Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

and heavy metal music. Although their heyday was the late 1960s, the band has been reincarnated with various members with varying levels of success with no new recordings since 1975. Their second album '' In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' (1968) remains a best-seller, and Iron Butterfly was the first group to receive an In-House platinum album award from Atlantic Records. Their music has found a significant impact on the international rock scenes, influencing numerous acts such as

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

AC/DC AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and heavy metal, but the band calls it ...

, Rush,

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

Mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

, Uriah Heep, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated QOTSA) is an American rock band formed in 1996 in Palm Desert, California. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme, who has been the only constant member throughout multiple lin ...

History

Formation and ''Heavy'' (1966–1968)

The band formed in 1966 in San Diego.Joynson, Vernon (1995)
''Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers''
. London: Borderline Books. The original members were Doug Ingle (vocals, organ, formerly of Jeri and the Jeritones and Palace Pages, Iron Butterfly's forerunner), Jack Pinney (drums), Greg Willis (bass), and

Danny Weis Danny Weis (pronounced ; born September 28, 1948 in Huntington Park, California) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of both Iron Butterfly and Rhinoceros, as well as co-writer of Rhinoceros's only charting single, "Apricot ...

(guitar, also of Palace Pages). The group were soon joined by vocalist and tambourine player Darryl DeLoach. DeLoach's parents’ garage served as the site for their almost nightly rehearsals. Jerry Penrod replaced Willis after the band relocated to Los Angeles in the summer of 1966. Pinney eventually left to return to school. Bruce Morse then replaced Pinney until Ron Bushy (from a group called the Voxmen) came aboard when Morse left due to a family emergency. A booking at Bido Lito's club in Hollywood soon led to regular appearances at the Galaxy Club and the Whisky a Go Go. In early 1968, after the band signed a deal with Atco Records, an

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most im ...

subsidiary, the band's debut album '' Heavy'' was released. The group was signed by Atlantic's Charles Greene, who was co-producer of ''Heavy''. All but Ingle and Bushy left the band after completing the album in the late summer of 1967. The two remaining musicians, faced with the possibility of the record not being released, quickly found replacements in bassist Lee Dorman and 17-year-old guitarist

Erik Brann Erik Keith Brann (born Rick Davis; August 11, 1950 – July 25, 2003), also known as Erik Braunn, was an American guitarist with the 1960s acid rock band Iron Butterfly. He was featured on the band's greatest hit, the 17-minute ''In-A-Gadda-Da-V ...

(also known as "Erik Braunn" and "Erik Braun") and resumed touring. In a 1986 interview with IB's fan club fanzine, ''The Butterfly Net'', Brann stated that

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fu ...

, and

Michael Monarch Michael Monarch (born July 5, 1950) is an American guitarist. He is best known for his work with the band Steppenwolf. Monarch was born in Los Angeles. As the original lead guitarist with Steppenwolf (1967 through most of 1969),Steppenwolf) had also expressed interest in joining the group to replace Weis. After Brann was chosen, Penrod and DeLoach, uncomfortable with Brann's young age and frustrated with the time it was taking him to learn the band's repertoire, left the group after Weis did. Weis and Penrod went on to form the group

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct specie ...

. In 1970 DeLoach formed Flintwhistle along with Jerry Penrod and Erik Brann. They performed live for about a year before breaking up.

Success with ''In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' and first breakup (1968–1971)

The 17-minute " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", the title track of Iron Butterfly's second album, became a top-30 hit (edited down to 2:52) in the U. S. The album was awarded a gold disc by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

in December 1968. The album stayed on the '' Billboard'' charts for 140 weeks and ultimately sold over 30 million copies. During this time, the band was represented by the William Morris Agency, which booked all their live concerts. Iron Butterfly played its first national tour in the summer of 1968 alongside

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ach ...

