The Chambers Brothers

The Chambers Brothers grew up in poverty-stricken Mississippi and first sang together in church. Originally an African-American gospel group, the brothers (Lester, Willie, Joe, and George, plus drummer Brian Keenan) first made their mark in the New York discotheque scene in 1965. They then packed up and moved to Los Angeles. Their biggest success was the eleven-minute psychedelic epic "Time Has Come Today," edited down to a four-and-three-quarter-minute Top 40 hit in 1968. In spite of their gospel roots, the Chambers Brothers gravitated more toward a spirited raw rock approach than toward R & B.