Sunday, March 20, 2016

Josefus - "Dead Man" & "Josefus" 1970

From Houston, Texas, Josefus have been credited for being "one of the first models for the blunt sound of Texas hard rock an heavy metal." They were also featured in Classic Rock in an article titled: "The lost Pioneers of Heavy Metal."
Band members Dave Mitchell and Ray Turner originally played in a band in high school called Rip West. The two, along with Doug Tull would record a demo titled "I Love You." The group the changed their name to Josefus, when vocalist Pete Bailey joined the band. Phillip White, the band's second lead guitarist left the band in 1969.
Later they would go on to record an album Get Off My Case in Phoenix, Arizona during December 1969 with producer Jim Musil, The album was never released. This prompted the band to return to the studio with their own money and record Dead Man in March, 1970. The band soon garnered a huge live following, opening for acts like ZZ Top and Grand Funk Railroad. Unfortunately, Dead Man a heavy mix of Led Zeppelin style acid rock, with a definite Southern twist was destined to obscurity due largely to the fact that it wasn't released on a proper label (the band actually paid for the pressing themselves and released it on their own "Hookah" label.) That same year saw the release of their eponymous third album on Mainstream Records. They also recorded four singles on the Hookah label (Slave of Fear, Let Me Love You, Hard Luck, & Wheels) Josefus would perform their last show in Houston, Texas, at an auto show, though the group would reunite in the late 1970's.
In 1990, the band would reunite yet again with drummer Leesa Harrington-Squyres )after Doug Tull was found hanged in a jail cell in Austin, TX,) and record Son of Dead Man on Paradise Lost records. Josefus Webpage














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