. By the end of 1968, the band was back in the studio at work on their next album. Iron Butterfly's third album, ''

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

'', was released in January 1969 and went gold, reaching #3 on the Billboard charts. The band had been booked to play at

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

in August 1969 but got stuck at New York City's LaGuardia Airport. They explained their situation to the concert promoters and asked for patience. Their manager, however, sent a telegram demanding that Iron Butterfly be flown in by helicopter, whereupon they would "immediately" take the stage. After their set, they would be paid and flown back to the airport. According to drummer Bushy, "We went down to the Port Authority three times and waited for the helicopter, but it never showed up". Woodstock Production Coordinator John Morris claims he sent the manager a telegram reading: "For reasons I can't go into / Until you are here / Clarifying your situation / Knowing you are having problems / You will have to find / Other transportation / Unless you plan not to come." The

acrostic An acrostic is a poem or other word composition in which the ''first'' letter (or syllable, or word) of each new line (or paragraph, or other recurring feature in the text) spells out a word, message or the alphabet. The term comes from the F ...

formed by the first letter of each line in the telegram made it clear that the band was not welcome. Erik Brann left the band after a final show in San Diego on December 15, 1969. Brann was frustrated with the band's unwillingness to move towards a harder rock sound. He was replaced in the line-up by two new musicians: guitarist/vocalist Mike Pinera (whose

Blues Image Blues Image was an American rock band. They had a hit in 1970 with "Ride Captain Ride", which reached No. 4 on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the Canadian RPM magazine charts. Career Blues Image was formed in Tampa, Florida in 1966 b ...

had opened for Iron Butterfly's Vida tour) and guitarist

Larry Reinhardt Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt (July 7, 1948 – January 2, 2012) was an American rock guitarist who played with Iron Butterfly and Captain Beyond. At one time Reinhardt was known by the nicknames "El Rhino" and "Ryno". Early history Born in Florida, ...

(from the Allman Brothers Band forerunner Second Coming). Both Pinera and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt had been rehearsing secretly with the band since September 1969 after Brann had voiced his objections to continuing. In August 1970 Iron Butterfly released its fourth studio album ''

Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

''. The album managed to get into the Billboard top 20. While Iron Butterfly was touring in Europe with

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talent ...

in early 1971, Doug Ingle announced his intention to leave the group. Ingle had grown tired of endless touring and wasn't totally on board with the band's new guitar-oriented blues and soul direction. The remaining four members cut the 45 rpm single, " Silly Sally" (with Bushy eventually being replaced on the record by a session drummer, at the producer's prompting). Putting forth a horn-based sound more characteristic of groups like

Blood Sweat and Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura ...

, the single failed to chart and proved to be their last recording before their mid-1970s reformation. The band, with Ingle in tow, decided to play one final tour, pairing with

Black Oak Arkansas Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970charting ten albums according to Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Their style is punctuated ...

. Pinera's band-mate from Blues Image, drummer Manny Bertematti, filled in for Bushy for most of the tour dates because of the latter's shoulder injury. The group then broke up after playing the tour's final show at

Central Oregon Community College Central Oregon Community College is a community college in Bend, Oregon. It primarily serves residents of Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook Counties. Additionally its district includes portions of Klamath, Lake, and Wasco counties. History Cent ...

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U ...

on May 23, 1971. Another reason for the band not continuing at this time, according to a later interview by Pinera, was the U. S.

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory t ...

's effort to collect unpaid taxes. Dorman and Reinhardt subsequently founded

Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at

Reunions (1974–2011)

01 Iron Butterfly Retro Music Hall Praha 11 3 2012

In 1974 Brann was contacted by a promoter about reforming Iron Butterfly, so he reunited with Ron Bushy to form a new version of the group, signing with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

and joined by Bushy's friend, bassist Philip Taylor Kramer, and keyboardist Howard Reitzes, a friend of Brann's who worked in a music store. Brann, who had done occasional lead vocals during Iron Butterfly's original run, served as the band's main lead vocalist this time. The album ''

Scorching Beauty ''Scorching Beauty'' is the fifth studio album released by the American hard rock group Iron Butterfly. Released four years after their original breakup, it was recorded by a reformed lineup with only one member remaining from their previous albu ...

