I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. One of the coolest things about being from Atlanta and living there for so many years was being able to witness such an amazing music scene. Everything from metal to blues to bosa nova could be found here but sometime in 1995, I was introduced to the music of the legendary Col. Bruce Hampton.
By the time I heard of Col. Bruce Hampton and Aquarium Rescue Unit he was already long gone as a member of ARU but was claiming new ground with his new band The Fiji Mariners. The first thing I remember thinking about the Col. was what an amazing voice he has. The second was the fact that this guy is surrounded by some of the most amazing musicians I had ever heard and the third, well, the third was that he had a presence that drew people to him and he really didn’t do all that much. He was an older guy that looked like he could be my dad but this dude exuded more cool than anybody.
Col. Bruce kinda reminds me of a Frank Zappa type of character. His entire musical career is based on the strange and bizarre lyrical content of his songs backed by some of the most insanely talented musicians he could get his hands on. His band The Hampton Grease Band released their debut album in 1971 entitled “Music To Eat” and it’s now legendary as being the second worst selling album in Columbia Records history only beat out by a Yoga Instructional Record. He later went on to form The Late Bronze age and put out the quirky yet amazing “Arkansas” album.
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Over the years, the Col. would go on to front a string of amazing bands such as The Fiji Mariners, The Codetalkers and The Quark Alliance and I’ve seen them all except for The Quark Alliance which I never could get on the same page with to see them. I’ve always been a huge fan of the Col. and his ability to command an audience. Whether he’s playing the Chazoid (I think it’s an 8 string electric mandolin) or speaking in his made up language (Brato Ganibe!), the Col. never ceases to amaze me. In my life, I have taken maybe 5 people that had never even heard of him to one of his shows only to have them completely blown away by him and his band.
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Col. Bruce’s bands have featured musicians such as the late Ricky Keller, Jeff “Apt. Q-258” Sipe, Jimmy Herring, and Oteil Burbridge just to name a few. It almost seems like that if you’ve played with The Col., it’s like going to school from which you graduate and move on to share all of the knowledge you’ve gained. Jeff Sipe went on to join Leftover Salmon and have a successful solo career, Jimmy Herring went on to join the Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic and Oteil Burbridge went on to join The Allman Brothers Band as the full time replacement for the late great Allen Woody.
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Not only did Col. Bruce inspire the musicians that he played with but he was an inspiration to a whole slew of bands that would move on to become legends in their own right. Bands like Widespread Panic have never been shy to show just how inspired by Col. Bruce they are. They’ve covered ARU songs like “Fixin’ To Die” and “Space Is The Place” and have share the stage with Bruce many times and while on tour with Phish in 1994, the Col. was seated in a Lazy Boy Recliner while drummer Jon Fishman sang “Wind Beneath My Wings” to him. In Atlanta, Jeff Sipe organized The Zambiland Orchestra which basically served as a dual purpose: a musical tribute to Col. Bruce Hampton and a benefit for the Atlanta Food Bank that took place every year around Christmas time. Members of bands such as String Cheese Incident, Widespread Panic, Phish, moe and many others all joined together one night a year to perform improvised, experimental on-the-spot pieces along with “rehearsed” songs with as many as 30 musicians on the stage at one time performing songs like “Voodoo Chile” lead by Sam Bush and Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”. Much like Col. Bruce himself, it was something that even if you saw it once, you never saw anything else like it again in your life. A truly unforgettable moment in time never to be visited again.
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Col. Bruce is a persona that you just have to witness. Even if you only see him once in your lifetime, you will never see or hear anything like him. I’ll never forget the first time I met Col. Bruce. Lady L. and I were attending an Apartment Projects show (Jeff Sipe & Friends) at Atlanta’s Smiths Olde Bar. Jeff came down and saw Lizzi and I and invited us backstage to meet Col. Bruce (Jeff knew us from following Leftover Salmon around). We went backstage and there was the Col, sitting in a chair with two young ladies massaging his hands and staring at him. Jeff looks to Col. Bruce and says, “Bruce, these are my friends Don and Lizzi”. Col. Bruce looks down at one of the girls and says “Honey, go get the Col. a Diet Coke” to which she replies, “Oh yes!” and runs off. He looks up at us, not getting up, smiles and says, “Don and Lizzi, the pleasure is all mine. I’m Col. Bruce Hampton. Welcome to the show.” We were just both kinda speechless and said a few words to him and left. Talk about a truly powerful aura.
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The Col. still performs to this day and has been performing with his latest band The Quark Alliance. Col. Bruce has left behind a body of work that seems to be many unearthed gems. Go just about anywhere in this world and ask about Col. Bruce and nobody will know who you’re talking about. It’s a damned shame too but at the same time, it’s great to one of those in the know. It’s like knowing that one painter guy who painted just as good if not better than Michaelangelo who never got noticed but probably left behind some work that would make your jaw drop. It’s like knowing that Sun Drop is way better of a drink than Mountain Dew and it’s like knowing that no matter how highly rated Mc Donalds is that Five Guys makes a better burger AND fries. Col. Bruce Hampton is a legend in my mind and in the minds and ears of all those that have witnessed him. Give him a listen sometime and add him to your list of acts you shouldn’t die without seeing at least once in your lifetime because you know what, you’ll never see anything like it again in your life.
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