It's a Beautiful Day

Formed in San Francisco, California in 1967, psychedelic rock / folk band It’s a Beautiful Day was founded by vocalist and violinist David LaFlamme, his wife Linda LaFlamme on keyboards, vocalist Pattie Santos, drummer Val Fuentes, and bassist Michael Holman. Guitarist Hal Wagenet would join in 1968. David LaFlamme was a classically trained violinist and former member of the Utah Symphony Orchestra who moved to California and formed the group Electric Chamber Orchestra (also known as Orkustra) before abandoning that project and forming It’s a Beautiful Day. Hooking up with infamous manager Matthew Katz – who had managed both Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape – the group was uprooted from their San Francisco base and relocated to Seattle, Washington in order to hone their sound. Once they band returned to the Bay Area, they were booked into Bill Graham’s Fillmore West (San Francisco) and signed to Columbia Records. They released their self-titled debut album in 1969, charting at number 47 on the Billboard 200 and number 58 in the UK. After David and Linda LaFlamme separated, the group encountered a line-up change before the release of their album Marrying Maiden (1970), which reached number 28 in the US, number 35 in Canada, and number 45 in the UK. The group played the Atlanta International Pop Festival before embarking on a European tour and playing festivals in the Netherlands and the UK. They returned to the US and was one of the last acts to perform at the Fillmore West in July 1971. Their New York concert that year was later released as It's a Beautiful Day at Carnegie Hall (1972). More line-up changes occurred before the release of the albums Choice Quality Stuff / Anytime (1971) and It's a Beautiful Day...Today (1973). The group split up in 1974 but reunited several times over the decades although they never released another studio album. Legal issues with their former manager Matthew Katz kept the group from properly reissuing their back catalog, although there have been a few titles released outside of the US. Original vocalist Pattie Santos died in a car accident on December 14, 1989. Keyboardist Fred Webb (1969-1973), short-lived bassist Bud Cockrell, and violinist Greg Bloch also died in 1989. David LaFlamme died from Parkinson’s disease on August 6, 2023, at the age of 82.

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