The 13th Floor Elevators was a psychedelic rock music group founded in Austin, Texas in late 1965. Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas, the seat of Travis County. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs; especially LSD.[1] by using lyrics that describe dreams and refer to drug use using bizarre sounds created by altering the instruments and vocals with electronic effects such as heavy distortion... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Also: 1969 (Stargate SG-1) episode. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... International Artists (IA) was an independent record label based in Houston, Texas that existed from 1965 to 1970. ... Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. ... Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. ... Daniel DeWitt Thomas, born in Coral Gables, Florida. ... Powell St John was a well-known figure on the mid-1960s Austin, Texas campus folk/bohemian music scene. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Austin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas, the seat of Travis County. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ...

The band found only limited commercial success before dissolving amid legal troubles and drug use. However, as one of the first psychedelic bands, they have been cited as an influential protopunk group.^{[citation needed]} Their biggest hit "You're Gonna Miss Me", a Billboard #55 hit in 1966, was featured on the 1972 compilation Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968, which was later to be considered a landmark in the history of garage rock and the development of punk rock.^{[citation needed]} Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs; especially LSD.[1] by using lyrics that describe dreams and refer to drug use using bizarre sounds created by altering the instruments and vocals with electronic effects such as heavy distortion... Protopunk is a term used to describe a number of performers who were important precursors of punk rock, or who have been cited by early punk rockers as influential. ... Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era is a compilation album of garage rock from the mid- to late 1960s, assembled by Jac Holzman, founder of Elektra Records. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

The band's classic line-up was singer/guitarist Roky Erickson, electric jug player Tommy Hall, guitarist Stacy Sutherland, drummer John Ike Walton and bass player Ronnie Leatherman, with several other irregular contributors and sessions musicians. Erickson and Hall were the band's primary songwriters, but most band members submitted material from time to time. The "electric jug" sound would become the band's signature and trademark. In July 1967, Walton and Leatherman left the band and were replaced by Danny Thomas (drums) and Dan Galindo (bass guitar). With this new line up, the Elevators recorded their second album "Easter Everywhere" (with the exception of two songs "She Lives" and "Levitation") which was considered to be the band's superlative effort by most critics. Ronnie Leatherman later returned for the fourth and final album, "Bull of the Woods". Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. ... The jug as a musical instrument reached its height of popularity in the 1920s, when jug bands, such as Cannons Jug Stompers were popular. ...

Members

• Roky Erickson, vocals, guitar, lead songwriter
• Tommy Hall, electric jug player, occasional guitarist, songwriter
• Stacy Sutherland (May 28, 1946 - August 24, 1978), lead guitarist (previously member of The Lingsmen)
• Benny Thurman, bassist (1965-August 1966)
• Ronnie Leatherman, bassist (August 1966 - July 1967)
• John Ike Walton (b. November 27, 1942), drums (1965-July 1967)
• Danny Thomas, drums and backing vocals (July 1967-)
• Danny Galindo (June 29, 1949 - May 17, 2001), bass (July 1967-) (previously member of The Concentric Excentrics)
• Powell St. John (b. 1940) member of The Conqueroo who occasionally contributed lyrics ("Slide Machine", "You Don't Know", "Monkey Island", "You Gotta Take That Girl", "Kingdom of Heaven")
• Clementine Hall, wife of Tommy Hall, song-writing contributions

Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. ... A jug band is a band employing a jug player and a mix of traditional and home-made instruments. ... May 28 is the 148th day of the year (149th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 236th day of the year (237th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 331st day of the year (332nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Daniel DeWitt Thomas, born in Coral Gables, Florida. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Powell St John was a well-known figure on the mid-1960s Austin, Texas campus folk/bohemian music scene. ...

Name

The band's name is a play on the superstitions that lead to many tall buildings not having a 13th floor, and the fact that the letter "M" (for marijuana) is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet.^{[citation needed]} According to Walton, he suggested the name "Elevators" and Clementine Hall came back with the group's full name the next morning.^[1] Cannabis, known as marijuana[1] or ganja[2] in its herbal form and hashish in its resinous form,[3] is a psychoactive product of the plant Cannabis sativa L. subsp. ...

