The Road (group)

The Road was a rock band that was formed in 1967. They had a hit in Greece with a cover of the Zombies song "She's Not There". They released further singles on the Kama Sutra label. They broke up in the 1970s.

The Road
OriginBuffalo, New York
GenresRock, R&B
Years active1968–1972
LabelsKama Sutra

History

The group origins can be traced to Buffalo, New York, where they started out in 1967 as The Mellow Brick Road. The original line-up was vocalists Phil and Jerry Hudson, bassist Joe Hesse, keyboardist Jim Hesse, guitarist Ralph Parker, and drummer Nick DiStefano.[1][2] They released a single on the United Artists label, "Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket".[3]

The group had a hit with She's Not There", which was released on Kama Sutra. By that time the group had become The Road. It sold in excess of 200,000 copies and registered at #88 in Cashbox,[4][5] #79 in Canada,[6] and managed to reach the charts in Greece.[7]

Their album simply titled Road was released about a week before Christmas 1969. The 12 track album included "She's Not There", "A Taste of Honey", "Dance to the Music", "Never Gonna Give You Up", "Rock & Roll Woman", and "Mr. Soul", their latest single. By mid-February 1970, it had sold well in excess of 25,000 copies.

As of February 1970, the group was managed by Fred Saia. The line-up at the time consisted of band leader Jerry Hudson, Ralph Parker, Nick DiStefano, Joe Hesse, Phil Hudson, Jim Hesse and Larry Rizzuto, who had recently joined the band.[8][9]

In 1971, their double album Cognition was released on Kama Sutra KSBS 2032. The reviewer noted the Scientology content with the music.[10] A good deal of the material was composed by the band members.[11]

They broke up in 1972.[12]

Jerry Hudson, the lead singer recorded a solo single "Gillian Frank" bw "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better", and it was released on the Bandstand Records label in 1972, also the Big Tree label in early 1973.[13][14][15] Billboard reported in its February 10, 1973 issue that the single was bubbling under the Hot 100 at #117,[16] and stayed there for another week.[17]

Jerry Hudson (born Gerald K. Hudson Jr. on December 4, 1948 in Buffalo) died on November 4, 2019, at age 70. Last November, he had been hospitalized following a stroke.[18]

Releases
Mellow Brick Road singles
Title Label, cat Year Notes
"Don't Put All Your Eggs In One Basket" / "Other Side Of This Life" United Artists UA 50333 1968 [19]
The Road singles
Title Label, cat Year Notes
"She's Not There" / "A Bummer" Kama Sutra KA 256 1968
"The Grass Looks Greener On The Other Side" / "In Love" Kama Sutra KA-266 1969
"Mr Soul" / "The Grass Looks Greener On The Other Side" Kama Sutra KA 504 1970
"If I Ever Needed A Woman" / "Alone" Kama Sutra KA 531 1971
"Night In The City" / "Feelin' The Sunshine" Goodtime GT 4504 1974
"She's Not There" / "A Bummer" Radio Active Gold RD 67 [20]
"Hard To Tell You Goodbye" / "Rosalie" Road MC 5552 [21]
"Music Man" / "You Give It All" Road MC 5610 1977 [22]
Albums
Title Label, cat Year Notes
The Road Kama Sutra KLPS 8075 1969
The Road Kama Sutra KSBS 2012 1970 Reissue of KLPS 8075[23]
Cognition Kama Sutra KSBS 2032 1971 2 LP[24]

References
  1. WNY Hitman - The Road
  2. The Sun, January 15, 1969 - Page 9
  3. Billboard, October 5, 1968 - Page 34 programming aids, * Continued from page 30
  4. Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - The Road
  5. Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993, Pat Downey, George Albert, Frank W. Hoffmann - Page 289
  6. "RPM Top 100 Singles - February 24, 1969" (PDF).
  7. Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - The Road
  8. Discogs - The Road – The Road
  9. Record World, February 14, 1970 - Page 36 The Road to Success
  10. Billboard, July 10, 1971 - Page 28 SPECIAL MERIT PICKS, POP
  11. AllMusic - Road, Cognition, Track Listing
  12. Buffalo Music Hall of Fame - The Road
  13. Top Shelf Oldies - The Road by Gary E. Myers, Discography
  14. 45Cat - Jerry Hudson - Discography, USA
  15. WNY.FM - 45 Friday: JERRY HUDSON – Gillian Frank
  16. Billboard, February 10, 1973 - Page 64 Bubbling Under The Hot 100
  17. Billboard, February 17, 1973 - Page 59 Bubbling Under The Hot 100
  18. "Jerry Hudson Obituary". Buffalo News. November 5, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
  19. 45Cat - Mellow Brick Rode - Discography, USA
  20. 45Cat - The Road - Discography, USA
  21. Discogs - The Road Discography, Singles & EPs
  22. Top Shelf Oldies - The Road by Gary E. Myers, Discography
  23. Goldmine Record Album Price Guide, By Dave Thompson - Page 496 ROAD, THE
  24. Billboard, July 17, 1971 - Page 47 New LP/Tape Releases
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