Ambrosia is a musical group formed in the Los Angeles area during the early 1970s. Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pop music (disambiguation). ... David Pack was a co-founder and lead singer of the band Ambrosia. ... Joe Puerta is the bassist/vocalist and co-founder (along with David Pack) of the American rock group Ambrosia. ... A musical ensemble is, by definition, a group of three or more musicians who gather to perform music. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Angels Location Location within Los Angeles County in the state of California Coordinates , Government State County California Los Angeles County Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,290. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

Personnel

The core members of the band were:

• David Pack — guitar and lead vocals
• Joe Puerta — bass and vocals
• Christopher North — keyboards (primarily Hammond organ and Chamberlin)
• Burleigh Drummond — Drums and vocals

David Pack was a co-founder and lead singer of the band Ambrosia. ... Joe Puerta is the bassist/vocalist and co-founder (along with David Pack) of the American rock group Ambrosia. ... The Hammond organ is an electric organ which was invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company until the 1970s. ... The Chamberlin is an electro-mechanical keyboard instrument related to the Mellotron. ...

Formation and inspiration

The members of Ambrosia decided on the moniker in 1970 since it connotes a vision of their music: all shades, textures, colors and styles. While many people are familiar with Ambrosia's radio hits of the 1970s, the songs on their five albums range from progressive to experimental. The band is as comfortable with ballads as they are with driving rock and roll. They can be meaningful or mischievous; however, the music is continuously copious and the harmonies are magnificently intermingled (Preston, n.d.).

The founding constituents of Ambrosia were reared in Southern California in the area known as The South Bay, later adopting San Pedro as their hometown. Their initial musical influences, like many of their generation, came from The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Ambrosia fused symphonic art rock with a slickly produced pop sound (J. Preston, n.d.). This article is about the region of Southern California. ... The South Bay and surrounding regions in Southern California The South Bay is a region in the southwest peninsula of Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... San Pedro is connected to Los Angeles by a thin strip of land called the Harbor Gateway which roughly follows the 110 freeway. ... The Beach Boys are an American rock and roll band. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ...

According to Preston (n.d.), an early incarnation of the band began to experiment with harmonies, which led to an infatuation with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. After the group attended a show at the Whiskey a Go-Go to see an unknown but highly recommended new band called King Crimson, their perception of music changed forever. Crosby, Stills, & Nash (sometimes known as Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young) is a pioneering folk rock/rock supergroup that formed out of the remnants of three 1960s bands the Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and the Hollies. ... This article is about the musical group. ...

The musicians, inspired by the progressive rock era, acquired a significant regional admiration for their inventive musicianship and skillful arranging. In 1971, Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor Zubin Mehta, who featured Ambrosia as part of a so-called All-American Dream Concert, discovered the group. However, it took them four additional years to obtain a recording contract (Ambrosia, 2005). For the Swedish political music movement, see progg. ... Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Orchestra at City Hall (Edmonton). ... Zubin Mehta (b. ...

The major influences on Ambrosia's music include: The Allman Brothers, The Sons of Champlin, Yes, The Who, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Traffic, Pink Floyd and later Genesis and Gentle Giant. On an individual basis, David Pack always loved Motown and this is evident in his singing and song writing; Christopher North was classically trained; however, loves jazz and the blues; Burleigh Drummond had early training in stage acting; and Joe Puerta liked anything that had a tone (Preston, n.d.). The Allman Brothers Band is a pioneering and innovative Southern rock group from Macon, Georgia originally popular in the 1970s, described by Rolling Stones George Kimball in 1971 as the best . ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Who are a British rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... ELP can also stand for Extra Long Play, a format for the VCR tape. ... Traffic was a rock band from Birmingham, England, formed in late 1966 by Steve Winwood with Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and Dave Mason. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... Genesis is an English rock band formed in 1967. ... Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band, one of the most experimental of the 1970s. ... Motown Records, Inc. ... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... Blues is a vocal and instrumental musical form which evolved from African American spirituals, shouts, work songs and chants and has its earliest stylistic roots in West Africa. ...