'' was released in January 1975 with Reitzes and '' Sun and Steel'' in October 1975 with Bill DeMartines replacing Reitzes. Both albums were criticized for bearing little resemblance to the original tone of the group and sold poorly compared to their earlier releases. In 1977 the Bushy/Brann/Kramer/DeMartines grouping wound down after being plagued with bad management and tour dates that had started off in theaters but ended up in bars and clubs. Bushy, Kramer and DeMartines formed Magic and Lee Dorman put together a new IB lineup with Rhino that contained British singer Jimi Henderson, Larry Kiernan on keyboards, David Love on guitar and Kevin Karamitros on drums. This grouping toured mostly in the South. By 1978 the lineup was Dorman, Karamitros, Pinera and John Leimseider on keyboards. In the late fall of 1978, a German promoter made an offer for the band to tour. The ''Metamorphosis'' lineup (Ingle, Bushy, Dorman, Pinera and Rhino) made preparations, but just before they were to depart for Germany, Dorman's father took ill and another bassist, Keith Ellis (formerly of Boxer), was brought in to cover for Dorman in case he had to suddenly return to the US. During the tour, Ellis died in

Darmstadt Darmstadt () is a city in the state of Hesse in Germany, located in the southern part of the Rhine-Main-Area (Frankfurt Metropolitan Region). Darmstadt has around 160,000 inhabitants, making it the fourth largest city in the state of Hesse ...

, Germany on December 12, 1978. After their return to the US, the ''Metamorphosis'' group played a few homecoming shows in early 1979, joined by Erik Brann for guest appearances. Later in 1979, Bushy returned to his other group, Gold, and the next IB lineup was: Mike Pinera, Lee Dorman, Doug Ingle, a returning John Leimseider and Dorman's Captain Beyond band-mate, drummer Bobby Caldwell. Still later that same year, Bobby Hasbrook, from Hawaii, joined the band as lead guitarist and lead vocals alongside Dorman, Pinera, Caldwell and Leimseider. IB's lineup was in a constant state of flux from late 1979 on as exhibited in the following groupings: Brann, Dorman, Leimseider, Caldwell and Hasbrook (1979); Pinera, Brann, Dorman, Hasbrook, Caldwell and Nathan Pino – keyboards (1979); Dorman, Brann, Hasbrook, Tim Kislan – keyboards, Zam Johnson – drums and Starz Vanderlocket – vocals, percussion (1980); Dorman, Rhino, Leimseider, Randy Skirvin – guitar, Jimmy Rock – drums and Luke – vocals, percussion (1981–1982); Pinera, Dorman, Rhino, Guy Babylon – keyboards and Jan Uvena – drums (1982) plus Pinera, Dorman, Rhino, Babylon and Bushy (1982). On July 31, 1982, the Pinera, Dorman, Rhino, Babylon and Bushy lineup went into Music Sound Connection Studio in Studio City, California to record some material, none of which has ever been released. At the tail end of 1982, Ingle returned to the fold once more as John Shearer (from Steve Hackett's band) came in on drums and percussionist Luke also rejoined since Bushy had taken a sales job outside of music for Makita Tools. Brann (who had guested at some shows during 1982) soon ended his association with the band at this time as well. Pinera left again, as did Luke, in 1983 and IB worked on some more material in September of that year, with drummer Jerry Sommers playing on some tracks. But once again, nothing ever came of it. Then Ingle, Dorman, Rhino and drummer Rick Rotante undertook the "Wings of Flight Tour" in early 1984, with Lenny Campanero (ex- Badfinger) replacing Rotante for more recording sessions at Salty Dog Studios in Van Nuys, California. The "Legends Tour" took place in the fall of 1984 with Ingle, Dorman, Campanero and guitarist Steve Fister (later of Steppenwolf) and another Steppenwolf alumnus, bassist Kurtis Teel, took Dorman's spot for the "Phoenix Tour" in the fall of '85, which ended in late November, shortly after which, Teel suddenly died of a heart murmur on December 2. The group then disbanded once again due to managerial problems. In the spring of 1987, Bushy and Pinera got back together to tour as Iron Butterfly for the "Wings of Flight 87" tour (Dorman was captaining a fishing boat, so was not available at this time) with Ace Baker (keyboards) and Kelly Reubens (bass). Tim Von Hoffman and Glen Rappold (guitar, bass) soon replaced Ace Baker and drummer Donny Vosburgh (who'd been in Thee Image with Pinera) guested at some of these 1987 shows and subbed for Bushy on others. But this was short-lived, as Bushy and then Brann both rehearsed different IB lineups in August and September of that year (see Lineups below) that never made it to the concert stage. In December 1987 the "classic lineup" of Ingle, Brann, Dorman and Bushy got together at The Roxy Theatre to prepare for a thirty date tour of the East Coast in the winter and spring of 1988 that culminated with an appearance at Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary celebration at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

