| John Cipollina |
Cipollina, with Copperhead, 1976
Keystone Berkeley, Courtesy, David Gans
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| Background information |
| Birth name |
John Holland Mallet III |
| Born |
August 24, 1943(1943-08-24)
Berkeley, California US |
| Died |
May 29, 1989 (aged 45)
San Francisco, California, US |
| Genres |
Rock, psychedelic rock, blues, jazz |
| Occupations |
Musician |
| Instruments |
Guitar, bass, piano |
| Years active |
1964 - 1989 |
| Labels |
Captitol, Line Records, Music Box Records |
| Associated acts |
Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Dinosaurs, Man |
| Website |
JohnCipollina.com |
| Notable instruments |
| Gibson SG |
John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 - May 29, 1989) was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Born in Berkeley, California, he attended Tamalpais High School, in Mill Valley, California (as did his brother, Mario Cipollina). He showed great promise as a classical pianist in his youth, but soon switched to the guitar as his primary instrument.
Equipment and technique
Cipollina had a unique guitar sound, mixing solid state and valve amplifiers as early as 1965. He is considered one of the fathers of the San Francisco psychedelic rock sound.
"I like the rapid punch of solid-state for the bottom, and the rodent-gnawing distortion of the tubes on top."[1]
Throughout his career, Cipollina usually played Gibson SGs, but in the late '70s and into the '80s could also be seen playing a Carvin DC150, which was similar to a double-cutaway Les Paul, but with more modern factory installed electronics. He played with finger picks, thumb picks, and used a whammy bar extensively which, he explained to Jerry Garcia, was to make up for his weak left (tremolo) hand. Even more unusually, he attached six wurlitzer horns to the top of his distinctive amplifier stack.
His style was highly melodic and expressive. Cipollina's classical past no doubt influenced his guitar style, which was miles beyond the usual blues-scale, pentatonic work of many of the other psychedelic-era guitarists. His work on fellow dueling guitarist Gary Duncan's electric arrangement/adaption of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five", retitled "Gold and Silver," which appears on the self-titled first album of Quicksilver, is an excellent example of how Cipollina took rock to places it usually didn't dare to venture.
Other ventures include founding the Jazz/Rock band Freelight, with now famous country crooner, Pam Tillis.
Experience with Man
In 1974, the Welsh psychedelic band Man were embarking upon a tour of the UK and the United States, but within the final leg of their tour their guitarist Mickey Jones developed pneumonia and most of the dates had to be cancelled. John Cipollina was suggested to fill the place of Jones for the final gigs that were to be at the San Francisco Winterland. As they were a two-guitar band, the band met and rehearsed with John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service, who played with them at Winterland, and agreed to play a UK tour.These were a great success, and promoter Bill Graham paid them a bonus, and rebooked them, but the band had a shaky line-up, and one of its members left the band. However, they still were able to continue the tour in the UK, during which their "Roundhouse gig" was recorded, but rumors held that Micky Jones had to over-dub Cipollina’s guitar, as it was out of tune, before their Maximum Darkness album could be released.[2] Even so, the album eventually reached #25 in the UK album charts.[3]
Death
Cipollina died on 29 May 1989 from chronic emphysema at the age of 45 after a career in music that spanned twenty five years. Quicksilver Messenger Service fans paid tribute to him the following month in San Francisco at an all-star concert at the Fillmore Auditorium which featured Nicky Hopkins, David Freiberg, and John's brother Mario, an original member of Huey Lewis and the News. Cipollina's one of a kind massive amplifier stack was donated, along with one of his customized Gibson SG guitars, and effects pedals, for display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in 1995.[1]
In 2003, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #32 of their list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
Discography
With Quicksilver Messenger Service
Copperhead
Raven
Maximum Darkness LP (1975) United Artists: CD (1991) BGO CD 43: CD Re-mix (2008) Esoteric ECLEC 2061 Micky Jones, Deke Leonard, Martin Ace, Terry Williams, John Cipollina Recorded at The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, 26 May 1975
Merrell Fankhauser
Freelight
Nick Gravenites
- 1980: Blue Star (Line Records)
- 1982: Monkey Medicine "The Nick Gravenites John Cipollina Band" (Line Records)
- 1991: Live At Rodon "Nick Gravenites and John Cipollina" (Music Box)
Zero
- Here Goes Nothin, Go Hear Nothin(Live)
Videos
References
External links
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Man |
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Martin Ace · Josh Ace · James Beck · Rene Robrahn · Phil Ryan
John Cipollina · Clive John · George Jones · Jeff Jones · Micky Jones · Deke Leonard · Tweke Lewis · John McKenzie · Rick Martinez · Malcolm Morley · Bob Richards · Gareth Llewellyn Thorrington · John Weathers · Ken Whaley · Ray Williams · Terry Williams · Will Youatt |
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| Studio albums |
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| Live albums |
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| Archive albums |
To Live For To Die · Live At The Rainbow 1972 · The 1999 Party Tour · Live In London 1975 · Live At Reading '83 · The Official Bootleg · Live at Crosskeys Institute 25 May 1984 · Live at the Keystone Berkeley, 9 August 1976 · Live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 11 December 2004
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| Compilation albums |
Twice · Golden Hour Of Man · Historia De La Musica Pop Inglesa - Vol 11 · The Dawn Of Man · The Early Years · The Definitive Collection · The Pye Collection · Greenfly · Perfect Timing · All Worth The Price · Rare Man · Yesterdays Papers · Three Decades Of Man · Many Are Called But Few Get Up · Man Alive · And In The Beginning · The History Of Man · Keep On Crinting · Sixty Minutes With Man
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