Roky Erickson
Roky Erickson performing at the 2007 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Background information
Birth name	Roger Kynard Erickson
Born	July 15, 1947 (1947-07-15) (age 60)
Origin	Dallas, Texas, USA
Genre(s)	Rock Psychedelic rock
Occupation(s)	Musician Singer-songwriter
Years active	1964–present
Label(s)	CBS Records Restless Records Pink Dust Records Five Hours Back Fan Club Sympathy for the Record Industry Triple X Records Emperor Jones Norton Records New Rose Records
Associated acts	13th Floor Elevators
Website	Official website

Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators and pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.^[1] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 399 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (533 × 800 pixel, file size: 83 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Nickname: Motto: Live Large. ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Restless Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label which was started by Enigma Records, but was acquired in 2001 by Rykodisc who were, in turn, acquired by the Warner Music Group in 2006. ... A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well known person, group, idea (such as history) or sometimes even an inanimate object (such as a famous building). ... Formed in 1988 by Record Industry Anti-Mogul, Long Gone John, Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as: Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 The R.I.) is mainly a Garage Rock and Indie Rock label. ... Emperor Jones is a small record label that has released albums by acts such as the American Analog Set. ... Norton Records, an independent New York City record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986, maintains a focus on retro rock, rockabilly, punk, garage rock, lounge music and R&B. Linna and Miller have successfully reissued many obscurities and classics from the 1950s and 1960s, and... The 13th Floor Elevators was a rock music group founded in Austin, Texas in late 1965. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ... Official language(s) No Official Language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... The 13th Floor Elevators was a rock music group founded in Austin, Texas in late 1965. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

One of rock and roll's most famous cult figures, Erickson is perhaps as well-known for his mental illness (and subsequent recovery) as for his musical talents. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Biography

Erickson was interested in music from his youth (he played piano from age 5 and took up guitar at 12). He attended school in Austin and dropped out of Travis High School in 1965, one month before graduating, rather then cut his hair to conform to the school dress code.^[2] His first notable group was The Spades, who scored a regional hit with "We Sell Soul." Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: , Country United States State Texas Counties Travis County Government  - Mayor Will Wynn Area  - City  296. ... William B. Travis High School is a high school located in south Austin, Texas, which is part of the Austin Independent School District. ...

Erickson co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators in late 1965. He was the chief songwriter along with Tommy Hall. (Janis Joplin considered joining the Elevators, but Family Dog's Chet Helms persuaded her to go to San Francisco, California instead.) The 13th Floor Elevators was a rock music group founded in Austin, Texas in late 1965. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion, because: If you disagree with its speedy deletion, please explain why on its talk page or at Wikipedia:Speedy deletions. ... Janis Lyn Joplin (19th January, 1943 – 4 October 1970) was an American blues-influenced rock singer and occasional songwriter with a distinctive voice. ... Chet Helms, or Chester Leo Helms, (August 2, 1942 to ~June 25, 2005), born in Santa Maria, California, was the eldest of three sons born to Chester and Novella Helms. ... Nickname: Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates: , Country United States of America State California City-County San Francisco Government  - Mayor Gavin Newsom Area  - City  47 sq mi (122 km²)  - Land  46. ...

In 1966 (Roky was 19 years old) the band released The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. Psychedelic Sounds had the band's only charting single, "You're Gonna Miss Me." The single remains probably Erickson's best-known work; critic Mark Deming writes that "If Roky Erickson had vanished from the face of the earth after the 13th Floor Elevators released their epochal debut single, 'You're Gonna Miss Me,' in early 1966, in all likelihood he'd still be regarded as a legend among garage rock fanatics for his primal vocal wailing and feral harmonica work."^[3] Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators is a 1966 album by 13th Floor Elevators. ... Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that enjoyed its original period of wide success in the United States and Canada, from 1963 to 1967. ...

