8 May 1943, Columbus, Georgia, USA, d. 18 November 1972; guitar, vocals), Billy Talbot (b. 23 October 1943, New York City, New York, USA; bass, vocals) and Ralph Molina (b. 22 June 1943, Puerto Rico; drums), formerly of the Circle (also Psyrcle) and Danny And The Memories, joined forces with Leon Whitsell (guitar), George Whitsell (guitar) and Bobby Notkoff (violin). The Rockets was produced by Barry Goldberg and featured a diverse selection of original material, including folk rock, pop and soul styles. All of the songs, bar two, were written by Whitten or Leon Whitsell and the contrasts between their approaches enhanced the eclectic nature of the set. The opening track, ‘Hole In My Pocket’, garnered local interest when issued as a single, and Goldberg subsequently recorded the song on his 1968 solo album. The Rockets had meanwhile disintegrated, but Whitten, Talbot and Molina resurfaced as Crazy Horse, backing Neil Young on 1969’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. This excellent album included the track ‘Running Dry’, subtitled ‘Requiem For The Rockets’, which featured a sterling contribution from Notkoff. The violinist also appeared on several late-period Crazy Horse releases, while George Whitsell rejoined his former colleagues for Loose (1971).