Rare Earth History

It is fairly common knowledge now but many Rare Earth fans had no idea that they were previously known as The Sunliners! It’s a complicated path that appears to start around 1960. Gil Bridges, Pete Rivera, John Persh, Ralph Terrana, Russ Terrana, Fred Saxon and Steve Fisher were all early members who played hundreds of club dates and record five singles for three different labels, Hercules, Golden World and MGM. In the middle of all this action, Fred Saxon, Ralph and Russ Terrana and Steve Fisher made way for Rod Richards and Kenny James, this line up would take them through to the MGM 45 Land Of Nod and the transistion to the name RARE EARTH. Many later biographies claim that they became Rare Earth when they signed to Motown.....this is not fact as they stayed with MGM/Verve to record their very first album called Dreams Answers as Rare Earth in 1968. The land Of Nod track was re - recorded for inclusion on the LP and as a complete album it proved to be a masterpiece debut which combined rock, soul and physcedelia.

When you listen to the Hercules 45 and then the MGM 45 you realise just how far the band had progressed musically in such a short time.

The move from MGM to Motown created the bands second LP Get Ready and was issued on the Motown owned Rare Earth label...........which was named after the band itself! Get Ready was not the first label release, Love Sculpture had that honour. It took a few months before radio airplay exposed the 21 min title track as the classic it became and it made sure Rare Earth were firmly recognised as a top box office and chart act.

A single had been issued even before Get Ready and the title was Generation! This was the theme song to the movie of the same name which starred David Janssen, Kim Darby and Pete Duel. Following the films failure at success the LP of Generation was scrapped in favour of the official third LP Ecology. A few of the tracks that were on Generation found their way on to Ecology and more success followed with this release.

Eddie Guzman had now been added to the line up, although he was already an established member prior to this recognition, Ecology produced two hit singles with Tom Baird’s Born To Wander and Norman Whitfield’s production of I Know Im Losing You.

Rod Richards and Kenny James left after the Ecology release and were replaced by Ray Monette and Mark Olson who were both part of the 1971 One World line up. I Just Want To Celebrate made the US top 20 and was followed by Hey Big Brother, a single only release in the same year. In Concert, a superb live 2 lp set captured the band as a true class live act and this was to be the final record to feature original bass player John Persh who decided to call it a day! Mike Urso came in on bass and the next vinyl offering was the self produced Willie Remembers which most people would have thought would have included the Hey Big Brother long version. If it had been then maybe the next album might not have been another Norman Whitfield studio collaboration, MA!

MA seems to be where the friction started as this would be the final work for now to feature Pete Rivera and Mike Urso. The Frank Wilson sessions which would have been the follow up to MA were mainly completed but remained in the vaults of Motown. A double live set in 1974, Live In Chicago was also shelved...... and the band do not even remember it being recorded! Rivera and Urso formed Hub with Tom Baird and got a deal with Capitol records and produced two albums whilst Rare Earth continued with new musicians.

Mark Olson remained for a short period and played with the new line up although he was not to make the credits for the next LP Back to Earth. Gil, Ray and Eddie were joined by Jerry La Croix, Reggie Mcbride, Frosty, Paul Warren and Gabriel Katona. and then by the time of Midnight Lady in 1976 Warren and Frosty left and Katona made way for Frank Westbrook. Time is a great healer so they tell us and the return of the 72-74 line up appeared on the cards. Westbrook, Mcbride and LaCroix were to be replaced by the return of Hoorlebeke, Urso and Olson. Last minute problems saw Ray Monette and Mark Olson not completing the line up and session men Ron Fransen and Dan Ferguson playing their parts for the new album, Rarearth which was on the new Motown subsiduary label Prodigal Records.

Once all the previous problems had been resolved the line up returned once again with Ray Monette and Mark Olson and two further albums were completed for Prodigal and released within six months of each other. Both were John Ryan productions and all the sessions were completed at the same time. Band Together produced the single Warm Ride this was a Top 40 single and it received extensive airplay on UK radio. Grand Slam was the final connection with Motown.

They signed to RCA around 1980 and recorded an album called Tight & Hot in approx 1981/82. Only the band can know the real reasons but a lot of political interference made sure the album got a Canadian release only and quietly disapeared into oblivion. Between 82 and 85 the band appeared lifeless until a new line up with Gil Bridges, Ray Monette, Eddie Guzman, Mark Olson, Jerry La Bloch and Randy Burghdoff resurfaced and began playing live dates. At last the band made the efforts to come to Europe for the first time with yet another line up minus Mark, he was replaced by Rik Warner and Wayne Baraks joined as lead vocalist. Recording a live cd called Made In Switzerland in 1989 showed what a great live band they still were and it was followed by the studio album Different World in 1992. Both Cd’s showed that the band could still do the biz with top quality performances and recordings!

Long term guitarist Ray Monette left the band to pursue a new musical era with The Funk Brothers and Pete Rivera still sings and drums like no other with his various projects. The current line up of Rare Earth in 2007 continue to perform with Gil Bridges, Randy Burghdoff, Floyd Stokes, Mike Bruner and Ivan Greilick.

Sadly John Persh, Mark Olson and Eddie Guzman have passed away.