Joe Mathews Presents

Fat City Press

Home Grown
in Marin

The Sons of Champlin
A Personal Portrait of a Band, the Times and the Place

“These gentlemen have been around as long as we have, and thank God for that. From Marin, the Sons of Champlin.”

— Bill Graham introducing the Sons at Winterland on November 9, 1974, Terry Haggerty’s birthday.
Front of the Home Grown in Marin promotional handout
Front
Back of the Home Grown in Marin promotional handout
Back

“Home Grown In Marin is the long-overdue full story of this band we all love, with all its artistic triumphs and commercial failures, and its stoned-out highs as well as sobering lows--a story mainly told by the participants, the band members and their inner circle. However, Mathews goes beyond merely telling the story of a band and connects the Sons to the currents of social change that originated in the Bay Area and would sweep the country. This band with its uncompromising hippie ethos and eclectic mix of influences could only have come from the Bay, and that becomes abundantly clear in the book, which is filled with political, cultural, and social history that serve to give an appreciation of just how unique this magical time and place was.”

—Steven Johnson / Music Archivist

“This is such a great idea! Finally, someone’s taking the bull by the horns and chronicling the history of this remarkable band. I am absolutely thrilled you have taken on this monumentally important task.”

—Johnny Colla / Musician, Huey Lewis and the News

In Home Grown in Marin, the story of the Sons is embedded within the cultural and historical conditions of the time and place where it all unfolded. The Bay Area was unlike any region in the country then, and the music scene was especially vibrant and unique. Because the Sons and their music were that and much more, they were a perfect lens through which to view it. The book excerpts provided here, including a complete Chapter 7, will give you an idea of what you can expect once embarking upon the full journey.

Listen & Explore

“Sing Me a Rainbow” (1967)

Hear the Sons of Champlin’s vocal arrangement up close. This track features mostly isolated vocals; follow the parts in the chart below as you listen.

Mostly isolated vocals · Download audio

Original handwritten vocal arrangement chart for Sing Me a Rainbow, showing the singers across verses, choruses and rounds. A text version follows.
Original handwritten vocal arrangement. Follow the chart from left to right; swipe sideways on smaller screens. Enlarge the chart.
Read the vocal arrangement as text

Text summary of the handwritten arrangement. Repeated parts follow its arrows; a question mark means the part was left unspecified.

  • Verses 1 and 2: Track 1 begins with Bill on lead, followed by Bill and Tim, marked “same voice.”
  • Choruses 1 and 2: Track 2 lists Bill and Terry, with Tim and Mike behind. The first overdub is labeled “Girls.”
  • Rounds 1, 2 and 3: Tim is on Track 1. Track 2 lists Bill, Terry and Mike, repeated through the rounds. The first overdub is marked with question marks.
  • Second overdub: No vocal assignments are specified.

Meet the Chapter 7 Speakers — a guide to the voices in the chapter (PDF).

Table of Contents

Scroll through the Table of Contents for the sample selections in larger, bold italic type. Select a link to read the PDF, with the original text and photo layout preserved.

Part I

Transformation and Transition:
San Francisco Bay Area, 1940–1960

  1. Freedom and a New Dawn
  2. The Rise of Suburbia: The American Dream Realized?

Part II

Homegrown In Marin

  1. Early Lives in Marin: Musical Stirrings
  2. “The Best Band in Marin”: The Opposite Six
  3. The Sons in Fat City: The Trident Years, 1966-1967

Spotlight
Staking His Claim: The Arrival of Bill Graham

  1. Act Naturally: Postwar San Francisco on the Move

Part III

“The Change”

  1. Hello Sunlight: Awareness and Awakening

Meet the Chapter 7 Speakers (PDF)

Spotlight
Westward Bound: Psychedelics, Ken Kesey, and Exploring the New Frontier

  1. Loosen Up Naturally: Capturing Lightening in a Bottle
  2. Social Turmoil and Unrest: The Power of Art
  3. Get High: Making Music and Living the Dream
  4. The Sons 1968-1969: On a Roll and On the Road
  5. Divergence and The Winds of Change

Part IV

Turning the Page

  1. Scattered to the Wind: Hidden Gems
  2. New Horizons: Welcome To The Dance
  3. The Sons Shining Bright: “Get Off Your Gold Mine…”
  4. L.A. Bound: Keith Olsen and the Sound City Experience
  5. Don’t Fight It Do It: Drawing the Final Curtain

Part V

Coming Home

  1. Return Ticket: The Best Unknown Band in the Land