Moby Grape was an American roots rock and psychedelic rock group of the 1960s that was known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting, and who collectively merged elements of jazz, country, and blues together with rock.
The group was formed by manager Matthew Katz (of Jefferson Airplane) in San Francisco. Frontman and rhythm guitarist Skip Spence (also the original drummer of Jefferson Airplane), lead guitarist Jerry Miller and drummer Don Stevenson (of the Frantics), rhythm guitarist Peter Lewis (of the Cornells), and bassist Bob Mosley all wrote songs for their debut album Moby Grape ( 1967). In a marketing stunt Columbia Records immediately released five singles at once, and the band was perceived as being over-hyped. Nonetheless, the record was critically acclaimed, and fairly successful commercially, with The Move covering its sardonic ode to hippiedom, "Hey Grandma". Spence's "Omaha" reached the lower rungs of the American singles charts in 1967, and Miller-Stevenson's "8:05" became a country rock standard (covered by The Grateful Dead, Robert Plant, Guy Burlage, and others). Moby Grape has today achieved the status of a highly respected rock album.
In addition to the marketing backlash, band members found themselves in legal trouble for charges (later dropped) of consorting with underage females, and the band's relationship with manager Katz rapidly deteriorated. The second album, Wow, was a critical and commercial failure. During its recording, Spence came to the studio with an axe, intending to kill Stevenson; he was committed, and after being released from Bellevue Hospital traveled to Nashville to record his only solo album, Oar. The original lineup released an album in 1971, 20 Granite Creek. The remainder soldiered on for two decades, recording and performing to a small audience.
