GLENN SCHWARTZ
Glenn Schwartz (born March 20, 1941) first came to the attention of rock music audiences as the guitarist for The James Gang, based in Cleveland. He left the James Gang in late December 1967 when he moved to California. He later joined the Los Angeles based Blues band Pacific Gas & Electric and, in 1970, scored a national top 20 hit with the song “Are You Ready?”. Tired of the rock and roll life, he left PG&E to join a pioneering Gospel rock group The All Saved Freak Band, which was the musical evangelistic arm of an Ohio religious group-turned-cult, the Church of the Risen Christ, headed by Larry Hill. All told, Schwartz recorded four albums with the Freak Band before leaving it in 1980. Schwartz returned to the stage for a 75th birthday show and an impromptu jam at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival with Joe Walsh and The Arcs, featuring Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. (More from Wikipedia)
“Are You Ready?” by Pacific, Gas and Electric is a long-time favorite of mine that is more of a straight rock song; it is sort of an analogue to “People Get Ready” by the Impressions. The band was formed in Los Angeles in 1967 with a line-up that included lead guitarist Glenn Schwartz, who was previously in the James Gang; his replacement in that band was future superstar Joe Walsh.
(July 2014)
