The Sidewinders

Last updated
The Sidewinders
Origin Tucson, Arizona, United States
Genres Alternative rock
Modern rock
Desert rock
Years active1985–1993, 1996–1999
Labels Mammoth Records
Atlas Records
Contingency Records
Polydor Records
RCA Records
Past membersRich Hopkins
David Slutes
Bruce Halper
Mark Perrodin
Andrea Curtis

The Sidewinders (later the Sand Rubies) was a rock band from Tucson, Arizona, who released two major-label albums and scored two radio hits in the US before a lawsuit forced a change of name. Another album was released on a major label but by that time the band had nearly broken up. Since then the band has reunited and dissolved several times.

Contents

History

The Sidewinders formed in the spring of 1985 by guitarist Rich Hopkins and vocalist David Slutes. [1] The group released its first record, Cuacha!, in 1988, and subsequently signed to RCA/Mammoth Records, where they released two full-length albums, 1989's Witchdoctor and 1990's Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall . Witchdoctor cracked the lower echelons of the Billboard 200 at No. 169, [2] In 1990, Mammoth/RCA released a 7 track promo-only compact disc entitled "Do Not Play This Disc For Educational Purposes Only. It contained one track (Doesn't Anyone Believe) from the Auntie Ramos album, 3 unreleased acoustic tracks (I'm Not With You, Signed D.C. and Singing Cowboy) and 3 alternate takes from Auntie Ramos album (If I Can't Have You, We Don't Do That Anymore and 7 & & Is) Three of the tracks on this disc are covers of songs by the band Love. (on the strength of two modern rock radio hits; the band scored exposure on MTV and VH1 and embarked on a worldwide tour, [3] but the band's career was soon sidelined due to legal problems. In 1991, a North Carolina band known as Sidewinders sued the group over the use of its name, and it took two years to sort out the proceedings and secure the release of their next album, now under the name Sand Rubies. [4]

As the Sand Rubies, they released an album on Polydor/Atlas in 1993; at one point, Pearl Jam served as their opening act. [5] However, due to attrition over the period of legal troubles, the rhythm section of the band had departed, and the Sand Rubies dissolved during a tour in 1993, [1] [3] just as two other Arizona rock bands, Gin Blossoms and The Refreshments, were attracting mainstream attention.

A few one-off shows were given in 1995 and 1996 before an official Sand Rubies reunion was announced in October 1996. [1] A show at SXSW followed in 1997, as did a new album, Return of the Living Dead, in 1998. They were able to independently release a best-of collection of tracks from their major label years entitled The Sidewinders Sessions, and an all-covers album, Release the Hounds, ensued in 1999 along with a tour of Europe. [1] The band broke up again, followed by short reunion stints in 2001-02 and 2006 to support renewed local touring and special rereleases. [1] The band announced in 2011 that both the Sand Rubies and the Sidewinders would disband. [6]

The band may have had a reunion appearance in mid-March 2013 in Austin, Texas, at SXSW (South By South West), at which Slutes, Hopkins, Andree were joined by Gene Ruley on guitar and George Duron (Dumptruck, Sally Crewe, Doug Gillard Electric) on drums.[ citation needed ]

Members

Discography

Sidewinders

Sand Rubies

Charting singles

YearTitleChart Positions [7] Album
US Modern Rock
1989 "Witch Doctor"#18Witchdoctor
1990 "We Don't Do That Anymore"#23Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall

Related Research Articles

<i>My Generation</i> (album) 1965 album by The Who

My Generation is the debut studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 3 December 1965 by Brunswick Records in the United Kingdom, and Festival Records in Australia. In the United States, it was released on 25 April 1966 by Decca Records as The Who Sings My Generation, with a different cover and a slightly altered track listing. Besides the members of the Who, being Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and Keith Moon (drums), the album features contributions by session musician Nicky Hopkins (piano).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Miller Band</span> American rock band

The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, Rock Love, Fly Like an Eagle, Book of Dreams, among others. The band's Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<i>ABBA</i> (album) 1975 studio album by ABBA

ABBA is the third studio album by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was originally released on 21 April 1975 through Polar Music and featured the hits "SOS", "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" and "Mamma Mia".

Mammoth Records was an independent record label founded in 1989 by Jay Faires in the Carrboro area of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The majority of the acts on Mammoth were executive-produced by Faires and the label's general manager, Steve Balcom. The label was the first independent to produce two platinum records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dudu Pukwana</span> South African saxophonist and composer

Mthutuzeli Dudu Pukwana was a South African saxophonist, composer and pianist.

<i>Safe as Milk</i> 1967 studio album by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band

Safe as Milk is the debut studio album by American music group Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band, released in June 1967 by Buddah Records. A heavily blues-influenced work, the album features a 20-year-old Ry Cooder, who played guitar and wrote some of the arrangements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dambuilders</span> American indie rock band

The Dambuilders was an indie rock band that began in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, in 1989 and later relocated to Boston. They released seven LPs and a number of EPs before breaking up in 1998. Members have gone on with other musical projects, including the band's violinist/vocalist, Joan Wasser, as Joan as Police Woman. Kevin March also became well known in indie circles as the drummer of the band Guided by Voices, which he joined in 2002. Dave Derby is the leader and main songwriter of the New York City-based collective of artists known as Gramercy Arms, which has included collaborations with both Wasser and March.