on May 14, 1988, alongside

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

and many others. After this, Brann and Dorman decided to continue on, bringing in Rhino, keyboardist Derek Hilland and drummer Sal Rodriguez (replaced by Kenny Suarez). They were joined by singer/frontman Steve "Mick" Feldman and backup singers JoAnne Kurman-Montana and Cecelia Noel also appeared with the band for a few shows in 1989, as well as another drummer, Doug Freedman, who subbed for Suarez in the fall of '89. The 1989 IB lineup of Brann, Dorman, Rhino, Hilland, Feldman and Suarez appeared at Woodstock '89, which took place in August 1989 twenty years to the day of and on the site of the original Woodstock concert of 1969 as a spontaneous celebration of the event's 20th anniversary. In 1990 after Brann fell out with the others and left Iron Butterfly for good, Dorman, Rhino, Hilland and Suarez recorded an album with singer Robert Tepper that was meant to be an IB album called ''We Will Rise'' but instead was shelved and eventually reworked into Tepper's 1996 solo album, ''No Rest For The Wounded Heart''. After the Tepper-led lineup failed to break through, Tepper left to continue his solo career and Dorman, Rhino and Bushy went back on the road in early 1993 with keyboardist Burt Diaz. Doug Ingle rejoined the band in July 1994. In the spring of 1997 the band did a tour of Europe with "classic era" members Ingle, Bushy and Dorman, along with Hilland and Barnett. A DVD of live performances from this tour was released in 2008. Hilland was dropped in 1997 and Ingle officially retired from performing in early 1999. Singer/keysman Damian Bujanda had a brief tenure, but after leaving for personal reasons, Larry Rust joined the band as vocalist/keyboardist from 1999 to 2005. In 2001, after Dorman took ill, one of the band's road crew, Oly Larios, sat in on bass. Guitarist/vocalist Charlie Marinkovich joined the band in 2002. Originally from Seattle, Marinkovich had played with Randy Hansen and others. Original vocalist Darryl DeLoach (born on September 12, 1947) died of liver cancer on October 3, 2002, at the age of 55. On July 25, 2003, Erik Brann died of heart failure at the age of 52. Derek Hilland returned to play keyboards for the group's 2003 dates when Larry Rust was not available. Larry Rust parted ways with the band in 2005 and was replaced by German violinist, keyboardist, and composer Martin Gerschwitz, who had formerly worked with Lita Ford, Meat Loaf,

Walter Trout Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951 in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Biography Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to rel ...

, and most recently Eric Burdon and The Animals. In early 2010, an announcement was made that Iron Butterfly would receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 20th Annual San Diego Music Awards, which took place on September 12, 2010. The award was presented by San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. Later the same year, Ray Weston (formerly of Wishbone Ash) came in to substitute on drums for Ron Bushy after he was sidelined by health issues. In early 2012, Phil Parlapiano substituted for Martin Gerschwitz for a few shows when Gerschwitz was unable to play due to his own solo-tour schedule.

Deaths of Reinhardt and Dorman, and inactivity (2012–2014)

Former guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt died on January 2, 2012, at the age of 63, due to

cirrhosis Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, and end-stage liver disease, is the impaired liver function caused by the formation of scar tissue known as fibrosis due to damage caused by liver disease. Damage causes tissue rep ...

of the liver. Bassist Lee Dorman, who had a history of heart trouble, died on December 21, 2012, at the age of 70. Both Reinhardt and Dorman were also founding members of

Captain Beyond Captain Beyond is an American rock supergroup formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
at

. Following Dorman's death, Iron Butterfly dissolved once more. Charlie Marinkovich revealed in 2013 that he had departed the band altogether and that Ron Bushy was very ill, shrouding the band's future in doubt. At times during his recovery in 2014, Ron Bushy entertained the idea of putting a new Iron Butterfly band together, possibly with Martin Gerschwitz returning on keyboards and lead vocals.

