Chet Powers

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Chet Powers
Background information
Birth nameChester William Powers, Jr.
Also known asDino Valenti, Dino Valente, Jesse Orris Farrow, Jesse Oris Farrow
Born(1937-10-07)October 7, 1937
Danbury, Connecticut, United States
DiedNovember 16, 1994(1994-11-16) (aged 57)
Santa Rosa, California, United States
GenresFolk, rock, blues, psychedelic rock, acid rock
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years activeLate 1950s–1994
LabelsEpic, Capitol

Chester William Powers, Jr. (October 7, 1937 – November 16, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter, and under the stage names Dino Valenti or Dino Valente, one of the lead singers of the rock group

Get Together",[1] and for writing and singing on Quicksilver Messenger Service's two best-known songs, "Fresh Air" and "What About Me?"[2]

History

Before serving in the United States Air Force and playing in the coffeehouses of Boston and Provincetown, Massachusetts, Powers had already performed as "Dino Valenti" with small rock bands in New England lounges.

In the early 1960s, he performed in

Lou Gossett, Josh White, Len Chandler, Paul Stookey, David Crosby and others. He influenced other performers, most notably Richie Havens, who continued to perform some of Powers' early "train songs". Powers was prevented from acquiring a cabaret license
due to an earlier arrest, a requirement that was beginning to be imposed on Village entertainers at the time.

By 1963, Valenti/Powers moved to Los Angeles, where many luminaries in the imminent

RIAA gold certification in the United States upon its 1969 re-release (prompted in part by the National Conference of Christians and Jews employing the song as their theme in television and radio commercials).[1] He also popularized and controversially claimed the copyright of Billy Roberts's "Hey Joe
".

Valenti/Powers then returned to the San Francisco Bay Area, where he recorded for Autumn Records (an acetate of these sessions exists in a Quicksilver collector's possession), though no album was ever issued. He had been friendly with Roger McGuinn in Los Angeles and drummer Michael Clarke played in a band with Valenti/Powers in Big Sur before joining McGuinn in The Byrds. He also played in an early (albeit undesignated) line-up of the San Francisco psychedelic rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service when John Cipollina, David Freiberg, and Jim Murray all joined his backing group in 1964.

Powers' career was blighted by several drug busts. After an arrest for possession of

publishing rights for "Get Together" to Frank Werber, the manager of The Kingston Trio.[3] While in prison, the Quicksilver Messenger Service recorded Valenti/Powers's song "Dino's Song", which was released on the Quicksilver Messenger Service (album)
in 1968.

After completing his sentence, Valenti/Powers signed with CBS's Epic Records, releasing an eponymous solo album under a variation of his pseudonym (Dino Valente) in 1968. Shortly thereafter, he served as the opening act for Jimi Hendrix at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom from October 10–12, 1968, exposing his work to a broader audience.

He traveled with Quicksilver's Gary Duncan to New York in January 1969 to form a new band (to be called The Outlaws) shortly before Quicksilver's noted album Happy Trails appeared in March. While Valenti/Powers and Duncan were in New York, British keyboardist Nicky Hopkins joined Quicksilver for their third album, Shady Grove (December 1969).

As 1969 progressed, The Outlaws came to naught, eventually leading to Duncan's reinstatement and Valenti/Powers formally joining Quicksilver at the band's

AM radio, both of these songs became mainstays on progressive rock and album-oriented rock radio stations, and would later be heard in the classic rock format.[2]

Following the departure of Cipollina and Freiberg (who had been convicted of marijuana possession), the band subsequently released Quicksilver (1971) and Comin' Thru (1972) as various Valenti/Powers-fronted lineups (always including Duncan and drummer Greg Elmore) continued to tour irregularly through 1974. The 1969–1971 lineup (with Hopkins only contributing as a session musician on select tracks) briefly reunited in 1975 for Solid Silver and a promotional tour, however, the much-anticipated album only reached No. 89 in the United States. Although Freiberg (then a multi-instrumentalist in Jefferson Starship) and Cipollina soon departed, an iteration of the band including Valenti/Powers, Duncan and Elmore once again continued to tour through 1979.

Powers underwent surgery for a

Marin County
musicians.

His last major performance was a benefit at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. He died suddenly at his home in Santa Rosa, California, on November 16, 1994, leaving behind a younger sister, Catherine (Kay), and three sons, Paul, Joli and Sterling.

Pseudonyms

  • Jackie Powers
  • Dino Valenti
  • Dino Valente
  • Jesse Oris Farrow
  • Jesse Otis Farrow

Discography

Solo

Albums

  • Dino Valente (1968) [4]

Singles

  • Don't Let It Down / Birdses (1964)

Compilations

  • Get Together... The Lost Recordings (2007)[5]

with Quicksilver Messenger Service

References

  1. ^ a b Cole, Tom (April 10, 2019). "Beyond The Summer Of Love, 'Get Together' Is An Anthem For Every Season". American Anthem. NPR. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Woodstra, Chris; Bush, John; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas, eds. (2007). All Music Guide Required Listening: Classic Rock. New York: Backbeat Books. pp. 170–71.
  3. ISBN 9781317269649
    .
  4. ^ Alex Gallacher (September 4, 2013). "Dino Valente: First Ever Vinyl Re-issue". Folk Radio UK. Retrieved August 12, 2017.
  5. ^ Dino Valenti Archived January 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine

External links

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