Rosebud

Rosebud has at times been viewed as a continuation of the partnership between Judy Henske and Jerry Yester, the same pair who issued the undervalued cult favorite Farewell Aldebaran in 1969. In reality the project existed independently of that duo, although Henske and Yester remained central as both writers and performers. The actual ensemble brought together Henske, Yester, keyboardist and vocalist Craig Doerge, drummer and vocalist John Seiter (formerly of Spanky & Our Gang and the Turtles), and bassist David Vaught. Six of the ten tracks on the sole album, Rosebud (1971), were written by Henske and Yester; Henske supplied the most prominent vocals, consistent with her superior and singular delivery, while Yester served as producer. The remaining four songs were co-written by Doerge and Henske, and other members contributed lead and harmony vocals throughout. Confusion over the group’s identity was reinforced by the billing on the cover and spine, which read “Jerry Yester, Judy Henske, Craig Doerge, John Seiter,” leaving Vaught uncredited because he joined after sessions had begun.

Farewell Aldebaran had combined psychedelia, folk-rock, art song, and eccentric elements through the pair’s melodic writing, Henske’s adaptable and forceful voice, and Yester’s inventive production. Although several numbers on Rosebud extend that same atmosphere, the record cannot be regarded as a direct successor. Both the compositions and the overall sound instead favor a relaxed Los Angeles rock style typical of the early 1970s, occasionally touched by country-rock. These songs register as more conventional than the material Henske and Yester had created together, and while Henske again displays her vocal strengths, the tracks that lack her lead vocals suffer noticeably by comparison. Placing her in the dominant or sole vocal role might have strengthened the album, yet Rosebud was deliberately shaped as a collective rather than a showcase for Henske or the Henske-Yester duo with supporting players.

Any prospect of commercial success ended when the band dissolved soon after the album was finished. The breakup occurred alongside the dissolution of Henske and Yester’s marriage; Henske then married Craig Doerge shortly afterward. Henske subsequently withdrew from the music business for nearly thirty years. Yester, by contrast, remained active as a producer—most notably for Tom Waits—and as a musician in reunion lineups of the Lovin’ Spoonful and the Modern Folk Quartet, while Doerge established himself among the leading session musicians in Los Angeles.