Strawberry Alarm Clock

With their penchant for kaftans and magic carpets coupled with a fluid approach to an ever-changing band line-up The Strawberry Alarm Clock epitomised the free-wheeling west coast psychedelia scene of the late 1960s. After topping the Billboard Hot 100 with the hit Incense And Peppermint early on in their career, the band enjoyed only one more top 40 hit when their follow-up single Tomorrow from the 1968 album Wake Up, It's Tomorrow reached number 23 on the Billboard Chart. Despite early success which included cameo appearances in two successful movies as well as stage appearances with The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Buffalo Springfield and The Beach Boys, the band were besieged with behind-the-scenes turmoil and contractual disputes. Finally, against a backdrop of falling audience numbers, The Strawberry Alarm Clock disbanded in 1971. Shortly after the break-up guitarist Ed King joined Lynyrd Skynyrd who had previously supported the band on some of their southern US tour dates. Since then the band have sporadically reformed and played gigs until 2010 when rhythm guitarist Lee Freeman died of cancer. After Freeman's death the band continued performing on the west coast until recording their fifth studio album Wake Up Where You Are released in 2012.