In November of 1974, Bill Graham presented a special evening at Winterland that featured the cream of the local crop of female fronted bands, inviting Joy Of Cooking's Toni Brown and Terry Garthwaite to headline a bill that also featured San Francisc… Read more
In November of 1974, Bill Graham presented a special evening at Winterland that featured the cream of the local crop of female fronted bands, inviting Joy Of Cooking's Toni Brown and Terry Garthwaite to headline a bill that also featured San Francisco's Anna Rizzo & A-Train and Marin County's Yazoo opening the evening's performances. Yazoo was a shortlived group fronted by Julie Nicholas and Willow Wray, two of the three women destined to found the renowned vocal group, Nicholas, Glover & Wray. Yazoo is sometimes confused with Yaz, a UK band fronted by Alison Moyet who had hits in the alternative world in the 80s and 90s.
Julie Nicholas and Willow Wray began establishing their reputation in clubs and coffeehouses around the Bay Area in the late 1960s, when they first met in Berkeley. Initially performing as a duo, they eventually began recruiting musicians to form Yazoo. They assembled a talented quartet that included guitarist Steven Tamborski and keyboard player and flautist Luna Wilcox, with bassist Hap P. Smith and former Sons of Champlin drummer Bill Bowen as their rhythm section. Nicholas and Wray have a unique ability to adapt to any musical style and Yazoo's live performances displayed their range and featured an eclectic repertoire.
Although they never released an album, Yazoo continued performing to enthusiastic local audiences for another year or so before disbanding. Nicholas and Wray would both move on to work with Toni Brown and Terry Garthwaite on their various musical projects. In 1978, they would team up with Sheila Glover, forming Nicholas, Glover & Wray, continuing to develop their impeccable vocal blend, which is still going strong to the present day.
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