Rising Sons was a Los Angeles, California-based band founded in 1964. The original lineup was Ry Cooder (vocals, six and 12-string guitar, mandolin, slide and bottleneck guitar, dobro), Taj Mahal (vocals, harmonica, guitar, piano), Gary Marker (bass), Jesse Lee Kincaid (vocals and guitar) and Ed Cassidy (drums). Cassidy left the band after he broke his hand and was replaced by Kevin Kelley.
The group was signed to Columbia Records but their album was not issued at the time. One single, "Candy Man"/"The Devil's Got My Woman", did surface, but the group disbanded in 1966. Their recorded material was eventually released under the title Rising Sons Featuring Taj Mahal and Ry Cooder in 1992.
Mahal became a prominent blues/folk performer and Cooder made his name playing sessions and later recorded successfully under his own name. Cassidy founded the band Spirit and Kelley became a member of his cousin Chris Hillman's band the Byrds in 1968, and played on their seminal Sweetheart of the Rodeo album.
Rising Sons' languid, bluesy/folksy sound anticipated future recordings by outfits like Moby Grape, Buffalo Springfield, the Grateful Dead, and the Byrds. The session became widely bootlegged and nearly three decades later were finally given an official release by Columbia Records.
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