The Road (group)
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The Road | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Buffalo, New York |
| Genres | Rock, R&B |
| Years active | 1968–1972 |
| Labels | Kama Sutra |
The Road was a rock band that was formed in 1967. They had a hit in Greece with a cover of the Zombies song "She's Not There". They released further singles on the Kama Sutra label. They broke up in the 1970s.
History
[edit]The group origins can be traced to Buffalo, New York, where they started out in 1967 as The Mellow Brick Road. The original line-up was vocalists Phil and Jerry Hudson, bassist Joe Hesse, keyboardist Jim Hesse, guitarist Ralph Parker, and drummer Nick DiStefano.[1][2] They released a single on the United Artists label, "Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket".[3]
The group had a hit with She's Not There", which was released on Kama Sutra. By that time the group had become The Road. It sold in excess of 200,000 copies and registered at #88 in Cashbox,[4][5] #79 in Canada,[6] and managed to reach the charts in Greece.[7]
Their album simply titled Road was released about a week before Christmas 1969. The 12 track album included "She's Not There", "A Taste of Honey", "Dance to the Music", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Rock & Roll Woman", and "Mr. Soul", their latest single. By mid-February 1970, it had sold well in excess of 25,000 copies.
As of February 1970, the group was managed by Fred Saia. The line-up at the time consisted of band leader Jerry Hudson, Ralph Parker, Nick DiStefano, Joe Hesse, Phil Hudson, Jim Hesse and Larry Rizzuto, who had recently joined the band.[8][9]
In 1971, their double album Cognition was released on Kama Sutra KSBS 2032. The reviewer noted the Scientology content with the music.[10] A good deal of the material was composed by the band members.[11]
They broke up in 1972,[12] though the band re-grouped in 1974; sporadically, through the end of 1982, with varying musicians. They reunited once again in July 1989 for some local appearances with Three Dog Night.
Jerry Hudson, the lead singer recorded a solo single "Gillian Frank" bw "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better", and it was released on the Bandstand Records label in 1972, also the Big Tree label in early 1973.[13][14][15] Billboard reported in its February 10, 1973 issue that the single was bubbling under the Hot 100 at #117,[16] and stayed there for another week.[17]
Jerry Hudson (born Gerald K. Hudson Jr. on December 4, 1948 in Buffalo) died on November 4, 2019, at age 70. Last November, he had been hospitalized following a stroke.[18]
Releases
[edit]| Title | Label, cat | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket" / "Other Side Of This Life" | United Artists UA 50333 | 1968 | [19] |
| Title | Label, cat | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| "She's Not There" / "A Bummer" | Kama Sutra KA 256 | 1968 | |
| "The Grass Looks Greener On The Other Side" / "In Love" | Kama Sutra KA-266 | 1969 | |
| "Mr Soul" / "The Grass Looks Greener On The Other Side" | Kama Sutra KA 504 | 1970 | |
| "If I Ever Needed A Woman" / "Alone" | Kama Sutra KA 531 | 1971 | |
| "Night In The City" / "Feelin' The Sunshine" | Goodtime GT 4504 | 1974 | |
| "She's Not There" / "A Bummer" | Radio Active Gold RD 67 | [20] | |
| "Hard To Tell You Goodbye" / "Rosalie" | Road MC 5552 | [21] | |
| "Music Man" / "You Give It All" | Road MC 5610 | 1977 | [22] |
| Title | Label, cat | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Road | Kama Sutra KLPS 8075 | 1969 | |
| The Road | Kama Sutra KSBS 2012 | 1970 | Reissue of KLPS 8075[23] |
| Cognition | Kama Sutra KSBS 2032 | 1971 | 2 LP[24] |
References
[edit]- ^ WNY Hitman - The Road
- ^ The Sun, January 15, 1969 - Page 9
- ^ Billboard, October 5, 1968 - Page 34 programming aids, * Continued from page 30
- ^ Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - The Road
- ^ Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993, Pat Downey, George Albert, Frank W. Hoffmann - Page 289
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - The Road
- ^ Discogs - The Road – The Road
- ^ Record World, February 14, 1970 - Page 36 The Road to Success
- ^ Billboard, July 10, 1971 - Page 28 SPECIAL MERIT PICKS, POP
- ^ AllMusic - Road, Cognition, Track Listing
- ^ Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - The Road
- ^ Top Shelf Oldies - The Road by Gary E. Myers, Discography
- ^ 45Cat - Jerry Hudson - Discography, USA
- ^ WNY.FM - 45 Friday: JERRY HUDSON – Gillian Frank
- ^ Billboard, February 10, 1973 - Page 64 Bubbling Under The Hot 100
- ^ Billboard, February 17, 1973 - Page 59 Bubbling Under The Hot 100
- ^ "Jerry Hudson Obituary". Buffalo News. November 5, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ 45Cat - Mellow Brick Rode - Discography, USA
- ^ 45Cat - The Road - Discography, USA
- ^ Discogs - The Road Discography, Singles & EPs
- ^ Top Shelf Oldies - The Road by Gary E. Myers, Discography
- ^ Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, By Dave Thompson - Page 496 ROAD, THE
- ^ Billboard, July 17, 1971 - Page 47 New LP/Tape Releases