…wait, that’s a teenage boy’s room
The Doclopedia #3,539
Alt. Hit Records: Magic Popsicle
Year: 1968
Group/Artist: Purple Clouds
Ranking on the Top 40: 2
In 1968, psychedelic bands with an all black crew were very rare. Purple Clouds, out of Oakland, California, was probably the only one that most people ever heard of, thanks to this hit song. It came on the Top 40 at #37 and moved up to #2 in three weeks. It stayed at #2 for a week, dropped to #5 for another week, then dropped off the Top 40, but stayed in the Top 100 for another month.
The band was made up of the three Owens brothers, Genisha Benning, and Cal DuBoise. The music was the usual dreamlike mix of light drums, sitar, and tambourine. The lyrics, of course, made more sense if you were tripping on acid or stoned on weed. Still, high school kids and hippies loved it.
It was the only hit the Purple Clouds ever had, and in fact, they disbanded in 1970. The Owens brothers returned in 1972 as the group Solid Soul and had a long career with several hits. Genisha Banning became a solo act. Her career really took off after she sang the theme song to the James Bond movie “Shoot To Thrill”. Cal DuBoise became a record producer and later co-founded Southside Records.
Support this blog on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DocCross
