SWEATHOG - Sweathog [USA rock 1971] 2007 Retro Disc International RDI 33015

 

Group members Lenny Goldsmith and David Leonard Johnson first met in 1967 while Johnson was playing in a group called The Persuaders at the Wayne Manor nightclub in Sunnyvale, California. After Johnson did a stint with the Beach Boys and Dr. John, he reconvened with Lenny and formed Sweathog along with Barry "Frosty" Smith, also known as Bartholomew Eugene Smith-Frost, who at that time was playing with Lee Michaels and had been in Lenny's band in San Jose. Robert Morris "B.J." Jones (November 9, 1942 – June 15, 2013)[1] played with Johnson in Blue Mountain Eagle and was invited to join Sweathog.

In October 1970, Sweathog became the house band at The Chronicle, a night club in the San Fernando Valley managed by Ed Jordan. Soon after they released two albums on CBS Records in the early 1970s, and are best known for their hit single "Hallelujah", which hit #33 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1971. Hallelujah was written by Mitch Bottler, Roberta Twain and Gary Zekley.

Frank Barsalona signed Sweathog to the Premier Talent Agency and became a top opening act for Black Sabbath, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, The J. Geils Band, Edgar Winter's White Trash, Grand Funk Railroad and more.

In 1973, Johnson and Jones reformed Sweathog with Warren Rex Ludwick and Bobby Burns. Johnson met Burns during the 1965 Shindig! live tour. Ludwick went on to play with Willie Nelson. Of the four original members, Frosty now resides in Austin, Texas, Goldsmith is in the real estate business in Malibu, California and his sons Taylor and Griffin are in the band Dawes, Jones died June 15, 2013 in South Dakota at age 70, and Johnson owns an advertising agency, ReMIX Media Group, in Aspen, Colorado.

Sweathog