The Chambers Brothers
Like their West Coast contemporaries Sly & the Family Stone, the Chambers Brothers shattered racial and musical divides to forge an incendiary fusion of funk, gospel, blues, and psychedelia which reached its apex with the perennial 1968 song "Time Has Come Today." The Chambers Brothers -- bassist George, guitarist Willie, harpist Lester, and guitarist Joe, all of whom contributed vocals -- were born and raised in Lee County, Mississippi; the products of an impoverished sharecropping family, the brothers first polished their vocal harmonies in the choir of their Baptist church, a collaboration which ended after George was drafted into the army in 1952. Following his discharge he relocated to Los Angeles, where the other Chambers Brothers soon settled as well; the foursome began performing gospel and folk throughout Southern California in 1954, but remained virtually unknown until appearing in New York City in 1965. The addition of white drummer Brian Keenan not only made the Chambers Brothers an interracial group, but pushed their music closer to rock & roll; a well-received appearance at the Newport Folk Festival further enhanced their growing reputation, and they soon recorded their debut LP, People Get Ready.
As the Chambers Brothers toured rock clubs (including the famed Fillmore in San Francisco) and R&B venues (most notably the Apollo Theatre) alike, their music increasingly embraced elements of both; after recording 1968's Shout! for the Vault label, the group signed to Columbia to issue Time Has Come Today, scoring a major pop hit with the title track, an 11-minute psychedelic soul epic in its original album incarnation. The follow-up, A New Time - A New Day, yielded another Top 40 hit, a cover of the Otis Redding classic "I Can't Turn You Loose," but subsequent efforts, including 1969's Love, Peace and Happiness and 1970's Live at Fillmore East, failed to maintain the commercial momentum. Upon completing 1972's Oh My God!, the Chambers Brothers disbanded, only to reunite two years later for Unbonded. Right Move appeared in 1975, and although no new studio records were forthcoming, the group regularly performed live in the decades to follow, with the brothers also pursuing individual projects; the Chambers Family Choir, a gospel group including the siblings' children, remained a priority as well. George Chambers died on October 12, 2019 at the age of 88.
© Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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The Time Has Come
Rock - Released by Columbia - Legacy on 1 Nov 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Time Has Come
Soul/Funk/R&B - Released by Sony Music Media on 1 Nov 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time Has Come: The Best Of The Chambers Brothers
Soul/Funk/R&B - Released by Columbia - Legacy on 8 Oct 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Chambers' Brothers Greatest Hits
Soul/Funk/R&B - Released by Columbia on 1 Oct 1971
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Love, Peace and Happiness / Live at Bill Graham's Fillmore East (Live)
Funk - Released by Columbia - Legacy on 1 Dec 1969
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Feelin' The Blues (Digitally Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Jan 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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West Coast Love-In
The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Ashes, The Chambers Brothers
Rock - Released by vault on 20 May 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
West Coast Love-In (Digitally Remastered)
The Ashes, The Chambers Brothers, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy
Pop - Released by Essential Media Group on 20 May 1967
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Chambers Brothers Live In San Franciso 1965 (Live)
Soul - Released by Westmill on 27 Apr 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Chambers Brothers Greatest Hits
Funk - Released by vault on 3 Jun 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
People Get Ready (Digitally Remastered) (Live)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Jan 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shout! (Digitally Remastered)
Rock - Released by Essential Media Group on 26 May 1968
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greenback Dollar / One More Round (Digital 45)
Hoyt Axton, The Chambers Brothers
Folk - Released by Essential Media Group on 5 Aug 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Greatest Hits (Remastered)
Soul - Released by Essential Media Group on 1 Jan 1970
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -