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.
___________________
Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
Agencies
YUBA CITY: With Friday marking the second month of the Oak Creek Sikh Temple massacre on August 5, the Punjabi community of Yuba City (northern California) has a lesson for Sikhs elsewhere in the US: There is no alternative to reaching out to the common American to raise awareness about their religion and culture.
Having dinner and posing for photos with American leaders is fine, but the common American won’t know who the Sikhs are unless they reach out to them at the local level.
Indeed, the 15,000-strong Punjabi community in this northern California city of 65,000 people is so deeply integrated with the mainstream that for the first time the city elected a Sikh - Kash Gill - its mayor in 2009.
``It was a huge achievement not only for me but also for the whole Punjabi community. It made headlines worldwide. My achievement was the results of our efforts to become involved in the (decision-making) process. Once people know you, they trust you,’’ says Gill.
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Hon Dan Logue presenting ACR 181 Resolution to community leaders - Dr Jasbir Kang, Sarb Johl and Mr Dhillon in Yuba City.[/caption]
``This is the result of our efforts to reach out to the mainstream community and build bridges,’’ says Dr Jasbir Singh Kang who was one of the young Punjabi professionals to start initiatives about two decades ago to promote understanding with the mainstream.
Adds Tejinder Mann, who is a member of the Yuba City council, ``Our efforts to educate the American people that Sikh values are compatible with American values have paid off. The Sikhs elsewhere in America should try to be good neighbours and educate their neighbours about their religion and culture. That’s the way to go.’’
Dr Kang says till the late 1980s the local Punjabi community was restricted to farming. Their social and religious activities were also centred around their gurdwaras and they had little interaction with the white community.
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All Yuba City communities joined Sikhs at the candle-light vigil for the victims of the Wisconsin Sikh Temple massacre.[/caption]
To change things, Dr Kang, Mann and like-minded people got together to form the Punjabi American Heritage Society in 1993.
``We wanted to create better understanding about the Punjabis among the mainstream, promote dialogue and raise awareness about who we are. We started off with a Teachers’ Appreciation Evening where we helped teachers understand our religion, culture and values so that they could better connect with Sikh students in classroom. They appreciated our initiative,’’ says Dr Kang who is an alumnus of the Patiala Medical College.
The Punjabi American Heritage Society also started a TV show on the local cable channel to discuss issues facing the Sikh community.
``These TV debates galvanized the community and gurdwaras about their problems. We also made presentations to the Yuba City Unified School District to start Punjabi as a subject in schools. Our demand was accepted and Punjabi was introduced in schools in 1994,’’ says Dr Kang.
Then the Punjabi American Heritage Society started the Punjabi-American Festival in 1995.
``Again, the idea was to showcase our culture and traditions - Bhangra, Gidha, music, cuisine and traditional dresses - to the mainstream and our next generation. Over the years, the festival has grown into a big annual event attracting thousands of people from far and wide.’’
At this year's festival, the Punjabi community honoured families of the three US soldiers killed in Afghanistan - Marine Corporal Gurpreet Singh, Specialist Rueben Lopez and Specialist Chase Marta - as shown in the top picture.
“It was our tribute to these brave men who died in service of our country and recognize the sacrifices of the families they left behind,’‘says Dr Kang.
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Yuba City honoured its Punjabi community by electing Kash Gill as its first Sikh mayor in 2009.[/caption]
Because of the contribution of the Sikhs, the local Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County opened a multimedia permanent exhibit on the Sikhs called `Becoming American’ earlier this year.
``The exhibit is the story of Punjabis in America and their hardships since their arrival in California in the early twentieth century. It tells the story of our contribution to America. It tells that we are an American story,'' says Kang.
Apart from these initiatives, the Punjabi American Heritage Society has also funded various projects, including documentaries `Sikhs in America’ and `Meet the Sikhs’ by the PBS network.
``We are proud that `Meet the Sikhs’ has been approved by the school district board as educational material for teaching purposes. This is a big thing,’’ says Dr Kang whom the PBS honoured with the Unsung Hero award.
Thanks to the efforts of Yuba City Sikh leaders to reach out to the mainstream, the influence of the Sikh community has increased by leaps and bounds over the years.
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To highlight the contribution of the Sikhs, the local Community Memorial Museum of Sutter County opened a multimedia permanent exhibit called `Becoming American’ earlier this year.[/caption]
From farming, the Punjabis of Yuba City have diversified into businesses, real estate, export-import, hotels and other businesses. The city’s four gurdwaras, one mosque, one Punjabi church and a temple are a testimony to the vibrancy of the Punjabi community in this city.
And not to forget that Yuba City pioneered North America’s biggest Sikh parade to celebrate the installation of the Sikh holy book of the Guru Granth.
Indeed, Yuba City is a shining example of how the Sikhs have integrated with the mainstream.
This is what the Sikhs elsewhere in the US should do, says former mayor Kash Gill. ``You cannot just sit on the sidelines and expect someone to change things for you. You have to reach out and get involved in the process.’’
Adds Council member Tejinder Mann, ``The identity issue has been a problem with the American Sikhs since 1979 when the American hostage crisis in Iran led people to think that Sikhs were Muslims because they had long beards like the Ayatollah Khomeini. Teaching the Americans about your religion and culture is a long-drawn process, and the Sikhs have to reach out to others to educate their neighbours about their religion.’’
READ ALSO: Jasbir Kang: Dr Bond of Yuba City
GS Sandhu: Excellent article indeed. @Balwant Sanghera, I'm from Yuba City and we recently started Yuba Sutter Interfaith and Cultural Council (visit YSICC.org).It would be nice to network and share ideas. Please visit the ysicc.org website and use the contact form to send me an email.
What Dr. Kang, Tej Mann, and others from the Punjabi American Heritage Society have shown is passion to reach out. There are a lot of people who want to do things but often don't know how. If a few people take charge - others will join.
I was surprised to learn about a lot of Sikh groups doing great things. The problem is no one knows about them unless you know where to look.
If you would like to a part of these groups, look for the Interfaith groups in your area. If you are a member of a Sikh organization, please connect with us at ysicc.org, punjabipioneers.com, and punjabiheritage.org.
RP Singh: The Sikh community doesn't have any co-ordinated approach to creating awareness among other groups and communities.
Mitan Sidhu: I've been telling our youngsters that for years now (people of my generation are too stuck in their ways). In mainstream American social circles, I tend to find myself very much of a minority (too much of a rarity), therefore I've considered myself a Goodwill-Ambassador-of-sorts for Indians and Sikhs, educating people about my culture. It's amazing how much of a difference even one person can make.
Mitan
Balwant Sanghera: An excellent article.The Sikh community of Yuba City must be commended for their efforts This is so true. We need to reach out to other communities in order to be understood. This is what we have been doing here in Metro Vancouver in general and Richmond in particular. Our on-going Inter-Faith Bridging project has been doing just that. Balwant Sanghera 