Third reunion/tribute band and death of Ron Bushy (2015–present)

In late 2014, reports surfaced of the band reforming, with a lineup consisting of Bushy, Mike Pinera, Doug Ingle, Jr. on keyboards and an unnamed bassist. However, this reformation did not come to fruition and in 2015 the band unveiled a lineup consisting of Bushy and returning guitarist Eric Barnett, along with new members Mike Green (percussion), Dave Meros (bass), Phil Parlapiano (keyboards) and Ray Weston (drums). Meros, Parlapiano and Weston had all previously played with Iron Butterfly as substitute musicians; Meros for Dorman (in 2006) Parlapiano for Gerschwitz (in 2012) and Weston for Bushy (in 2010) respectively. At that time, Ron Bushy was still involved with Iron Butterfly, but was retired from performing due to his health concerns. This left Weston as the only active drummer in the band at all appearances from the 2015 reunion through the end of 2019. In the summer of 2018, Bushy made a rare guest appearance with the band at a gig in California. This turned out to be his first performance on stage with Iron Butterfly since 2012 and his very last one with the band. Former Butterfly keyboardist Larry Rust died peacefully at his home near Los Angeles on November 25, 2016, at the age of 63. Founding bassist Greg Willis died on November 11, 2016. A tribute concert was staged November 30 at Nicky Rottens in El Cajon. On January 15, 2020, the Official Iron Butterfly website and their booking agent announced the lineup of the band for 2020: Eric Barnett (guitar, vocals), Dave Meros (bass, vocals), Bernie Pershey (drums, percussion), Martin Gerschwitz (keyboards, vocals), with occasional guests or fill in musicians being Ron Bushy (drums, percussion), Ray Weston (drums, percussion) and Michael Thomas Franklin (keyboards). On August 29, 2021 TMZ reported that Ron Bushy had died that morning at the UCLA Medical Center at the age of 79 after a battle with esophageal cancer, leaving him as the third member of the '' In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' lineup to die, following

and Lee Dorman in 2003 and 2012 respectively, and Doug Ingle as the only surviving member of this lineup.

Personnel

Current

* Eric Barnett – guitar, vocals (1995–2002, 2015–present) *

Martin Gerschwitz Martin Gerschwitz (born 25 June 1952) is a German violinist, keyboardist, singer and composer. Life and career He was born and raised in Solingen, Germany. He began playing piano at the age of five, at the age of twelve he devoted himself excl ...

– keyboards, vocals (2005–2012, 2018–present) *

Dave Meros Dave Meros (born 8 February 1956), is an American bass guitar player, best known as the bass player for progressive rock band Spock's Beard. Meros has also played or recorded with such artists as Gary Myrick, Bobby Kimball of Toto, Simon Phil ...

– bass, vocals (2015–present; substitute – 2006) *

Bernie Pershey Bernard Pershey (born in Joliet, Illinois) is an American drummer and record producer. Biography Pershey began playing drums at the age of 8. In his early years he was part of many psychedelic rock and hard rock bands such as Trilogy, White ...

– drums (2020–present)

Former

* Doug Ingle – organ, vocals (1966–1971, 1978–79, 1983–1985, 1987–88, 1994–1999) * Jack Pinney – drums, percussion (1966) *

– guitar (1966–1967) * Greg Willis – bass (1966) * Darryl DeLoach – tambourine, vocals (1966–1967) * Bruce Morse – drums, percussion (1966) * Jerry Penrod – bass, backing vocals (1966–1967) * Ron Bushy – drums, percussion (1966–1977, 1978–79, 1982, 1987–88, 1993–2012; guest 2015–2021) *

