Iron Butterfly

Originally formed in 1966 in San Diego, California, Iron Butterfly was a rock band best known for their 1968 hit single “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” (derived from a misunderstanding of the lyrics ‘In the garden of Eden’) and are now recognized as hard rock/heavy metal pioneers. Although their line-up changed frequently over the years, Iron Butterfly was originally comprised of four members: Doug Ingle (vocals and organ), Jack Pinney (drums), Danny Weis (guitar) and Greg Willis (bass). They were soon joined by Darryl DeLoach (vocals and tambourine). During the two years leading up to their 1968 debut album, the band had already gone through four different line-ups before setting on what was considered the ‘classic’ Iron Butterfly line-up: Doug Ingle (keyboards/vocals), Ron Bushy (drums), Erik Brann (guitar), and Lee Dorman (bass). Having relocated to Los Angeles, California, the quintet signed a contract with Atco Records and released Heavy, their debut album, in early 1968. Their second album, In-a-Gadda-da-Vida (1968), featured the 17-minute title track, which reached number 30 on the Hot 100 Singles chart in an edited form. Their next record, Ball (1969), reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. The 1970 album Metamorphosis was the last gasp of commercial success, reaching the number 16 position on the chart. The group’s inability to maintain a solid line-up and keep their musical focus led to the failure of further albums Scorching Beauty (1975) and ss (1975). The band spit up and reformed several times over the decades, but never with the participation of all four of the members of the ‘classic’ line-up. The band’s musical legacy is set in stone with reissues, box sets, and constant radio airplay of “In-a-Gadda-da-Vida” on terrestrial and satellite radio. Guitarist Erik Brann died on July 25, 2003, followed by bassist Lee Dorman on December 21, 2012. Drummer Ron Bushy died on August 29, 2021. Lead vocalist and keyboardist Doug Ingle – who left the band in 1971 but returned to the line-up sporadically over the next 30 years – died on May 24, 2024, at the age of 78.

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