Serpent Power

Fronted by San Franciscan poet David Meltzer, the Serpent Power operated as a luminous folk-rock ensemble whose material converted his verse directly into song. Their initial exposure came when Ed Denton, who managed Country Joe and the Fish, caught the group at their debut performance—a benefit staged for the Telegraph Neighborhood Center—in November 1966. Denton quickly steered them toward Vanguard Records, the same imprint that housed Country Joe, resulting in a 1967 contract and the release of the band’s sole long-player.

Meltzer and his wife Tina, who handled both lead and harmony vocals, assembled the lineup with Denny Ellis on lead guitar and David Stenson on bass; the pair had previously played together in the San Francisco folk act the Grass Roots. The addition of John Payne on organ and Clark Coolidge on drums completed the transition to a full electric rock configuration. Issued under the title The Serpent Power, the album received only modest distribution; although it contained striking folk-rock passages, the band remained a primarily local phenomenon within the Bay Area.

The record closed with an expansive raga-rock piece featuring electric banjo player JP Pickens, who then joined as a permanent member for the group’s next phase. Shortly after the sessions, Ellis, Stenson, and Payne departed, making way for Bob Cuff, formerly of the folk-pop outfit the Mystery Trend, on lead guitar and Jim Mocoso on bass. Despite continued forays into more adventurous territory, the band produced no further albums and dissolved in 1968. David and Tina Meltzer subsequently issued the album Poet’s Song under their own names.