This is a segment of the opening act performance that Tommy Bolin and his band played on his final tour that features a keyboard solo from Mark Stein and drum solo from Carmine Appice (both ex-members of Vanilla Fudge) before gliding into "Post Toastee," Bolin’s set closer, a song that is reminiscent of Cream’s "Sunshine of Your Love.”
Bolin was on a fast track to becoming the next big guitar hero in the world of rock ’n’ roll when this show was recorded in 1976, but at the same he was driving on a highway to hell…entire summary
Tommy Bolin - guitar, vocals
Johnnie Bolin - drums
Jimmy Haslip - bass
Mark Stein - keyboards
Norma Jean Bell - saxophone
This is a segment of the opening act performance that Tommy Bolin and his band played on his final tour that features a keyboard solo from Mark Stein and drum solo from Carmine Appice (both ex-members of Vanilla Fudge) before gliding into "Post Toastee," Bolin’s set closer, a song that is reminiscent of Cream’s "Sunshine of Your Love.”
Bolin was on a fast track to becoming the next big guitar hero in the world of rock ’n’ roll when this show was recorded in 1976, but at the same he was driving on a highway to hell with a growing heroin addiction. In a matter of weeks after recording this concert, Bolin would be found dead in a Miami, Florida hotel room, in December of 1976. He had opened a show for one of his heroes, Jeff Beck, the night before.
Fortunately, Bolin left a pretty lengthy recorded legacy before his death at age 25. He made two albums with the Denver-based blues rock band, Zephyr; two albums with The James Gang; an album backing Billy Cobham (Spectrum) and two solo albums, Teaser and Private Eyes. In addition, he was a guest guitarist for many others including Canada’s Moxy and jazz-fusion drummer Alphonse Mouzon.
This recording gives a good but not complete picture of the guitar prowess that Tommy Bolin was on his way to becoming. His family has tried as best as possible to keep his musical legacy alive with a number of releases including a box set collection and several live and rare tracks taken over the years.
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