In 1967, the band followed up with Easter Everywhere, perhaps the band's most focused effort, featuring the epic track "Slip Inside This House", and a cover of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue." Easter Everywhere (1967) is the second album from the Texas Psychedelic Rock band 13th Floor Elevators. ... Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, musician, and poet who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. ... Its All Over Now, Baby Blue is a song by Bob Dylan. ...

After the band's third album, Live, which featured audience applause dubbed over studio recordings of cover versions and older material, The 13th Floor Elevators released their fourth and final album Bull of the Woods in 1968. Due to Roky's health and legal problems, his contribution to the album is limited, with guitarist Stacy Sutherland taking more of a leading role.

In 1968, while doing a stint at Hemisfair, Erickson started speaking nonsense. He is diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and sent to a Houston psychiatric hospital, where he involuntarily received electroconvulsive therapy.^[4] HemisFair 68 was the first officially designated worlds fair (or international exposition) held in the Southwest United States. ... For other senses of this word, see paranoia (disambiguation). ... Schizophrenia (from the Greek word σχιζοφρένεια, or shjzofreneja, meaning split mind) is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a mental disorder characterized by impairments in the perception or expression of reality and by significant social or occupational dysfunction. ... Nickname: Location in the state of Texas Coordinates: Country United States State Texas Counties Harris County Fort Bend County Montgomery County Incorporated June 5, 1837 Government  - Mayor Bill White Area  - City  601. ... A psychiatric hospital (also called, at various places and times, mental hospital or mental ward), is a hospital specialising in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), also known as electroshock, is a controversial psychiatric treatment in which seizures are induced with electricity. ...

The Elevators were vocal proponents of LSD and marijuana use, and were subject to strong attention from police. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of one marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a ten year prison term, Erickson pled not guilty by reason of insanity, which proved to be a mistake. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escape attempts, he was sent to the Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, where he was subjected to more electroconvulsive therapy and Thorazine treatments and held until 1972. Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly called LSD, LSD-25, or acid. ... A Cannabis sativa plant The drug cannabis, also called marijuana, is produced from parts of the cannabis plant, primarily the cured flowers and gathered trichomes of the female plant. ... A Cannabis sativa plant The drug cannabis, also called marijuana, is produced from parts of the cannabis plant, primarily the cured flowers and gathered trichomes of the female plant. ... Austin State Hospital, formerly known as the State Lunatic Asylum, is the oldest mental institution in the state of Texas. ... Chlorpromazine was the first antipsychotic drug, used during the 1950s and 1960s. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

When released from the state hospital, Erickson's mental outlook had changed. In 1974, he formed a new band which he called Bleib Alien, Bleib being an anagram of Bible and/or German for Stay, and "Alien" being a pun on the German word "Allein" ("alone") - the phrase in German therefore being "Remain alone". His new band exchanged the psychedelic sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators for a more heavy metal sound that featured lyrics on old horror film and science fiction themes. "Red Temple Prayer (Two-Headed Dog)" (produced by The Sir Douglas Quintet's Doug Sahm) was released as a single. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This Gutenberg Bible is displayed by the United States Library. ... Heavy metal (sometimes referred to simply as metal) is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. ... 1922s Nosferatu Films from the horror genre are designed to elicit fright, fear, terror, disgust or horror from viewers. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Sir Douglas Quintet was a popular Rock and Roll group of the 1960s. ... Douglas Wayne Sahm (born November 6, 1941, San Antonio, Texas, died November 18, 1999, Taos, New Mexico) was a musician from Texas. ...

The new band renamed itself Roky Erickson and the Aliens. In 1979, Erickson recorded some of his new material with Stu Cook, formerly of Creedence Clearwater Revival. In 1981, Roky and the Aliens released The Evil One, an album of his material on horror movie themes. In 1982, Erickson asserted that a martian had inhabited his body. Stu Cook played bass guitar in the American rock band, Creedence Clearwater Revival. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... A Martian is a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. ...

Erickson was arrested in 1989 on charges of mail theft. Erickson picked up mail from neighbors who had moved and taped it to the walls of his room. He insisted that he never opened any of the mail, and the charges were ultimately dropped. It has been suggested that first class mail be merged into this article or section. ...

