Elf (band)
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Elf was a Blues-rock band founded in 1967 by singer Ronnie James Dio, keyboardist Doug Thaler, drummer Gary Driscoll, and guitarists Nick Pantas and David Feinstein. The band was originally called The Electric Elves, but was shortened to The Elves and finally Elf in 1969. Elf disbanded in 1975, after recording only three albums.
History
In 1970 the band was involved in an automobile accident which claimed the life of Nick Pantas, whom the band decided not to replace. After recovering from his injuries, Doug Thaler quit the band, and was replaced by Micky Lee Soule. (Thaler remained uninvolved in the music industry until 1983, when he became co-manger of Mötley Crüe).
Elf's self-titled debut album was produced by Deep Purple members Roger Glover and Ian Paice, who happened to see Elf auditioning in 1972. For the next few years, the band enjoyed mild success as an opening act for Deep Purple.
Dio both sang and played the bass guitar until, in 1973, bass player Craig Gruber was asked to join. The same year saw Feinstein quit the band, to be replaced by Steve Edwards. Feinstein formed a band called The Rods, which met with little success, before finally retiring from the music industry. He would not return to the music scene until 2004, when his band, Feinstein, released the heavy metal album Third Wish on Manowar's Magic Circle Music label. It is interesting to note that David Feinstein and Ronnie James Dio are cousins.
In 1974, Dio was asked by Glover to sing on his solo album The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper Feast. Dio's rich, soulful voice gained the attention of guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, who was looking for musicians for his first solo album, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. He decided to use Elf for this album, and the band Rainbow was thus formed, with Blackmore replacing Edwards. After they finished recording the album, however, Dricoll, Gruber, and Soule were replaced by Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain and Tony Carey, who played with Dio and Blackmore during the subsequent tour; Elf was no more.
| 1967-1970 |
|
|---|---|
| 1970-1973 |
|
| 1973-1975 |
|
| January - February 1975 |
|
Ronnie James Dio would eventually go on to join Black Sabbath and launch a successful solo career.
Discography
- Elf (1972)
- Carolina County Ball (1974) (US title: L.A./59)
- Trying to Burn the Sun (1975)
- The Gargantuan (1978) compilation
- The Elf Albums (1991) two album compilation set
External links
- [Elf Lyrics]
- [Unofficial Elf biography] on www.Dio.net
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