Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
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Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
Principal Sawan Singh Gogia The Sikhs are generally blamed for collaborating with the British in the Indian Mutiny of 1857. Some enthusiastic patriots treat them as traitors and consider their non-cooperation the main cause of the failure of their so-called War of Independence. Perhaps they forget the ground realities, real situation of the Punjab and psychology of the Sikhs. Was it a War of Independence? Whether it was a War of Independence is also a controversial point. Some people have condemned it while others have applauded it. Many think that the main reason for the soldiers to revolt was religious. Wrapping paper of the newly introduced cartridges had to be bitten by teeth before it could be used. It was rumored that that paper was lubricated with the pig’s lard and cow’s fat. This rumor incited the aggrieved soldiers who were being ill-treated. Dr. R. C. Majumdar in his book ‘ History of the Freedom Movement’ writes on page xv11 : It was neither, ‘First’ nor a ‘ war of independence’. Sir J. N. Sarkar also does not treat it as a fight for freedom. In my opinion, the war raised by Banda Singh Bahadur was the first war of independence. Role of the Army At that time the East India Company had three different armies under its command: The Madras Army did not help the mutineers. Rather they were employed to suppress the mutineers at Kanpur. Only two battalions of the Bombay Army took part in the revolt. Thousands Marathas of the Bombay Army helped in suppressing the revolt. Only a small portion of the soldiers of the Bengal Army belonging to Brahmin and Rajput castes of U.P revolted. An Ill-planned Effort The Indian Mutiny was not a united and well-planned effort. Every party worked according to its own omens. There was lack of efficient and good leaders who could organize and guide the movement. There was no regular supply of funds, food and ammunition. There was no single political party and every group struggled independently without any joint effort. Pundit Nehru wrote in ‘Discovery of India’(page-279) that there was lack of nationalism. Role of the Sikhs and the Punjab Army After the Second Anglo Sikh War, the Sikhs in the Punjab had been rendered armless and leaderless. Their forts were destroyed. Patriot Sikh leaders were killed or deported. During the first year of the annexation of the Punjab, 8,000 Sikhs were arrested and 300 mutineers were put to death. New units of Army raised in the Punjab consisted of Sikhs, Muslim and Hindu Rajputs. The total number of Sikh troops was less than 6,000 including those working in the army kitchens. The Poorbias (soldiers belonging to east India) had fought against the Sikhs in both the Anglo- Sikh Wars and helped the British occupy the Punjab. The Sikhs could not be expected to help their enemies, the Poorbias, who spearheaded the Revolt. Part played by the Poorbia infantry against the Sikhs at Ajitwal, Buddo-wal, and Sabraon could not be forgotten. Their helpers, Lal Singh and Tej Singh, were the main cause of the defeat of the Sikhs. They cheated the Sikhs for their selfishness. Most of the important military centers in the Punjab like Phillaur, Kangra and Attock were with the Poorbia troops who also looked after the ammunition and arms. There was no unifying link between the Punjabis and the Poorbia forces; rather there was a lot of mutual distrust. Role of the Princely States The most substantial support to the British was rendered by the Phulkian states. Rulers of the states like Patiala, Nabha, Jind and Kapurthala supported the British not only with their troops, but also helped them in keeping the roads clear for the British troops and blocking the same for the mutineers. Without their help, the British could not send reinforcement from the Punjab to Delhi. As recorded in ‘ The Punjab, Past and Present, April 1974 ( page 158), Bahadur Shah whom the mutineers had placed on the Delhi throne wrote a letter to the ruler of the Patiala asking him to join him in the Indian Mutiny, but he ignored him and handed over the letter to the British. Same was the attitude of the rulers of the erstwhile Princely states of India. Ten thousands Gorkhas under Jang Bahadur assisted the British to suppress the revolt. Rani (Queen) of Jhansi state and Nana Sahib Rani of Jhansi and Nana Sahib are considered leaders of the Indian Mutiny, but they do not deserve this title as they joined the mutineers not due to their nationalist feelings, but only when the British refused to grant their selfish requests. Childless Rani of Jhansi had adopted a son and and after the death of her husband, Lord Dalhousie refused to recognize the adopted son, did not grant her pension and annexed her state against her pleading. Finding herself helpless, she joined the mutineers. As regards Nana Sahib, he was the adopted son of Peshwa Baji Rao who after his defeat in his fight against the British was exiled and granted pension. After the death of Baji Rao, Nana Sahib’s request for the grant of pension and other privileges was