The Chambers Brothers

The Chambers Brothers--who actually were all brothers--got their start singing at their local Baptist church in Lee County, Mississippi. In 1952 George Chambers, the oldest brother, returned from a hitch in the army and decided to leave Mississippi for Los Angeles, and his three brothers soon joined him. They began building a following in the folk and gospel music circles in southern California. By 1965 they had been performing for more than ten years, but still remained relatively obscure. In that year they decided to add a drummer--a white musician named Brian Keenan--and began to change their act to a more rock/soul style. An appearance at the Newport Folk Festival that year got them national attention and they began getting bookings in some major venues, such as the Fillmore East, the Fillmore West and Harlem's famed Apollo Theatre. They were signed by a small label, Vault Records, and released a cover of The Isley Brothers hit "Shout", but it didn't do much. In 1967, Columbia Records signed them to a contract and they came out with their biggest hit, the psychedelic classic "Time Has Come Today", which rose to #11 on the Billboard charts. They released a few other singles, but few of them made even the Top 100. The group disbanded in 1972. Two years later they reunited to record the album "Unbonded", but it didn't do particularly well, either. They did continue to tour, however, and backed up Maria Muldaur on her "Gospel Nights" album and even sang the jingle for a TV commercial for Levis jeans.