Paul Revere & the Raiders

PAUL REVERE

MARK LINDSAY

JOE, JR.

CHARLIE COE

FREDDY WELLER

PHOTO

GALLERY

HULLABALOO!

TV PILOT

THE RAIDERS
TODAY!
THE MUSIC

America's Rock & Roll Band!
Part II

The major impetus for the group's rise to international favor was an appearance at the Columbia Records Convention in July 1965. Company executives decided to mount a major promotional effort, beginning with a national tour in the fall, the first of several dozen tours of the U.S. and other nations the group went on during the second half of the decade. One result was the first substantial album hit, "Just Like Us," released in March 1966. The group followed with such other hit 1966 LPs as "Midnight Ride" (7/66) and a release of pre-Columbia material, "In the Beginning," by Jerden Records in April 1966. (Another occurrence in April was the replacement of Drake Levin, who had been with the group for some time, by Jim Valley on lead guitar. Apart from Revere and Lindsay, turnover among Raiders through the early 1970s was considerable - involving something like 30 different musicians.)

The year 1967 was even more successful for the group than 1966. During the first four months, it had four LPs on the hit charts simultaneously, including "Spirit of '67", issued in January. Later in the year the Raiders also provided Columbia with chart hits in "Greatest Hits" (6/67) and "Revolution" (10/67). Their accomplishments included one of the top-selling singles of the year, "Him or Me - What's It Gonna Be." Besides

numerous in-person shows during 1966-67, the group was featured on one major TV program after another, including "The Tonight Show," "Hul- labaloo," "Coliseum," "The Mike Douglas Show", "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", "Hollywood Palace", "Batman" and the Ed Sul- livan show. The group's debut appearance on the Sullivan show in April 1967 also was the debut for a new Raider, Freddy Weller, who left his work as a sideman for Billy Joe Royal to replace Jim Valley on lead guitar. Also with the group by then was Charley Coe, an old friend of Mark's and Paul's from Idaho. Coe, an early band member, had left for three years to major in music at Boise College, before returning to handle guitar (also some piano, violin and saxophone) for the band. Rounding out the quintet as of 1967-68 was drummer Joe Correrro, Jr., who had attended high school with Bob- bie Gentry at one time in his hometown of Greenwood, Mississippi.
Signifying Mark Lindsay's importance to the group as lead vocalist, the name of the band was changed in the mid-'60s to Paul Revere and the Raiders Starring Mark Lindsay. The somewhat unwieldy designation indicated, as well, a division of responsibility between Revere and Lindsay, in which Revere concentrated on business matters, while Lindsay handled the music end - production, songwriting, arrangements.

In 1968 the equal status of Paul and Mark was underlined by their work as co-hosts of the ABC-TV show "Happening '68." Late in the year the Raiders had a chart hit with their LP titled "Something Happening." In 1969 Mark Lindsay decided to try his hand as a solo artist, while still maintaining his ties with the band. His first Columbia single, "Arizona," issued late in the year, became a top-10 hit in early 1970, earning Mark a gold record. He followed with a hit LP titled "Arizona" later in the year. In addition, Lindsay had such other hit singles that year as "Silver Bird," which showed up on the charts in June, and "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind," which was on the lists from early summer to late fall. His 1971 hit singles included "Been Too Long on the Road" and "Problem Child."

In 1971, with Lindsay handling production, the band added several major hits to its long total.

The single "Indian Reservation" made the charts in April and was number two nationally in August, achieving gold-record sales of over a million copies. The LP of the same title also was a chart hit, showing up in early summer and still on the lists in October. In September still another Raiders single, "Birds of a Feather," appeared on the best-seller lists and remained on them through the fall.

During 1972 both Lindsay and the Raiders frequently appeared on best-seller rosters. Lindsay's successes included the album "You've Got a Friend" and the singles "Something Big" and "Are You Old Enough." The Raiders' hits were the albums "All-Time Greatest Hits" and "Indian Reservation" and the singles "Country Wine," "Song Seller" and "Powder Blue Mercedes Queen."

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