Cactus (band)

Cactus is an American rock band that was conceived in late 1969 as a supergroup but ended up one of the first "hard rock" bands.

Biography

Cactus was initially conceived in late 1969 as a supergroup of the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck and singer Rod Stewart. However, Beck had an automobile accident and Stewart joined Ronnie Wood in the Faces.

So Appice and Bogert brought in blues guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express, and singer Rusty Day (born Russell Edward Davidson) from the Amboy Dukes.

This line-up managed three albums (Cactus, One Way... Or Another and Restrictions) before interband troubles led to McCarty quitting at the end of 1971. Shortly afterwards Rusty Day was fired from the group. The fourth and last Cactus album ('Ot 'N' Sweaty) featured original rhythm section Bogert and Appice joined by Werner Fritzschings on guitar, Duane Hitchings on keyboards and Peter French (ex-Leaf Hound) on vocals.

Beck, Bogert & Appice

After Cactus' dissolution in 1972, Bogert and Appice joined with Beck to form Beck, Bogert & Appice. After one studio album (the self titled Beck, Bogert & Appice) and one live album (Live In Japan, released only in Japan) the band dissolved. Their second album remains unreleased to this day, along with recordings of the band's last concert at the Rainbow Theatre in London on January 26, 1974.

Post history

The New Cactus Band, led by Duane Hitchings, released one album (Son of Cactus) and featured no original Cactus members. Mike Pinera, formerly of Blues Image and Iron Butterfly, came in on guitar, along with Roland Robinson on bass and Jerry Norris on drums. The band then toured live in the Midwest and on the East Coast in mid 1973 with Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell and former Gregg Allman bass player Charlie Souza. The New Cactus Band soon disbanded.

In the late '70s Rusty Day formed another version of Cactus in Orlando, where he had relocated. This version of Cactus featured Steve Dansby on guitar, Dan Keylon and later John Sauter on bass, Frankie Robbins and later Gary Moffatt on drums. Frankie Robbins' brother Dennis along with Dan Keylon also played with the Rockets and Jim McCarty. There are no known studio recordings from this era, though live recordings do circulate. On March 6, 1982, Rusty Day died from gunshots as a victim of a drug deal gone bad.

After a long hiatus, Cactus re-emerged in June 2006 with two appearances in New York City: a radio appearance on The Radiochick Show, and their first show since 1972 at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square. This show was a warm up for the gig which sparked the reunion, an appearance at the Sweden Rock Festival in Norje, Sweden. The 2006 version of Cactus sees original members Appice, Bogert and McCarty reunited and joined by former Savoy Brown frontman Jimmy Kunes on vocals. Randy Pratt joined the band in NYC and Sweden on harmonica. The group has also released a new album, Cactus V.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Cactus (1970)
• One Way...Or Another (1971)
• Restrictions (1971)
• 'Ot 'N' Sweaty (1972)
• Cactus V (2006)

Compilations

• Cactology: The Cactus Collection (1996)
• Barely Contained: The Studio Sessions (2004)
• Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs (2004)
• Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs Vol. 2 (2007)

References

• The New Musical Express Book of Rock, 1975, Star Books, ISBN 0 352 300744

External links

• Official website
• Rock N Roll Universe Interview