Ambrosia currently tours internationally and has worked in the past and present with Leonard Bernstein, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., Alan Parsons, Bruce Hornsby, Bill Champlin, Michael McDonald and Peter Beckett among other notable artists.
Photo: Ambrosia backstage in the 1970s. L to R: David Pack, Joe Puerta, Burleigh Drummond, Christopher North
Genres: Progressive rock, soft rock, jazz fusion, blue-eyed soul
Years active: 1970 -1982, 1989 - present
Formation:
The group was founded as a quartet with guitarist/vocalist David Pack, bassist/vocalist Joe Puerta, keyboardist Christopher North and drummer Burleigh Drummond. According to Joe Puerta, their original name was "Ambergris Mite," but after doing some touring they discovered there was already a band using the name "Ambergris," so they turned to the dictionary and picked the name "Ambrosia" because a name meaning "nectar of the gods" seemed fitting. While Ambrosia had several radio hits in the 1970s, much of the material on their five albums is progressive in nature.
The founding constituents of Ambrosia were reared in Southern California's South Bay, later adopting San Pedro as their hometown. Their initial musical influences, like many of their generation, came from the Beach Boys, Jimmy Reed, King Crimson and the Beatles. Ambrosia fused symphonic art rock with a slickly produced pop sound, resulting in a "melodic prog" style.
Early on, the band was infatuated with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and began to experiment with vocal harmonies. After the group attended a show at the Whisky a Go-Go in December 1969 to see an unknown but highly recommended new band called King Crimson, their perception of music was changed.
The musicians, inspired by the music and artists of the progressive rock era, acquired a significant regional admiration. In 1971, a friend who was doing sound for the Hollywood Bowl, invited them to play there on stage to test a new sound system that had been installed. Gordon Parry, the head engineer in charge at the Bowl, was so impressed with the group that he invited them back to attend performances by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He introduced them to conductor Zubin Mehta, who featured Ambrosia as part of a so-called All-American Dream Concert. .......
More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_(band)
Band members:
Current members:
Joe Puerta - bass, backing and lead vocals, guitar (1970 -1982, 1989 - present)
Burleigh Drummond - drums, backing and occasional lead vocals, percussion, bassoon (1970 - 1982, 1989 - present)
Christopher North - keyboards (1970 -1977, 1978 -1982, 1989 - present)
Doug Jackson - guitars, backing vocals (2000 - present)
Mary Harris - keyboards, backing and occasional lead vocals (2012- present)
Kipp Lennon - lead and backing vocals, percussion (2021 - present)
Former members:
David Pack - guitars, lead and backing vocals, keyboards (1970 -1982, 1989 - 2000)
David C. Lewis - keyboards (1978 -1982, 2005 - 2009; died 2021)
Royce Jones - backing and lead vocals, percussion (1978 -1982)
Bruce Hornsby - keyboards, backing vocals (1982)
Tollak Ollestad - keyboards, backing and lead vocals, harmonica (1989 - 2004)
Shem von Schroeck - lead and backing vocals, percussion, guitar, bass (1989 - 2003, 2005 - 2009)
Robert Berry - lead and backing vocals, guitar (2004 - 2005)
Ken Stacey - lead and backing vocals, percussion, guitar (2005-2009, 2014 - 2020)
Rick Cowling - lead and backing vocals, keyboards, guitar (2009 - 2013)
A̤m̤br̤o̤s̤i̤a̤ Full Debut Album (1975): https://youtu.be/jzBNoU2nyBM :
Discography:
Studio albums:
- Ambrosia (1975)
- Somewhere I've Never Travelled (1976)
- Life Beyond L.A. (1978)
- One Eighty (1980)
- Road Island (1982)
Source: Wikipedia
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