Cactus

Cactus originated in 1969 as a rock and roll supergroup whose lineup at various points pulled from Vanilla Fudge, Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels, and the Amboy Dukes. Blending blues, boogie, and hard rock, the group delivered four studio albums between 1970 and 1972, among them a Billboard-charting self-titled debut, before shutting down following the appearance of 'Ot 'n' Sweaty. The musicians reconvened in 2006 for Cactus V, their first collection of new material in 34 years, and have since maintained an occasional schedule of touring and recording, highlighted by the 2024 release Temple of Blues. Throughout these later activities drummer Carmine Appice has remained the only founding member still involved.

Intended as a vehicle for the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice alongside guitar god Jeff Beck and singer Rod Stewart, the proposed project collapsed when Beck suffered a motorcycle accident that sidelined him for 18 months. Stewart subsequently aligned with pal Ron Wood in the revamped Faces, prompting Bogert and Appice to assemble replacements for their envisioned ensemble by bringing in guitarist Jim McCarty from Detroit Wheels and singer Rusty Day from Amboy Dukes.

Under the Cactus name the quartet's confident 1970 self-titled debut contained six original tracks together with two covers, one a high-powered version of Mose Allison's "Parchman Farm." The identical approach shaped 1971's One Way... Or Another, which offered six hip-shaking originals plus heated readings of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally" and Chuck Willis' "I Feel So Bad." Later that same year the similarly styled Restrictions appeared, featuring a searing treatment of Willie Dixon's "Evil." Ahead of the fourth album McCarty and Day departed, leaving Appice and Bogert to complete 'Ot 'n' Sweaty in 1972 with guitarist Werner Fritzschings, keyboardist Duane Hitchings, and vocalist Peter French, formerly of Leaf Hound and Atomic Rooster. The band dissolved soon after that record's release.

Reassembling in June 2006 around Appice, Bogert, McCarty, and new singer Jimmy Kunes, the onetime Savoy Brown frontman, the group finally issued its fifth studio album, aptly titled Cactus V, that autumn. Multiple personnel adjustments preceded the arrival of 2016's Black Dawn, which featured McCarty, Appice, Kunes, and newcomers Pete Bremy and Randy Pratt. Founding member Tim Bogert succumbed to cancer on January 13, 2021, at age 76. Later the same year Cactus returned with the studio album Tightrope. In 2024 Temple of Blues surfaced as a guest-laden collection of Cactus favorites performed by founding members Appice and Jim McCarty alongside Joe Bonamassa, Ted Nugent, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot, Dee Snider, and Pat Travers, among others.