Biography
US 69 were psychedelic rock group from the Hartford Connecticut area and consisted of Bill Durso (leader- vocalist-guitarist-arranger), Bill Carter (drums), Bob DePalma (alto,tenor sax-flute), Don DePalma (piano-trumpet), and Gil Nelson (alto, bass guitar- saxophone-flute). Previously called The Mustard Family, the band changed their name to US ’69 before the release of any of their material.
Signing with the Buddah label, US ’69’s album Yesterdays Folks from 1969 is said to be one of the best albums ever released by the label, along with Captain Beefheart's 'Safe as Milk' and Airto Moreira's 'Seeds on the Ground'. The band combines a great mix of eastern-influenced music with sitar along with psychedelic, jazz, rock, soul, and funk. The album is strong from start to finish, opening with the excellent “I’m On My Way (A Patch Of Blue)” and closing with “2069: A Spaced Oddity”. Yesterdays Folks has become a highly sought after record among collectors.˝
Read full biography ↓
According to the liner notes on the back cover, if they are to be believed, music writer Bill Durso was travelling in southern Cal in 1968, on route 69, when he came upon a bunch of hitch hikers. Stopping to pick them up, he discovered they were a down-on-their-luck, informal musical group. One thing led to another, and the idea was hatched to form a group, inspired by the highway, but actually named after the year 2069. Durso supplied all of the mat'l used for their only album, recorded later that same year ('68).
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.