Savage Grace (Michigan Rock Band)
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Savage Grace was an American rock band formed in
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, in the late 1960s. The band released its self-titled debut album on
Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any re ...
in 1970. After moving to Los Angeles the following year, the group released a second album, ''Savage Grace 2''. The band broke up in 1972, reforming in the 1990s until 2004.


Biography

The band's origins trace to the east side of Detroit in the late 1960s. Session guitarist Ron Koss, a self-taught musician who had played locally and recorded with
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, and
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, joined with keyboardist John Seanor and drummer / percussionist Larry Zack. The trio added Ann Arborite Al Jacquez on lead vocals and bass. The new band performed throughout the Midwest in clubs, ballrooms, colleges, high schools, and pop festivals, eventually opening for various other acts including
Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...
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and countless others. At one festival,
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and
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opened for Savage Grace. The band's first album, eponymously titled ''Savage Grace'', was released in 1970. August 1970 they performed at the Goose Lake International Music Festival. In the fall of 1970, Savage Grace relocated to Los Angeles. ''Savage Grace 2'' was released in May 1971. The group resumed touring with
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
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, but performance opportunities soon began to dwindle. During the late 1990s Ron Koss and Al Jacquez reunited and teamed up with bassist Mark Gougeon, guitarist Jeff Jones, drummer Bill Gordon, and keyboardist Jim Claire to produce ''Savage Grace 3'' – officially titled ''One Night in America''. The new Savage Grace performed several times until the death of Ron Koss in 2004.


Line-up


Current members

* Al Jacquez − bass, guitar & vocals * Mark Gougeon – bass & vocals * Mark Tomorsky − guitar & vocals * Frankie Charboneaux − drums * Jim King − keyboards


1990s members

* Ron Koss − guitar & vocals * Al Jacquez − guitar & vocals * Mark Gougeon – bass & vocals * Jeff Jones – guitar * Bill Gordon – drums * Jim Claire – keyboards


Original members

* Ron Koss − guitar & vocals * Al Jacquez − bass & vocals * John Seanor − piano, harpsichord * Larry Zack − drums, percussion


Discography


Albums

* ''Savage Grace'' (1970) * ''Savage Grace 2'' (1971) * ''One Night in America''


References


External links

* {{Allmusic, id=mn0002480988, label=Savage Grace Progressive rock musical groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 1968 Musical groups disestablished in 1972