Sunday, January 02, 2005
THE LONG STRANGE RIDE OF A RAIDER
He was once the lead guitarist for one of the most famous bands in the world. He was seen daily on television, and appeared on virtually every major variety show of the day, including Ed Sullivan and The Smothers Brothers. His face was on the cover of SIXTEEN and TIGER BEAT. His uncanny resemblance to the silent Marx brother earned him the nickname "Harpo", and in 1966, he replaced Drake Levin as lead guitarist for Paul Revere and the Raiders.
Jim Valley left the Raiders a bit more than a year later, the frantic pace of filming Dick Clark's "Where the Action Is", touring, and the lack of recording any of his material having taken it's toll. His solo career fizzled, an he disappeared into rock and roll oblivion!
So imagine my surprise when I accidently came across his website a few days ago! It turns out that he has been rather busy in the post Raider years! For the past 25 years he has been been educating children, recording children's music, writing award winning children's books, and teaching children to express themselves through art. He will be doing workshops in local school in a couple of weeks, and is also planning a concert that my granddaughter and I are going to attend.
He also has a terrific adult contemporary album out titled ROLLING SEA. You can sample a few of the songs at www.jimvalley.com. It will be the first album i buy as soon as the Christmas recovery is complete!
So, check out his websites to find out more...www.jimvalley.com, www.rainbowplanet.com
Jim Valley left the Raiders a bit more than a year later, the frantic pace of filming Dick Clark's "Where the Action Is", touring, and the lack of recording any of his material having taken it's toll. His solo career fizzled, an he disappeared into rock and roll oblivion!
So imagine my surprise when I accidently came across his website a few days ago! It turns out that he has been rather busy in the post Raider years! For the past 25 years he has been been educating children, recording children's music, writing award winning children's books, and teaching children to express themselves through art. He will be doing workshops in local school in a couple of weeks, and is also planning a concert that my granddaughter and I are going to attend.
He also has a terrific adult contemporary album out titled ROLLING SEA. You can sample a few of the songs at www.jimvalley.com. It will be the first album i buy as soon as the Christmas recovery is complete!
So, check out his websites to find out more...www.jimvalley.com, www.rainbowplanet.com
Comments:
<< Home
the samples sound pretty good...I can hardly bear the term 'adult contemporary' though. It makes me want to listen to the Cramps or the Stooges or something like that.
Wow...the Stooges! Now there is a blast out of my distant past. As I recall, Iggy Pop was the front man (I believe at one point they were "Little Iggy and the Stooges) ? I vaguely recall seeing them at a now long defunct club in Birmingham MI circa 1968)
LOL.....yes I saw them, but it was back in 1969 or there abouts. and the memory is somewhat vague. You remember what Judy Collins said about the 60's, "If you can remember them you weren't there." I was what was known as a Boone's Farm hippie (apple wine, cheaper and more leagal than pot), and had consumed about 1 1/2 bottles before we arrived. All I really recall is that the band was outrageous, and I got layed afterward.
Post a Comment
<< Home
