White Witch (band)
White Witch | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Tampa, Florida, United States |
Genres | Hard rock,[1] glam metal,[2] psychedelic rock[3] |
Years active | 1971–1975 |
Labels | Capricorn |
White Witch was an American
The group was inducted into the Florida Musicians Hall of Fame's Florida Music Honor Roll.[5]
History
White Witch formed in 1971 in Tampa. The band originally featured lead singer Ronald "Ronn" (or "Ron") Goedert, guitarist Charles "Buddy" Richardson, keyboardist Hardin "Buddy" Pendergrass, drummer Robert "Bobby" Shea and bassist Loyall "Beau" Fisher. Several of the band members had belonged to a popular late-60s Tampa-area band called The Tropics.[6]
After touring small venues around the southeast for almost a year, White Witch signed with
Fisher left the group sometime after the first album and was replaced by Rabbi Barbee, who left before the group went back in into the studio in 1974. Bassist Charlie Souza and drummer Bill Peterson also joined the band before the second album.
Due to displeasure with their record label's lack of promotion and its interference in the band's recording sessions, Buddy Richardson left the group immediately after the second album (A Spiritual Greeting) was completed.[7] He was replaced by guitarist George Brawley, who had spent the previous year as a session guitarist in Los Angeles after leaving the southern rock group Brother from Columbia, South Carolina. Drummer Bobby Shea stayed with the group as percussionist and back-up singer.
White Witch did a bit more touring and recorded four tracks on demo, but broke up in the late 1970s before a third album was recorded. After White Witch, Goedert made some solo recordings, Pendergrass wrote commercial
Some of the original group members began planning a reunion in the late 1990s which became impossible when lead singer Ron Goedert died of cancer on July 16, 2000. Pendergrass also became a victim of cancer on March 16, 2003.[8]
Music
Though primarily known as a
Most of the songs on their first album were written by Goedert and Pendergrass, with contributions from the other band members. All of the songs on the second album were written by Goedert, Pendergrass, and Richardson. Both albums were released on CD in 1999.
White Witch lead singer released Ron Goedert "Breaking All The Rules' in 1980 on Polydor Records and Frank Fenter record company, featuring Riff West on bass, Jack West on drums and Jerry Runyan on guitar the group toured with major acts Toto, Joe Perry, ZZ Top, and Mountain, before disbanding in late 1980. Intended to be the third White Witch LP, Polydor execs would not allow the use of the name owned by Capricorn, so the record was released under Goedert's name.[citation needed] It has never been distributed on CD and is available only on vinyl.
Discography
- White Witch, LP (1972, Capricorn Records 0107)
- A Spiritual Greeting, LP (1974, Capricorn Records 0129)
- "And I'm Leaving", 45 (1972, Capricorn Records)
White Witch
White Witch was released on Capricorn Records, Capricorn 0107. Rolling Stone Record Guide gave it one star out of five, saying that it was a Southern answer to Black Sabbath. The original review in Rolling Stone described it as "Halloween music".[9]
- all songs by Goedert and Pendergrass except as noted
- "Parabrahm Greeting/Dwellers of the Threshold" (Goedert, Pendergrass, Richardson, Shea, and Fisher)
- "Help Me Lord"
- "Don't Close Your Mind" (Goedert, Pendergrass, and Richardson)
- "You're the One"
- "Sleepwalk"
- "Home Grown Girl"
- "And I'm Leaving"
- "Illusion"
- "It's So Nice to Be Stoned" (Richardson and Fisher)
- "Have You Ever Thought of Changing/Jackson Slade"
- "The Gift" (Goedert, Pendergrass, Richardson, Shea, and Fisher)
A Spiritual Greeting
A Spiritual Greeting was released as Capricorn 0129. This album included Bill Peterson of Bacchus on drums and Charlie Souza of The Tropics and Cactus on bass guitar. Rolling Stone gave it two stars out of five, saying that the only thing it had going for it was the "fine production by Ron and Howard Albert".[9]
- All songs by Goedert, Pendergrass, and Richardson
- "We'll All Ride High (Money Bag$)"
- "Slick Witch"
- "Walk On"
- "Class of 2000"
- "Showdown"
- "Crystallize and Realize"[10]
- "Black Widow Lover"
- "Auntie Christy/Harlow"
Notes
- ^ a b c d "Music Street Journal - Music News & Reviews". Musicstreetjournal.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ a b c "White Witch - White Witch | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Archived copy". www.tampabaymusichistory.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b "Reviews". Orlandojams.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Florida Musicians Hall of Fame". floridamusicianshalloffame.com. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "Richardson". Orlandojams.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ a b "Richardson2". Orlandojams.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Page Title". Orlandojams.com. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ Rolling Stone Record Guide, p. 411
- ^ "WHITE WITCH Crystallize And Realize 1974". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
References
- The Rolling Stone Record Guide, edited by Dave Marsh with John Swenson, 1979, ISBN 0-394-41096-3