RIP - Doug Ingle

[16251]

My earliest influence. RIP Mr Ingle - thank you.

 

 

[Baldwin Funster]

I hope he's in Da Gada Devida tonight.

[Dave Bryce]

My favorite Iron Butterfly piece that isn’t IAGDV.

 

 

dB

[mate stubb]

Coming from the classical world, Doug along with Ray M were my entry into improvising on a combo organ in '67-'68. RIP.

[zxcvbnm098]

In my third grade year (1968/1969), my family moved from SoCal to Sacramento so my dad could get his masters at Sac State.

 

We knew we would only be there for one year, but it was a blast for my family as we lived in a rural area in SoCal, but in a big new development of townhomes with lots of kids and a community pool in Sacto. 

 

There was a kid in 9th grade named Frank who lived down the alley from our place, and he would open his bedroom window and BLAST IGDV all the time.  I'm sure the neighbors hated it, but I thought it was THE coolest thing. 

 

One day Frank was at the community pool, and I sheepishly walked up to him and asked him what it was he was always playing? He told me it was a band called Iron Butterfly, and although I had purchased lots of 45's already, that would be my first album - a gift for my 9th birthday along with a 3/4 sized guitar. We went to Tower Records, another eye-opening experience, to buy the album. I was changed forever. 

 

Thank you Doug Ingle (and Frank, and my parents for letting me listen to it)! I will never forget the feeling of hearing that ominous yet beautiful organ into, his bluesy baritone voice and all the mysteries of music and the wild artwork in that song and album to my expanding 8 year old ears. 

 

 

[pjd]

RIP, Mr. Ingle.

 

Between this album (thanks for posting the long version, not the edit) and The Doors, I spent many hours in teenage garage band jam-land.

 

-- pj

 

[Mark Schmieder]

I never understood why he never got listed as one of the greats. To me, he was right up there with all the better-known keyboardists of the era.

[Shamanzarek]

"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" the song not withstanding I consider their first album Heavy to be the superior album. The Iron Butterfly sound was fully formed and only Doug Ingle and drummer Ron Bushy from that lineup continued with new bassist Lee Dorman and new guitarist Erik Brann for two more albums. The Ball album seems to be nearly forgotten now but two songs "Soul Experience" and "In the Time of Our Lives" were both really good records that got AM airplay at the time. When Doug abandoned the Vox Continental for a B3 they were indistinguishable from many other bands of the time. Mike Pinera took over most of the songwriting and singing and it was a different band. They did a European tour with Yes in 1971 with each show culminating in a jam with both bands. When the tour ended Yes bought the PA system from Iron Butterfly and Doug left the band. The band reformed several times but Doug was rarely involved and without him it was not really Iron Butterfly. RIP.

 

In 1993 I got to open for a version of IB with Mike Pinera, Lee Dorman, and Ron Bushy. Our Doors band and a Hendrix tribute were the openers. I had my Vox Continental which I would have happily let their keyboard player use but he didn't care. He was a hired gun getting paid $100 per show. They opened with "Unconscious Power" and I couldn't believe so many young people singing along.

[zxcvbnm098]

I found an old article about Doug from the LA Times back in 1995. Apparently he made a brief comeback with the other 2 living members at the time. The article mentions his money and IRS problems. So common for the times....:(

 

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-21-ca-57302-story.html

[Shamanzarek]

Here is a performance by the classic IAGDV lineup from 1988. Notice Doug is using an expensive at the time Kurzweil K250 mainly for a Vox Continental sound. He could have bought at least a hundred Continentals back then for the price of the Kurz.

 

 

[S_Gould]

13 hours ago, Shamanzarek said:

 

 

In 1993 I got to open for a version of IB with Mike Pinera, Lee Dorman, and Ron Bushy. Our Doors band and a Hendrix tribute were the openers. I had my Vox Continental which I would have happily let their keyboard player use but he didn't care. He was a hired gun getting paid $100 per show. They opened with "Unconscious Power" and I couldn't believe so many young people singing along.

 

  What a coincidence; I was their tour manager and FOH engineer for that tour (among others). What city would that be?

[kpl1228]

immortalized forever here

 

[Bill H.]

"Seventeen minutes later..." 😄

[Ivan May]

A lot of people only remember Iron Butterfly for In A Gadda Da Vida, but what they should also remember is that In A Gadda Da Vida was also Atlantic Records highest selling album (that is, until Led Zeppelin put out their debut not soon after.)

 

Hats off, Doug Ingle. The Iron Butterfly fan club will miss you.

[JimboKeys]

My first concert was seeing Iron Butterfly in 1968 at the Psychedelic Supermarket in Boston.  After watching Doug with his Vox Continental on a custom raised stand, i immediately went home, put a couple cinder blocks under my Vox Continental, and got rid of the stool.  Since then i've been standing In every band i've played in. 

