The Curtis Brothers

Sibling country-rockers the Curtis Brothers — singer/guitarist Rick, singer/bassist Michael, and guitarist Tom — launched their career in 1965, teaming with sister Patti and friend Travis Rose to form the psych-folk band These Vizitors in the family's hometown of Goshen, IN. After earning a devoted local following and even appearing on WGN Chicago's wildly popular children's television program The Bozo Show, the group signed to Capitol, traveling to New York City in 1967 to record with producer Phil Ramone; the sessions yielded five tracks in all, with the most commercial — "For Mary's Sake" and "Happy Man" — appearing as a Capitol single in May of 1968. By that time These Vizitors were settled in West Palm Beach, FL, appearing on local bills in support of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Jefferson Airplane; when the single went nowhere, the group dissolved, although Rick and Michael continued pursuing a career in music. In 1972 the Curtises contributed original material and vocals to the Crazy Horse LP At Crooked Lake, which they parlayed into an option deal with Polydor; there they befriended the struggling duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, and together the foursome cut a pair of demos: "Blue Letter" and "Seven League Boots." While the former was later re-recorded on the self-titled 1975 Fleetwood Mac album that heralded Buckingham and Nicks' addition to the group, the latter was later retooled by Crosby, Stills & Nash, becoming their 1982 smash "Southern Cross." In the interim, Tom rejoined his siblings, and as the Curtis Brothers — a unit also including drummer Thom Mooney — they cut an eponymous 1976 LP for Polydor. The album received little notice, and two years later the group completed a follow-up for International Artists — for reasons unknown, the label shelved the project, and the Curtis Brothers officially parted ways. Mike later toured with latter-day lineups of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, in addition serving for 12 years as a member of singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton's backing band. Rick died unexpectedly after suffering a seizure in January 1995.