Ever Heard Of


Picture credit: Randall Cates

The story of Gypsy actually begins with a popular Minneapolis/St Paul group called The Underbeats. During the years 1964 to 1968 The Underbeats were one of the hottest attractions in the Upper Midwest. This was the era that also spawned such teen phenoms as The Castaways, The Litter, The Trashmen and the Gestures.

The Underbeats scored several regional hits including "Footstompin (a cover of the Flames hit), "Annie Do The Dog" and "Book of Love". These 45's were released on now legendary Midwest labels like Soma and Garrett.

Two key changes were vital in the transformation that eventually produced Gypsy. The first was when singer/songwriter/guitarist Enrico (Rico) Rosenbaum joined founding members James Johnson( lead guitar), Doni Larson (bass) and Tom Nystrom (drums). The other occurred when Johnson was drafted into the service and James Walsh, who played keyboards on some of their recordings, joined the band on a permanent basis.

When Johnson was discharged in the summer of 1969, the group decided to make their run at the big time. James W., Rico, James J., Doni, Tom Nystrom and their manager Steve Freeman headed west on Highway 80 to seek fame and fortune in sunny California.

They holed up in a rented house in LA's San Fernando Valley while manager Freeman hit the street to promote the group. Things didn't happen overnight, but after a few inspired club dates, a buzz about the band started. Their big break came one night while playing at Gazzarri's on Hollywood's Sunset Strip.

At this time Chicago Transit Authority was the house band at the Whiskey A Go-Go. They had just released their first Columbia record. Looking for a replacement, Whiskey owner Elmer Valentine walked down the street to catch The Underbeats performing at Gazzarri's. Valentine liked what he saw and offered them the prestigious house band slot at the Whiskey.

"He made us an offer we couldn't refuse", recalls James Walsh, "The band would get paid scale and Elmer promised us we'd get fed everyday, which was a big concern of ours then. The Whiskey really was the hottest place in town at that time. Every night about 11:00pm, record people and music fans would pack the place. The exposure was invaluable. We were the house band for about 8 months. It was a great time."

It was during their stay at the Whiskey that the band decided a name change was in order. Several people told them that The Underbeats sounded a bit dated. Doni Larson came up with the new name and after a unanimous vote Gypsy was born.

It was also a time for major decisions as record offers began to present themselves. Bob Todd of ABC Dunhill brought the band in to see how they would perform under studio conditions. "We played them some of our original stuff and they weren't too knocked out," Walsh says. "They wanted us to try a song they liked called 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother'. We didn't want to do it, which obviously turned out to be a bad career move."

When all the smoke had cleared there were two firm offers to choose from Atlantic Records and Metromedia Records. "We were afraid of getting lost in the shuffle at a big company like Atlantic" remembers Walsh. "Artie Valando (president of Metromedia) was very high on the group. They had recently scored some big hits with Bobby Sherman and were looking for a rock group to add to their roster. Metromedia was a young upcoming label and we knew we'd get a lot of attention from them, which we did, but as it turned out they didn't really have the clout
to bring the record home when it started to happen."

The group virtually moved into Devonshire Studios and began to work on their debut album. By this time fellow Minnesotan Jay Epstein had replaced Tom Green on drums. The playing was all done live with very little support from outside musicians. Jimmie Haskell did string arrangements on six cuts and Preston Epps, of "Bongo Rock" fame, added percussion on a couple of tracks. One person who was a big influence in the recording was Julio Aiello, whom Metromedia assigned to supervise the sessions. Julio was a trained opera singer and proved to be a tremendous help with the vocal arrangements. Another interesting side note: There was a young person hanging around the studio, running errands and helping out. It was none other than Billy Joel.

"Metromedia really took care of us in the studio," continues Walsh. "We had all the best recording equipment available. We had to be one of the first rock groups to record on a 2" 16 track tape machine.


	The original plan was to record a single album but the creative juices kept flowing. Sessions were going so well that the band felt they needed to create a double album in order to capture all that was happening. This was at a time when the only other double album by a rock band was the Chicago Transit Authority debut. James and Rico convinced the Metromedia hierarchy that a double album was in order and got the budget increased to $45,000 (A lofty sum in 1970). The group also had a hand in designing their classic album cover. "We had seen the Gypsy drawing by Alfons Mucha and were convinced it would make a great album cover," Walsh recalls. "Metromedia came through and got the rights to use the artwork." The cover holds up today as a period piece of the era.
Picture credit: Randall Cates

Then the national touring started. "We went all over the country," Walsh says. "We headlined both Fillmores East and West. We played a big concert at Winterland in San Fran with The Chambers Bros, The Guess Who, and Mason Proffit. I remember playing the Atlanta Pop Festival. That was fabulous. A crowd of a couple hundred thousand. On the bill were Hendrix, Mountain and The Allman Bros to name a few."

In 1971 the group headed back to LA to record the all-important follow up album In The Garden. It as also at this time that some personnel changes took place in the band. Two more Minneapolis musicians replaced Larson and Epstein. Willie Weeks took over the bass duties and stayed with the band about a year. He later went on to play tons of session work as well as stints with Donny Hathaway and Doobie Bros. Texan Randy Cates joined the band and handled the bass chores when Willie left. Bill Lordan became the new drummer.

Gypsy music is available online at Amazon, CD Now, Discconnection.com

As with the first album the group handled all the playing (except orchestra) at the recording sessions with the exception of Joe Lala who was enlisted to play congas. Clark Burroughs, a former member of the The Hi-Lo's singing group, was brought in to produce In The Garden.

"We recorded In The Garden at Larrabee Sound," Walsh reminisces. "We were happy with it even though we had less input than on the first album. In fact, the album was mixed while we were on tour with The Guess Who. Our timing was unfortunate as Metromedia was having financial problems and the album never took off."

In The Garden did appear on Billboard's album chart in spite of not producing a hit single. Fans treasured the album and today it is a much sought after collectors item.

A third album Antithesis and a fourth Unlock the Gates were recorded on RCA records. When RCA dropped them, it was the beginning of the end. Gypsy was gone by 1975. James Walsh brought back the Gypsy name in 1978 and also reformed the group several years ago with all new members. They played what was marketed as their last show on May 2, 2003.

Enrico Rosenbaum died in 1979. Bill Lordan went on to play with Sly and the Stone and a long successful run with Robin Trower. Bill is still playing and living in California. Willie Weeks is a in-demand studio player. Jim Johnson, Tom Nystrom, James Walsh and Doni Larson are back in Minnesota, still playing great music. Randy Cates moved to Texas and plays Christian rock.

Many thanks to Scott Q for making this feature possible.
For more on the Midwest music scene please visit www.midwesttribute.com