# 1960s era bands that are still active **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2012, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957 "2012-12-13T20:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/21 "2012-12-14T03:24:09Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Jethro Tull is currently inactive, possibly defunct. Ian Anderson has spent most of 2012 touring _Thick as a Brick 2_ as a solo artist. Technically, Anderson has been the only original Tull member remaining since Clive Bunker left in 1971, anyway. > > Last I heard, Jacqui McShee was the only member of the '60s Pentangle lineup left. Has someone else rejoined? Martin Barre joined Jethro Tull prior to the band recording it’s 2nd album, _Stand Up_, which was released in 1969. I thought that Tull had been active recently if not in 2012. I didn’t see official word that they were defunct so I threw 'em into the list. I will recognize Tull as ‘maybe’. Oh, you’re right about Pentangle. I forgot that Jansch died last year. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/22 "2012-12-14T03:52:37Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Furth **u** r. They play almost entirely Dead songs and covers that the Dead also covered. They also do some new (to them) covers and a couple of new songs. I’ve seen Furthur a few dozen times and they still can jam like the old days. Their guitar player, John K-, (he was with the Grateful Dead tribute-band “Dark Star Orchestra” for a long time) and his naked, mawkish aping of Jerry Garcia’s vocal and instrumental styles have made it pretty hard to for me enjoy Furthur’s music, although both Bob and Phil still sound solid as ever. I really, _really_ wish they would find a lead guitarist who stands on his own merits, and doesn’t need to assume the persona of J. Garcia. It’s unseemly and even somewhat pathetic, which are not adjectives I ever thought I would use to describe Bob Weir or Phil Lesh, two of America’s finest, most influential musicians. ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/23 "2012-12-14T03:59:13Z")
I didn’t realize that some of these groups (Golden Earring, The Ventures, The Monkees, The Seekers, Yes, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band) were still active. That’s great. Keep 'em coming. I didn’t know that Rush went back that far as a group. That’s awesome. I just saw them in concert a few months ago. [QUOTE=kunilou] Fleetwood Mac was formed in 1967, but Mick Fleetwood is the only original member still with the group, and only he and John McVie were in any of the 60’s lineups. I guess I’m a purist, but I wouldn’t call that a “60’s era band that’s still active” any more than I’d call Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr a Beatles reunion. [/QUOTE] Fleetwood and Mac (McVie) have been continuous members since the 60s. It’d be great if Peter Green could join them again with a screaming '59 Les Paul. And, under the stated criteria, I’d count The Beatles if Paul and Ringo were recently performing together. Though, in the spirit of purity, I think bands with the core lineup still intact deserve extra kudos. [QUOTE=hajario] Furthur. They play almost entirely Dead songs and covers that the Dead also covered. They also do some new (to them) covers and a couple of new songs. I’ve seen Furthur a few dozen times and they still can jam like the old days. [/QUOTE] Ah, I mucked up the spelling of Furthur in the OP. Thanks for correcting that. I’ve seen them 3 times. I concur that they can still jam at top level. Phil Lesh’s autobiography is a great read, btw, for those of you music fans who may be interested. [QUOTE=astorian] Only 1 original member of Deep Purple remains: drummer Ian Paice. Vocalist Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover joined in 1970.. though both left for long periods in the mid-Seventies. [/QUOTE] If that’s the case, then I stand corrected. I will post an updated list in the next couple days. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/24 "2012-12-14T04:04:57Z")
> [@cjepson](#): > > I presume Nesmith’s decision to do the tour this time was due to either a sense of impending mortality, a desire to honor Jones, **or the fact that Jones was reputedly a huge prima donna on tour**. (bolding mine)That is my theory, that Nesmith didn’t like having to deal with Davy. Mike was the crowd favorite at the shows I saw. If you take a look at his career, he’s done really well for himself artistically outside The Monkees (I’m sure his inheritance didn’t hurt.) ps: that 12-string Gretsch of his sure sounded fine on this tour. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/25 "2012-12-14T04:13:29Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I really, _really_ wish they would find a lead guitarist who stands on his own merits, and doesn’t need to assume the persona of J. Garcia. I’d have been fine with keeping Warren Haynes and the 2009 Dead lineup, if Mickey and Billy had wanted to. > [@Enlightening\_Meditation](#): > > Martin Barre joined Jethro Tull prior to the band recording it’s 2nd album, _Stand Up_, which was released in 1969. Yeah, the _This Was_ lineup was obsolete before the record was even issued–thus the title. Even though the name is the same, I think of the Mick Abrahams band as a proto-Tull. _Stand Up_ is where Ian’s show starts. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/26 "2012-12-14T04:18:51Z")
The Allman Brothers Band recorded their first album in 1969, and still have three original members as they tour. Mountain has been around since 1969 and are still touring. Leslie West still leads and drummer Corky Laing has been with him since 1970. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/27 "2012-12-14T04:22:54Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Their guitar player, John K-, (he was with the Grateful Dead tribute-band “Dark Star Orchestra” for a long time) and his naked, mawkish aping of Jerry Garcia’s vocal and instrumental styles have made it pretty hard to for me enjoy Furthur’s music, although both Bob and Phil still sound solid as ever. > > I really, _really_ wish they would find a lead guitarist who stands on his own merits, and doesn’t need to assume the persona of J. Garcia. It’s unseemly and even somewhat pathetic, which are not adjectives I ever thought I would use to describe Bob Weir or Phil Lesh, two of America’s finest, most influential musicians. > [@Peremensoe](#): > > I’d have been fine with keeping Warren Haynes and the 2009 Dead lineup, if Mickey and Billy had wanted to. I am not a huge JK fan and would have loved to see Warren in his spot but I don’t think that he wanted the gig. A lot of us were pretty surprised about that choice. I like DSO’s replacement guitarist is better than John. Joe Russo and Jeff Chimenti are virtuosos, in my opinion, and the back up singers have really grown on me. I’ll be at the entire New Years run in SF and I can’t wait. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/28 "2012-12-14T04:39:00Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Joe Russo and Jeff Chimenti are virtuosos, in my opinion, and the back up singers have really grown on me. > > I’ll be at the entire New Years run in SF and I can’t wait. I really like Jeff Chimenti’s playing as well, (Joe Russo is also good, but he’s no replacement for Mickey and Bill, but that’s another story) and as I said, Phil & Bob are currently playing exceptionally well. Hope you enjoy the New Year’s shows… ---