– guitar, vocals (1967–1969, 1974–1977, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1982, 1987, 1987–1989) * Lee Dorman – bass, vocals (1967–1971, 1977–78, 1978–1985, 1987–2012) * Mike Pinera – guitar, vocals (1970–1972, 1978–1979, 1982, 1987, 1993) * Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt – guitar (1969–1971, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–1984, 1988–1993) * Philip Taylor Kramer – bass, keyboards, vocals (1974–1977) * Howard Reitzes – keyboards, vocals (1974–1975) * Bill DeMartines – keyboards, vocals (1975–1977, 1987) * Kevin Karamitros – drums (1977–1978) * Jimi Henderson – vocals (1977–1978) * Larry Kiernan – keyboards (1977–1978) * David Love – guitar (1977–1978) * John Leimseider – keyboards (1978, 1979, 1981–1982) * Keith Ellis – bass (1978) * Bobby Caldwell – drums, percussion (1979, substitute 1984) * Bobby Hasbrook – guitar, vocals (1979–1982) * Nathan Pino – keyboards (1979) * Zam Johnson – drums, percussion (1980) * Tim Kislan – keyboards (1980) * Starz Vanderlocket – percussion, vocals (1980) * Luke – percussion, vocals (1981–1982, 1982–1983) * Jimmy Rock – drums (1981–1982) * Randy Skirvin – guitar, vocals (1981–1982) * Guy Babylon – keyboards (1982–1983) * Jan Uvena – drums, percussion (1982) * John Shearer – drums (1982–1983) * Jerry Sommers – drums, percussion (1983) * Rick Rotante – drums, percussion (1983–1984) * Lenny Campanero – drums (1984–1985) * Steve Fister – guitar, backing vocals (1984–1985) * Kurtis Teel – bass (1985) * Kelly Reubens – bass (1987) * Tim Von Hoffman – keyboards (1987) * Glen Rappold – guitar, bass, vocals (1987) * Ace Baker – keyboards (1987) * Sal Rodriguez – drums (1987, 1988) * Jim Von Buelow – guitar (1987) *

Bob Birch Robert Wayne "Bob" Birch (July 14, 1956 – August 15, 2012) was an American musician. He was primarily a session musician and sideman to a variety of notable artists. Early life At an early age, Birch was inspired to pursue music by his fath ...

– bass (1987) * Doug Jackson – guitar (1987) * Lyle T. West – vocals (1987) * Derek Hilland – keyboards, backing vocals (1988–1990, 1993–1997; substitute – 2003) * Kenny Suarez – drums, percussion (1988–1992) * Steve "Mick" Feldman – vocals (1988–1990) * Robert Tepper – vocals (1990–1992) * Burt Diaz – keyboards (1993) * Denny Artache – guitar, vocals (1993) * Doug Bossey – guitar (1994–1995) * Damian Bujanda – keyboards, vocals (1999) * Larry Rust – keyboards, vocals (1999–2005) * Charlie Marinkovich – guitar, vocals (2002–2012) * Phil Parlapiano – keyboards, vocals (2015–2018, substitute – 2012) * Michael Green – percussion, vocals (2015–2019) * Ray Weston – drums, percussion (2015–2020; substitute – 2010, 2020) Supporting musicians * Manny Bertematti – drums, percussion (substitute – 1971) * Donny Vosburgh – drums (guest – 1987) * Doug Freedman – drums, percussion (substitute – 1989) * JoAnne Kurman-Montana – backing vocals (live – 1989) * Cecelia Noel – backing vocals (live – 1989) * Oly Larios – bass (substitute – 2001) * Ken Chalupnik – bass (substitute – 2006)

