Ambrosia

Formed in Los Angeles during 1970, the quartet Ambrosia brought together guitarist and vocalist David Pack, bassist and vocalist Joe Puerta, keyboardist Christopher North, and drummer Burleigh Drummond to merge symphonic art rock textures with glossy pop production. The ensemble came to the attention of Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Zubin Mehta in 1971, resulting in an appearance at his All-American Dream Concert. Four additional years passed before the band secured a recording deal, leading to the release of their self-titled debut in 1975, which yielded the charting singles “Holdin’ on to Yesterday” and “Nice, Nice, Very Nice,” the latter drawing its lyric from Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle. Another success arrived in 1977 when Ambrosia contributed a cover of the Beatles’ “Magical Mystery Tour” to the soundtrack of the film All This and World War II and appeared on screen in the same project.

Christopher North departed shortly before the group achieved its peak commercial moment with the number-three single “How Much I Feel” in 1978. Follow-up hits in 1980 included another number-three entry, “Biggest Part of Me,” and the number-thirteen track “You’re the Only Woman.” The subsequent album did not chart, bringing an end to the band’s string of successes and prompting a breakup, after which the individual members continued working as session musicians, vocalists, and producers. David Pack’s 1985 solo album Anywhere You Go nevertheless included contributions from both Puerta and Drummond, alongside Kerry Livgren, Michael McDonald, Stanley Clarke, and Toto’s Michael Porcaro. The original lineup eventually reconvened for several tours throughout the 1990s, during which fresh material was recorded and later collected on the 1997 Anthology set. Pack stepped away once more after 2001 to pursue further solo work, leaving the remaining members to issue the concert recording Live the following year without him.