13th Floor Elevators

With the passing of the 13th floor elevators leader roky erickson on may 31 2019 the psychedelic rock innovator left behind a rock n roll legacy like no other.

13th floor elevators. Their lyrics and sleeve notes openly and religiously endorsed the use of drugs particularly lsd to alter human consciousness for the better the band rattled to the middle of the hot 100 in 1966 with you re gonna miss me anchored by roky erickson s. The 13th floor elevators were an american rock band from austin texas united states formed by guitarist and vocalist roky erickson electric jug player tommy hall and guitarist stacy sutherland the band was together from 1965 to 1969 and during that period released four albums and seven singles for the international artists record label. Pioneers of psychedelia these influential texans were led by outsider genius roky erickson who combined offbeat spiritualism with crude r b.

Born out of a union of club bands on the burgeoning austin bohemian scene and a pronounced taste for hallucinogens the 13th floor elevators were formed in late 1965 when lyricist tommy hall asked a local singer named roky erickson to join up with his new rock outfit. Original lp mono mix version 1966. The authorities and the police set out to bust.

Overview biography. Four years three official albums and countless acid trips later it was over. However texas at that time was an extremely conservative area that still hadn t come to terms with 50 s rock n roll.

The elevators pioneering first run ended in. The elevators were the first band to refer to. As noted by several users this is the original mono mix.

For over fifty years erickson remained one of music s true enigmas battling years of mental illness and poverty while making some of the most electrifying and transcendent sounds. Hailing from austin texas the members of 13th floor elevators were one of the first artists to describe their music as psychedelic. The group pioneered some of the first garage psychedelia on its albums the psychedelic sounds of the 13th floor elevators 1966 and the followup easter everywhere 1967.