Grinderswitch

Grinderswitch operated as a white blues-rock ensemble that remained stuck at the second-tier level on Capricorn Records, never approaching the commercial reach of the Allman Brothers or the Marshall Tucker Band. Dru Lombar handled vocals, guitar, and slide guitar, Larry Howard played guitar, Stephen Miller handled keyboards, Joe Dan Petty covered bass, and Rick Burnett sat behind the drums. The musicians cultivated a dedicated audience numbering in the tens of thousands by drawing from British blues groups such as John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and T.S. McPhee's Groundhogs while also absorbing the authentic tradition, most notably Albert King and Booker T. & the MG's. Lombar's singing carried more Black phrasing and tone than any other white rock vocalist. The band possessed the ingredients to serve as a more soulful and dynamic rival to Canned Heat yet lacked the fortune to land roles in successful festival films or to release the ideal single at the right moment. Laboring beneath the sales dominance of more prominent acts, they earned admiration from Marshall Tucker Band members along with numerous fellow musicians who believed the group merited greater recognition. Despite issuing seven albums from 1972 to 1982, first on Capricorn and subsequently on Atlantic, Grinderswitch never progressed beyond the status of a leading regional attraction and a frequent opening act for the Allmans and Charlie Daniels, among others.