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Dixie Dregs | |
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Origin | Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
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Website | Official website |
Dixie Dregs is an American rock band from Augusta, Georgia. Formed in 1970, [1] the band is known for instrumental music that fuses elements of rock, classical music, country, jazz and bluegrass into an eclectic sound that is difficult to categorize. Recognized for their virtuoso playing, the Dixie Dregs were identified with the southern rock, progressive rock and jazz fusion scenes of the 1970s.
In 1975, the band recorded their demo album The Great Spectacular and self-released it in the following year in a limited pressing. The demo soon garnered attention from record labels, including Capricorn Records, with whom the Dixie Dregs would sign in 1976, and three albums were released for the label: Free Fall (1977), What If (1978) and Night of the Living Dregs (1979); the latter album, which was split between studio and live recordings, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, [2] and each of the band's next three albums would subsequently receive further Grammy nominations.
After Capricorn declared bankruptcy in 1979, the band signed with Arista Records, releasing the album Dregs of the Earth in 1980. The following year, the band changed their name to The Dregs, releasing two albums under this name, Unsung Heroes (1981) and Industry Standard (1982), which was the only album by the band to feature vocals. The band disbanded in 1983. [3] After reuniting in 1988, the Dixie Dregs released Full Circle in 1994, and the live albums Bring 'Em Back Alive (1992) and California Screamin' (2000).
Dixie Dregs evolved from an Augusta, Georgia, band called Dixie Grit, formed by Steve Morse and Andy West in 1970. [1] The band featured Morse's older brother Dave on drums, Frank Brittingham (guitar and vocals) and Johnny Carr (keyboards). Carr was later replaced by Mark Parrish. Shortly after Steve Morse's enrollment at University of Miami's School of Music in 1971, Dixie Grit was disbanded. Morse and West continued performing as a duo, calling themselves Dixie Dregs (the "Dregs" of "Dixie Grit"). [4]
In 1973, Steve Morse (guitar), Andy West (bass), Allen Sloan (violin) and Bart Yarnal (drums) met while students at the University of Miami's School of Music to play as Rock Ensemble II. West also attended Georgia State University for a year while studying cello and music theory and composition along with Parrish. Parrish remained at GSU during the academic school years only to return to Augusta, Georgia, during summer breaks - re-establishing the guitar/bass/keyboards/drums quartet with Morse, West, Parrish, and Gilbert Frayer (drums) performing as opening acts for concerts and headlining local gigs as Dixie Dregs.
During subsequent academic school years, the remaining members of the Dregs, including Andy West, returned to the University of Miami and Mark Parrish returned to Atlanta, Georgia, to complete his degree in music performance and composition at Georgia State University, under the study of William Masselos, with additional studies of electronic music at Columbia University in New York City under Alice Shields, a protégée of Wendy Carlos.
At the time, the University of Miami hosted a lively musical community, including future professional musicians Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius, Danny Gottlieb, T Lavitz and Bruce Hornsby. Rod Morgenstein was asked to fill in as drummer after a surfing accident disabled Yarnal. In 1974, during the school years at UofM, keyboardist Frank Josephs was added to their lineup. In 1975, the group's first effort, The Great Spectacular (named by ex-"Dixie Grit" second guitarist and singer, Frank Brittingham) was recorded at the University. [5] Approximately 1,000 copies of the original LP were pressed. The album was reissued in 1997 in CD form.
Based on the strength of a three-song demo and a tip from former Allman Brothers Band members Chuck Leavell and Twiggs Lyndon, Capricorn Records signed them in late 1976 to record their debut album Free Fall (1977). [5] Steve Davidowski was the keyboardist on Free Fall. When Davidowski left to work with fiddler Vassar Clements, former Dixie Grit/Dixie Dregs keyboardist Mark Parrish rejoined the group later that year. [5] The moderate success and critical acclaim of Free Fall led to their 1978 effort, What If , [5] supported by their first tour with dates in New York, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona, Massachusetts, Mississippi, and California.
Their third album, Night of the Living Dregs (featuring Morse, West, Sloan, Parrish, and Morgenstein), was released in April 1979, [5] gaining the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, won that year by Paul McCartney's band Wings. Night of the Living Dregs included studio recordings as well as compositions performed live and recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 23, 1978. [5] Ken Scott, The Beatles' and producer/arranger George Martin's right-hand man and engineer, produced both Dixie Dregs albums, What If and Night of the Living Dregs.
