Biography
Country Funk existed only briefly amid the initial wave of country-rock, yet their sound incorporated psychedelia, hard rock, and blue-eyed R&B alongside the earthy textures associated with Nashville. Although frequently linked to Boston’s late-’60s rock circuit, the group actually assembled in Los Angeles, where songwriters and longtime friends Adam Taylor on lead guitar and Hal Paris on rhythm guitar and piano joined forces with bassist Jeff Lockwood and drummer Joe Pfeifer to launch the band in 1968. Early performances proved unstable; after a run at the Sunset Strip’s Gazzari’s, Lockwood and Pfeifer departed, prompting Paris and Taylor to pursue a fresh project. They soon enlisted bassist Jim Lanham, whose abilities also extended to pedal steel guitar, and brought Pfeifer back into the fold, only for Pfeifer to withdraw just before the first show, at which point Verne Johnson took over on drums. A handful of Los Angeles appearances followed before the musicians traveled to Vermont for engagements at ski lodges. From there they moved on to Boston, where they became fixtures on the local club circuit and supported the Velvet Underground at the Boston Tea Party, though Johnson briefly returned to California and Pfeifer stepped in once more. In 1969 Polydor signed the group; with Johnson restored behind the kit, Country Funk recorded their self-titled debut at Hollywood’s Record Plant, where Pfeifer nonetheless contributed drums to four of the twelve tracks. Critical response was favorable, yet commercial results lagged, and the album remained the band’s sole release for decades until the appearance of Zuma in 2011.
Albums
