Appaloosa / Compton & Batteau / John Compton
Fueled by the folk and baroque-pop tunes that wafted through the air across the United States in the mid-1960s, the musical fortunes of singer-guitarist John Parker Compton and violinist Robin Batteau neatly mirrored those heady, fast-moving days.
Compton, raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, grew up on a steady diet of coffeehouse-circuit folk, catching the likes of Joan Baez, Richard and Mimi Farina and Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band at Club 47. Properly inspired, he honed his vocal chops in a church choir before connecting with Batteau and beginning to craft their literate take on singer-songwriter folk. They cut a 45 (“Rosalie” b/w ”Downtown Row”) in Boston at Petrucci & Atwell Recording Studio (later Intermedia Sound Studios), shared stages with the likes of Laura Nyro, Van Morrison (at The Ark) and Tim Hardin (at Paul’s Mall), played the Cambridge Common Concert Series throughout the summers of ‘67 and ‘68 and signed to Columbia Records, all while still in their teens.
COLUMBIA SIGNING, APPALOOSA
A trip to Columbia Records’ New York City offices in late 1968 earned them the patronage of producer Al Kooper, as well as a recording contract with the venerable label. Compton and Batteau filled out their line-up with bassist David Reiser and cellist Eugene Rosov and christened themselves Appaloosa, recording an eponymous debut LP in 1969.
The album, which included contributions from Kooper (who also produced), saxophonist Fred Lipsius and Blood, Sweat & Tears’ drummer Bobby Columby, was a fine slice of literate, jazz-inflected, singer-songwriter folk that’s recalled fondly to this day by fans of the genre. By the end of ’69, the band was sharing the stage at Fillmore East with nationally known acts including The Allman Brothers and Blood, Sweat & Tears.
IN CALIFORNIA, ANTI-VIETNAM WAR CONCERT
After losing Reiser and Rosov (to a jazz band and Harvard, respectively), Appaloosa called it a day. Compton and Batteau soldiered on as a duo, though, moving west and recording 1970’s In California, which was also released by Columbia and featured contributions from Robin Lane and Poco co-founders Randy Meisner and Jim Messina. Compton and Batteau also played the Anti-Vietnam War Concert in Washington, DC, at West Potomac Park before 30,000 protesters on May 1, 1971, along with NRBQ, Phil Ochs, Linda Ronstadt, Charles Mingus, Mitch Ryder and The Beach Boys.
DISBANDING, SOLO PROJECTS
Batteau departed, eventually resurfacing in the decade with the rock outfit Pierce Arrow (featuring drummer Bobby Chouinard), followed by a jingle-writing career. After a brief break, Compton moved back to the East Coast and resurfaced with a solo album, 1973’s To Luna, before taking a two-plus-decade hiatus; his next album was 1995’s Mother of Mercy. Since then, he’s recorded an album of Tim Hardin covers and overseen the release of a 1968 Compton and Batteau performance, Live at Turk’s Head Coffeehouse. His most recent LP, the aptly titled Keepin’ On, was released in 2013.
