit information about Rotary Connection at musicbrainz.org. Find out more about our use of this data. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
