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NRBQ
Biography
NRBQ (the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet) have amassed a fanatical cult following over more than two decades of recording and touring with their incredibly versatile eclecticism; their music might veer from country to rockabilly to pop to bar-band R&B to blues to free jazz, all in the same album. The group's wacky, sometimes corny sense of humor and in-concert unpredictability (the band sometimes vows to play whatever song audience members request) have endeared them to fans, even if some find them a bit precious. The band was formed in Miami in 1967 by keyboardist Terry Adams, guitarist Steve Ferguson (both former members of the Louisville, Kentucky band Mersey Beats USA), singer Frank Gadler, drummer Tom Staley, and bassist/singer Joey Spampinato. After moving to New Jersey and playing clubs, NRBQ attracted immediate attention with their wide-ranging musicianship and were signed to Columbia. On their 1969 self-titled debut, the band covered rockabilly and Sun Ra on one record and pulled it off; not surprisingly, rave reviews followed. NRBQ followed it with Boppin' the Blues, a collaboration with rockabilly singer Carl Perkins; it too received critical praise, but Columbia was unhappy with the group's sales and dropped it.
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