Moby Grape was a psychedelic rock group of the 1960s, formed by manager Matthew Katz (of Jefferson Airplane) in San Francisco. Frontman Skip Spence (also of Jefferson Airplane), Jerry Miller and Don Stevenson (of the Frantics), Peter Lewis (of the Cornells) and Bob Mosley all wrote songs for Moby Grape (1967 in music). Columbia Records immediately released five singles, and the band was perceived as being over-hyped. In addition, band members were in legal trouble for charges (later dropped) of consorting with underage females, and the band's relationship with Katz rapidly deteriorated. The second album, Wow, was a critical and commercial failure. During the recording, Spence came to the studio with an axe, intending to kill Stevenson; he was committed. After Spence left the group, Mosley joined the Marines. The remainder soldiered on for two decades, recording and performing to a small audience.
Unfortunately, the band could have been a real contender in the music scene had it not been for their youth and lack of experience in and of the music industry. Their almost instant rise to fame and money along with mismanagement and the record company's inept marketing stratagy, all combined to destroy them. Musicaly, the band was very tight and the few records they did put out are a testament to their musicianship and ability to write a very versatile array of songs.
