Joy of Cooking (band)


Joy of Cooking was an American music ensemble formed in 1967, in Berkeley, California. Identified with the hippie culture, the band's music melded rock & roll with folk, blues, and jazz. The band released three studio albums on Capitol Records in the early 1970s as well as a minor hit single in 1971, "Brownsville". Led by guitarist Terry Garthwaite and pianist Toni Brown, who shared lead vocals, Joy of Cooking was an unusual example of a rock band fronted by women.

Career

Joy of Cooking was led by pianist Toni Brown and guitarist Terry Garthwaite. The rest of the band comprised bass guitarist David Garthwaite, drummer Fritz Kasten, and percussion player Ron Wilson. Keyboard player Stevie Roseman replaced Toni Brown for a time. Bass players Happy Smith and eventually Jeff Neighbor replaced David Garthwaite on bass guitar and Glen Frendel was added on lead guitar.
The band's music was a mix of hippie sensibilities with rock, blues, folk, and jazz, and the lyrics often reflected feminist themes.

Discography

Joy of Cooking

issued three albums by Joy of Cooking in the early 1970s and an anthology disc in 1993.
A fourth album, Same Old Song And Dance, was never released, although certain songs were included on American Originals.
Capitol also issued a 7" single of the song "Brownsville" in 1971.
A compilation of previously unreleased tracks, Back to Your Heart, was issued on the independent NJOY label in 2007. The double-CD album includes a set of live music, the first such release by the band.
In 2016 a 3 CD live album was released on Shady grove "Curiosities From The San Francisco Underground Volume One". Disc 1 was by Joy of Cooking, Disc 2 by Grateful Dead and Disc 3 by It's A Beautiful Day. All live tracks and all previously unreleased.
Joy of Cooking live tracks : 1 A Friend Of A Friend 2. It's Not Easy 3. Wandering Man Suite Part 1:Everyman;Part 2:Story Road 4. The Things You Wish 5. The Next In Line.recorded live in Pacific High Studios 9-5-71 broadcast on KSAN FM.

Toni & Terry

Garthwaite and Brown each had solo careers after Joy of Cooking disbanded, but they also worked together again as a duo named Toni & Terry. Their full-length LP Cross Country was issued by Capitol in 1973, followed by The Joy in 1977.

Terry Garthwaite

Garthwaite refocused herself on jazz music and in 1975, released her first solo album, Terry. The album was produced by David Rubinson and engineered by Fred Catero for Arista Records, and features accompaniment by numerous jazz artists of contemporaneous or future fame: Howard Roberts and Wah-Wah Watson on guitar; Chuck Domanico and Willie Weeks on bass; Sonny Burke, Roger Kellaway, and Patrice Rushen on keyboards; and Philip Smith on saxophone. Drums and percussion were played by Harvey Mason, Sr., John Guerin, Scott Mathews, James Gadson, and Bill Summers, and special guest vocals were contributed by The Valentinos and Bobby Womack. In later years, Garthwaite recorded several more albums for independent labels including Hand in Glove, Moving Day, and Sacred Circles.
Garthwaite recorded Live at the Great American Music Hall in 1980 with Rosalie Sorrels and monologuist Bobbie Louise Hawkins. The three artists sat on stage together and took turns performing, selecting material responsive to the prior performance. Garthwaite contributed 4 of the 13 tracks.

Toni Brown

Remaining close to the Joy of Cooking sound, Brown released her first solo album, Good For You, Too, on MCA Records in Canada in 1973; it was released in the US in the following year along with a 7" single, "Big Trout River". She continued collaborating with Garthwaite as well as released a second solo album, Toni Brown on Fantasy Records before changing careers. Brown earned a master's degree in clinical psychology and in 1991 founded Four Winds West, a non-profit transitional house for disadvantaged youth in Fairfax, California.