**Author:** ![Enlightening\_Meditation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@Enlightening\_Meditation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enlightening_Meditation)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/29 "2012-12-14T05:04:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Allman Brothers Band recorded their first album in 1969, and still have three original members as they tour. Ah geez, how did I overlook ABB? I just saw them perform last summer. Good call. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/30 "2012-12-14T05:44:24Z")
[Lynyrd Skynyrd](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynyrd_Skynyrd) is still active, but they have only one original member, Gary Rossington. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/31 "2012-12-14T05:59:15Z")
Three of the surviving Cowsills are still performing together, although the drummer John is now with the Beach Boys. ---
**Author:** ![azraiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@azraiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/azraiel)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/32 "2012-12-14T07:07:46Z")
Nazareth, formed in '68, is still recording with two of the four original members (vocalist and bassist). The original drummer was with the band until 1999, when he died (his replacement is still with the band). There’s been turnover in guitarists a couple of times since 1990, and a couple of keyboardists who’ve passed in and out (but weren’t original members). The band is still relatively intact, as far as I’m concerned. Here’s a nice [visual](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/991646065ca9e62fcfd518650900c177.png) that shows the absolute continuity through 1990 and the relative continuity since. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/33 "2012-12-14T12:17:53Z")
Neil young was mentioned in the OP with CS&N, but I’ll mention him again with Crazy Horse. Their 1st record came out in 1969, and aside from the guitar player, Danny Whitten, the lineup is the same. They’re currently on tour. ---
**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/34 "2012-12-14T12:47:36Z")
And in a thread about this subject nobody has mentioned Status Quo yet. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/35 "2012-12-14T14:28:33Z")
Saw Crosby Stills and Nash this summer. No Young. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/36 "2012-12-14T15:17:37Z")
**Gong** started back in 1967 and are out touring again this year with founding members Daevid Allen & Gilli Smyth. **Caravan** formed in 1968 and their next tour will be a 40th anniversary tour for their lp _For Girls Who Grow Plump In The Night_ **Procol Harum** are still touring occasionally - they supported Yes on their recent US tour. With they’d play the UK again, they were the first proper band I saw live! **Van Der Graaf Generator** formed back in 1967 and 3 of the group on their first lp in 1969 are still (or once again) recording and touring as Van Der Graaf Generator. **The Zombies** were mentioned above; last year they had their 50th anniversary tour, with Rod Argent, Colin Blunstone and Jim Rodford (their roadie for their 1st gig, but with a very respectable music career in his own right) who almost counts as an original member! And, having seen the Hot Tuna references, although they don’t count for this as they’re slightly too late, **Jefferson Starship** are still touring! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/37 "2012-12-14T15:22:41Z")
**Glass Harp** started in the late 60s, had their lineup down and an album out in 1970 and although they drifted apart they still play 2-3 shows a year as the same 3 dudes. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/38 "2012-12-14T15:40:48Z")
Complete side note. Every time I find myself bitching about who’s who and what they’re doing when catching The Dead, Furthur, The Other Ones, Rhythm Devils, Planet Drum, etc., I remember I’m actually catching The Dead, Furthur, The Other Ones, Rhythm Devils, Planet Drum, etc. I also think about just how sick and tired everyone was of Liberty closers–and what we’d give to catch just. one. more. Not that every show is great or beyond criticism, or anything close, of course. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/39 "2012-12-14T16:43:32Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Complete side note. Every time I find myself bitching about who’s who and what they’re doing when catching The Dead, Furthur, The Other Ones, Rhythm Devils, Planet Drum, etc., I remember I’m actually catching The Dead, Furthur, The Other Ones, Rhythm Devils, Planet Drum, etc. > > I also think about just how sick and tired everyone was of Liberty closers–and what we’d give to catch just. one. more. > > Not that every show is great or beyond criticism, or anything close, of course. I’ve been going to Dead shows for over 25 years which is since people were bitching about Brent songs. I can be as critical as the next guy but over all I love seeing them and feel so fortunate that we still have the opportunity to ride that bus. I go to a lot of other music too but I still stay true to my first love. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957/40 "2012-12-14T22:14:28Z")
Iron Butterfly is still around, with 2 members from the _In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida_ days. (Nice catch by the OP for ? & The Mysterians.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1960s-era-bands-that-are-still-active/643957.md?page=3)