Sweetwater at the Texas Pop Festival- Photo by Bill "Melba Toast" Petty
Sweetwater toured with and/ or shared the bill with every major act of the time, including: Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, Cream, the Grateful Dead, Big Brother & The Holding Co. w/ Janis Joplin, C S N & Y, the Who, Frank Zappa, Jefferson Airplane, Chicago, Chuck Berry, Spirit, the Allman Bros., E.L.P., Joe Cocker, War, Linda Rondstadt, Santana, Joan Baez, Beach Boys, Steve Miller, Chambers Bros., and many others.
The group performed on all major network television shows (Red Skelton, Steve Allen, Playboy After Dark, Hollywood Palace, American Bandstand, Etc.), and at all major national rock venues and pop festivals of the time including WOODSTOCK, where they were the first band to
play and the Texas Pop Festival.
In December of 1969, less than four months after we had the joy of hearing
her at the Texas Pop, their lead vocalist, Nancy Nevins, was hit by a drunken driver, suffering nearly fatal injuries including a severely damaged vocal cord. Awaiting her recovery, the band continued to gather fans with their exciting performances while releasing two more albums on Warner/ Reprise, “Just For You” and “Melon”. However, Nancy's prolonged recovery as well as other pressures forced them to eventually disband.
In 1995, following an invitation to play at WOODSTOCK II, the surviving members reunited. With founding members Alex Del Zoppo on keyboards, Fred Herrera on bass, and Nancy Nevins on lead vocals and guitar, Sweetwater now includes a strong drummer, Mike Williams, and an exciting lead guitarist, Joe Bruley, - - an instrument the group never had.
Recent response to their new music and live performances has been overwhelming. They are continuing to write and record (CD release planned), have a movie of their story being produced by VH-1, and are planning an active summer
schedule. An excellent biographical source of information on the group can be found in a “Goldmine” magazine issue of June 9, 1995.
This past April 7(2001), at the Galaxy Theatre, in Santa Ana, CA, they
recorded a live album with both new and
original numbers. It'll be available on Coach House Records this Summer.
There will be a link to the album right here.
Web Master's note: Meanwhile, you may have noticed that you just can't get Sweetwater's music in the music stores. Well, guess what? You can get their retrospective album, "Cycles," at one place only. It's Rhino Records' web site. To go to the page, click on the link below. This is a great deal. For $19.95 (about $26 with shipping and handling and tax), you get 19 songs, including three previously unreleased numbers and a twenty page booklet. Included is a live version of "What's Wrong" recorded at Woodstock. If you're a Sweetwater fan, this is a must.
http://www.rhinohandmade.com/rhip/7702/index.html
To see Sweetwater's page in the Texas International Pop Festival program, click here.