Song:Mona
Album:Anthology
Quicksilver Messenger Service was a big part of the Bay Area scene of the late 60s. They were a jam band very similar to The Grateful Dead. The leader of the band was Dino Valenti (born Chet Powers Jr. Oct. 7, 1937). He was a big part of the early 60s Green wich Village folk scene and he moved to Los Angeles in 1963. In 1964, he got together with guitarist John Cipollina (born John Holland Mallet III Aug. 24, 1943 in Berkeley, CA) along with bassist David Frieberg and drummer Greg Elmore & guitarist Gary Duncan from The Brogues. Apparently the group name was based on astrological signs. Just as the band was ready to start playing gigs, Valente was thrown in jail for drug offenses. So they brought in Jim Murray to play guitar and sing. QMS finally signed with Capitol after the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. Murray left at that time. This cover of Bo Diddley's Mona was on their second album Happy Trails. Duncan left and was replaced by keyboard player Nicky Hopkins. By 1969, Valenti had a new group called The Outlaws that went nowhere so he returned to QMS. There were many personnel changes including Cipollina leaving to form Copperhead. But the band existed until 1972 and have reunited several times over the years. Anthology was originally released as a 2LP set in 1973 and was released on CD in 1996. Cipollina died in 1989. Valenti died in 1994. Frieberg was a member of Jefferson Starship. Their inconsistent history makes them lesser known than some of the other bands of the era but they are good. Here's Quicksilver Messenger Service performing Mona 1969.
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