ABOUT
Iron Butterfly is a highly acclaimed and veteran rock band with signature heavy, psychedelic organ-driven passages and extended improvisational instrumental jams that became famous during the late 1960s. They are best known for the hypnotic and hard-driving "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" in both its original long album version (clocking in at over 17 minutes) and shortened remake, the latter of which made the Top 40. Named in 2009 by VH1 as the 24th-greatest hard rock song of all time, this era-defining classic is widely regarded as a forerunner of hard rock and heavy metal and one of the first recordings of these genres.
Formed in 1966 in San Diego, California, the classic hitmaking lineup consisted of Erik Brann (guitar, vocals), Ron Bushy (drums, percussion), Lee Dorman (bass, backing vocals), and Doug Ingle (organ, vocals), with numerous personnel changes and additions over the years. In early 1968, Iron Butterfly signed with Atco Records, an Atlantic Records subsidiary, and soon after released their debut album, "Heavy." The band peaked commercially later that year with the release of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," which peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200, went platinum soon after, and cemented their place in rock music history. That album remains a best-seller, and Iron Butterfly became the first act to receive an in-house platinum album award from Atlantic Records.
After the success of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968), Iron Butterfly released "Ball" (1969) and several other albums through 1975 and have continued to perform and tour actively to the present day, The original four classic lineup members - Erik Brann (August 11, 1950 - July 25, 2003), Ron Bushy (December 23, 1941 - August 29, 2021), Lee Dorman (September 15, 1942 - December 21, 2012), and Doug Ingle (September 9, 1945 - May 24, 2024) - were honored posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 San Diego Music Awards.
LINKS
- For more info, visit ironbutterfly.com.
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SONGS
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Iron Butterfly
- In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida 1968
(The album version of this psychedelic, heavy metal song clocks in at an astounding 17 minutes (give or take), but the hit version was edited down to just under 3 minutes. As the story goes, the song title is gibberish for "in the garden of Eden.")
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