 

My guitarist (who went with me) and i made the other members of our young band learn the entire Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida album.  And that album has some great songs (i actually prefer the songs on Side 1 to the 17-minute Side 2), with some wonderful counterpoint playing between Doug and guitarist Erik Brann -- rather forward-looking to some later prog bands.

 

I can still hear bits of Doug's influence in my playing today.  Thanks Doug for all you've given me.

 

-- Jimbo

[mpn_user7629]

The album was solid with the shorter songs like Termination and the opener, Most Anything You Want

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Shamanzarek]

S_Gould, That was Toad's Place in New Haven. There was a B3 in our dressing room and I was playing a bit of the "Iron Butterfly Theme" on it when their keyboard player heard me and came in. The main members of IB stayed sequestered in their dressing room and I didn't meet any of them. Years later I was playing a festival in NJ with one of the acts being The Classic Rock All-Stars which included Mike Pinera, Jerry Corbetta of Sugarloaf, and Pete Rivera of Rare Earth. Mike sang IAGDV and "Ride Captain Ride".

[Shamanzarek]

One interesting thing about IAGDV the song, not the album, is that it was recorded at a studio on Long Island, NY. Normally IB recorded in California. The band was on a tour with The Doors and Jefferson Airplane and had been playing IAGDV in their shows and it was about a ten minute song. When they got to New York Atlantic Records put them in Ultra-Sonic studio in Hempstead, NY under the guidance of George "Shadow" Morton who produced Vanilla Fudge and The Shangri-Las. Morton turned the session over to Fudge and Rascals engineer Don Casale. The band played through the song thinking the engineer was getting levels and continued playing the song not really knowing if they were being recorded. They got the basic track in one take, overdubbed vocals, a guitar solo, and then took the tape to Gold Star in Hollywood for mixing. Their producer Jim Hilton who was not present for this recording didn't want to put out such a long song but the band was so happy with how it came out they held their ground. Only Jim Hilton is listed as producer on the album and Casale is uncredited.

 

Iron Butterfly was scheduled to play Woodstock. They arrived in NYC but by then it was impossible to drive to the festival. Their manager made several calls to the promoter demanding they send a helicopter to pick up the band. The promoters had enough problems to handle on site and declined to have the band flown in.

[S_Gould]

1 hour ago, Shamanzarek said:

S_Gould, That was Toad's Place in New Haven. There was a B3 in our dressing room and I was playing a bit of the "Iron Butterfly Theme" on it when their keyboard player heard me and came in. The main members of IB stayed sequestered in their dressing room and I didn't meet any of them. Years later I was playing a festival in NJ with one of the acts being The Classic Rock All-Stars which included Mike Pinera, Jerry Corbetta of Sugarloaf, and Pete Rivera of Rare Earth. Mike sang IAGDV and "Ride Captain Ride".

  

Yeah, I remember that show (loved the tunnel from FOH to backstage). That was Derek Hilland on keys. Worked with CRA quite a bit, too (I was still in touch via phone & email with Pete until covid hit). 

 We probably didn't meet, as my job(s) didn't leave much time for 'schmoozing' 🙂.

[Docbop]

1 hour ago, Shamanzarek said:

S_Gould, That was Toad's Place in New Haven. There was a B3 in our dressing room and I was playing a bit of the "Iron Butterfly Theme" on it when their keyboard player heard me and came in. The main members of IB stayed sequestered in their dressing room and I didn't meet any of them. Years later I was playing a festival in NJ with one of the acts being The Classic Rock All-Stars which included Mike Pinera, Jerry Corbetta of Sugarloaf, and Pete Rivera of Rare Earth. Mike sang IAGDV and "Ride Captain Ride".

 

I couple old buddies were playing in Etta James band and they were playing at small local club so I went.   IB was the other band on the bill and they came on as a power trio Mike Penera,  Lee Dorman, and not sure who played drums.   I couldn't believe how stoned and burned out they were like shells of a human just standing still and playing on autopilot.  I was surprised when they did IAGDV as a guitar trio.    I really liked the original IB with Danny Weis on guitar heard them at the Galaxy club many nights.   Danny is still a great guitarist.  I was big fan of Mike Pinera from when Blues Image was the house band at the Whiskey and later with IB at Forum in LA, so really sad seeing that IB power trio that night.   

[Pa Gherkin]

Doug was one of my early combo organ heroes. The guy could really play. Some of his lines are real finger twisters. Also,unlike many of the adolescent ,adenoidal or  shriekingly high rock singers of the time ,he had a very sonorous,ballsy baritone voice. I hope he knew what an influence and inspiration he was. Allow me to salute Doug with a hearty “hep hep.”

[musicbysterling]

According to one of his sons, who’s a friend of mine, his dad was an alcoholic. Apparently, during the initial jamming portion of IGDV, the song title was In the Garden of Eden. Story has it that the drummer, Ron Bushy came by the cottage and found Doug passed out from red wine on the couch. When he was finally aroused,he was asked how the song was progressing. Doug asked which one. Ron said Garden of Eden and apparently Doug attempted to repeat the title in his inebriated state. Henceforth history is made?