BLOONTZ - SAME (USA HARD ROCK '73)

Based in Houston, Texas and originally known as The Bloontz All Star Blues Band, the group featured the talents of drummer Tony Braunagel, singer Andy Chapman, lead guitarist David Kealey, keyboardist Mike Montgomery, and former Blackwell bassist Terry Wilson. They relocated to New York in 1972 and shortened their name to Bloontz, scoring a contract with the Evolution label. Produced by Ron Johnsen, 1973's cleverly-titled "Bloontz" wasn't half bad. Mind you, none of the nine tracks was going to win an award for originality, but in the AOR genre the songs (with three of the five members contributing material), were quite varied and the performances were virtually all enjoyable. As lead singer Chapman had a voice that was near perfect for album oriented rockers - tough, rugged, but quite commercial. Imagine Paul Rodgers had he been born and raised in Texas. The rest of the band were also quite good with guitarist Kealey deserving special notice for his tasteful solos. (RDTEN) Zenobia (choir), Tony Braunagel (drums), Andy Chapman (vocals), Jimmy Don (guitar), Margaret Dorn (choir), Mike Montgomery (keyboards), Terry Wilson (bass), Sharon Redd (choir), David L. Kealey (guitar), Steve Radney (guitar) and Lynda Lawley (choir)