Lineups

Timeline

ImageSize = width:1000 height:1000 PlotArea = left:120 bottom:80 top:0 right:10 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1966 till:01/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Colors = id:voc value:red legend:Vocals_/_backing_vocals id:g value:green legend:Guitars id:key value:purple legend:Keyboards id:b value:blue legend:Bass id:dr value:orange legend:Drums id:perc value:claret legend:Percussion id:Lines value:black legend:Studio releases id:Lines2 value:gray(0.6) legend:Live album releases id:Lines3 value:gray(0.8) legend:Compilation releases id:bars value:gray(0.95) Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:2 BackgroundColors = bars:bars ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1966 ScaleMinor = unit:year increment:1 start:1966 LineData = at:22/01/1968 color:lines layer:back at:14/06/1968 color:lines layer:back at:01/02/1969 color:lines layer:back at:22/04/1970 color:lines2 layer:back at:01/08/1970 color:lines layer:back at:01/11/1971 color:lines3 layer:back at:01/01/1973 color:lines3 layer:back at:01/01/1975 color:lines layer:back at:01/10/1975 color:lines layer:back at:01/01/1988 color:lines3 layer:back at:19/01/1993 color:lines3 layer:back at:17/10/2011 color:lines2 layer:back BarData = bar:deloach text:"Darryl DeLoach" bar:henderson text:"Jimi Henderson" bar:west text:"Lyle T. West" bar:feldman text:"Steve Mick Feldman" bar:tepper text:"Robert Tepper" bar:weis text:"Danny Weis" bar:brann text:"Erik Brann" bar:pinera text:"Mike Pinera" bar:reinhardt text:"Larry Rhino Reinhardt" bar:love text:"David Love" bar:hasbrook text:"Bobby Hasbrook" bar:skirvin text:"Ranry Skirvin" bar:fister text:"Steve Fister" bar:rappold text:"Glen Rappold" bar:vonbuelow text:"Jim Von Buelow" bar:jackson text:"Doug Jackson" bar:artache text:"Denny Artache" bar:bossey text:"Doug Bossey" bar:barnett text:"Eric Barnett" bar:marinkovich text:"Charlie Marinkovich" bar:willis text:"Greg Willis" bar:penrod text:"Jerry Penrod" bar:dorman text:"Lee Dorman" bar:taylorkramer text:"Philip Taylor Kramer" bar:ellis text:"Keith Ellis" bar:teal text:"Kurtis Teel" bar:reubens text:"Kelly Reubens" bar:birch text:"Bob Birch" bar:meros text:"Dave Meros" bar:ingle text:"Doug Ingle" bar:reitzes text:"Howard Reitzes" bar:demartines text:"Bill DeMartines" bar:kiernan text:"Larry Kiernan" bar:leimseider text:"John Leimseider" bar:pino text:"Nathan Pino" bar:kislan text:"Tim Kislan" bar:babylon text:"Guy Babylon" bar:vonhoffman text:"Tim Von Hoffman" bar:baker text:"Ace Baker" bar:hilland text:"Derek Hilland" bar:diaz text:"Burt Diaz" bar:bujanda text:"Damian Bujanda" bar:rust text:"Larry Rust" bar:gerschwitz text:"Martin Gerschwitz" bar:ingle_jr text:"Doug Ingle Jr." bar:parlapiano text:"Phil Parlapiano" bar:pinney text:"Jack Pinney" bar:morse text:"Bruce Morse bar:bushy text:"Ron Bushy" bar:karamitros text:"Kevin Karamitros" bar:caldwell text:"Bobby Caldwell" bar:johnson text:"Zam Johnson" bar:rock text:"Jimmy Rock" bar:uvena text:"Jan Uvena" bar:shearer text:"John Shearer" bar:sommers text:"Jerry Sommers" bar:rotante text:"Rick Rotante" bar:campanero text:"Lenny Campanero" bar:rodriguez text:"Sal Rodriguez" bar:suarez text:"Kenny Suarez" bar:weston text:"Ray Weston" bar:pershey text:"Bernie Pershey" bar:vanderlocket text:"Starz Vanderlocket" bar:luke text:"Luke" bar:Green text:"Mike Green" PlotData = width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:deloach from:01/04/1966 till:30/06/1967 color:perc width:3 bar:deloach from:01/04/1966 till:30/06/1967 color:voc bar:henderson from:01/06/1977 till:28/02/1978 color:voc bar:west from:01/09/1987 till:30/11/1987 color:voc bar:feldman from:01/08/1988 till:30/06/1990 color:voc bar:tepper from:01/07/1990 till:31/12/1992 color:voc bar:weis from:01/01/1966 till:30/06/1967 color:g bar:brann from:01/07/1967 till:30/06/1969 color:g bar:brann from:01/07/1974 till:30/06/1977 color:g bar:brann from:01/09/1979 till:31/12/1980 color:g bar:brann from:01/06/1982 till:30/09/1982 color:g bar:brann from:01/08/1982 till:30/09/1982 color:g bar:brann from:01/07/1987 till:31/08/1987 color:g bar:brann from:01/11/1987 till:31/12/1989 color:g bar:pinera from:01/07/1969 till:24/05/1971 color:g bar:pinera from:01/04/1978 till:30/04/1979 color:g bar:pinera from:01/03/1987 till:30/06/1987 color:g bar:pinera from:01/04/1993 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till:31/05/1982 color:dr bar:uvena from:01/03/1982 till:31/05/1982 color:perc width:3 bar:shearer from:01/09/1982 till:31/08/1983 color:dr bar:shearer from:01/09/1982 till:31/08/1983 color:perc width:3 bar:sommers from:01/06/1983 till:31/08/1983 color:dr bar:sommers from:01/06/1983 till:31/08/1983 color:perc width:3 bar:rotante from:01/09/1983 till:30/04/1984 color:dr bar:rotante from:01/09/1983 till:30/04/1984 color:perc width:3 bar:campanero from:01/05/1984 till:31/08/1985 color:dr bar:campanero from:01/08/1984 till:31/08/1985 color:perc width:3 bar:rodriguez from:01/07/1987 till:31/08/1987 color:dr bar:rodriguez from:01/04/1988 till:31/08/1988 color:dr bar:rodriguez from:01/04/1988 till:31/08/1988 color:perc width:3 bar:suarez from:01/09/1988 till:31/12/1992 color:dr bar:suarez from:01/09/1988 till:31/12/1992 color:perc width:3 bar:weston from:01/01/2014 till:01/01/2020 color:dr bar:weston from:01/01/2014 till:01/01/2020 color:perc width:3 bar:pershey from:01/01/2020 till:end 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till:30/04/1985 color:voc bar:dorman from:01/11/1987 till:21/12/2012 color:voc bar:artache from:01/07/1993 till:30/09/1993 color:voc bar:bujanda from:01/05/1999 till:31/08/1999 color:voc bar:rust from:01/09/1999 till:30/06/2005 color:voc bar:gerschwitz from:01/07/2005 till:21/12/2012 color:voc bar:gerschwitz from:01/01/2018 till:end color:voc bar:hasbrook from:01/04/1979 till:31/12/1980 color:voc bar:skirvin from:01/01/1981 till:28/02/1982 color:voc bar:Meros from:01/01/2014 till:end color:voc bar:rappold from:01/03/1987 till:30/04/1987 color:voc bar:meros from:01/08/2006 till:30/10/2006 color:b

