Aorta (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Chicago , United States |
| Products | Psychedelic rock music, albums, singles |
Number of employees | 4–6 (varied lineup) |
Aorta was a psychedelic rock ensemble originating from Chicago, active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, during which they produced two albums.
History
The group originated from a soul, pop, and rock'n'roll band established in Rockford, Illinois, in 1962 under the name Kal David and the Exceptions. Its lineup included Kal David on vocals and guitar, Peter Cetera handling bass and vocals, Denny Ebert on drums and vocals, and Marty Grebb playing saxophone, keyboards, guitar, and providing vocals. After David's departure in 1965, James Vincent (later known as Jim Donlinger) took his place. The band then shortened their name to The Exceptions, releasing multiple singles and an EP before Grebb left to join The Buckinghams; he was succeeded by Jim Nyeholt. Denny Ebert was replaced by Billy Herman. This formation—Vincent, Cetera, Nyeholt, and Herman—recorded singles for Capitol Records. Cetera eventually exited to explore more psychedelic sounds with The Big Thing, which later became Chicago.
In 1967, after adding bassist Bobby Jones and briefly including tenor saxophonist Dan Hoagland, the band adopted the name Aorta. With Donlinger as lead vocalist, they recorded "The Shape Of Things To Come," a track penned by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil that appeared on the Wild in the Streets soundtrack attributed to the fictional Max Frost and the Troopers. Aorta signed with Dunwich Productions under Bill Traut; this single was licensed to Atlantic Records. Later securing a deal with Columbia Records, they released their first album Aorta in early 1969 as part of Columbia’s effort to promote the "Chicago sound," alongside acts like Chicago, Illinois Speed Press, and The Flock. The album peaked at No. 167 on the Billboard 200 chart. It featured a fusion of psychedelia, soul, jazz, folk, and rock characterized by skilled musicianship and innovative production techniques but received mixed reviews from critics. Neither the album nor its single "Strange" managed to achieve substantial commercial success.
Aorta toured supporting prominent artists such as Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, and The Mothers of Invention and appeared at New York City's Fillmore East venue. However, one performance suffered poor reception reportedly due to an incident involving LSD being offered prior to their set.
Following departures of Jones and Herman, Donlinger and Nyeholt briefly joined Rotary Connection alongside Donlinger's brother Tom on drums before reviving Aorta with Michael Been contributing bass, guitar, and vocals. Their sophomore album Aorta 2, released in early 1970 on Happy Tiger Records, marked a stylistic shift toward country rock infused with Christian lyrical themes. The group dissolved shortly thereafter. Donlinger and Been went on to join Lovecraft; Been later founded The Call. Meanwhile, Herman continued performing as part of The Exceptions with vocalist Joan Hammel.
The original Aorta lineup reunited for promotional performances supporting the U.S. Armed Forces. Their debut album saw a CD reissue in 1996.
Singles
- "Shape of Things To Come" b/w "Strange" (Atlantic 45–2545) 1968
- "Strange" b/w "Ode To Missy Mxyzosptlk" (Columbia 44870) 1969
- "Sand Castles" b/w "Willie Jean" (Happy Tiger 567) 1970
Albums
- Aorta (Columbia CS 9785) 1969 (Reached No. 167 on the Billboard Top LPs chart)
- Aorta 2 (Happy Tiger HT-1010) 1970
- Aorta [Reissue] (Buy or Die BOD 104) 1996
External links
- [ Aorta] on Allmusic