Cactus - The American Led Zeppelin
They were called "The American Led Zeppelin" back in 1970. Tall words, indeed, but CACTUS - Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Jim McCarty and the late Rusty Day (who died in 1982) - came out only months after their Brit counterparts, only to flame out brightly after four albums, Cactus, One Way… Or Another, 'Ot 'n' Sweaty and Restrictions, before 1973 even started. Four decades later, the band that made such an impression with their loud blues-edged hard rock madness, the band that influenced the likes of Van Halen, Joe Bonamassa, David Coverdale and Kid Rock, the band that foreshadowed heavy music itself, returned with a reunion in the 90s and 2000s featured Carmine, along with ex-Savoy Brown lead singer Jimmy Kunes, harmonica player Randy Pratt, guitarist Paul Warren and bassist Jimmy Caputo released 2 studio albums of lusty, macho soul entitled Black Dawn and Tightrope.
In 2024 the band reunited again with vocalist Ed Terry, guitarist Artie Dillion and bassist Jim Caputo. Terry, whose leather-lunged pipes atop this hot'n'nasty blues-metal machine creates quality, head-first rock'n'roll. The all new CACTUS has released 2 amazing albums with help from litany of superstar Temple of the Blues VOL 1 and Vol 2. They are the band's newest studio albums; compelling steps into the future upon a bridge firmly built in the past. Among the guests on these amazing discs are: Guitarists Joe Bonamassa, Ted Nugent, Pat Travers, Warren Haynes, Vernon Reid, Steve Stevens, Johnny A (The Yardbirds), Ty Tabor (King’s X) and bassists Billy Sheehan (Mr Big), Dug Pinnick (King’s X), Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder), Phil Soussan (Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne), Kenny Aaronson (ex- Joan Jet and The Yardbirds), as well as members of Government Mule, Vixen, Rainbow, Zebra, and Whitesnake. Vocalist Dee Snider of Twisted Sister appears on the band’s remake of the Howlin’ Wolf classic “Evil,” and Appice’s bandmate in Vanilla Fudge Mark Stein, turns in a powerful vocal on Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally.”
THE ALL NEW LINE UP of Carmine Appice, Ed Terry, Artie Dillion and Jim Caputo are currently taking the new versions of Cactus hits on the road.