Preston Ritter | |
---|---|
![]() Ritter in 1966 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Preston James Rotter |
Born | April 24, 1949 |
Died | March 30, 2015 65) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged
Genres | Psychedelic rock |
Occupation(s) | Drummer, music teacher |
Years active | 1960s–2015 |
Formerly of | The Electric Prunes |
Preston James Ritter (April 24, 1949 – March 30, 2015) [1] was an American drummer.
At age seventeen, he joined The Electric Prunes in 1966, and played on their debut studio album, The Electric Prunes, and two hit singles, including I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night). Ritter was ultimately replaced by Michael Weakley during recording of the band's second album, Underground, in 1967. Ritter was left uncredited on Underground. Ritter was a member of the Electric Prunes during their prime, and appeared with them on American Bandstand, Where the Action Is, The Mike Douglas Show and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. [2]
He was later involved with Linda Ronstadt, The Beach Boys, and Dobie Gray. [2] He worked as a DJ, police officer and private investigator before becoming a Christian missionary in Korea, where he taught theology. In later years he returned to Los Angeles, and taught and wrote books on drumming. [1]
Ritter has two daughters, Hannah and Larissa. [2] After several years of dialysis for kidney problems, including two kidney transplants, he died in Los Angeles on March 30, 2015, at age 65. [1]
The Electric Prunes are an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. Much of the band's music was, as music historian Richie Unterberger described it, possessed of "an eerie and sometimes anguished ambiance." Their most successful material was by songwriters Annette Tucker and Nancie Mantz, though the group also penned their own songs. Incorporating psychedelia and elements of embryonic electronic rock, the band's sound was marked by innovative recording techniques with fuzz-toned guitars and oscillating sound effects. In addition, guitarist Ken Williams' and singer James Lowe's concept of "free-form garage music" provided the band with a richer sonic palette and exploratory lyrical structure than many of their contemporaries.
John Graham "Mitch" Mitchell was an English drummer and child actor, who was best known for his work in the Jimi Hendrix Experience for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 2009.
William Everett Preston was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he backed artists such as Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, the Everly Brothers, Reverend James Cleveland, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. He gained attention as a solo artist with hit singles such as "That's the Way God Planned It", the Grammy-winning "Outa-Space", "Will It Go Round in Circles", "Space Race", "Nothing from Nothing", and "With You I'm Born Again". Additionally, Preston co-wrote "You Are So Beautiful", which became a #5 hit for Joe Cocker.
Hour Glass was an American soul band based in Los Angeles, California in 1967 and 1968. Among their members were two future members of the Allman Brothers Band and three future studio musicians at the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Thomas Erdelyi, known professionally as Tommy Ramone, was a Hungarian-American musician. He was the drummer for the influential punk rock band the Ramones from its debut in 1974 to 1978, later serving as its producer, and was the longest-surviving original member of the Ramones.
James Beck Gordon was an American musician, songwriter, and convicted murderer. Gordon was a session drummer in the late 1960s and 1970s and was the drummer in the blues rock supergroup Derek and the Dominos.
Alan Myers was an American rock drummer whose music career spanned more than 30 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the third and most prominent drummer of the new wave band Devo, replacing Jim Mothersbaugh.
Sky "Sunlight" Saxon was an American rock and roll musician best known as the leader and singer of the 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic garage rock band The Seeds.
High on Fire is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, that was formed in 1998. Matt Pike, the band's frontman and founder, also plays guitar for Sleep. High on Fire won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance with their song "Electric Messiah".
David Axelrod was an American composer, arranger, and producer. After starting out as a staff producer for record companies specializing in jazz, Axelrod became known by the mid-1960s in soul and jazz circles for his recording skills. In 1968, Axelrod embarked on a solo career and released several albums during the 1970s that showcased his characteristic sound, which combined heavily microphoned drums and baroque orchestration, and avant garde themes ranging from the environment to heightened mental awareness.
Underground is the second studio album by the American garage rock band, The Electric Prunes, and was released in 1967 on Reprise Records. It would be the final album of any materialized input by band members until the 1969 "New Improved" Electric Prunes were formed. The album was a moderate chart hit, but, without a hit-ready single, the band could not repeat their past success.
Walter David Hassinger was an American Grammy award-winning recording engineer and record producer.
Annette May Tucker is an American songwriter, who found success in the 1960s as co-writer of songs for The Electric Prunes, The Brogues, The Knickerbockers, Nancy and Frank Sinatra and others.
The Electric Prunes, sometimes referred to as I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night), is the 1967 debut album by the American garage rock band, the Electric Prunes, released on Reprise Records. The first track, "I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)", was a hit and became the band's signature tune. The album also contains another notable psychedelic rock composition, "Get Me to the World on Time". The album was listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
Keith "Keef" Hartley was an English drummer and bandleader. He fronted his own band, known as the Keef Hartley Band or Keef Hartley's Big Band, and played at Woodstock. He was later a member of Dog Soldier, and variously worked with Rory Storm, the Artwoods and John Mayall.
Prima Donna are an American rock and roll band from Los Angeles, formed in 2004. The band currently features singer/guitarist Kevin Preston, saxophonist/keyboardist Aaron Minton, drummer David S. Field, and bassist "Lights Out" Levine. The band have released 3 albums over their career.
"I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)" is a song written with music by Annette Tucker and lyrics by Nancie Mantz, which was recorded in late 1966 by the garage rock band The Electric Prunes. Released as the band's second single, it reached number 49 in the UK and peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week ending February 11, 1967.
"Get Me to the World on Time" is a song written by Annette Tucker and Jill Jones for the American garage rock band, The Electric Prunes. The song was released in May 1967 following the success of the band's previous single, "I Had Too Much to Dream ". Although the follow-up did not have the same success, "Get Me to the World on Time" still charted at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single also fared slightly better in the UK, where it reached number 42.
Thaddeus James Lowe is an American musician and record producer, best known as the lead singer of 1960s psychedelic rock band The Electric Prunes and as an audio engineer and producer with Todd Rundgren and the band Sparks.
Sarah Preston Monks (1841–1926) was an American naturalist, educator, scientific illustrator, and poet, based for much of her career in San Pedro, California. Monks was the first zoology instructor at Los Angeles State Normal School, a precursor to the University of California, Los Angeles, where she taught for over 20 years, and published on diverse topics including reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and marine biology.