Zephyr

Emerging from Denver in the late 1960s, Zephyr first attracted notice as the earliest vehicle for guitarist Tommy Bolin, who remained a teenager when the band cut its debut album in 1969. That record, an unremarkable specimen of blues-tinged heavy rock, climbed into the Top 50. Candy Givens supplied the lead vocals, adopting a Janis Joplin-style blues wail that ultimately fell short in both volume and intensity, placing her nearer to peripheral psychedelic singers such as Lydia Pense of Cold Blood. Bolin’s lengthy hard-rock guitar lines provided the chief instrumental interest. After issuing one further album, Bolin moved on to James Gang, Deep Purple, and solo work, while Zephyr continued performing through the 1970s.