Brush Arbor "Brush Arbor" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
Brush Arbor "Brush Arbor 2" (Capitol Records, 1973) (LP)
Brush Arbor "Page One" (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)
Brush Arbor "Straight" (Monument Records, 1977) (LP)
Brush Arbor "Hide Away" (Myrrh Records, 1979) (LP)
Brush Arbor "Hero" (Myrrh Records, 1981) (LP)
Brush Arbor "I Will Follow" (Word Records, 1983) (LP)
Brush Arbor "Centerstage" (Light Records, 1985) (LP)
Brush Arbor "What Does It Take" (Morning Gate Records, 1991)
Brush Arbor "Brush Arbor" (Benson Records, 1994)
Brush Arbor "The Way The River Runs" (Benson Records, 1996)
The Rice Kryspies "Sugar Coated" (Fanfare Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Compton)
Describing themselves as "neither hick nor hippie," this bluegrass-folk family band from Southern California was made up of brothers Jim, Joe and Wayne Rice, (on guitar, mandolin and banjo, respectively) as well as Wayne's wife Marci, who played bass and sang harmony. They saw themselves as a Christian group, though they made a concerted effort to appeal to a wider audience, and recorded mostly secular material, peppered with a few Jesus tunes here and there. The band formed in the early '60s as part of San Diego's folk revival scene, though they were still in their teens and early twenties when they cut this album: bandleader Wayne Rice was the oldest member at twenty-three, while younger brother Joe Rice was still in high school. Though they only cut a couple of self-released records, the Rices went on to co-found Brush Arbor, one of the most influential country-gospel groups of the country-rock era.
The Rice Kryspies "A Reason To Believe" (Tortilla Records, 1970) (LP)
This was the second album from this San Diego band, with Side One devoted to secular music, and Side Two to religious tunes. Bass player Marci Rice quit the group in 1971, and as noted above, the Rice brothers soon merged with members of the band Kentucky Faith, recruiting singer Ken Munds to create Brush Arbor.
Kentucky Faith "Fool's Gold" (Sonrise Music/Mark Recordings, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Twyla Morrison)
A mix of old bluegrass standards and religiously-oriented material... Maybe not the greatest pickers ever, but lively amateurs with a nice, spirited vibe. Despite the Appalachian band name, this was a Southern California band, led by singer-guitarist Ken Munds, who was later recruited to become Brush Arbor's lead singer. On this early outing, there was additional assistance from steel player J. D. Maness and flatpicker Dennis Agajanian who at the time was largely identified as a bluegrasser, but went on to record a numerous gospel albums in later years...) Footnote: on his website, Ken Munds details how the "rock star" aspects of the Brush Arbor band led him into the temptations of substance abuse, and after getting booted from the band, he bottomed out then pulled himself together for a solo career as an evangelical folkie. But this is him at his most youthful and innocent... A nice slice of SoCal bluegrass-twang and Christian music history.
Brush Arbor is one of those amazing, square-peg country bands that crossed over into multiple genres -- charting in the Top Forty, dabbling in hippiedelic country rock and eventually settling exclusively into a long career as a Christian country act. They recorded some fun stuff in the 'Seventies (most notably "Heaven Is A Girl Named Emmylou," a good-natured tribute to the young Ms. Harris...) But eventually they did settle down and become a straight gospel band, recording successfully through the next couple of decades. Here's a quick look at their work...
