Goose Creek Symphony

Goose Creek Symphony is a American Rock/Bluegrass/Country band. Goose Creek Symphony found its roots in the Phoenix, AZ, area originally as a countrified side project for Richie Hart and the Heart Beats. Vocalist and guitarist Charles Gearheart (aka Richie Hart) spent his childhood "up Goose Creek Hollow" in Floyd County, KY, and when he put together his good-time country-rock group, he drew upon his home's rich musical heritage as well as its name. In 1970, Gearheart and a group of local studio musicians assembled a handful of songs and presented them to Capitol Records. Capitol signed his project, forcing Gearheart to assemble a touring group. Banjo player and fiddler Fred Wise was brought in to compliment existing guitarists Paul Spradlin (listed as "Paul Howard" on the album), Bob Henke ("Williard"), Mike McFadden (following the breakup of his psychedelic group Superfine Dandelion), as well as a rotating cast of bassists and drummers. With a sound very similar to what The Band was doing at the same time, Goose Creek Symphony were rock & rollers who played a very faithful brand of country music, all the while layering rhythms and harmonies along the same lines as Buffalo Springfield and the Grateful Dead. They released albums through the mid-'70s, with that streak ending in a long hiatus from 1976 to 1990, when the group decided to re-form and record again. While they never enjoyed much commercial success ((Oh Lord Won't You Buy Me A) Mercedes Benz - a cover of the Janis Joplin classic, reached #43 briefly in 1972) they retain a modest but dedicated fan base to this day.