History

The band emerged from the Austin psychedelic scene in 1965, where it was contemporary to bands such as Shiva's Headband and The Conqueroo. The band rose from previous incarnations known as The Spades and The Lingsmen. Shivas Headband, Take Me To the Mountains Shiva’s Headband, an early Texas psychedelic rock band, formed in Austin in 1967. ...

Throughout the spring of 1966, the group toured extensively in Texas, playing clubs in Austin, Dallas, and Houston. They also played on live teen dance shows on television, such as Sumpin Else, in Dallas, and The Larry Kane Show in Houston. In late summer 1966 the Elevators toured the west coast, made two nationally televised appearances, and played several dates at the San Francisco ballrooms The Fillmore and The Avalon. “Dallas” redirects here. ... “Houston” redirects here. ... San Francisco redirects here. ... The Fillmore (also known as the Fillmore Auditorium or, for several years, The Elite Club), is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by Bill Graham (1931–1991). ... The Avalon Ballroom was founded by Chet Helms and The Family Dog in 1966. ...

The International Artists record label in Houston, also home to contemporary Texas underground groups such as Red Krayola and Bubble Puppy, signed the Elevators to a record contract and released the album The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators in the latter part of 1966, which became instantly popular among the burgeoning counterculture.^{[citation needed]} The album's sleevenotes, which advocated LSD as a guaranteed gateway to a higher state of consciousness, attracted some controversy. International Artists (IA) was an independent record label based in Houston, Texas that existed from 1965 to 1970. ... The Red Crayola was a psychedelic, avant-garde rock band from Austin, Texas in the late 1960s made up of art students and led by singer/guitarist and visual artist Mayo Thompson. ... Bubble Puppy was a Texan psychedelic rock band, formed in 1964 in Austin, Texas by Rod Prince and Roy Cox. ... The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is a 1966 album by 13th Floor Elevators. ... In sociology, counterculture is a term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. ... Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ...

Over the next few months the band shared bills with Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Great Society, and The Byrds in San Francisco and in 1967 released a concept album, Easter Everywhere, also released by International Artists. This record featured a version of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", a version Dylan is rumored to have called his favorite.^{[citation needed]} Shortly before the release of Easter Everywhere, Leatherman and Walton left the band because of managerial disagreements with the band's label, as well as non-payment of royalties.^[1] As a result of this, Walton was not credited in the Easter Everywhere sleevenotes, despite appearing on "Levitation" and "She Lives". Quicksilver Messenger Service was one of San Franciscos original psychedelic bands of the late 1960s. ... The Great Society was a 1960s San Francisco rock band in the burgeoning Haight Ashbury folk-psychedelic style pervasive during the time of its existence, 1965 to 1966. ... The Byrds (formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964) were an American rock band. ... Easter Everywhere (1967) is the second album from the Texas Psychedelic Rock band 13th Floor Elevators. ... This article is about the recording artist. ... Its All Over Now, Baby Blue is a song by Bob Dylan. ... Easter Everywhere (1967) is the second album from the Texas Psychedelic Rock band 13th Floor Elevators. ...

Singer Janis Joplin was a close associate of the band. She sang with the band at a few shows, and considered joining the group in Austin,^[2] before she headed to San Francisco and joined Big Brother and the Holding Company. Janis Lyn Joplin (Born January 19, 1943- October 4, 1970 was an influential singer, songwriter, and music arranger. ... Big Brother and the Holding Company is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1965 as part of the psychedelic music scene that also produced the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. ...

Drug and legal problems resulted in turmoil for the band.^{[citation needed]} In 1969, facing a marijuana possession charge, Erickson chose to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital rather than serve a prison term, signaling the end of the band's career.^{[citation needed]} A psychiatric hospital (also called, at various places and times, mental hospital or mental ward, historically often asylum, lunatic asylum, or madhouse), is a hospital specialising in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ...

