Sky "Sunlight" Saxon

Psychedelic, Psychedelic Rock, Acid Rock, Garage Rock, Improvisation (U.S.A.)

Sky "Sunlight" Saxon (August 20, 1937June 25, 2009) was an American rock and roll musician, best known as the leader and singer of the 1960s Los Angeles psychedelic garage rock band The Seeds.

Saxon began his career performing doo-wop pop tunes in the early 1960s under the name Little Richie Marsh. After changing his name to Sky Saxon, he formed the Electra-Fires in 1962 and then Sky Saxon & the Soul Rockers. Several of these early songs were collected on a 1983 album called New Fruit from Old Seeds / The Rare Sky Saxon, Volume One.  In 1965, Saxon founded the psychedelic flower power band The Seeds with Jan Savage (guitar), Rick Andridge (drums), and Darryl Hooper (keyboards). Hit songs for Saxon and the Seeds included "Can't Seem to Make You Mine", "Mr. Farmer", and "Pushin' Too Hard," which became a top 40 song and enduring rock anthem in 1967. Saxon's singing performance was dismissed by critic Lester Bangs as an American imitation of Mick Jagger, while Michael Hicks considered it a more complicated synthesis of Jagger, Eddie Cochran, and Buddy Holly. The music on the Seeds 1966 albums The Seeds (GNP Crescendo 2023) and A Web of Sound (GNP Crescendo 2033) have been described as "weird psychotic blues highlighting Sky's demented, vocal sermonizing." A spinoff project, The Sky Saxon Blues Band, recorded one album, A Full Spoon of Seedy Blues, (GNP Crescendo 2040) with members of Muddy Waters' band.[citation needed] At the same time, Saxon continued The Seeds, recording Future (GNP Crescendo 2038) and Raw & Alive: The Seeds in Concert at Merlin's Music Box (GNP Crescendo 2043). Later, in 1977 producer Neil Norman compiled and released Fallin' Off the Edge (GNP Crescendo 2107). an album containing rare "B" sides and unissued material. "Pushin' Too Hard" was named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

After The Seeds  In the 1970s, Saxon continued to work on the music scene, releasing a number of 45s and a few independently released LPs, often using the name Sky Sunlight Saxon, the New Seeds, or variations thereupon. His 1977 EP is particularly noteworthy. In 1973, he became a member of the Source Family religious group, a Hollywood Hills commune led by YaHoWha (a restaurateur, whose real name was Jim Baker) who gave Saxon the names Sunlight and Arlick. Consequently, he became a vegetarian. In 1998, Saxon orchestrated the release of a 13-CD set of the psychedelic tribal music recorded by the commune's band Yahowha 13 during the 1970s. In subsequent years, Saxon released a number of albums under various band names including The Starry Seeds Band, The Happy Hour Band, Sky Saxon & Firewall, The Hour, Wolf Pack, Fast Planet, Back to the Garden, King Arthur's Court, Shapes Have Fangs and The Djin Aquarian Band. Additionally, Saxon had several times reformed The Seeds with different musician line-ups.  In 2008, Saxon and the Seeds collaborated on some new songs and recordings with Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins. Saxon later appeared in the music video of the Smashing Pumpkins' song "Superchrist". Sky Saxon's last performance and recording was done in Austin, Texas.

On June 25, 2009, Saxon died unexpectedly in an Austin, Texas hospital of an infection that had spread throughout his organs due to a simple infection contracted at some point that was never treated. At age 71, Saxon died of heart and renal failure due to the infection. At the time of his death, he had been scheduled to commence a tour of the United States and Canada as part of the "California '66" tour, featuring reformed versions of The Seeds, The Electric Prunes, and Love. On July 24, 2009, members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Love, The Electric Prunes and Djin Aquarian performed a tribute concert at the Echoplex in Los Angeles in Saxon's memory.

In 2019 Djin Aquarian joined Aumega Project and released some studio recordings & live recordings with his long-standing Source Family brother.

Most infos by Wikipedia

 

 

 Aumega Project is very happy and feels honored, to be allowed to present the music of this great musician to the world!!!!!!!

 

 

Sky "Sunlight" Saxon is also a member of

The Happy Hour Band

The Djin Aquarian Band

King Arthur's Court


All Aumega Releases

Accelerate Yourself (Sky Saxon & Djin Aquarian)

aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/accelerate-yourself

Masters of Psychedelia (Yahowha 14 & Sky Saxon)

aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/masters-of-psychedelia

This Band was from Mt. Shasta (The Djin Aquarian Band)

aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/this-band-was-from-mt-shasta

Happy Now (The Happy Hour Band)

aumegaproject.bandcamp.com/album/happy-now

Links

Homepage