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SEALED US ORIGINAL COPY with small deletion mark One of the more intriguing acts within the Bay area's musical landscape was a collective known as One, or more specifically, 1. They were connected to Paul Kantner and Grace Slick from Bolinas. This nine-piece ensemble, inclusive of two female vocalists, delved into extended, meandering compositions that drew influence from raga and rock, interspersed with elements of jazz and country. Roger Crissinger, a somewhat known entity within the group, had prior fame as a member of the progressive rock band Pearls Before Swine. However, the enigmatic figure steering the band was a man known as Reality D. Blipcrotch. He had a distinct vocalization style, often without words, embodying a unique musical expression that defied traditional norms.
Blipcrotch, a former Marine and actor, hailed from Elgin, Illinois, where he began singing professionally at an astonishingly young age in his father's barbershop quartet. His past remained shrouded in mystery; he legally changed his name, withholding even his original identity, according to former Airplane manager Bill Thompson.
The narrative behind the creation of One's self-titled album for Grunt, released in 1972, remains a sore point for producer Pat Leraci (also known as Maurice). It's a tale that challenges reality while encapsulating the bewildering essence of the post-Aquarian era.
While these anecdotes shed light on the producer's surreal experience, they merely scratch the surface of the musicians and their divergent paths that led them under the sway of Reality D. Blipcrotch and his cannabis-infused vision of transcendent records and liberated musicality.
Though Blipcrotch's enigma persisted among his peers, an unexpected revelation emerged from an unrelated online source discussing Volkswagen vans and a distant relative of his father named Jerry Leroy. The commentator revealed that Jerry Leroy, alias Reality D. Blipcrotch, alias Jerry Wiley (yes, it's true), parked his VW in their driveway when they were a child. Wiley, Blipcrotch's birth name and early stage identity as an actor, transitioned into his second persona as a hippie rock musician with the band 1, even sound-checking at the Fillmore in San Francisco. His third name emerged after a spiritual rebirth, leading him to move to Hawaii and compose Christian operas.
Beyond the quest to demystify Blipcrotch—an elementary pursuit on our part—the rest of the band seemed interwoven threads in a social fabric, specifically a Chicago hippie commune. Originating from the Bolinas district of Chicago, they came together under the guidance of Jerry Leroy in the 1970s. Roger Crissinger, their most notable recruit, had a previous tenure with Pearls Before Swine, departing 1 to rejoin Tom Rapp for his solo debut album, "Stardancer," in 1972.
Grunt Records, a vanity label established in 1971 by Jefferson Airplane in collaboration with RCA Records, served as a platform to champion Bay area acts like "1," Papa John Creach, Hot Tuna, and the Airplane before their evolution into Jefferson Starship.
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