Biography
Singer, songwriter, and guitarist John Parker Compton joined forces with violinist Robin Batteau to establish the acoustic ensemble Appaloosa toward the end of the 1960s. Their shared immersion in the Cambridge, Massachusetts folk milieu had left a lasting mark on both players. Compton’s earliest performances occurred as a vocalist in a local church choir, after which he and Batteau began working the area’s coffeehouse venues together.
According to the 1972 Columbia press materials accompanying Compton’s solo effort To Luna, the eighteen-year-old visited producer Al Kooper’s office in late 1968 with the intention of playing his own material. Kooper initially dismissed the idea and asked him to return another day. Shortly afterward, however, Kooper overheard Compton and Batteau performing for the office staff, reversed his decision, and arranged for a demo to be taped. Within roughly twelve months the newly contracted pair had released their debut album under the Appaloosa name on Columbia Records. Bassist David Reiser and cellist Eugene Rosov completed the lineup, while additional contributions came from members of Blood, Sweat & Tears as well as from Kooper himself, who also produced the 1969 sessions.
One year later, during the final weekend of December, the nineteen-year-old Compton appeared at Fillmore East alongside the Allman Brothers and Blood, Sweat & Tears. Appaloosa soon dissolved into the Compton & Batteau duo, which recorded its Columbia album in California. By 1971 Compton had issued the solo LP To Luna, after which more than two decades passed before he reentered the studio. That return came with the 1995 release Mother of Mercy, followed by a six-song self-released set captured during a Vermont radio broadcast.
According to the 1972 Columbia press materials accompanying Compton’s solo effort To Luna, the eighteen-year-old visited producer Al Kooper’s office in late 1968 with the intention of playing his own material. Kooper initially dismissed the idea and asked him to return another day. Shortly afterward, however, Kooper overheard Compton and Batteau performing for the office staff, reversed his decision, and arranged for a demo to be taped. Within roughly twelve months the newly contracted pair had released their debut album under the Appaloosa name on Columbia Records. Bassist David Reiser and cellist Eugene Rosov completed the lineup, while additional contributions came from members of Blood, Sweat & Tears as well as from Kooper himself, who also produced the 1969 sessions.
One year later, during the final weekend of December, the nineteen-year-old Compton appeared at Fillmore East alongside the Allman Brothers and Blood, Sweat & Tears. Appaloosa soon dissolved into the Compton & Batteau duo, which recorded its Columbia album in California. By 1971 Compton had issued the solo LP To Luna, after which more than two decades passed before he reentered the studio. That return came with the 1995 release Mother of Mercy, followed by a six-song self-released set captured during a Vermont radio broadcast.
Albums
Live
