The band was formed by
jazz guitarist "Buzz" Feiten and keyboardist Neil Larsen. Its self-titled debut album was released in 1972. Larson was briefly a member of
Soul Survivors (he contributed as a keyboardist, writer and arranger on his eponymous 1974 album on the TSOP label). He later started touring as a member of Gregg Allman's band in 1975.
Howard “Buzz” Feiten is best known as a lead and rhythmic guitarist, and for having patented a unique and scientifically designed tuning system for guitars and similar instruments - a design formula that uses changes to the instrument's nut and saddle to correct inherent problems intonation of the Western tuning formula. He played with The Reasons Why, Rickie Lee Jones, Paul Butterfield
Blues Band - occupying the post of the late Elvin Bishop, who had made a solo career, and recording on the group's fifth album, "Keep on moving" - The Rascals, Larsen-Feiten Band , Whirlies and Dave Weckl Band.
Full Moon was formed by Neil Larsen (keyboards), "Buzz" Feiten (guitar), Freddie Beckmeier (bass), Phillip Wilson (drums) and Brother Gene Dinwiddie (tenor saxophone). Other musicians who contributed to Full Moon were Randy Brecker, Airto Moreira, Ray Barretto, Dave Holland and vocalists Robin Clark and Tasha Thomas.
A notable example of
jazz fusion, Full Moon gained airplay and vinyl album sales in some metropolitan and urban-suburban markets. A sequential album, "Buzz Feiten & The New Full Moon", was released in 1999, with a different team of musicians: original member Freddie Beckmeier on bass (Steve's brother from The Reasons Why), plus new members Jai Winding on us keyboards, Brandon Fields on saxophones and Gary Mallaber on drums.
Two other Feiten projects had the name Full Moon attached: a release recorded in the studio of the Larsen-Feiten Band, and the other a "live" album, "Full Moon Liveearly" with 1980s recordings of some of Full Moon and Larsen-Feiten Band's original songs, with Neil Larsen on keyboards, Lenny Castro on percussion, Art Rodriguez on drums and Vernon Porter on bass.