The Grass Roots

The Grass Roots

The Grass Roots are an American rock and pop group from Los Angeles, active between 1965 and 1975. The band begins as a studio project created by songwriter-producers P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri for Dunhill Records, but it soon becomes a touring act with a changing line-up and a long run of radio hits.

Formation and early recordings

Sloan and Barri first use The Grass Roots name as a pseudonym for folk-rock recordings with pop influences. The earliest release under the name is “Where Were You When I Needed You”, a Byrds-style song sung by Sloan. Because no performing group exists at the start, a real band is then assembled around the project.

One early version of the band grows out of the San Francisco group the Bedouins, with Bill Fulton as lead singer and Joel Larson on drums. Fulton records a new vocal for “Where Were You When I Needed You”, and the group also issues a cover of Bob Dylan’s “The Ballad of a Thin Man”. After that period, most of the Bedouins leave and regroup separately, while Sloan and Barri continue recording under the Grass Roots name.

Line-up changes and breakthrough

A Los Angeles band called the 13th Floor then takes over the name. This line-up includes Warren Entner on vocals, guitar and keyboards, Creed Bratton on lead guitar, Rob Grill on vocals and bass, and Rick Coonce on drums. Rob Grill becomes the main lead singer and remains central to the group’s sound.

The first recording by this version of the band is a new arrangement of “Let’s Live for Today”, which becomes a Top 10 hit in 1967. The associated album reaches the charts as well, and the group follows it with Feelings, an album that places more emphasis on the band’s own material.

Major hits and chart success

The Grass Roots achieve their biggest commercial run in the late 1960s and early 1970s. “Midnight Confessions” reaches number five in 1968 and earns a gold record. The song reflects a stronger Motown and R&B influence in the band’s sound.

After Creed Bratton leaves in 1969, the band continues with Denny Provisor on keyboards and Terry Furlong on guitar. It remains active on the charts with a string of Top 40 singles, including “Temptation Eyes”, which reaches number 15 in 1971. Later line-up changes bring in Reed Kailing on lead guitar, Virgil Weber on keyboards and Joel Larson on drums. This version scores another major hit with “Two Divided by Love”, which reaches number 16 and becomes the last of the group’s big chart successes.

Across their active years, the band has 14 U.S. Top 40 hits, including seven gold singles and one platinum single. Their albums that compile the singles also sell well, and the group becomes closely associated with AM radio pop-rock of the era.

Members and later history

The Grass Roots have a complicated membership history, with several overlapping versions of the group involved in different recordings. Named members and associated players include Denny Ellis, Dave Stenson, Steve Barri, P.F. Sloan, Bill Fulton, Joel Larson, Warren Entner, Creed Bratton, Rob Grill, Dennis Provisor, Virgil Weber, Denny Provisor, Terry Furlong, Reed Kailing and Reggie Knighton. Rob Grill appears on every album and remains the band’s main voice. Warren Entner also stays with the group for a long period and continues to work in music management.

The group stops performing together in 1975. After that, Rob Grill later forms a new version of The Grass Roots for oldies package tours, keeping the name active on stage beyond the original run.