Paul Revere and the Raiders were one of those weird bands that came along in the wake of the Beatles. All the bands were looking for an "angle" in those days and the Raiders' angle was the American Revolution (which I suppose made some humorous sense given the British Invasion). They wore sorta, kinda Revolutionary period costumes with tri-color hats and acted nuts. They acted so nuts it probably short-circuited Mark Lindsay's later attempt at a more serious pop-rock career (remember "Cherokee Indian Reservation?"). The thing is, they weren't really all that bad as rock bands of the day went.
I remember we had a copy of their single "Just Like Me" from 1965. Of course, being a quirky one I also kinda dug the B-side of that single, a 5+ minute blues jam (crazy long for a 7-inch 45 rpm record at the time) that sounded like they tossed it off to have something on the other side of the platter. Paul himself, who was better known as an organist, was playing harpsichord (I think), which was kinda weird for the blues, but there's that "angle" thing again.
By the way, this video is really cool the way it looks like somebody opened up the back of an old jukebox and filmed the inner workings. But, I digress.
The bottom line was, it left an impression on me as a 6-year-old kid who had never heard the blues before, and I'm glad they introduced me. According to the story I just read, Paul was struggling with cancer. (Talk about your B.F.D.R.F. blues!) Having tended my own dad, who has also battled cancer in recent months (more on that later), I can only hope that Paul was comfortable and at peace in his final days.
Condolences to family, friends, and former band mates. RIP.
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