Blue Mountain Eagle (band)

Blue Mountain Eagle was a short-lived American rock group that evolved out of New Buffalo Springfield in August 1969 and recorded a lone album for Atco Records, which they were personally signed to by label founder Ahmet Ertegun.

Origins

Rhythm guitarist/vocalist Dave Price and drummer/vocalist Don Poncher were original members of The New Buffalo Springfield, formed in September 1968 by [[Dewey Martin], the drummer in the original Buffalo Springfield. The new version of the legendary group played extensively between November 1968 and February 1969 before imploding when Stephen Stills and Neil Young took legal action to prevent Martin from using the band's name.

In spring 1969, Martin and Price formed a second version of New Buffalo Springfield with bass player/vocalist Randy Fuller (formerly of Bobby Fuller Four) and lead guitarist/vocalist Bob BJ Jones, who'd worked with Little Richard briefly. The new line up recorded some tracks for Atlantic which were never completed and in June added second lead guitarist Joey Newman from L.A band, Touch. After a tour of the North West in July 1969, the musicians sacked Dewey Martin and returned to Los Angeles where they added Don Poncher from the earlier line up.

Signs to Atlantic Records

In August, the group adopted the name Blue Mountain Eagle, which the musicians had taken from a newspaper in Grant County, Oregon during their time with Dewey Martin. After Ahmet Ertegun personally signed them to Atlantic Records, the band recorded its lone album live in one session at Wally Heider's studios in Los Angeles in December 1969.

During April 1970, Randy Fuller left to briefly join Dewey Martin's Medicine Ball and the band recruited Dave Johnson from Dr John's touring band. The following month, Atlantic released the group's eponymous lone album which only sold a few thousand copies. The group recorded a version of Stephen Stills's "Marianne" as a single but when that failed to become a hit, the group disbanded in November 1970.