ROCKIN' AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE/THE GRASS ROOTS (20 Christmas Stars, Vol. 3)
Without a doubt, one of the most memorable songs of my childhood was "Midnight Confessions" by The Grass Roots. The hook from that rockin' pop confection, as well as the insistent driving organ intro to "I'd Wait A Million Years", remain a near daily part of the soundtrack in my mind. Rob Grill, the lead vocalist on those late sixties gems, passed away Monday at the age of 67. Rob had been in a coma for several weeks after suffering a stroke and injuring his head in a fall last month in Northern California.
Rob Grill was born in Los Angeles and attended California State University with intentions of a career in the legal profession. Taking a part-time job at a recording studio, however, Grill decided upon a musical career.
The Grass Roots were the studio creation of Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan. When a recording of "Where Were You When I Needed You" began to get some airplay, the shopping for a real band to front the single began. Barri and Sloan recruited first the Bedouins and then the 13th Floor to play the part. Just as the 13th Floor was about to become the Grass Roots, one of their number was drafted and Rob Grill was tapped as the replacement.
Rob Grill was born in Los Angeles and attended California State University with intentions of a career in the legal profession. Taking a part-time job at a recording studio, however, Grill decided upon a musical career.
The Grass Roots were the studio creation of Steve Barri and P.F. Sloan. When a recording of "Where Were You When I Needed You" began to get some airplay, the shopping for a real band to front the single began. Barri and Sloan recruited first the Bedouins and then the 13th Floor to play the part. Just as the 13th Floor was about to become the Grass Roots, one of their number was drafted and Rob Grill was tapped as the replacement.
From 1967 to 1972, the Grass Roots were a hit making machine, setting a Billboard record for "chart presence" with 302 consecutive weeks on the singles charts. "Midnight Confessions" was the group's highest charting single--reaching number 5. Other memorable hits included "Let's Live For Today", "Temptation Eyes", "Two Divided By Love", "Sooner Or Later" and "Heaven Knows". A couple of my personal favorites--"The River Is Wide" and "Love Is What You Make It"-- fared less well, though they did chart. What I loved about the Grass Roots was that you could toss on an album of their's and be consistently entertained by great pop tunes--never a clunker or filler imho (at least until the band's 1975 swan song LP).
Ironically, the band's very success played a part in their demise. At the start, the Grass Roots enjoyed popularity with fans of Folk, Rock and Pop. But the group was so popular with fans of the bubblegum dominated Top 40 charts, that it simply became "uncool" for fans of "serious" music to like them. Toss in the beginnings of the disco era and one of the most dominant chart acts of the era suddenly seemed dated and out-of-place.
When the Grass Roots dissolved, Rob released a solo album, 1979's "Uprooted", and then quite literally went fishing.
The oldies revival brought the Grass Roots out of retirement and Rob has spent quite a bit of the last 30 years on the road--the one man who had spanned almost the entire history of the group. Grill suffered from a painful degenerative bone disorder for years and, following the 2008 release of the most recent Grass Roots album, "Live Gold", he removed himself from the regular line-up, although he still made "special appearances" with the group.
The Grass Roots' era fits snugly in that time when few acts were recording Christmas music. They did give a nod to the holiday season in 1971 when they recorded an entry in the Christmas Seals Campaign series; no Christmas songs, but I'd love to hear it if anyone has a copy. The Grass Roots' lone issued Christmas song, so far as I know, is their version of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" included on the charity collection "20 Christmas Stars, Vol. 3" (which carries a 2001 release date on Amazon). Though I've included it above, it really doesn't capture, in any way, the magic of the band I grew up listening to. And, for that reason, we close with a medley of some of their biggest hits from a 1970 television appearance.
When the Grass Roots dissolved, Rob released a solo album, 1979's "Uprooted", and then quite literally went fishing.
The oldies revival brought the Grass Roots out of retirement and Rob has spent quite a bit of the last 30 years on the road--the one man who had spanned almost the entire history of the group. Grill suffered from a painful degenerative bone disorder for years and, following the 2008 release of the most recent Grass Roots album, "Live Gold", he removed himself from the regular line-up, although he still made "special appearances" with the group.
The Grass Roots' era fits snugly in that time when few acts were recording Christmas music. They did give a nod to the holiday season in 1971 when they recorded an entry in the Christmas Seals Campaign series; no Christmas songs, but I'd love to hear it if anyone has a copy. The Grass Roots' lone issued Christmas song, so far as I know, is their version of "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree" included on the charity collection "20 Christmas Stars, Vol. 3" (which carries a 2001 release date on Amazon). Though I've included it above, it really doesn't capture, in any way, the magic of the band I grew up listening to. And, for that reason, we close with a medley of some of their biggest hits from a 1970 television appearance.
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