Bo Grumpus ● Before the War

I regret to inform you that Bo Grumpus isn’t a real person. Hey, I’m as disappointed as you are. The name comes from producer Felix Pappalardi’s wife, Gail Collins, an artist who used the unusual moniker to describe one of her drawings (let’s hope she was a better artist than she was a wife; the former Mrs. Pappalardi shot and killed her husband in 1983). Before the War, first released in 1968 on Atco Records, is a rather tame collection of heavily orchestrated psychedelic pop. “A Knowing Young Touch” and “Travelin’ in the Dark” are both awash in strings, for example, while “If I Came to You” features a small brass section. Elsewhere the band's timid brand of mellow folk-rock meanders along, eventually channeling John Sebastian in a couple of Lovin’ Spoonful-inspired numbers: “Ragtimely Love” and “Brooklyn.” Ultimately the best part of this band is its name. As it turns out, that too became a moot point; Bo Grumpus changed its name to Jolliver Arkansaw in 1969.

Notes: Pappalardi first made a name for himself as a producer—he started working with Cream in 1967—but found his biggest commercial success as a founding member of the band Mountain with guitarist Leslie West. He was shot and killed by his wife, Gail, on April 17, 1983. She was ultimately acquitted of second degree murder and manslaughter, but found guilty of criminally negligent homicide.