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Formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1968, Rare Earth was a hard rock band signed to Motown Records. Originally coming together in 1960 as The Sunliners, the group spent several years going through stylistic and line-up changes before finally changing their name to Rare Earth in 1968. The line-up at the time included Gil Bridges (saxophone / flute), Peter Hoorelbeke (drums / lead vocals), Kenny James (keyboards, John Persh (bass), and Rod Richards (lead guitar). Percussionist Eddie Guzman joined in 1971. Rare Earth released their debut album, Dreams/Answers, in 1968, although it didn’t chart. Rare Earth released their second album, Get Ready, in late 1969 and by early 1970, the album was a hit, bolstered by the success of the single edit of the album’s 21+ minute title track. Their next album, Ecology (1970), was a number 15 hit and included the singles “(I Know) I’m Losing You” (number 7) and “Born to Wander” (number 17). Rare Earth continued to tour and record but after 1971’s One World album, their chart placings began to slip, and their albums and singles no longer hit the Top 40. The group’s line-up began to change as well with only Gil Bridges remaining from the original line-up by 1974, joined by Eddie Guzman, who had joined in 1971. Rare Earth did score one final Top 40 hit with “Warm Ride” in 1978, but only remained a live act after that, sporadically releasing new studio recordings. By 2022, Rare Earth no longer featured any original members.
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