1970s

The first album, Ambrosia, was released in 1975. It spawned the chart singles Holdin' on to Yesterday as well as the FM classic Nice, Nice, Very Nice. The latter was based on Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s Cat's Cradle. The album was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Engineered Recording (other than Classical). According to Preston (n.d.), a little known fact is Ambrosia's connection with The Alan Parsons Project. Alan Parsons was the engineer for Ambrosia's first album and the producer for their second. All four members of Ambrosia played on the first Alan Parsons Project album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, which was recorded soon after Ambrosia's first album. David Pack appears on the Alan Parsons Project album Try Anything Once (1993), co-writing, playing and providing vocals on two songs. The abbreviations FM, Fm, and fm may refer to: Electrical engineering Frequency modulation (FM) and its most common applications: FM broadcasting, used primarily to broadcast music and speech at VHF frequencies FM synthesis, a sound-generation technique popularized by early digital synthesizers Science Femtometre (fm), an SI measure of length... Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. ... For the string game, see Cats cradle. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the collective named The Alan Parsons Project. ... Alan Parsons (b. ... Tales of Mystery and Imagination is a progressive rock album by The Alan Parsons Project, released in 1976 (see 1976 in music). ... Try Anything Once is the first solo album created by Alan Parsons following the split of The Alan Parsons Project. ...

After lengthy touring, the band returned in 1976 with Somewhere I've Never Traveled, continuing in the progressive rock style. The Album yielded the title song, which quickly became an FM favorite and featured lush orchestration and vocal arrangements. The record sleeve folded into a large pyramid, tapping into a fad belief in mystical pyramid power. Both Ambrosia and Somewhere I've Never Traveled received Grammy nominations, and set the stage for the band's signing to Warner Bros. Records (Ambrosia, 1975). The term pyramid power was coined by Gillis Patrick Flanagan in 1973, to describe alleged supernatural properties of the ancient Egyptian Great Pyramid and scale models thereof. ... Warner Bros. ...

Additionally in 1976, the group participated in a variety of projects. They covered the Beatles song Magical Mystery Tour for the transitory musical documentary All This and World War II. The film's soundtrack consisted of different groups providing arrangements of Beatles songs. Their version of Magical Mystery Tour scored a top 40 hit and has since been very popular in their live shows (Huey, 2006). The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 as part of their first tour of the United States, promoting their first hit single there, I Want To Hold Your Hand. ... Magical Mystery Tour is an album by British rock band The Beatles, first released in late November 1967. ... All This and World War II (1976) is a musical documentary. ... Magical Mystery Tour is an album by British rock band The Beatles, first released in late November 1967. ...

In 1978 Life Beyond LA was released; Ambrosia's third album. It marked a bit of a move away from their progressive rock style and the lush arrangements and introduced a more Pop/Jazz influence. Christopher North, not happy with the change, left the group in 1977 during the album's recording. 1978 marked their biggest Pop breakthrough, scoring their first gold CHR hit, with How Much I Feel from the album. Extensive touring with Fleetwood Mac , Heart and the Doobie Brothers, in addition to major headlining shows, cemented Ambrosia's reputation as a stellar live act (Sonboleh, 2002). For the '78 tour, North returned and the group added a second keyboardist, David Cutler-Lewis as well as an additional singer Royce Jones (ex Steely Dan) who joined in December 1978. This article is about the band. ... The heart and lungs, from an older edition of Grays Anatomy. ... The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band, best known for hit singles like Black Water. They were popular throughout the 1970s. ...

1980s & Beyond

In 1980, Warner Bros. released One Eighty, a smash LP that produced two of the year's biggest hits, "You're the Only Woman", reaching number thirteen, and "Biggest Part of Me", which reached number three. This album featured the two new members, Lewis & Jones, although Lewis had contributed keyboard work on the Life Beyond LA album. The LP earned the band three Grammy nominations, including Best Pop Vocal Group. A headlining world tour soon followed. One of the biggest honors bestowed upon the band was Quincy Jones' declaration that "Biggest Part of Me" was one of his all time favorite songs. The title of the album, One Eighty was believed by fans to signal the group's 180-degree change in direction (Sonboleh, 2002). In actuality, it was so named because it was recorded in January of 1980 (1/80). They dedicated one of their songs to Sandie Clark, a mysterious woman as yet unknown. This article is about the producer and songwriter. ...

In 1981, they performed the song "Poor Rich Boy" (written by Burt Bacharach) to the soundtrack of the movie Arthur, starring Dudley Moore, Liza Minnelli, and John Gielgud. This biographical article needs additional references for verification. ... Look up Arthur in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Dudley Stuart John Moore, CBE (April 19, 1935 – March 27, 2002), was an Academy-Award nominated British comedian, actor and musician. ... Liza Minnelli (born March 12, 1946 in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress and singer. ... Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH (14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000), known as Sir John Gielgud, was an English theatre and film actor. ...

