Sons of Champlin

The Sons of Champlin is an American rock band, with a decidedly less psychedelic and more grove-oriented and chops-heavy sound than most of the other bands borne out of the San Francisco music scene in the late 1960's. They are fronted by vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist Bill Champlin, who is also a member of the rock band Chicago.

Champlin, together with guitar innovator Terry Haggerty, multi-instrumentalist Geoff Palmer, and a rotating rhythm section that included, and eventually settled on, bassist David Schallock, and drummer James Preston, created a funky Hammond B3-and-horns sound that was distinctive and danceable.

The Sons released seven albums between 1968 and 1977, including "Loosen Up Naturally," "Welcome to the Dance," and "Circle Filled With Love." The albums were generally well-reviewed, but were low sellers. In 1977, Champlin went solo, recording Single and Runaway before joining Chicago in 1981.

In 1997, the Sons got together for a series of reunion gigs, then recorded and released their first live CD in 1998. In 2002, Champlin said it was, "too good not to continue," and the Sons have since put out several new CD's that please fans, "Hip L'il Dreams" and "Secret" among them (they have also remastered much of their back catalogue).

As of this writing, Champlin appears with original members Palmer, Schallock, and Preston. Guitarist Carmen Grillo has replaced phenom Tal Morris, who himself replaced Terry Haggerty shortly after the 1997 reunion shows, and Tower of Power alumnus Mic Gillette handles trumpet, trombone, and tuba parts. The Sons generally feature guest artists on alto and tenor saxophone.