Southern Pacific Concert

corry342 | Thursday, May 22, 2008 | 10:32 am

Lead singer Tim Goodman had released a rock-oroented solo album in 1981 (Footsteps, on Columbia), produced by John McFee and featuring numerous Doobie Brothers. McFee, who had been with the Marin group Clover for most of the 1970s (who backed Elvis Costello and Carlene Carter for various projects), had replaced Skunk Baxter in the Doobie Brothers. Drummer Keith Knudsen (who moved out to the West Coast in 1969 as part of Wisconsin's Mendelbaum Blues Band) was also a Doobie Brother (after a stint with Lee Michaels). Bassist Stu Cook, who had replaced Jerry Scheff , was a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival. Keyboardist Kurt Howell had replaced Glen D Hardin. Hardin and Scheff, who were on the first SP album, had been members of both Emmylou Harris's Hot Band and Elvis Presley's TCB backup band.

corry342 | Thursday, May 22, 2008 | 10:25 am

Southern Pacific was a California-rock oriented band, modestly successful but somewhat ahead of their time. The group's sound was a mixture of Bakersfield-style country (think Buck Owens and Merle Haggard), California country rock and a whiff of R&B. The band had more rock credentials than country, so they came to country with a harder edge, and covered rock songs (in a Bakersfield style) to go with their original material. This tour was in support of their second album, Killbilly Hill, which would be released a few months later. Southern Pacific was formed in 1984 and broke up about 1991, just when the sort of music they played was starting to take off nationally.

corry342 | Thursday, May 22, 2008 | 10:20 am

Tim Goodman (lead vocals), John McFee (lead guitar and pedal steel guitar), Kurt Howell (piano, keyboards), Stu Cook (bass), Keith Knudsen (drums). Dewey Burrell (sp?)-tenor sax on tracks 16 and 17. Harmony vocals and occasional lead vocals from the entire band.