In 1982 Lewis briefly left the group to be replaced temporarily by one Bruce Hornsby four years before his own rise to stardom. The same year, Ambrosia released their fifth and last album, Road Island, their first effort done without the assistance of Freddie Piro's production company. From the cover illustration of Ralph Steadman, the popular artist who illustrated Hunter S. Thompson's books, to the production of James Guthrie, to the album's dark central themes, Road Island was a conceptual, adventurous work of art that brought forward Ambrosia's exceptional talents. It also marked the end of an era for the band. Critics and fans alike poorly received it and in the wake of the album's disappointing performance, the band broke up, ending their run of chart success (Sonboleh, 2002). Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954 in Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American singer, pianist, accordion player, and songwriter. ... Ralph Steadman (born Wallasey, May 15, 1936) is a British cartoonist and caricaturist. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... James Guthrie is a British record producer best known for his work with the band Pink Floyd. ...

After Ambrosia, David Pack pursued a solo career and produced or worked with many top artists. Pack's 1985 solo album "Anywhere You Go" spawned the song "Prove Me Wrong" which also appeared on the soundtrack of the 1985 film White Nights starring Gregory Hines & Mikhail Baryshnikov. Joe Puerta was a founding member of Bruce Hornsby and the Range. The White Nights are a short late Spring and early Summer period in high latitude areas in the few weeks around the Summer solstice in June. ... Gregory Hines (February 14, 1946 – August 9, 2003) was a Tony Award-winning American actor, singer, dancer, and choreographer. ... For the Russian athlete, see Aleksandr Baryshnikov. ... Bruce Randall Hornsby (born November 23, 1954 in Williamsburg, Virginia) is an American singer, pianist, accordian player, and songwriter, best known for his signature song The Way It Is. Hornsby grew up listening to all types of music. ...

In 1989, Ambrosia reunited with all four original members and began playing live shows again, mostly on the West Coast. They expanded their ranks once again at this time by adding additional members: Tollak Ollestad (vocals, keyboards, harmonica) and Shem Von Schroeck (vocals, percussion, bass, guitar).

In 1995 the band began to expand their annual touring schedule. Pack had a conflict and John DeFaria filled in for him. Bernie Chiaravalle stepped in the summer of 1997 and Mike Kenneally did the honors in 1998 & 2000 for the concerts Pack was not able to play. Brian Stiemke subbed for an ill Drummond for a few shows in 1997. In 2001 when Pack's schedule grew way too busy, he was forced to bow out altogether and was replaced by Doug Jackson who had filled in for him for some shows the previous year. Shem had scheduling conflicts himself and Ricky Cosentino filled in for him in 1998 & 2000. Shem then left in 2003 to join Kenny Loggins ' band. Robert Berry (vocals, guitars) , formerly of 3 and GTR , joined in 2004 and Ken Stacey jumped in in 2005 before Shem returned in 2007. Tollak Ollestad split in 2005 to concentrate on a solo career paving the way for David Cutler-Lewis' return. Bernie Chiaravalle is the guitarist for singer Michael McDonald and has also been a songwriting partner with McDonald since the late 1980s. ... Douglas Jackson can refer to: Douglas S. Jackson, Tennessee politician Douglas N. Jackson, Canadian psychologist Douglas Jackson (businessman), USA based co-founder of e-gold Category: ... Kenny Loggins (born Kenneth Clark Loggins on January 7, 1948 in Everett, Washington) is an American singer and songwriter best known for a number of soft rock and adult contemporary hit singles beginning in the 1970s. ... Robert Berry, also known as Rob Berry, is a pianist and songwriter living in London who specialises in providing high class background music, through renditions of 1940s standards, jazz and other more recent popular classics. ... For other uses, see 3 (disambiguation). ... GTR, a TLA, can refer to: Gran Turismo Racer, Gran Tourer Racing or similar, used on sports cars such as Ultima GTR and Nissan Skyline GT-R. GTR - FIA GT Racing Game - FIA GT Racing Game, which is developed by Simbin. ... Ken Stacey(born in Los Angeles, California) is a session vocalist and backing vocalist. ...

In 1997, Warner Bros. released Ambrosia's long awaited greatest hits CD, Anthology, an album that spanned the group's entire career and included three new tracks. In addition to Anthology, the entire Ambrosia catalog has been re-mastered and released on CD for the first time. The Year 2000 marked the 30th anniversary of Ambrosia, and the band celebrated with a very busy touring schedule that reaped box office success (Ambrosia, 2005).