Several live albums of his older material have been released since then, and in 1990 Warner Brothers released a tribute album, Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye produced by WB executive Bill Bentley. It featured versions of Erickson's songs performed by The Jesus and Mary Chain, R.E.M., ZZ Top, Julian Cope, Bongwater, John Wesley Harding, Doug Sahm and Primal Scream. (ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons was inspired by the Elevators; his earlier band The Moving Sidewalks had a hit with "99th floor", which was a tribute of sorts to the band.) According to the liner notes, the title of the album came from a remark Erickson made to a friend who asked him to define psychedelic music, to which Erickson reportedly replied "It's where the pyramid meets the eye, man!" (the quote is also a reference to the Eye of Providence). The album not only spurred interest in Erickson, but heartened him as well; he'd had little idea of how admired his music was. A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of a specific artists songs. ... The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band that revolved around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid. ... This article is about the band. ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... Julian Cope (born Julian David Cope, on 21 October 1957) is an Welsh rock musician, writer, antiquary, musicologist, poet and forward-thinker who came to prominence as singer of Liverpool post-punk band The Teardrop Explodes in 1978. ... Bongwater is a 1998 comedy film. ... John Wesley Harding (b. ... Douglas Wayne Sahm (born November 6, 1941, San Antonio, Texas, died November 18, 1999, Taos, New Mexico) was a musician from Texas. ... Primal Scream are a rock group formed as a duo in 1982 in Glasgow, Scotland, by Bobby Gillespie and Jim Beattie, evolving into a band in 1984 at which time Gillespie was also the drummer in The Jesus and Mary Chain. ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... Billy F. Gibbons (born December 16, 1949), nicknamed the Reverend Willie G, is best known as the guitarist for that Little Ol band from Texas, ZZ Top. ... Moving Sidewalks was a 1960s psychedelic blues-rock band, most notable for giving future ZZ Top-guitarist Billy Gibbons his start in the music business. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In 1995, Erickson released All That May Do My Rhyme on Butthole Surfers drummer King Coffey's label Trance Syndicate Records. Produced by Texas Tornado bassist Speedy Sparks, Austin recording legend Stuart Sullivan and Texas Music Office director Casey Monahan, the release coincided with the publication of Openers II, a complete collection of Erickson's lyrics. Published by Henry Rollins's 2.13.61 Publications, it was compiled and edited by Casey Monahan with assistance from Rollins and Erickson's youngest brother Sumner Erickson, a classical tuba player. Butthole Surfers are an American punk band, founded by lead vocalist Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in San Antonio, Texas, in 1981. ... Trance Syndicate is an independent record label founded by King Coffey, drummer of Austin, TX band the Butthole Surfers. ... Henry Rollins (born February 13, 1961 as Henry Lawrence Garfield[1]) is a singer and songwriter, spoken word artist, book author (prose and poetry), radio and TV personality, occasional movie actor, comedian, and voice-over artist. ... The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched of brass instruments. ...

Sumner was granted legal custody of Roky in 2001, and established a legal trust to aid his brother. As a result, Roky received some of the most effective medical and legal aid of his life, the latter useful in helping sort out the complicated tangle of contracts, which had reduced royalty payments to all but nothing for his recorded works. He also starts taking medication to control his schizophrenia. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

A documentary film on the life of Roky Erickson titled You're Gonna Miss Me was made by director Kevin McAlester and screened at the 2005 SXSW film festival. In September of the same year, Erickson performed his first full-length concert in 20 years at the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival with The Explosives. Youre Gonna Miss Me is the story of Roky Erickson: manic frontman for the legendary band The 13th Floor Elevators, creators of psychedelic music and muse to Janis Joplin. ... South by Southwest (SXSW, Inc. ... Main entrance of the 2005 Austin City Limits Music Festival in Zilker Park. ...