Music

During the initial months of their existence as a band, the electric guitars used both by Roky Erickson and Stacy Sutherland were Gibson ES-335's. Sutherland's pioneering use of reverb and echo, and bluesy, acid-drenched guitar influenced such bands as The Allman Brothers Band and ZZ Top. According to Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top in an article that originally appeared in Vintage Guitar magazine, the guitars were run through "Black-Face" Twin Reverbs with both guitarists using external Fender "tank" reverb units and Gibson "Maestro" Fuzz-tones as distortion devices.^{[citation needed]} The Gibson ES-335 was the worlds first commercial semi-hollowbody electric guitar, released by Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1958. ... This article is about audio effect. ... “Blues music” redirects here. ... For psychedelics, see psychedelic drug. ... The Allman Brothers Band is a band from Macon, Georgia, labeled by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the principal architects of Southern rock. ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... It has been suggested that Fender Amplifier History be merged into this article or section. ...

The lasting trademark of The Elevators' sound came from Tommy Hall's innovative electric jug. The jug, a crock-jug with a microphone held up to it while it was being blown, sounded somewhat like a cross between a minimoog and cuica drum. The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by David van Koevering and Robert Moog. ... Cuíca is a Brazilian friction drum often used in Samba music. ...

Post-Elevators careers

After Erickson pleaded insanity in response to drugs charges, he was committed to a mental hospital^{[citation needed]}, and the rest of the band dissolved to join many different bands throughout the 1970s.

Benny Thurman joined a string of other bands, most notably Mother Earth, with Powell St. John. Powell St John was a well-known figure on the mid-1960s Austin, Texas campus folk/bohemian music scene. ...

Stacy Sutherland formed his own band, Ice, which performed only in Houston and never released any material. After a battle with heroin addiction, Sutherland was shot to death by his wife Bunny in 1978, and is buried in Center Point, Texas^{[citation needed]}. Center Point is an unincorporated community in Kerr County, Texas (USA). ...

Dan Galindo played bass with Jimmie Vaughan's (Stevie Ray's older brother) band Storm in Austin, Texas during the 1970s. He died in 2001 from complications of hepatitis C. Jimmie Vaughan (born in March 21, 1951 in Dallas, Texas) is an American blues guitarist and singer. ...

Danny Thomas owned his own delivery company called Gophers Inc. Prior to that he worked at Carolinas Medical Center (formerly Charlotte Memorial Hospital). He is now retired, but still enjoys many hobbies including buying and selling antiques and growing vegetables. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife, Juanette. They have two grown daughters, Christina Mason and Tiffany Johnson, and a son, Jason Brock. Danny is a vegetarian and humanitarian.^{[citation needed]} “Charlotte” redirects here. ...

Erickson was released from hospital in 1975 and embarked upon a solo career, working with Stu Cook from Creedence Clearwater Revival. However, his solo career was blighted by a continual struggle with mental illness and was never successful, resulting in Erickson withdrawing from public life for many years. However, in the 2000s he has re-emerged with a new band, The Explosives, playing the regular gigs including the Austin City Limits festival in September 2005, as well as Coachella in California, Hultsfred Festival in Sweden and Montreal World Film festival in Canada. Stu Cook played bass guitar in the American rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival. ... Creedence Clearwater Revival (commonly referred to by its initials CCR or simply as Creedence) was a southern rock American rock band, which consisted of John Fogerty (vocals, guitar, harmonica, piano), Tom Fogerty (guitar, vocals, piano), Stu Cook (bass guitar, vocals), and Doug Clifford (drums, percussion, vocals). ... The 2000s are the current decade, spanning from 2000 to 2009. ... Roky Ericksons backing band in the 1980s, most notably freddie krc on drums. ... Stevie Ray Vaughan performing on Austin City Limits. ...

Tommy Hall currently lives in a run-down San Francisco residence hotel. His crowded room is decorated with cobwebs and Sixties posters and is stacked to the ceiling with cassettes and videotapes, without a CD in sight. His ex-wife Clementine keeps in contact and visits him regularly.^[3]

Various Elevators tribute bands exist, such as Tantric Sons, featuring John Walton and Ronnie Leatherman, and a band called The Tommy Hall Schedule. Erickson's youngest brother Sumner Erickson covers many Elevators songs with his band The Texcentrics.