In 2002 the band released a live album, Live At The Galaxy, and a best-of album with the tracks remastered, titled The Essentials, which includes a broad spectrum of their music. In 2004, they released yet another best-of album titled How Much I Feel And Other Hits, which contains mainly ballads. There have been no new albums since 1982, but they have written and performed new material, so a CD of all-new songs is a possibility (Preston, n.d.). The band has recently been talking about doing another album of original music; In the meantime, David Pack recently released a solo project which features collaborations with Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles and former Journey vocalist Steve Perry, among others. Timothy Bruce Schmit (born October 30, 1947, in Oakland, California) is an American bass guitar player and singer best known as a member of Poco and the Eagles. ... Eagles redirects here. ... Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco, California. ... Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey. ...

Discography

It has been suggested that this section be split into a new article. (Discuss)

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

Ambrosia (1975)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "Nice, Nice, Very Nice"
• "Time Waits for No One"
• "Holdin' on to Yesterday"
• "World Leave me Alone"
• "Make Us All Aware"
• "Lover Arrive"
• "Mama Frog"
• "Drink of Water"

Somewhere I've Never Travelled (1976)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "And... Somewhere I've Never Traveled"
• "Cowboy Star"
• "Runnin' Away"
• "Harvey"
• "I Wanna Know"
• "The Brunt"
• "Danse with me George (Chopin's Plea)"
• "Can't Let a Woman"
• "We Need You Too"

Life Beyond L.A. (1978)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "Life Beyond L.A."
• "Art Beware"
• "Apothecary"
• "If Heaven Could Find Me"
• "How Much I Feel"
• "Dancin' By Myself"
• "Angola"
• "Heart to Heart"
• "Not as You Were"
• "Ready for Camarillo"

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

One Eighty (1980)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "Ready"
• "Shape I'm In"
• "Kamikaze"
• "You're the Only Woman"
• "Rock N' A Hard Place"
• "Livin' On My Own"
• "Cryin' In The Rain"
• "No Big Deal"
• "Biggest Part Of Me"

Inside Moves Soundtrack (1980)

• "Outside"

Road Island (1982)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "For Openers (Welcome Home)"
• "Still Not Satisfied"
• "Kid No More"
• "Feelin' Alive Again"
• "How Can You Love Me"
• "Fool Like Me"
• "Ice Age"
• "Endings"

Anthology (1997)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "Mama Don't Understand"
• "Biggest Part Of Me"
• "You're The Only Woman"
• "Nice, Nice, Very Nice"
• "Life Beyond L.A."
• "Livin' On My Own"
• "Holdin' On To Yesterday"
• "Angola"
• "How Much I Feel"
• "Time Waits For No One"
• "I Just Can't Let Go"
• "Heart To Heart"
• "And...Somewhere I've Never Travelled"
• "Sky Is Falling"
• "Still Not Satisfied"
• "Star"

Live At The Galaxy (2002)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "Nice, Nice, Very Nice"
• "Livin' On My Own"
• "You're The Only Woman"
• "Mama Don't Understand"
• "And...Somewhere I've Never Travelled"
• "In My Life"
• "Time Waits For No One"
• "How Much I Feel"
• "Magical Mystery Tour"
• "Drink of Water"
• "Holdin' On To Yesterday"
• "Biggest Part Of Me"

Essentials (2002)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "Nice, Nice, Very Nice"
• "Holdin' On To Yesterday"
• "And...Somewhere I've Never Travelled"
• "How Much I Feel"
• "Biggest Part Of Me"
• "You're The Only Woman"
• "How Can You Love Me"
• "Life Beyond L.A."
• "For Openers (Welcome Home)"
• "Cryin' In The Rain"
• "Time Waits For No One"
• "We Need You Too"

How Much I Feel and Other Hits (2003)

_{Featuring the songs:}

• "How Much I Feel"
• "How Can You Love Me"
• "Livin' On My Own"
• "Heart To Heart"
• "Sky Is Falling"
• "You're The Only Woman"
• "I Just Can't Let Go"
• "Angola"
• "Mama Don't Understand"
• "Holdin' On To Yesterday"

References

• Ambrosia discography, MP3 and reviews. (2005). Retrieved September 7, 2006, Prog archives Web site: http://www.progarchives.com/Progressive_rock_discography_BAND.asp?band_id=899
• Huey, S. (2006). Retrieved September 6, 2006, from Ambrosia biography on Yahoo! music Web site: http://launch.yahoo.com/ar-314313-bio--Ambrosia
• Preston, J. (n.d.). The Ambrosia page. Retrieved September 7, 2006, from Inertron Web site: http://www.inertron.com/ambrosia/ambrosiapage.html
• Sonboleh, R. (2002). Earthtone music, Ambrosia. Retrieved September 8, 2006, from Earthtone music Web site: http://www.earthtone-music.com/amb.htm

External links

• Ambrosia