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums

* '' Evolution: The Best of Iron Butterfly'' (1971) * ''

Star Collection Star Collection may refer to: * ''Star Collection'' (Iron Butterfly album), 1973 * ''Star Collection'' (Baccara album), 1991 {{disambiguation ...

'' (1973) * '' Rare Flight'' (1988) * '' Light & Heavy: The Best of Iron Butterfly'' (1993)

Box sets

* ''Unconscious Power: An Anthology 1967–1971'' (2020)

EPs

* "Iron Butterfly Theme" b/w "Look for the Sun", " Possession" * Radio EP: "Iron Butterfly Theme", "Possession" b/w " Get Out of My Life Woman", "Unconscious Power" * " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Flowers and Beads" b/w "My Mirage"

Singles

Videography

*''In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' (Rhino Home Video, R3-2215) 1995 (Contained video performances of "Easy Rider" (3:21), "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (17:03) and "Butterfly Bleu" (19:51)) *''Rock 'N' Roll Greats In Concert!'' (Passport Video) 2004 (Contained video performances of the full concert at Itchycoo Park in 1999)

Citations

General and cited references

External links

*
Collectors website with discography

* Iron Butterfly All Music Guide Entry* * {{Authority control 1966 establishments in California Acid rock music groups Articles which contain graphical timelines Atco Records artists Hard rock musical groups from California MCA Records artists Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups from San Diego Psychedelic rock music groups from California