With thanks to Luc and Jacques (my French Connection), I present you Ouray. Musically this reminded me at times of The Marshall Tucker Band and The Outlaws, though Ouray is not a copy of those bands. The band members are: Frank Pirrucello (vocals, guitar, piano), Bo Pirrucello (vocals, pedal and Leslie steel guitars, guitar), Tom Peters (vocals, bass), Hap Harriman (vocals, lead guitar) and Ted Rawlings (vocals, drums, percussion). The album was released on Taxi Records and produced by Ouray and Eddie Cherney. Other than this, I know nothing of this band, nor could I find anything on the web. I figure they might be from Colorado...
The production, I thought, is a little tinny, but the music well pleased me. As in, if you love Southern Rock, you won't go wrong here. I'll be posting their second album, "Motor Dream" from 1981, next month. If anyone knows a little more about this band, please fill me in. Chrome on the range?
19 comments:
What a surprise! A beautiful band I didn't know. I agree with you, Skydogg: MTB (precious steel guitar) and The Outlaws are on the air, but they remember me Navarro too, specially on clean electric guitars.
You can proove it here:
NAVARRO:"Listen" (1977)
http://lix.in/-4a52d9
NAVARRO: "Straight To The Heart" (1978)
http://lix.in/-4ee81a
I'm waiting for the nex month "Motor Dream"...and so many thanks
Salud,
Jenaclap
Thank you, Jenaclap
I bought this several years ago and wound up burning the fun "Too Tall to Boogie" to my iTunes before selling the album. I do believe the band was from Chicago, and a Google search should show some band members continuing to play music in that area.
Stumbled across this blog. I am Bo from Ouray. We were all from Chicago, played around the midwest and east for about 7 or 8 years. Some of us are still active, Ted is still playing with various bands in the area. Hap and I have been collaborating off and on for the past 15 years or so, Hap is based in Colorado now. I have a new band called Cal-Sag, booking is starting. Frank and Too Tall are retired from playing, but Frank has a thriving entertainment law practice. Motor Dream is a little different, but has some really good moments. Thanks for the positive words. Check out my guitar company www.hansonguitars.com. Former partner with Lakland basses, we are launching these new guitars this summer.
Hey Bo, great to hear from you. I'll be sure to mention your current activities and website in the next post. Thanks,
Harley
Such a great album, reminds me a little of Poco as well as MTB and Outlaws. Can't stop listening to it! Big thanks.
Thanks for your comments, Karen. More Joe Sun to follow. And be sure to check out Larry Jon Wilson as well.
Cheers,
Harley
These guys are from Chicago, at least Ted Rawlings is. In my now-incomprehensible youth, I saw this group perform most of "Chrome Dreams" at a bad imitation of a saloon in Evanston, IL in 1977. (Evanston is a suburb of Chicago.) I knew who drummer Ted Rawlings was - he has a rep for being the best drummer on the North Shore for several years - and had seen him play along with a fellow named Waldo Wallish in a two-drummer band that tried (sadly, unsuccessfully) to cover Frank Zappa. This was better, but a bit passe - Ouray was beaten to this punch by Heartsfield some five yeare before.
I'll throw this in - Tom Peters' nickname is "Too Tall" (it's indicated on the back fo "Chrome On The Range").
Hap from Ouray checking in here, nice to see a little blog about the band way back when. My memories are of a great little band for that time in Chicago, good tunes mostly composed and sung by Frank P, fun guitar work and interplay, strong harmonies and cool steel work by Bo P. For me personally it was a great opportunity to play some rippin' guitar, we had a strong following and played many many dates which made us tighter as we went along. Many many fond memories...
Hi Hap,
Great of you to stop by as well. Your music still lives on, as you can see. And thank you all for that.
Cheers,
Harley
just as I thought. Yankees. I won't be downloading this one. At least it is brown like that which it smells! Chicago is rank!
Can you re-up please Ouray "Chrome On The Range".Thanks in advance.
Thanks a lot for the discovery, Skydog's Elysium. This nice album that is very close to Poco is now in my home (i mean physically).
For those who are interested, it's still possible to find a copy sealed from this seller at a very reasonable price:
http://cgi.ebay.fr/1978-OURAY-CHROME-ON-THE-RANGE-COUNTRY-LP-SEALED-MINT-/120863484966?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item1c24066c26#ht_2065wt_778
I recommend the record and the seller.
Greetings from France!
Saw Ouray many, many times - favorite was them opening for Heartsfield at the Iron Rail - I later played with some of the guys from Heartsfield, so special memories of both. Great band, great tunes, I still have the album and a cassette of it somewhere. Besides being excellent musicians, Hap made the craziest faces when he played of anyone I've ever seen!
Wow. not sure what rock i've been under! Knew Mike (sound guy? Roadie?) H. as a teen.
I saw Ouray probably 30 or 30 times from about 1973 or 74 to 1976. A friend of mine was the drummer for the band prior to Ted Rawlings. In reply to Scot Hile, I'd mention that Ouray was performing these songs well before 1977 though, of course, many bands played in a similar genre. Anyway, Hap Harriman's style was unique and beautiful and I always enjoyed the guitar interactions. Amazing to find this, what ISN'T on the web???
Thanks for your comment, Rob ;-)
Early on ,Ouray was a regular house band at Poor Richards Pub(?) on the border of Skokie and Evanston . I loved to go there ,listen and dance . There was also a woman on violin who did some beautiful songs . I sure wish I could get these songs in a digital format . Good times !
I also saw Ouray at Poor Richards. A lot. The woman was called "Liz" and she played a great fiddle (not a violin).
I was a grad student at Northwestern after serving two years in the US Army. I did some of my best thinking for my thesis listening to them play while having a beer.
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