Randy Craig Wolfe
(February 20, 1951 – January 2, 1997),
known as
Randy California,
was an American
guitarist,
singer and songwriter,
and one of
the original members
of the rock group
Spirit,
formed in 1967.
Life and Career
California was born
Randy Craig Wolfe
to
Robert Wolfe
and
Bernice Wolfe
(née Pearl)
and grew up in a
musical Jewish family
in Los Angeles.
He spent his early years
studying varied styles
at the family's
Los Angeles folk club,
the Ash Grove,
which was founded by
his uncle,
Ed Pearl.
He was 15 years old
when his mother
and new stepfather,
Ed Cassidy
later to become a
founding member
of the band Spirit,
with Randy
moved to
New York City
in the summer of 1966
because Cassidy
had a number of
jazz gigs lined up.
It was there,
at Manny's Music,
that he met
Jimi Hendrix.
He played in
Hendrix's band
Jimmy James and the Blue Flames
that summer.
California,
Cassidy
and Pearl
lived in an apartment building
in Forest Hills,
Queens
called the Balfour,
whose other residents
included future
Steely Dan
co-founder
Walter Becker,
who cited California's
blues-based guitar style
as an influence
on his own playing.
The stage name
"Randy California"
was given to him
by Hendrix
to distinguish him
from another Randy
in the band,
Randy Palmer,
whom Hendrix dubbed
"Randy Texas".
When Hendrix
and California
were invited to come
to England
by Chas Chandler,
former bassist
of British Invasion band
the Animals
who became
Hendrix's manager
and producer
Randy's parents
refused to allow him to go,
insisting the
15-year-old
stay and finish
high school.
By some accounts,
Chandler wanted
Hendrix as the
only guitarist
for the band
and nixed
California's going
to England.
Together with Cassidy,
songwriter/front man
Jay Ferguson,
bassist
Mark Andes
with whom
California and Cassidy
had initially formed
a band called
the Red Roosters
and keyboardist
John Locke,
California founded
the band Spirit.
Their first,
self-titled album
was released in
January 1968,
a month before
California's
17th birthday.
He then wrote
the band's biggest hit,
1968's
"I Got a Line on You"
for Spirit's
second album,
The Family That Plays Together.
He also wrote the single
"1984",
inspired by
George Orwell's
novel of the same name.
Released in early 1970,
"the song was so
pointed against the
U.S. government
that it was banned
from many radio stations,
although it was a huge hit
in Germany."
In Canada
the song reached No. 66.
California also wrote
Spirit's other hit,
"Nature's Way",
for the band's
best-selling album,
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus.
Career
Spirit
was invited to open for
Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock.
However,
band manager/producer
Lou Adler
who had been one
of the founders
of the rock
festival movement
two years earlier,
as a partner
with
Mamas & Papas
frontman
John Phillips
in the
Monterey Pop Festival,
where Hendrix
premiered in the U.S.
opposed it
because the band
was busy promoting
their latest album,
Clear.
When Ferguson and Andes
left Spirit
to form
Jo Jo Gunne
due to the slow sales of
Sardonicus,
and then his
dear friend Hendrix died,
a depressed
California left Spirit.
He recorded
Kapt. Kopter & The Fabulous Twirly Birds,
which included
California and Cassidy's
version of
Paul Simon's
"Mother and Child Reunion"
plus a slew of
Hendrix-inspired tracks
also featuring
former Experience
bassist
Noel Redding,
AKA
'Clit McTorius'
In 1972
the album
was released at
virtually the
same moment as
Jo Jo Gunne's first,
eponymous album
that featured
"Run, Run Run"
and a Spirit album
called
Feedback
that was recorded by
Cassidy and Locke
(who were Spirit's jazz influences)
and guitarist/bassist
brother duo
Al and John Staehely,
who wrote and sang
most of the material
on the LP.
Kapt. Kopter
and the
(Fabulous)
Twirly Birds
is a 1972
studio album
by
Randy California.
Background
This album was recorded
and released
following
Randy California's
departure from
Spirit.
Originally the band
was named
"Helicopter"
and was billed
as that at
The Whisky a GoGo
for a show.
Randy California
met
DeeDee
the Whisky's secretary
opening day
who laughed
at the band's name.
He asked her what
she would call them
and her reply was
"Something memorable like
'Captain Copter & the Whirlybirds'!"
Randy loved it
and immediately changed
the band's name.
DeeDee
is credited on the album
for naming the band.
Spirit's fourth LP,
Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus,
reached the charts
but took an inordinate amount
of time to
time to receive attention
the album would
eventually be certified gold
by the RIAA in 1976
As a result,
Jay Ferguson
and
Mark Andes
departed Spirit
to form
Jo Jo Gunne
with Andes'
brother Matt
whose slide guitar work
had previously appeared in
"Prelude: Nothin' to Hide"
on the
Sardonicus album
and drummer
Curly Smith.
Following the departure of
Jay Ferguson
and Mark Andes
in early 1971,
Spirit recruited
John Arliss
(and later John Fine)
on bass
and resumed playing
live shows in
March 1971.
Randy California,
however,
was also growing
disenchanted in Spirit
and left the band
in July 1971,
along with bassist
John Fine.
They were replaced by
brothers Al
and John Staehely
(on bass and guitar, respectively),
and Spirit
went on to record
Feedback
without
Randy.
Randy spent much
of his time afterwards
in jam sessions
with various musicians
in Topanga Canyon clubs,
particularly a club known
as The Corral.
Some of the musicians
who appeared in
these jam sessions,
along with
Noel Redding
(under the pseudonym 'Clit McTorius'),
Leslie Sampson
the drummer
from Noel's band
Road,
under the pseudonym
'Henry Manchovitz'
and
Ed Cassidy
(as 'Cass Strange'),
would end up working
with Randy
when he started recording
solo material
in 1972.
The resulting album
featured numerous covers
of the works of
contemporary acts
such as
the Beatles
and
James Brown,
with less emphasis
upon original material
by Randy.
The album was also
heavily influenced by
the death of
Jimi Hendrix
in 1970,
who had been friends
with Randy
since they played together
in
Jimmy James
and the
Blue Flames
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