Joining the Purple Image of Death

 

Zero_ii sez:
     Black Merda emerged during the late 60s as a group that blended funk & psychedelic rock. Before forming Black Merda, the three friends Anthony Hawkins, VC L. Veasey, & Tyrone Hite all worked independently of one another as session musicians. Eventually they performed together as The Impacts, backing up several soul & R&B acts affialiated with Motown / Brunswick Records. In 1965 Edwin Starr hired the trio to perform as the backing band for the single "Agent Double-O Soul" (here). Starr was so impressed that he decided to hire the group as his permanent backing band afterwards, dubbing them the Soul Agents.

In the latter half of the 60s the group started undergoing a series of changes, which would eventually culminate in the formation of Black Merda. In 1966 the group was introduced to Jimi Hendrix, who would have a profound influence on the trio's approach to music. They began to drift away from their previous sound, choosing to refashion themselves as a rock power trio in the same vein as The Jimi Hendrix Experience. In 1967 Anthony Hawkin's brother Charles was also inducted into the group as a second guitar player to broad the group's sound. The group would continue to evolve, drawing inspiration from the newly emerging hard funk & soul scenes.

In 1968 the group decided to move on from their Soul Agents moniker. They refashioned themselves as Black Merda, a psychedelic funk rock group with socially conscious lyrics. In 1969 the group received their big break after Chess Records signed Black Merda to their label based on the recommendation of the famous Temptations member Eddie Kendricks. Chess released Black Merda's self-titled album in 1970. Despite being well received, the album suffered from a lack of promotion due to management changes that were taking place at Chess. The group's follow up efforts were also poorly promoted, prompting the members to return to performing as session musicians to make a living.

Looking back in hindsight the group is fondly remembered as one of the pioneering groups of the black psychedelic rock / heavy funk scene, paving the way for groups that expanded on their idea, eventually eclipsing them in fame, such as Funkadelic or The Bar-Kays. I consider Black Merda's self-titled debute album to be their best. It ranks alongside some of my favorite forgotten groups that merged psychedelic rock with funk, soul and blues, such as Purple Image, the Cosmic Travelers, Blo, & Ofo the Black Company. 

 

Black Merda - Black Merda, Chess LPS-1551, 1970
decryption code in comments

Side 1 -
Prophet
Think of Me
Cynthy-Ruth
Over & Over
Ashamed

Side 2 -
Reality
Windsong
Good Luck
That's The Way it Goes
I Don't Want to Die
Set Me Free

I'm having a meltd0wn, a Digital Meltd0wn,
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