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FEATURE GRASS ROOTS By Tom Lounges
BUBBLEGUM OR BUST…
Rob Grill –– the founder and voice behind the long string of radio hits The Grass Roots put on the charts during the mid-to-late 1960s –– laughed aloud as this writer recalled the torturous pangs of writer’s cramp he had caused to myself and several classmates during the fall of 1972. In that first semester of the eighth grade, Carefree Sugarless Gum had sponsored a series of regional write-in contests which awarded the school that mailed in the most entries, a free concert by The Grass Roots and The Raspberries. So for countless days straight –– as record players throughout the region blared out such classic Roots songs as “Two Divided By Love,” “Sooner Or Later,” “Let’s Live For Today” and “Midnight Confessions” –– Highland students, like those from other region schools who were hell bent on bringing the hit-heavy band to their town –– sat in front of mountainous stacks of 3x 5 index cards scribbling some inane catch phrase about a bland gum that none among us even chewed. “Wow...I remember that,” chuckled Grill during a phone interview last week from his home state of Florida. “I think we did about 14 of those school concerts for Carefree. Talk about irony, here we were fighting against being considered ‘a bubble gum band,’ and who was sponsoring our shows, but a bubble gum company.” Though rife with catchy pop harmonies, Grass Roots music was never in any real danger of being labeled “bubble gum” and still stands as some of the best rock ‘n’ roll of its day. Grill gets a thrill hearing his old hits played on both “oldies” and “classic rock” radio stations and still enjoys performing them live. “Temptation Eyes” and “Midnight Confessions” are two of his personal favorites. ROOTING OUT HISTORY…Formed in Los Angeles in 1966, the Grass Roots enjoyed a solid ten year chart run with 29 Top 40 singles (13 of them going gold), before the original band called it quits in 1976. Bassist/vocalist Grill attempted a solo career and released a 1980 album, Unrooted, that was produced by John McVie of Fleetwood Mac and featured performances by McVie’s band mates, Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham. “That was a great experience,” he said. “I went with them on their ‘Tusk’ tour, so John and I could do radio interviews in different cities to promote the album.” Though Unrooted remained uncharted and remains unavailable today, it was critically praised. The experience inspired Grill to form a new version of the Grass Roots. The reconstituted group recorded a “comeback” album for MCA called, Powers Of The Night, which featured a song called “She Don’t Know Me,” that made the Top 10 list at several major market radio stations. LIVE FOR TODAY…Though it would be nice to still be at the top of the heap and recording new hits, Grill knows that rock music is a young man’s game and that his studio days and chart-topping years are most likely behind him. So he heeds the lyrics from the Grass Roots’ hippie anthem of the same name and “lives for today.” “It’s a tough thing to find a real record label who wants to record an oldies band, but that’s only the half of it. Even if you did record new material, it is even tougher to find a place to play it. Oldies and classic rock stations won’t play your new songs and rock radio won’t play them either. So, what’s the point?” Instead of trying to find gold a second time, Grill is content to just shine up the gold he has already mined. He has done that with a live concert album that may soon get a solid push from his former major label home, MCA Records. “The Grass Roots never did a live record back in the day like most bands did, so we finally got around to recording one a couple of years ago on our own, that has been doing really well [in sales] at our shows. It’s just hit after hit and we almost have a deal worked out with MCA to pick it up and release it [at retail level nationwide],” he said. The label knows the value of the band’s hits, because MCA bought up the Dunhill/ABC imprint that was home to all the original Grass Roots sides. “They own our catalog, so it makes sense for them to have the live album too,” he said. While some rock veterans bristle at the label “oldies act,” Grill is not among them. “I really don’t have a problem with it,” he said. “Because unlike a lot of the artists from my era, I’m still able to go out and work as much as I want and make a good living.” In 2001, Grill learned how much he still loved performing, when he underwent hip replacement surgery and was unable to tour. “I was out of commission for quite some time. I ended up having four total hip replacements on my left leg because of infections.” Grill missed performing so much, that he hobbled out and did a few ‘Rob Grill Unplugged’ solo shows. “I used crutches and sat for most of the show. I did my best and it was better than sitting home bored, but it wasn’t the same.” His adrenaline seems to start pumping even as he speaks. “I’m really excited about finally being able to get back on stage with the band again. I’m looking forward to seeing all the Chicagoland fans again!” Grass Roots and Herman’s Hermits perform with Tommy James, The Buckinghams and Chad & Jeremy on May 1 at The Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois |
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