In October 1979, Capricorn Records declared bankruptcy, and the band was signed by Arista Records in January 1980, to create three more albums. [5] At that time, keyboardist Parrish left and was replaced by T Lavitz. [5] Later that year, Dregs of the Earth (featuring Morse, West, Sloan, Lavitz, and Morgenstein) was released. [5]
Parrish went on to play piano and keyboards for vocalists Andy Williams, Roberta Flack, Natalie Cole, Luther Vandross, Peabo Bryson, Celine Dion, Regina Belle, Deborah Gibson, Pat Boone and daughter Debby Boone, Glen Campbell and for guitarist Larry Coryell. He won an Angel Award as co-producer of a Christian album "With Reverence" by singer Charles Land where he arranged and played all the instrumental parts. He has also been musical director, conductor, and keyboard instrumentalist with the touring stage shows of Cats , Meet Me in St. Louis , The Wizard of Oz, Little Shop of Horrors , Nunsense , Brigadoon , The Phantom of the Opera , Anything Goes , and other Broadway stage shows.
For Unsung Heroes , released in 1981, the band changed their name to The Dregs in an effort to gain more commercial appeal. [5] Violinist Sloan began pursuing a career in medicine at the Medical College of Georgia culminating in a residency in Anesthesiology and was subsequently replaced by Mark O'Connor, winner of Nashville's Grand Masters Fiddle Championship for their 1982 release, Industry Standard . [5] This album introduced vocals for the first time, as a further attempt to gain more airtime. Guest vocalists included the Doobie Brothers's Patrick Simmons and Alex Ligertwood (Santana). Industry Standard provided the Dregs with another Grammy nomination for Best Rock/Jazz Instrumental Performance. The recent name change, vocal additions and a grueling touring schedule did nothing to improve sales, and in 1983, the members of The Dregs decided to disband the group, parting for individual projects. [5]
During the early 1980s, the British disc jockey Tommy Vance started using the Dixie Dregs track "Take It Off the Top" as his signature tune for the BBC radio show The Friday Rock Show. [6]
In the late 1980s, the group reunited for a tour featuring former members Morse, Morgenstein (who was also playing with Winger), Lavitz, and Sloan. [5] Their return was complemented by a "Best Of" release entitled Divided We Stand (1989). Bassist Dave LaRue completed the lineup for a seven date tour culminating in the 1992 live album Bring 'em Back Alive, which garnered them a fifth Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in January 1993 - awarded to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble for "Little Wing". Violinist Jerry Goodman, of The Mahavishnu Orchestra fame, filled in for Sloan, who was frequently absent as a result of his busy medical career. They signed a deal with former label Capricorn Records for their first studio album in years entitled Full Circle in 1994.
The Dregs to this day remain a loose collection of its former members, reuniting briefly for short tours and rare studio work. 1997's releases were The Great Spectacular in April and King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents (originally recorded in 1979 for the King Biscuit radio show) in September. California Screamin' (2000) is a curious mix of live recordings from the performances at the Roxy Theatre in August 1999. This release features older compositions and covers of the Allman Brothers Band's "Jessica", and Frank Zappa's "Peaches en Regalia" (with Dweezil Zappa sharing guitar lead). 20th Century Masters: The Best of the Dixie Dregs and the DVD Sects, Dregs and Rock 'n' Roll were released in 2002.
On July 3, 2017, Rod Morgenstein announced a reunion tour beginning February 2018 in a YouTube video for Rock, Roots, & Blues - Live. [7]
The first show of the reunion tour dubbed "Dawn of the Dregs" took place on February 28, 2018, in Clearwater, Florida. It featured the original lineup of Steve Morse (guitar), Andy West (bass), Rod Morgenstein (drums), Allen Sloan (violin), and Steve Davidowski (keyboards)
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2023) |
Dixie Dregs' performances consist entirely of instrumentals, with Industry Standard (1982) being the only album by the band to contain vocals. [8] The band members are noted for their virtuoso playing, and Dixie Dregs' music incorporates elements of many genres, which makes the band's sound difficult to singularly classify; [9] they have been categorized as a jazz rock, [1] instrumental rock, [10] progressive rock [11] or southern rock band. [12] The band's influences include The Allman Brothers Band and Mahavishnu Orchestra. [13] The Boston Herald described the band's music as a fusion of rock, jazz, country, and classical music. [14] The Chicago Tribune categorized Dixie Dregs' music as a fusion of jazz rock and country music. [15] The Christian Science Monitor defined Dixie Dregs' music as being a fusion of bluegrass and classical music. [16] The Times described Dixie Dregs' music as a fusion of progressive rock, heartland rock, and jazz. [17]
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1970 As "Dixie Grit" | 1970-1971 As "Dixie Grit" | 1971-1973 | 1973 |
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1973-1974 | 1974-1975 | 1975-1977 | 1977-1978 |
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1978-1981 | 1981-1983 | 1983-1988 | 1988-1992 |
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1992-2010 | 2010-2017 | 2017–present | |
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Steve J. Morse is an American guitarist and songwriter. A seven-time Grammy nominee, he is best known as the founder of the Dixie Dregs and as the longest serving guitarist for Deep Purple. Morse also enjoyed a successful solo career and was a member of the group Kansas in the mid-1980s. Most recently, Morse became a member of the supergroup Flying Colors.
