The Raves Artist Feature
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| Biography |
| The Raves actually began life as 'Nod' way back in
1971. When the Yoakum family moved to
Birmingham, Alabama that year, brothers Chuck and
John transformed their earlier teenage band ventures
into a more serious effort. Utilizing their growing
songwriting abilities, they began to turn out
professional studio demos while continuing to play
club and concert venues. Ken Kennedy, one of
John's high school friends, was recruited on lead
guitar in 1972 and more recording and playing
followed. In the next few years they began to define
their style and sound. Then after a succession of
drummers, brother Jim was added permanently in
1976. The chemistry that was created with this
line-up frequently took Nod in the studio to make
some of the best pop sounds available in 1977. At
that time, the band also began to make videos of
their music (a rarity) and talk with some record labels.
But, the music business was interested in the Disco
money machine... miles away from the sounds of
Nod. It seemed that pop/rock music was gone.
Thankfully, the Punk and New Wave movement
came along at the end of the decade and killed the
dreaded Disco monster (not counting the mutant
version alive today) making the world safe for good
music again. In 1978 the band moved to Atlanta and
began to make waves in the burgeoning music scene
there. Change was coming. 1980 saw the birth of the
Raves with the perfect marriage of sound and image.
New and even groovier songs were recorded
resulting in their inclusion on a pop compilation lp
'The London Side Of Nashville' in 1981. They
launched an award winning cable television series
entitled 'Eh, Wot's This?!' , a cable special called
'Bats On Skis', played endless concert dates and
moved up the ladder towards the shiny brass ring in
1982. Unfortunately, 1983 was the last year for The
Raves in their original incarnation. Making music and
contract litigation divided their time. As usual, the
lawyers won. A posthumous release aptly titled 'Color
Of Tears' issued later was compelling listening, but
an all too abrupt end to their tale. A few years later a
young music fan with fabulous taste discovered The
Raves recordings and was hooked. David Takis (that
fan) single-handedly undertook getting The Raves to
work on the project that became 'Past Perfect Tense'.
This collection of their music is essential listening for
ANY fan of power pop, Brit rock, or just good music.
For maximum enjoyment, Play It Loud.
The story is not over. Because the prolific writing in
the band has left many more unissued recordings,
and in response to requests; additional Raves and
Nod material is being compiled and recorded. The
first volume of Nod and Raves material to be
released will be "Inside Looking Out". It will chronicle
the origins of the songwriting team of Chuck and
John Yoakum and include material spanning
1968-1983, with the greatest concentration on their
recordings in the 1970s as Nod. This is due for
release in 1999. |
| The Raves:
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