The Sky Kings | |
---|---|
Also known as | Four Wheel Drive |
Origin | Nashville, Tennessee, United States |
Genres | Country |
Years active | 1991–1997 |
Labels | RCA Nashville Warner Bros. |
Past members | John Cowan Bill Lloyd Patrick Simmons Rusty Young |
The Sky Kings was an American country music supergroup [1] formed in 1991 as Four Wheel Drive. [2] Originally consisting of John Cowan, Bill Lloyd, Patrick Simmons and Rusty Young, Simmons left the group in 1993.
The supergroup, consisting of John Cowan (New Grass Revival), Bill Lloyd (Foster & Lloyd), Patrick Simmons (The Doobie Brothers), and Rusty Young (Poco), was formed in 1991 as Four Wheel Drive. They were signed to a recording deal with RCA Nashville and completed an album for the label which was never released. [2]
Warner Bros. Records signed the group in 1993. [2] Threatened with lawsuits from bands who had copyrighted the name Four Wheel Drive, they secured the rights to the name The Sky Kings. [2] After opening for The Doobie Brothers on their 1993 tour, Simmons left The Sky Kings to rejoin The Doobie Brothers. [2] Now a trio, The Sky Kings released three singles on Warner Bros.: "Picture Perfect," "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" (a cover of the Elvin Bishop hit) and "That Just About Says It All." [3] "Picture Perfect" was the only single to chart, peaking at No. 52 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart. [4] An eponymous album was scheduled to be released in 1997, but eventually shelved. [5]
In 2000, Rhino Handmade released From Out of the Blue, an album which included the band's entire unreleased 1997 Warner Bros. album, non-album Warner Bros. singles, and recordings and demos made for a second unreleased Warner Bros. album. [5]
Title | Album details |
---|---|
From Out of the Blue |
|
1992 |
|
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US Country | CAN Country | |||
1992 | "I Could Get Used to This" [6] | 1992 | ||
1996 | "Picture Perfect" | 52 | 84 | From Out of the Blue |
"Fooled Around and Fell in Love" | — | — | ||
"That Just About Says It All" | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||
Year | Video | Director |
---|---|---|
1996 | "Picture Perfect" | Jon Small |
The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in San Jose, California in 1970. Known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies, the band has been active for over five decades, with their greatest success taking place in the 1970s. The group's current lineup consists of founding members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons, alongside Michael McDonald and John McFee, and touring musicians including John Cowan, Marc Russo (saxophones), Ed Toth (drums), and Marc Quiñones. Other long-serving members of the band include guitarist Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, bassist Tiran Porter and drummers John Hartman, Michael Hossack, and Keith Knudsen.
Poco was an American country rock band originally formed in 1968 after the demise of Buffalo Springfield. Guitarists Richie Furay and Jim Messina, former members of Buffalo Springfield, were joined by multi-instrumentalist Rusty Young, bassist Randy Meisner and drummer George Grantham. Meisner quit the band while they were recording their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, though his bass and backing vocal parts were kept in the final mix. He was replaced by Timothy B. Schmit in 1969, and Messina left in 1970 to be replaced by Paul Cotton. The line-up would change numerous times over the next several decades, with Rusty Young being the only constant member. A reunion of the founding members occurred in the late 1980s-early 1990s, and the band continued in some form through 2021, though they retired from active touring in 2013, with Young citing health concerns as the primary cause of his retirement. Young died from a heart attack in April 2021.
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