rejected by the British. He became disgusted and joined the mutineers for his personal reasons. Pt. J.L Nehru also agrees and writes in ‘ The Discovery of India’(page.282): Those who had joined the Revolt were, as a rule, the disinherited and those deprived of their power and privileges by the British, or those who feared that some such fate was in store for them. Sikh Support to the Mutiny It is a fact that the Sikh soldiers - especially those of the Punjab Irregular Force - fought for the British, but we cannot ignore the fact that the Army regiments of the Sikhs consisted of soldiers from different communities from different provinces. The Sikh soldiers who joined the mutineers being a few in numbers felt isolated as they had no native officer of their own in heir regiment and obeyed the English . Moreover, they had hostility for the Poorbias and fear of ruthless suppression attracted them to the British. Mazabi (low caste) Sikhs who got recruited remained loyal to the British as their social status was raised. Victory of the British at Delhi discouraged the Sikhs and many Sikhs joined the British army. British Measures to Prevent Spreading Mutiny in the Punjab As soon as the news of outbreak of the Indian Mutiny at Meerut reached Lahore on 12th May, 1857, the Chief Commissioners took strict measures to stop spreading it. The Punjab Press was also placed under strict censorship. All the armed Indian sepoys posted between the Indus and the Sutlej were disarmed. Censorship of the mail at all the post offices was started. Guards were posted at the ferries and the hill passes. Travellers were required to obtain passport. Civil population was also disarmed and doubtful persons were arrested. Saintly person like Bedi Bikram Singh was put under surveillance. Bloody dramas were enacted at several places where disloyal sepoys were executed. These bloody carnages and atrocities terrorized the population. The Role played by the Sikhs The Sikhs have been fighting for the independence of India. The Kuka Movement was, in fact, a rebellion against the British. Many Kukas were arrested and exiled. Some of them were blown off by guns. Their leader Baba Ram Singh was arrested and exiled to Burma where he died in jail. Since the loss of their kingdom under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the Sikhs were dispossessed and browbeaten by a calculated official policy of intimidation and suppression adopted by the British. Disarmament of the people, and disbanding of the Khalsa amy were a part of this policy. Scores of Punjabis were put behind bars as they were suspected of disloyalty and many deserters were hanged. Maharaj Singh who was preaching against the British, was exiled and tortured to death. The Ghadar movement was started by patriotic Sikhs. The Akali Lehar and the Babar Akali movements against the British were started by patriot Sikhs who suffered a great loss during these movements. Numerous Sikhs were arrested, tortured, punished, exiled , hanged and their properties were confiscated during these movements. Figures show that sacrifices made by only 2% Sikhs for the independence of their motherland have been much more than those of the two major communities. Conclusion Those who point fingers at the Sikhs for not cooperating against the British during the Indian Mutiny close their eyes to the ground realities. Perhaps, they do not know that the Hindus of Bengal and Bihar refused to help the mutineers and whole-heartedly helped the British during the Mutiny. It is strange that patriotic activities of the Sikhs and their sacrifices and sufferings for the independence have been forgotten and they are being blamed for not taking part in the Mutiny which was the handiwork of those selfish people who wanted to save their thrones. The Sikhs played a very limited role as the circumstances were very peculiar and discouraging. It is wrong to say that the Sikhs collaborated with the British in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny of 1857 which was not an organized one. It was a primitive response to the British threat. (Updated: This article appeared here first on Nov 16, 2016) (These are the personal views of the author) READ NEXT: Lies about the Indian Mutiny of 1857
Fatehpal Singh Tarney: It is interesting that the Anglo-Gurkha War and the Anglo-Sikh Wars, gave the British East India Company an appreciation for the military prowess of Gurkha and Sikh soldiers and the company began to recruit them into British service. They slowly but surely started to replace the high caste Hindu troops whose religious sensibilities had begun to frustrate the British. One of the main causes of the Great Mutiny was this discontent amongst these high caste Hindu sepoys who were losing theur military career opportunities. The Muslim sepoys and freelance jihadis came into the mutiny a bit later. When mutinous sepoys, both Hindu and Muslim, sought the approbation of the Mughal ruler in Delhi for their revolt against the British, the last thing the Sikhs wanted was a resurgent Mughal empire. Therefore, siding with the British in putting down the mutiny was a strategic undertaking in self-preservation. 
