Winged Tuscadero

Mallard: Sam Galpin (vocals, keyboards), Bill Harkleroad (guitar), John “Rabbit” Bundrick (keyboards), Mark Boston (electric bass), Art Tripp (drums) and Barry Morgan (percussion). From the album Mallard (1975).

When Zappa disbanded the Mothers of Invention in 1969, Tripp had already maintained contact with singer and multi-instrumentalist Captain Beefheart, who played a mix of contemporary classical music, blues, free jazz and rock with strange rhythms and eccentric lyrics, adding his wide vocal range of five octaves. In 1970 Tripp joined his Magic Band, with which he moved to California, toured again in the United States and Europe, and participated in four of his albums, the first being Lick My Decals Off, Baby. In 1974, guitarist Bill Harkleroad, bassist Mark Boston and Trip himself left the band to form Mallard.

In 1975, singer and keyboardist Sam Galpin, keyboardist John “Rabbit” Bundrick and percussionist Barry Morgan also came along to record Mallard with Virgin Records UK, which was financed by Jethro Tull leader Ian Anderson and in which they play experimental rock. Below I show the video of the song “Winged Tuscadero”, in which the lyrics are spoken. Afterwards Tripp left the band disappointed with music and went to Pittsburg (Pennsylvania) to sell insurance on his father’s business while Mallar recorded its second and last album In A Different Climate with George Draggota replacing him.

Tripp remained with his father for three years, but wanted to play again and moved to Los Angeles, where he found work as a studio musician. In 1978 he collaborated in the recording of Al Stewart’s folk-rock album Time Passages, but he missed live performances. Then he went to receive chiropractic treatment and the practitioner convinced him to abandon music definitively and devote himself to this discipline. As a result, he completed his studies and in 1983 obtained the licence to practice chiropractic, which is used to treat spinal disorders. He currently attends his patients at his clinic in Gulfport (Mississippi), which opened in 2000.