Biography
Originally active in Rockford, Illinois, during the mid-1960s, the musicians who would form Aorta had first played together in the Exceptions. Early lineups of that earlier outfit featured Kal David, who subsequently joined Illinois Speed Press and H.P. Lovecraft, along with Peter Cetera, later of Chicago. Although the Exceptions specialized in soul-inflected Top 40 covers and earned praise mainly for their “exceptional” instrumental skill, the band became one of the better-known acts on the wider Chicago club circuit. They issued several singles across regional imprints such as Tollie, Cameo, and Quill, plus one release on Capitol in Los Angeles. For their final 45 the group shortened its name to the Exception; two of those sides later appeared on the Collectables anthology The Quill Records Story. They also cut the six-track EP A Rock & Roll Mass for Flair, setting contemporary rock arrangements to texts drawn from liturgical prayers. With the exception of bassist Cetera, the remaining members were already leaning toward original material in a more psychedelic vein, so they rebranded as Aorta. In late 1968 the new ensemble recorded a single for Atlantic. Shortly afterward producer Bill Traut, known for his work with American Breed, contacted the band through Dunwich Productions; after Bobby Jones replaced Cetera on bass, the musicians signed with Columbia and tracked their self-titled debut LP in 1969. That album, regarded today as a cult favorite of light psychedelia, briefly entered the Billboard charts yet fell short of commercial expectations. A reshaped lineup still anchored by Jim Donlinger and now including Michael Been on bass, guitar, and vocals then recorded the stylistically divergent Aorta 2 for Happy Tiger. During a brief hiatus between the two albums, Donlinger, his brother, and Jim Nyeholt all spent time in Rotary Connection. Donlinger eventually exited to join Lovecraft—the reconfigured H.P. Lovecraft then signed to Reprise—while drummer Billy Herman moved on to New Colony Six. Been later collaborated with Moby Grape alumni Jerry Miller and Bob Mosley in Fine Wine before achieving wider recognition as frontman of the Call; he is also the father of Robert Turner of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. In later years the original Aorta members reunited, joining forces with fellow Chicago-area band the Cryan’ Shames to record promotional spots for the U.S. Armed Forces that appeared on a scarce military-issue LP. Over the decades the group’s tracks have surfaced on multiple compilations, and the debut album received a CD reissue in 1996.
Albums
