Biography
Singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Junior spent his formative years in Akron, OH—once known as the “Rubber Capital of the World”—and later passed through Cleveland before heading to Chicago, IL, at the age of 16. Roughly twelve months afterward he assembled the Mystery Girls and subsequently took the frontman role with the Rosehips. The Rosehips’ 1994 release Soul Veronique appeared on Parchment and made scant headway stateside, yet it climbed the independent charts across Scandinavia and reached the top position in Finland. Junior departed the Rosehips in 1995 and relocated to England, where he collaborated with Epic Soundtracks, formerly of Swell Maps. He spent the next three years recording and touring alongside Epic Soundtracks until the latter’s untimely death in 1997; during the same period Junior also performed live with Epic Soundtracks’ brother, Nikki Sudden. Immigration obstacles eventually compelled him to return to Chicago, though he had already begun developing plans for his own group, the Chamber Strings.
The first configuration of that band included drummer Anthony Illarde, previously associated with both Epic Soundtracks and Lava Sutra, bassist Ellis Clark, formerly of Epicycle and Social Act, and organist/pianist Todd Fletcher, who had played with Twiggy. Second guitarist Tim Fowler, another Lava Sutra alumnus, along with bassist Jason Walker and pianist Carolyn Engelmann, joined later and took the places of Clark and Fletcher.
The ensemble secured its initial recording agreement with the modest imprint Idiot Savant, which brought out the Chamber Strings’ debut album Gospel Morning—tracked in both Chicago and London—in 1997. The record resonated strongly with admirers of early-’70s rock through its evident debts to T. Rex, Johnny Thunders, the Flamin’ Groovies, the Faces, Humble Pie, and the Goats Head Soup-era Rolling Stones. Idiot Savant proved short-lived, however, and folded before the album could reach its intended listeners. In 1999 Gospel Morning received a fresh opportunity via a reissue on Aurora, IL-based Bobsled Records, whose wider distribution network improved its availability. The group’s follow-up effort, Month of Sundays, surfaced in early 2001.
The first configuration of that band included drummer Anthony Illarde, previously associated with both Epic Soundtracks and Lava Sutra, bassist Ellis Clark, formerly of Epicycle and Social Act, and organist/pianist Todd Fletcher, who had played with Twiggy. Second guitarist Tim Fowler, another Lava Sutra alumnus, along with bassist Jason Walker and pianist Carolyn Engelmann, joined later and took the places of Clark and Fletcher.
The ensemble secured its initial recording agreement with the modest imprint Idiot Savant, which brought out the Chamber Strings’ debut album Gospel Morning—tracked in both Chicago and London—in 1997. The record resonated strongly with admirers of early-’70s rock through its evident debts to T. Rex, Johnny Thunders, the Flamin’ Groovies, the Faces, Humble Pie, and the Goats Head Soup-era Rolling Stones. Idiot Savant proved short-lived, however, and folded before the album could reach its intended listeners. In 1999 Gospel Morning received a fresh opportunity via a reissue on Aurora, IL-based Bobsled Records, whose wider distribution network improved its availability. The group’s follow-up effort, Month of Sundays, surfaced in early 2001.
Albums