Biography

The mellow, easy country-rock sounds of Firefall, coupled with the group's penchant for pop melodies and high-pitched harmonies, produced a series of successful LPs in the late '70s and a series of chart singles, including the Top Ten hit "You Are the Woman." The group was formed by former Flying Burrito BrotherRick Roberts, who handled vocals, guitar, and most of the songwriting duties; he was joined by fellow ex-Burrito and ByrdMichael Clarke on drums, ex-Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne bassist Mark Andes, guitarist/vocalist Jock Bartley, guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Larry Burnett, and keyboardist/woodwind player David Muse, who joined in 1977. The group recorded its self-titled debut in 1976; it and its follow-up, Luna Sea, both went gold, and their third album, Elan, went platinum. However, the group's commercial fortunes began to decline, and even though Muse experimented with adding different instruments to the overall sound, Firefall's relaxed, toned-down approach simply wore out its welcome as pop trends moved elsewhere. Jock Bartley re-formed the group in 1994 for the album Messenger. Under the moniker Firefall Acoustic, Bartley and vocalist/guitarist Steven Weinmeister released Colorado to Liverpool: A Tribute to the Beatles in 2007. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi