Cactus - Tightrope (2xLP on 1 CD) (2021)

Cactus was initially conceived as early as late 1969 and originally featured the Vanilla Fudge rhythm section of bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice, guitarist Jeff Beck, xylophone player/vocalist Adele Smitchell, and Rod Stewart (also from the already dissolved Jeff Beck Group). However, Beck had an automobile accident and was out of the music scene for over a year and Stewart joined Ronnie Wood in Faces.
Early 1970 Appice and Bogert brought in blues guitarist Jim McCarty from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels and The Buddy Miles Express, and singer Rusty Day (born Russell Edward Davidson) from Amboy Dukes.
This line-up managed three albums (Cactus, One Way...Or Another and Restrictions) before intraband troubles led to McCarty quitting at the end of 1971. Shortly afterwards Day was fired from the group. The fourth and last Cactus album ('Ot 'N' Sweaty) featured original rhythm section Bogert and Appice joined by Werner Fritzschings on guitar, Duane Hitchings on keyboards and Peter French (ex-Leaf Hound and Atomic Rooster) on vocals.
The 2012 line up is Jim McCarty, Carmine Appice, Jimmy Kunes, Pete Bremy and Randy Pratt.
The New Cactus Band, led by Duane Hitchings, released one album (Son Of Cactus) and featured nobody of the original Cactus. Mike Pinera, formerly of Blues Image and Iron Butterfly, came in on guitar, along with Roland Robinson on bass and Jerry Norris on drums. The band then toured live in the Midwest and on the East Coast in mid 1973 with Captain Beyond drummer Bobby Caldwell and former Gregg Allman bass player Charlie Souza. The New Cactus Band soon disbanded. In the late '70s Rusty Day formed another version of Cactus in Orlando, where he had relocated. This version of Cactus featured Steve Dansby on guitar, Dan Keylon (and later, John Sauter) on bass, Frankie Robbins (and later, Gary Moffatt) on drums. Frankie Robbins' brother Dennis along with Dan Keylon also played with the Rockets and Jim McCarty. There are no known studio recordings from this era, though live recordings do circulate. On March 6, 1982 Rusty Day died from gunshots as a victim of a drug deal gone bad.
After a long hiatus, Cactus re-emerged in June 2006 with two appearances in New York City: a radio appearance on The Radiochick Show, and their first show since 1972 at B.B. King's Blues Club in Times Square (on June 3, 2006). This show was a warm up for the gig which sparked the reunion, an appearance at the Sweden Rock Festival in Norje, Sweden on June 9, 2006. The 2006 version of Cactus saw original members Appice, Bogert and McCarty reunited and joined by former Savoy Brown frontman Jimmy Kunes on vocals. Randy Pratt joined the band in NYC and Sweden on harmonica. The group also released a new album, Cactus V. In 2008, McCarty left the band again and, coincidentally repeating history, was once again replaced by Werner Fritzchings. Elliot Dean Rubinson replaced Tim Bogert who retired from touring. In 2011 McCarty returned to the band with Pete Bremy taking over on bass. Bremy also took over for Bogert in Vanilla Fudge and is the only non-original member who has played for both bands.
The band has been cited as an influence by such groups as Van Halen, Anvil, The Black Crowes, Montrose, and The Black Keys.
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