Biography
Sweathog operated as a quartet based in San Francisco, yet their approach diverged sharply from the sounds most often tied to that city. Instrumentally the band delivered real firepower through keyboardist and vocalist Lenny Lee, also known as Lenny Lee Goldsmith, guitarist and singer Bob Jones, bassist and singer Dave Johnson, and drummer Frosty, whose given names were Barry Smith and Bartholomew Smith. Each player stood out in his area, with Frosty appearing on Lee Michaels’ third and fourth albums, Jones contributing to Harvey Mandel’s Cristo Redentor and Righteous in the late ’60s, and Goldsmith arriving as a former member of the Five Americans. Vocally they held their own as well, Goldsmith taking the lead parts. Their material fused Southern-style soul, early-’70s funk, and blues inside a technically assured rock setting. Columbia Records signed them during the label’s push for West Coast acts under Clive Davis, when executives hoped to find another Big Brother & the Holding Company or a suitable replacement. The self-titled debut album slipped by with little notice and without an AM radio single to lift sales, although its cover photograph of bare buttocks was censored in several countries. In 1972 the single “Hallelujah” seemed to break through, a forceful, driving track of Southern-fried rock & roll edged with soul that let every member, especially Frosty, display his strengths. It reached number 33 on the national charts, yet that placement understated its radio impact, where it earned airplay on the level of a Top 20 hit. The song helped bring the album, also titled Hallelujah, into stores, though sales stayed modest despite solid promotion and tours supporting Black Sabbath and other major acts of the era. The group disbanded in 1973; Goldsmith later appeared on Martha Reeves’ first post-Motown solo album before joining Stoneground.
Albums
