The younger brother of blues artist Johnny Winter, Edgar starting racking up some hits with his group in 1972 when "Keep Playin' That Rock 'N' Roll" landed at #70. Their breakthrough hit would arrive shortly thereafter when the classic "Frankenstein" made its way to #1. During its tenure, Winter would work with a number of talented artists who later had successful musical careers of their own. The Edgar Winter Group scored another hit with "Free Ride," which peaked at #13 in 1973. The song was penned by member Dan Hartman, who wrote or co-wrote their remaining chart appearances. Following some personnel changes that put guitarist Rick Derringer (The McCoys) front and center, the group managed one more Top 40 entry before the end of their chart career - that was when "River's Risin'" reached #33 in 1974. Ronnie Montrose was also a member of the group from 1972-1974. The genre-blending anthem "Give It Everything You Got" comes from the band's 1971 effort, "White Trash." After his group's hey day, Edgar Winter did a great deal of session work for artists as diverse as Tina Turner and David Lee Roth.
The Vibrations had a string of minor hits through the 60s but should be remembered as much as their contemporaries like The Four Tops and The Temptations. They first hit the charts in 1961 when "The Watusi" landed at #25 and hit again in 1964 when "My Girl Sloopy" reached #26. The latter became a #1 hit for The McCoys a year later as "Hang On Sloopy." The group managed two additional chart appearances before their career was over: "Misty" peaked at #63 in 1965 and "Love In Them There Hills" stalled at #93 in 1968. It should be added that these guys originally recorded under the moniker of The Jayhawks, scoring a hit with "Stranded In The Jungle," which reached #18 in 1956. And in 1961, The Vibrations recorded another hit, "Peanut Butter" (#20), but the record label they recorded under called them The Marathons. It's a complete mystery way something as amazing as "'Cause You're Mine" failed to reach the charts.
