Captain Beyond

History

The original line-up for Captain Beyond were singer Rod Evans (ex-Deep Purple), drummer Bobby Caldwell (ex-Johnny Winter), guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt (ex-Iron Butterfly), and bassist Lee Dorman (ex-Iron Butterfly), as well as keyboardist Lewie Gold. Gold left due to personal reasons before the first album was recorded. The remaining line-up recorded the self-titled debut album, released in 1972. Following this album Caldwell left the band to join Derringer and was replaced by drummer Brian Glascock. Also joining the band around this time were Reese Wynans on keyboards and Guille Garcia on congas. The record company's chosen producer, Giorgio Gomelsky, did not like Glascock's drumming and requested a new drummer. Glascock was released and Marty Rodriguez was brought in on drums on the recommendation of Garcia. This six man lineup recorded the group's second album, Sufficiently Breathless. Tension during the recording led to Evans quitting. The original lineup reformed later in 1973 for a US tour but the band split up at the end of the year, with Rod Evans retiring from the music business completely.

The band reformed in 1976 with Willy Daffern on vocals, and Bobby Caldwell, Rhino and Lee Dorman completing the line-up. They recorded the band's third album Dawn Explosion on Warner Bros., but broke up in 1978.

Reinhardt and Caldwell reformed Captain Beyond in 1998 with Jimi Interval on vocals, Steve Petrey on guitar, Dan Frye on keyboards, and Jeff Artabasy on bass. Since then they have been performing at shows and have released a four track EP.

In 1999, Swedish record label Record Heaven released a tribute to Captain Beyond entitled Thousand Days of Yesterday. The album features fellow 1970s rockers Pentagram playing "Dancing Madly Backwards".

Captain Beyond once again disbanded in 2003 when lead guitarist Larry Reinhardt developed cancer. Following treatment, Reinhardt continued to perform music until late 2011, when he again fell ill. He died on January 2, 2012. Bassist Lee Dorman died on December 21, 2012. Rod Evans has stayed reclusive from performing, partly due to legal troubles from his original Deep Purple bandmates, and his current residence is still unknown.

Caldwell resurrected the band in 2013, with a lineup consisting of Jeff "Boday" Christensen, Don Bonzi, Simon Lind, and Jeff Artabasy. The reformed group began touring in 2015.

Members

LPs

EP

Live releases

Covers and tribute releases