Jimmy Herring is an American guitarist, known as the lead guitarist for the band Widespread Panic since 2006. He is a founding member of Aquarium Rescue Unit and Jazz Is Dead and has played with The Allman Brothers Band, Project Z, Derek Trucks Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, and The Dead.
Free Fall is the debut studio album by the Dixie Dregs, released in 1977. It was their first release on the Capricorn Records label. Three of the songs from this album are re-recordings from the band's demo release The Great Spectacular (1976).
What If is the second studio album by the Dixie Dregs, released in 1978.
Platypus was an American progressive rock / jazz-fusion supergroup, that consisted of members from Dream Theater, King's X and Dixie Dregs. The group was formed in 1997 and disbanded in 2000. Tabor, Myung and Morgenstein would continue working together as The Jelly Jam.
Jerry Goodman is an American violinist known for playing electric violin with The Flock and the jazz fusion ensemble Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Rod Morgenstein is an American drummer with rock bands Winger and Dixie Dregs.
Dave LaRue is an American bassist who performed with the Dixie Dregs from 1988 to 2017 and with guitarist Steve Morse's Band since 1989. He also has worked with Dream Theater's John Petrucci, Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Jordan Rudess. He plays Music Man bass guitars, among them the "Sterling" and "StingRay 5 five-string" but has mainly switched to their "Bongo" line including four- and five-string fretted and fretless models. From March 2006 to September 2006, he toured with Joe Satriani on the Super Colossal tour. Most recently, LaRue became a member of the supergroup Flying Colors alongside long-time bandmate Steve Morse.
Industry Standard is the sixth studio album by The Dregs, released in 1982. The album garnered the group their fourth Grammy nomination. This was the final album by the Dregs before their split in 1983, and their last one for 12 years until the release of Full Circle in 1994.
Night of the Living Dregs is the third album by Dixie Dregs, released in 1979. The first half of the album was recorded in the studio, and the second half at the Montreux Jazz Festival on July 23, 1978.
Jazz Is Dead is an instrumental Grateful Dead cover band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazz influences. The group is notable in featuring veterans of jazz and jazz fusion ensembles. The group's composition has changed over time, and T Lavitz was the band's only constant member until they reformed in 2015.
Terry "T" Lavitz was an American keyboardist, composer and producer. He is best known for his work with the Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead.
The Great Spectacular is a self-produced demo album by the Dixie Dregs, recorded in 1975 on campus at University of Miami and released in 1976 only on limited vinyl. By the time the band had risen in popularity in the late 1970s, the record had been out of print, becoming a highly sought-after collector's item, and was re-released for the CD format in 1997.
Dregs of the Earth is the fourth studio album by Dixie Dregs, released in 1980. It was the band's first release on Arista Records, their last one before changing its name to the Dregs, and contains a re-recording of one of their earlier songs, which appeared on their 1976 demo The Great Spectacular.
Unsung Heroes is the fifth studio album by the Dixie Dregs, released in 1981. This was the band's first album released under the moniker The Dregs. It also received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Andy West is an American bass guitarist and composer who is an original founding member of the Dixie Dregs along with Steve Morse. Since the breakup of the original band in 1983, West has been on albums with Mike Keneally, Henry Kaiser, Paul Barrere, Vinnie Moore, and many others. His frequent style of playing bass is with a guitar pick, although he has performed in fingerstyle on several occasions. Since 1985, West has simultaneously pursued a career in the software industry while continuing to release albums sporadically. He currently works as a vice president for Analytics and Adaptive Learning at Pearson Education.
High Tension Wires is the third studio album by the guitarist Steve Morse, released on May 1, 1989, by MCA Records. The album reached No. 182 on the U.S. Billboard 200.
Full Circle is the seventh studio album by the Dixie Dregs, released in 1994. This was their first studio album in over a decade, since 1982's Industry Standard, and the first album released under The Dixie Dregs since 1980's Dregs of the Earth, whereas Unsung Heroes and Industry Standard were released under the moniker The Dregs. It includes an instrumental cover of The Yardbirds song, "Shapes of Things". Although the Dixie Dregs have continued to be active in the years after its release, Full Circle is the last studio album by the band as of 2022.
Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit is a live album by the band of the same name. It was recorded at the Georgia Theatre in Athens, Georgia, and was released in 1992 by Capricorn Records. On the album, band leader Bruce Hampton is joined by guitarist Jimmy Herring, mandolin player Matt Mundy, keyboard player Chuck Leavell, bassist Oteil Burbridge, conga player Count Mbutu, and drummer Jeff Sipe, listed as "Apt. Q-258."
Cosmic Farm is an album by bassist Rob Wasserman, guitarist Craig Erickson, keyboardist T Lavitz, and drummer Jeff Sipe. It was recorded in California, and was released in 2005 by Tone Center Records. Bassoonist Paul Hanson also appears on four tracks.
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