Notes

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One of Austin's best-loved bands of this era they opened their own club, The Vulcan Gas Company in 1967 and among its attractions were the 13th Floor Elevators and many of the best black blues singers of the era. The club lasted until 1970. Their 45 appeared in a picture sleeve and featured some fine 'acid' guitar work. Indeed the band have been referred to as Austin's Grateful Dead. They moved to San Francisco for a while and whilst there Brown and Guinn also worked as The Angel Band. Disillusioned The Conqueroo split and returned to Texas. They reformed briefly in the mid-seventies.

Their retrospective album is a live recording from 1968. It features fine guitar work on Passenger and Banana And The Cat but is patchy overall so primarily for archivists. Ed Guinn and Bob Brown also cut a long demo tape about early 1967 of entirely fresh material, but this hasn't resurfaced to date. They also helped back comic artist, and Austin resident Gilbert Shelton on his sole 45.

Powell St. John went from Laredo to Austin, Texas in 1959, a harmonica playing, beret wearing beatnik kid who had a hunch that something was going on somewhere. Powell began his musical career in Austin in the early 1960's, playing at parties and clubs around the University of Texas campus. Eventually he came to work with Kenneth Threadgill of Austin's Threadgill's Bar, performing with Janis Joplin and Lannie Wiggins in a small trio called The Waller Creek Boys. Later, in answer to a request for material from Tommy Hall of the 13th Floor Elevators, St. John wrote six songs for their two first albums. In the late 60's, Powell formed a blues and rock band with Tracy Nelson named Mother Earth.
Some of the most famous musicians in the world have recorded Powell's songs, such as Janis Joplin (Bye, Bye Baby), Boz Skaggs (I'll Forever Sing), Tracy Nelson (Livin' with the Animals), Roky Erickson (Right Track Now) & Doug Sahm (You Don't Know).