Hampton Grease Band

The Hampton Grease Band was an American rock band. Starting from Blue Rock, they developed an experimental style that only little support was the audience, but now has cult status.

Band History

The Hampton Grease Band began in the late 1960s as a blues rock band in Atlanta. These included Bruce Hampton (vocals, trumpet), Glenn Phillips (guitar, saxophone), Harold Kelling (guitar, vocals), Jerry Fields ( drums, percussion, trombone, vocals) and Mike Holbrook ( bass). They played as the opening act as well-known bands such as The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Procol Harum and the Allman Brothers Band. By the time they developed their own sound, which was heavily influenced by Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart.

Phil Walden, manager of the Allman Brothers, took them under contract. For Columbia Records they made recordings that were considered commercially hopeless. Columbia decided to instead bring out a live album. In 1971, Music to Eat as a double album. It kept the rumor that the album is one of the least- selling albums of Columbia, only beaten by a yoga album.

Despite a successful show with Frank Zappa at the Fillmore East Columbia ended the collaboration with the group. Zappa took them under contract, but there was no other publication. In 1973, dissolved the Hampton Grease Band. In 1996, Columbia Music to Eat out on CD.

2006 there was a reunion of the Hampton Grease Band. They performed in Atlanta Music to Eat. Bob Elsey replaced Harold Kelling, who died in 2005.