Wonder What The Intruders Made Of This Audience?

[jsmith]

A show staged at New York's Felt Forum [[Madison Square Gardens) back in May 1969 ....

Attachment 4405

Arthur Brown was of course the mad UK born stage-arsonist.
Cartoone were a Scottish rock group. They were the 1st British rock group signed by Atlantic Records but didn't seem to gel with the Atlantic bosses after going to the States [[their 2nd album was shelved & the group quickly dropped by the label).
Watts 103rd St Band were of course the LA funk outfit fronted by Charles Wright [[who had included James Gadson, Melvin Dunlap, Ray Jackson and Al McKay in their ranks), so I guess they were a bit more familiar with a 'peace & love generation' style audience.
BUT I guess the whole scene that confronted the Intruders in the venue must have been strange to say the least.
I wonder who backed the Intruders up on the show, did they travel with their own Philly band back then ?
......... or maybe the Watts 103rd played behind them).
Of course, the summer of 1969 was at the end of Little Sonny's tenure in the group, as Bobby Starr [[who had previously fronted Baltimore group BS & the Versatiles) was about to replace him.

[Bingo]

four top rock attractions eh ?

very strange line up as you say, almost tempted to look up whether there was another hairy version of the intruders... they'd had a few hits by 69, why were they supporting the scottish band almost no one has ever heard of ?

[motony]

but I thought Little Sonny was in the group on TSOP on the rap on "I Want To Know Your Name" he says "my names Little Sonny, I drive a little red volkswagen". That is a wierd line up of acts for that show & those would be very different audience from Arthur Brown to Intruders.

[jsmith]

You have to remember that when this concert was staged, Otis Redding had broken through with the 'rock crowd' at Monterey, the likes of Sly & Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers, Buddy Miles & [[of course) Hendrix were regulars on rock concert bills. Also as all the 'in-vogue' UK rock groups were still championing American blues artists [[saying these these guys had been an inspiration to them), B B King, Albert King , Bobby Bland & the like were all getting loads of rock show bookings [[including at venues such as the Fillmore East in New York).
Also groups such as Baby Huey & the Babysitters, the Isley Brothers and even the Stairsteps were playing rock song covers and dressing in more hippy fashions. The Temptations were just going 'Psychedelic' and changing the way they dressed [[on stage & on LP covers).
So, no doubt, many rock show bookers had little idea that there was a big difference between Sly & Family Stone, Baby Huey & the BS and acts such as the Intruders and the Miracles [[with their choreography and matching mohair suits).
... JUst about every UK group was still being launched in the US as the 'best thing since the Beatles', so I can see how a nondescript act such as Cartoone could get billed above a hit group such as the Intruders on rock shows in New York [[I wonder if the Intruders were made to open the bill on the show?

[jsmith]

Missed out an act specially created by a record company to get the rock crowd into bluesy soul .......
Rotary Connection [[Sidney Barnes, Minnie Riperton, etc.).
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[jsmith]

I touched base with Sidney Barnes with regard to the Rotary Connection gigs at NY's Ungano's Club and he said this .....

I remember playing that club a few times, in fact we had some of our best shows there. I remember our first show there, we opened for Chubby Checker. After that we headlined as the only act, I guess nobody wanted to follow us, we were on fire when we played there. We played hard there because it was New York and we had a following in the city, and a lot of people from the press were always there. Rob Baker who wrote for the Chicago Sun Times flew in to see us at all our shows there and some big entertainers would come by and hang out with us in the dressing room. George Clinton and his band if they were anywhere near by would stop by, Buddy Miles loved Minnie so he'd come by and try to impress Minnie. When Minnie left to do her solo thing, we were booked there for two more shows and everybody was really nervous about us gigging without her, but surprisingly we pulled it off with flying colors. I wasn't going to let that stop us, so I worked very hard that night, and the reviews were glowing, Rotary had crossed another milestone. But after Minnie left the heart went out of the band, and after playing a few more gigs without her, we broke up. But for a while we played some pretty impressive gigs without Minnie, however it just wasn't the fun any more.

[Amithesameboy]

but I thought Little Sonny was in the group on TSOP on the rap on "I Want To Know Your Name" he says "my names Little Sonny, I drive a little red volkswagen". That is a wierd line up of acts for that show & those would be very different audience from Arthur Brown to Intruders.

He was indeed in the group at the the time of " I wanna know your name ". He had returned to the group by then.

[mr_june]

I know from looking on the internet in the early years that when I use to search for Philly's Intruders, I would find a caucasion group with that name if I'm not mistaken.

[jsmith]

There was a garage band from El Paso, Texas called the Intruders. They had a few cuts included on a V.A. Suemi label LP back in 1969. Suemi had 'soul credentials' as it was this label that cut a few great tracks on Lou Pride. The creative pair behind the label then went on to sign with Hi Records [[Memphis) as producers for that label's white acts.
However, I doubt that it was the El Paso group on that New York gig even though the timing was about right.
Incidently, one of the tracks the group recorded was "Put Yourself In My Place" -- I wonder if this was a cover of the Motown song ?
Between the mid 90's and now, there have also been other 'Intruders' rock groups, one in the US, one in the UK and one in Canada.

[mr_june]

Isn't that a trademark infringment?