Head East

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Head East is an American rock band from Illinois. The band was formed by singer John Schlitt, guitarist Danny Piper, keyboardist Roger Boyd, bassist Larry Boyd, and drummer Steve Huston. They met and formed the band while John, Roger, and Larry were studying at the University of Illinois, Steve was at Eastern Illinois University 45 miles away and Danny was not in college. As of 2024^[update], Roger Boyd is the only remaining original member: Piper left in 1972; Larry Boyd left in 1974; Schlitt took a break for part of 1973–74 before leaving in 1980; and Huston took a break for part of 1973–74 before leaving in 1983. Mike Somerville (guitar) and Dan Birney (bass) replaced Piper and Larry Boyd during the band's 1970s heyday, while the entire lineup (except Roger Boyd) has gone through numerous changes since the 1980s.

The band achieved success in the Midwestern United States during the 1970s, but fell into obscurity in the following decades on both coasts while remaining active in the Midwest and Southern parts of the United States. They are known for their 1975 hit "Never Been Any Reason".

Originally known as the TimeAtions, the band adopted the name Head East on August 6, 1969, at the suggestion of the band's roadie, Baxter Forrest Twilight. In a 2011 interview, founding member Steve Huston claimed that soon after sunrise one morning in 1969, Baxter Twilight woke the band members in their communal home/practice facility. Having been up all night sitting in the front yard consuming acid, the roadie said that when the sun rose, it turned into a giant talking head and told him the band's new name should be "Head East". After thinking on it briefly, the band liked the unusual nature of it and has kept the name.^[1] However, other members of the band dispute Huston's story about the naming.

Head East recorded and produced their first album, Flat as a Pancake,^[2] in 1974 at Golden Voice Recording Studio in South Pekin, Illinois. Released on their own record label, Pyramid Records, all 5,000 records and 500 eight-tracks produced were sold.^[3] Several midwest album rock radio stations, chief among them KSHE 95, St. Louis and KY-102 in Kansas City and others, began airing songs from the album as well. With those sales, and the song "Never Been Any Reason" on radio, A&M was impressed enough to sign the band and re-release the album in 1975.^[4] The album reached gold status by 1978 and would remain their most popular album, spawning another hit in the song "Love Me Tonight", which peaked at number 54.

The band followed with the albums Get Yourself Up and Gettin' Lucky, released in 1976 and 1977 respectively.^[2] Neither album achieved the success of their debut album. However, their fourth album simply titled Head East (1978) produced another hit with the band's cover of former Argent singer Russ Ballard's "Since You Been Gone",^[2] which peaked at number 46.

In 1979, the band released the double-LP Head East Live!,^[2] and A Different Kind of Crazy. The former peaked at number 96 on the US Hot 100 charts. The band also performed on the soundtrack to the comic anthology film J-Men Forever.^[3][4] Head East also performed at the Culver Academies Graduation party in 1979, which in the prior years had been headlined by Styx and Quicksilver.

In March 1980, bassist Dan Birney and guitarist Mike Somerville left the band, while singer John Schlitt was fired due to drug dependency.^[5] He would later recover, become a born-again Christian and reappear as the lead singer of the Contemporary Christian Music band Petra.

Remaining members Boyd and Huston hired bassist Mark Boatman, guitarist Tony Gross, and former drummer and singer Dan Odum (during Huston's absence) to record their following album titled U.S. 1, released in October 1980.^[2] The album was their last to reach the charts and last recorded release on A&M.^[2]

Membership fluctuated as the band continued with little success, releasing albums on small labels. In 1982, they released Onward and Upward on Allegiance Records, with Odum leaving the band the following year. Steve Huston himself departed the band around this time and by the early 1990s had become a recording studio engineer based in Indianola, Iowa. His departure from Head East left Boyd as the only original member. Following a six-year hiatus from releasing new material, the band reappeared with the album Choice of Weapons (1988) on Dark Heart Records, featuring bassist Kurt Hansen (who had first joined the band in 1983) taking on primary lead vocal duties. Choice of Weapons remains the last Head East studio album consisting of new original material, with subsequent albums featuring re-issued, remixed studio and live performances of the more successful material. Meanwhile, the band continued touring, performing in venues around the Midwest, with new vocalist/rhythm guitarist Randy Rickman joining shortly after the Choice of Weapons album and serving as co-lead vocalist with Hansen.^[6] Guitarist Somerville would also return to the line-up from 1994 to 2003.

