Biography
In March 1973 Dave Hessler and Sterling Smith launched the Columbus, Ohio progressive rock trio the Load, building on their prior work together in the hard rock combo Osiris. Tom Smith came aboard as drummer, completing a lineup in which both Hessler and Sterling handled keyboards at the outset; before long Hessler fabricated a double-necked guitar while Sterling obtained a Minimoog synthesizer, enabling his shift from bass to that instrument. The Load maintained a steady circuit of Midwest performances and delivered their debut LP, Praise the Load, on Owl Intermedia in 1976. After relocating to Los Angeles the trio supplied brief accompaniment for Meat Loaf and participated in a recording project backing Baron Stewart. Their second album, Load Have Mercy, reached completion yet stayed unreleased until its 1996 CD appearance; the Load had already disbanded in 1978, leaving Sterling in L.A. for session work while Hessler and Tom returned to Columbus and formed the Danger Brothers.
Albums
