The Bellrays

Simon Stokes the crazy hard psych rocker par excellence. Grandson of big band leader Harry D. Stokes, Simon Stokes was known as a loner, sleepwalker, and fan of the classic monster movies his grandfather loved. As a teenager, Stokes became obsessed with the blues and R&B via the legendary DJ Symphony Sid. Beginning in 1965, Stokes recorded a number of 45s in LA as the Flower Children and Heathen Angels. He then got a deal as a staff writer at Elektra the same day they signed his friends The MC5 and The Stooges! That’s not it for impressive connections. Simon Stokes made this album, beyond Captain Beefheart in the psychedelic blues stakes, in 1968, and became a cult figure with Biker groups everywhere…

THIS MONTH’S COVERMOUNT CD is Boogie Children, Volume 7 of our popular Heavy Nuggets series. Hypnotic rifferama in the key of Young/Young, starring Canned Heat, ZZ Top, Little Feat, John Lee Hooker, R.L. Burnside, Howlin Rain, Endless Boogie and more!

Honky is the hallucinogenic country music soundtrack to a nervous breakdown in the desert. Simon Stokes is a former collaborator of Timothy Leary, and his musical career stretches back for decades, including a variety of soundtrack contributions, in addition to stints in bands such as the Nighthawks, the Black Whip Thrill Band and a host of other groups. Honky boasts some impressive guest players, including the likes of Wayne Kramer and the Bellrays' Lisa Kekaula, and Stokes's own voice ranges from a low, gritty growl to a full-blown raspy howl. Stokes writes songs that stretch from slow, off-kilter bluesy rockers to subdued country ballads, and the album offers lyrical underworld stories concerning varied topics such as outlaws, love and drugs. Tougher than rusted brass knuckles, Simon Stokes plays distorted country and blues with a well-worn sneer.