In 1999, a live album titled Concert Classics Vol. 7 was released. The album featured songs from two shows at Denver's Rainbow Music Hall. The first five tracks are from a 1980 show featuring the original personnel, while the last 10 tracks are from a 1981 show featuring the latter line-up. The band continues to tour to this day, playing 30 to 40 shows each year.^[3]

The band's original guitarist and songwriter Mike Somerville (born Michael A. Somerville on August 15, 1952, in Peoria, Illinois) died on February 28, 2020, at age 67.^[7][8]

Co-founder, songwriter and original drummer Steve Huston died July 25, 2023 in Harris County, Texas at age 73. ^[9]

The band's 1975 single, "Never Been Any Reason", was featured in the 2005 movie adaptation of Clive Cussler's novel Sahara, and appears on the soundtrack to the 1993 coming-of-age drama Dazed and Confused, as well as being briefly heard in the film. The song has also been used on TV's That '70s Show and Friday Night Lights.

In 2011, Head East was inducted into the Iowa Rock n' Roll Music Association's Hall of Fame.^[10] As part of the induction concert, several former and current members united onstage to perform, including Steve Huston and John Schlitt.

• Roger Boyd – keyboards (1969–present)
• Eddy Jones – drums, vocals (2006–present)
• Greg Manahan – bass guitar, guitar, vocals (2006–present)
• Darren Walker – lead vocals, occasional live bass guitar (2006–present)
• Mark Murtha – lead guitar, vocals (2022–present)

• Larry Boyd – bass (1969–1974)
• Steve Huston – drums, backing and lead vocals (1969–1973, 1974–1983)
• Dan Piper – lead guitar (1969–1972)
• John Schlitt – lead vocals (1969–1973, 1974–1980)
• Brad Flota – guitar (1972–1973)
• Bill Keister – drums (1973)
• Dale Innes – lead vocals (1973)
• Mike Somerville – guitar (1973–1980, 1995–2003)
• Dan Birney – bass (1974–1980)
• Dan Odum – lead vocals (1980–1983)
• Mark Boatman – bass – (1980)
• Tony Gross – guitar (1980–1984, 1987–1991)
• Robbie Robinson – bass (1981–1983)
• Kurt Hansen – bass, lead vocals (1983–1997)
• J.Jaye Steele – lead vocals (1983–1986)
• Brian Kelly – drums (1983–1985)
• Ricky Lynn Gregg – guitar (1984–1986)
• Joel Parks – drums (1985–1987)
• Matt Stewart – guitar (1986–1987)
• Donnie Dobbins – drums (1987–1991)
• Randy Rickman – lead vocals, guitar^[6] (1988–1992)
• Steve Riker – drums (1991–1992)
• James Murphy – lead guitar (1991–1995)
• Tom Bryant – lead vocals (1995–2001)
• Dan Kelly – drums (1992–1997, 1999–2000)
• Rich Creadore – bass (1992–2006)
• Mike Mesey – drums (1997–1999, 2000–2006)
• Richie Callison – guitar, lead vocals (2001–2006)
• Glen Bridger – lead guitar, vocals (2006–2022)

• 1979: Head East Live! – (#65) (#66 Can.)
• 1999: Concert Classics Volume 7 – (none)
• 2000: Live on Stage (edited version of Head East Live) – (none)
• 2008: Head East Live 2008 – (none)
• 2011: One Night With... Head East – (none)

• 2001: 20th Century Masters – (none)

• Official website
• Heavy Harmonies page (partial discography)
• Head East discography at Discogs