Legacy

Today, the 13th Floor Elevators continues to influence new generations of musicians. In 1990, 21 contemporary bands — including R.E.M., ZZ Top, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Primal Scream — recorded covers of Elevators songs on the tribute recording, Where the Pyramid Meets the Eye: A Tribute to Roky Erickson. In 2005, a panel at the SXSW music festival discussed the music of the Elevators and Powell St. John, one of the Elevators' songwriters. R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Michael Stipe (vocals). ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band that revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. ... For other uses, see Primal Scream (disambiguation). ... Downtown Austin, Texas, where SXSW is held each spring Bloc Party performing at Stubbs BBQ in 2007 Carrie Rodriguez, a SXSW 2007 performer Morrissey at SXSW 2006 South by Southwest (SXSW) is a set of interactive, film, and music festivals and conferences that have taken place every spring in... Powell St John was a well-known figure on the mid-1960s Austin, Texas campus folk/bohemian music scene. ...

Seminal 1980s drone/space-rock band Spacemen 3 were hugely influenced by the 13th Floor Elevators, covering Roller Coaster for debut album Sound of Confusion and May the Circle Be Unbroken for third album Playing With Fire. Spacemen 3 were an English rock band who formed in 1982 and whose career spanned from the post-punk to Acid House eras. ...

In the 2000 movie High Fidelity, "You're Gonna Miss Me" was used in the opening scene and is the first song on the movie soundtrack. The year 2000 in film involved some significant events. ... High Fidelity is also the title of a book by Nick Hornby and a film directed by Stephen Frears, based upon Hornbys book. ...

In 2006, Dell Computers used "You're Gonna Miss Me" in one of their ads for their XPS laptop. Dell, Inc. ...

Discography

Cover of The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators

Image File history File links 13th_Floor_Elevators-The_Psychedelic_Sounds_of_the_13th_Floor_Elevators_(album_cover). ... Image File history File links 13th_Floor_Elevators-The_Psychedelic_Sounds_of_the_13th_Floor_Elevators_(album_cover). ...

Albums

• The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators (1966)
• Easter Everywhere (1967)
• Live (1968)
• Bull of the Woods (1968)

The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is a 1966 album by 13th Floor Elevators. ... Easter Everywhere (1967) is the second album from the Texas Psychedelic Rock band 13th Floor Elevators. ... Bull Of The Woods was the 13th Floor Elevators last album on which they worked as a group, and despite the near absence of Roky Erickson (his appearance here marked by a mere four out of eleven songs), it is a remarkable album for its moody, dreamy, fuzzed-out psychedelic...

Box Sets

• The Psychedelic World Of The 13th Floor Elevators (2002)

The Psychedelic World Of The 13th Floor Elevators is a 3 disc box set. ...

Compilations

• The Very Best Of The 13th Floor Elevators Going Up (2004)

The Very Best Of The 13th Floor Elevators Going Up is a 2004 compilation. ...

Charting singles

• "You're Gonna Miss Me" (August 1966) - #55 Billboard, #50 Cash Box
• "Reverberation (Doubt)" (November 1966) - #129 Billboard's Bubbling Under

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Moser, Margaret. "John Ike Walton", The Austin Chronicle, 2004-08-20. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. 
2. ^ Vorda, Allen (1994). Psychedelic Psounds: Interviews from A to Z with 60s Psychedelic and Garage Bands. Borderline Productions. ISBN 0-9512875-9-1. 
3. ^ Trybyszewski, Joe. "Where the Pyramid Meets the High", The Austin Chronicle, 2004-08-13. Retrieved on 2007-07-30. 

4. Eye Mind: The Saga of Roky Erickson and The 13th Floor Elevators by Paul Drummond, foreword by Julian Cope (Process Media, December 2007) The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 211th day of the year (212th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Texas Psychedelic Ranch: 13th Floor Elevators, Roky Erickson, Golden Dawn, Bubble Puppy, more...
• A QUEST FOR PURE SANITY - THE PSYCHEDELIC POETRY OF TOMMY HALL
• http://www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/elevFAQ.htm
• 13th Floor Elevators History Interview
• 13th Floor Elevators at MusicBrainz
• Roky Erickson's official site
• Life In The Elevators (Recollections of Danny Thomas of The 13th Floor Elevators chapters)
• Profile for Stacy Sutherland at Find A Grave