<i>The Grateful Dead</i> (album) 1967 studio album by Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead is the debut album of the Grateful Dead. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in March 1967. According to the biographies of both bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, the band released the album as San Francisco's Grateful Dead.

<i>Rife</i> (Foetus album) 1988 live album by Foetus Corruptus

Rife is a live album by Foetus Corruptus released in 1988. It is an official bootleg, initially released by J. G. Thirlwell with no record label credit. This album was released in three formats: a two-LP set on black vinyl, a two-LP picture disc set, and a CD. Rife is Self Immolation #RIFLE 1 and #RIFLEPIC 1 for the picture disc.

<i>The Worst of Jefferson Airplane</i> 1970 greatest hits album by Jefferson Airplane

The Worst of Jefferson Airplane is the first compilation album from the rock band Jefferson Airplane, released in November 1970 as RCA Victor LSP-4459. The "Worst" in the title is ironic as the album features all of Jefferson Airplane's hit singles up to that point. It peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200 in 1971 and has since gone platinum.

<i>Guitar Boogie</i> (album) 1971 compilation album by Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page

Guitar Boogie is a blues rock compilation album featuring Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page together with the Allstars and members of The Rolling Stones.

<i>Elvis Golden Records Volume 3</i> 1963 greatest hits album by Elvis Presley

Elvis' Golden Records Volume 3 is a greatest hits album by American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley, released by RCA Victor as LPM/LSP-2765 on August 11, 1963. The album was the third volume of an eventual five volume collection, and his eighteenth altogether. It is a compilation of hit singles released in 1960, 1961, and 1962.

Circus of Power is an American hard rock band formed in New York City in 1987. They disbanded in 1995 and reformed in 2014. To date, they have released four studio albums and three EPs.

<i>Sunrise</i> (Elvis Presley album) 1999 compilation album by Elvis Presley

Sunrise is a two-disc compilation of Elvis Presley's studio recordings at Sun Studio from 1953 to 1955, released in 1999, RCA 67675-2. This set features all of the surviving master recordings made by Presley and his accompanists, Scotty Moore and Bill Black, occasionally augmented by other musicians, prior to his arrival on RCA Records in 1956.

<i>Elvis at Sun</i> 2004 compilation album by Elvis Presley

Elvis at Sun is a compact disc compilation of Elvis Presley's studio recordings at Sun Studio from 1954 to 1955, released in June 2004, BMG Heritage 61205. This set features master recordings made by Presley and his accompanists, Scotty Moore and Bill Black, occasionally augmented by other musicians, prior to his arrival on RCA Records in early 1956.

<i>Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers</i> 1980 EP by Motörhead

Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers is an EP by the band Motörhead, released on 27 November 1980. The EP consists of four tracks recorded during sessions for their first album Motörhead, in 1977 at Escape Studios, Kent, England, but were previously unreleased. The EP was released by Big Beat Records, a subsidiary of Chiswick Records, who the band were signed to when the tracks were recorded in 1977. The release was not authorized by the band, though they did not oppose it.

<i>Action: The Sweet Anthology</i> 2009 compilation album by Sweet

Action: The Sweet Anthology is a double compilation album of British 1970s rock band Sweet's music, released on 28 April 2009 by Shout! Factory. It features songs originally released on RCA Records and Polydor Records, including all their single records spanning from their 1971 UK breakthrough "Funny Funny" and up to their last non-charting "Sixties Man" before the original band broke up in 1982. The album also contains a few album tracks, as well as some B-sides that were never before released on compact disc in the United States.

<i>Powertrippin</i> 1993 studio album by The Almighty

Powertrippin' is the third studio album by Scottish rock band The Almighty. It was released in the United Kingdom in 1993 by Polydor Records and was the band's final studio album for that label. It was the band's first album to feature guitarist Pete Friesen, who replaced founding guitarist Tantrum. Friesen contributed to the songwriting and was a major part of the new sound presented on this album, introducing a heavier, riff-based grunge sound compared to the punk leanings of earlier efforts. The subject of the cover art is taken from the artwork ''Jet Age Man by Ralph Morse, which featured on the cover of Life magazine in December 1954.

<i>Live at Keystone</i> 1973 live album by Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, Bill Vitt

Live at Keystone is an album by Merl Saunders, Jerry Garcia, John Kahn, and Bill Vitt. It was recorded live at the Keystone in Berkeley, California on July 10 and 11, 1973, and released later that year as a two-disc vinyl LP. It was re-released in 1988, with additional tracks, as two separate CDs, called Live at Keystone Volume I and Live at Keystone Volume II.

Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall is an album by the American alternative rock band the Sidewinders, released in 1990. It was the band's last album before a lawsuit forced them to change their name to the Sand Rubies.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Sidewinders/Sand Rubies Bio. Contingency Records. Accessed June 22, 2007.
  2. Billboard, Allmusic.com
  3. 1 2 Cathalena E. Burch. Sand Rubies Re-Unite for Gig, at Least. Arizona Daily Star, June 18, 2004. Accessed June 22, 2007.
  4. Fred Mills, Sidewinders Biography. Trouser Press. Accessed June 22, 2007.
  5. Sand Rubies Biography, Allmusic.com.
  6. Sand Rubies say 'adios' with final show. Tucson Sentinel , June 4, 2011.
  7. Billboard Singles, Allmusic.com