In the December 30, 2005 issue of the Austin Chronicle, an alternative weekly newspaper in Austin, Texas, Margaret Moser brings up to date the story of Roky's recovery with the aid of his brother Sumner. According to the article, Roky weaned himself off his medication, played at 11 gigs in Austin that year, obtained a drivers license, owns a car (a Volvo), voted the previous year, and planned to do more concerts with The Explosives in 2006. is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. ... Volvo Cars is the car maker using the Volvo Trademark. ...

In 2007, Roky played his first ever gigs in New York City, as well as California's Coachella Festival and made his debut performance in England to a capacity audience at the Royal Festival Hall, London. Roky continued to play in Europe, performing first time in Finland at Ruisrock festival. According to the article in Helsingin Sanomat 8th of June 2007, the performance of Roky was the highlight of the festival day.^[5] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... 2005 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an annual event held at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California featuring musical performances by a number of artists on different stages, showings of independent films, and a number of displays of contemporary art. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 927 AD  Area  -  Total 130... The Royal Festival Hall is a concert, dance and talks venue within the South Bank Centre in London, England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Ruisrock is a rock festival in Turku, Finland. ... Helsingin Sanomat is the biggest subscription newspaper in Finland. ...

Discography

• Roky Erickson and the Aliens (1980, CBS Records)
• The Evil One (1981, Restless Records)
• The Return of the Living Dead (soundtrack) (1985, Enigma Records)
• Don't Slander Me (1986, Restless Records)
• Gremlins Have Pictures (1986, Pink Dust Records)
• Casting the Runes (1987, Five Hours Back)
• Holiday Inn Tapes (1987, Fan Club)
• Live at the Ritz 1987 (1988, Fan Club)
• Openers (1988, Five Hours Back)
• Beauty and the Beast (1993, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• All That May Do My Rhyme (1995, Trance Syndicate)
• Demon Angel: A Day and a Night with Roky Erickson (1995, Triple X Records)
• Roky Erickson and Evilhook Wildlife (1995, Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Never Say Goodbye (1999, Emperor Jones)
• Don't Knock the Rok! (2004, Norton Records)
• I have always been here before (2005, shout factory)
• Live at the Ritz (????, New Rose Records)

Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... Restless Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label which was started by Enigma Records, but was acquired in 2001 by Rykodisc who were, in turn, acquired by the Warner Music Group in 2006. ... Enigma Records was a popular rock and alternative record label in the 1980s. ... Restless Records is a Hollywood, California based independent record label which was started by Enigma Records, but was acquired in 2001 by Rykodisc who were, in turn, acquired by the Warner Music Group in 2006. ... A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well known person, group, idea (such as history) or sometimes even an inanimate object (such as a famous building). ... A fan club is a group that is dedicated to a well known person, group, idea (such as history) or sometimes even an inanimate object (such as a famous building). ... Formed in 1988 by Record Industry Anti-Mogul, Long Gone John, Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as: Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 The R.I.) is mainly a Garage Rock and Indie Rock label. ... Trance Syndicate is an independent record label founded by King Coffey, drummer of Austin, TX band the Butthole Surfers. ... Formed in 1988 by Record Industry Anti-Mogul, Long Gone John, Sympathy for the Record Industry (also known as: Sympathy Records or Sympathy 4 The R.I.) is mainly a Garage Rock and Indie Rock label. ... Emperor Jones is a small record label that has released albums by acts such as the American Analog Set. ... Norton Records, an independent New York City record label founded by musicians Miriam Linna and Billy Miller in 1986, maintains a focus on retro rock, rockabilly, punk, garage rock, lounge music and R&B. Linna and Miller have successfully reissued many obscurities and classics from the 1950s and 1960s, and...

See also

• Outsider music
• 13th Floor Elevators

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References

External links

• The official Roky Erickson website
• The official Roky Erickson MySpace
• Austin Chronicle article (12/05)
• Roky Erickson FAQ
• Thirteenth Floor Elevators Discography
• Roky Erickson on AllMusic.com
• Texas Psychedelic Ranch: 13th Floor Elevators, Roky Erickson, Golden Dawn, more...