Grootna
Grootna
Rare & Collectible Vinyl Records

Sealed 1971 Original, Tiny Cut Corner. Produced By Marty Balin. Richard Sussman, Piano; Anna Rizzo, Vocals, Lead Finger; Vic Smith (Vic's Myth), Lead And Bottleneck Guitar, Vocals; Dewey De Grease, Drums, Vocals; Kelly Bryan, Bass; Slim Chance, Rhythm Guitar, Vocals. “It Isn't Hard To Hear What Got Grootna, A Sextet From Berkeley, CA, A Management Deal With Entrepreneur Bill Graham And A Contract With Columbia Records Negotiated By Company President Clive Davis. Columbia Took A Major Hit In The Fall Of 1970 When Janis Joplin Died, Even Though Her Posthumously Released LP, Pearl, Became A Major Success. Joplin, Of Course, Had Emerged From The Bay Area Band Big Brother & The Holding Company, And Grootna Has Obvious Similarities To It. The Group Has A Loose, Eclectic Style Typical Of San Francisco-Associated Psychedelic Acts, With Tastes Of Rock, Blues, And Country Melded In A Sense Of Improvisation Heard In Lengthy Solos From Lead Guitarist Vic Smith And Pianist Richard Sussman. And, In Anna Rizzo, Who Sings Lead On Every Track Except "Road Fever," Grootna Has Its Own Joplin Clone. She Even Tackles A Bessie Smith Number, "Young Woman Blues," And A Song Written By Bob Neuwirth, Who Provided Joplin With "Mercedes Benz" On Pearl.” AMG - William Ruhlmann