Randy California

Randy Craig Wolfe February 20 1951 January 2 1997 known as Randy California was an American guitarist singer and songwriter and one of the original members of the rock group Spirit formed in 1967 California was born as Randy Craig Wolfe into a musical Jewish family in Los Angeles and spent his early years studying varied styles at the familys Los Angeles folk club the Ash Grove which was founded by his uncle Ed Pearl He was 15 years old when his mother Bernice Pearl and his new stepfather Ed Cassidy later to become a founding member of the band Spirit with Randy moved to New York City in the summer of 1966 because Cassidy had a number of jazz gigs lined up It was there at Mannys Music that he met Jimi Hendrix He played in Hendrixs band Jimmy James and the Blue Flames that summer California Cassidy and Pearl lived in an apartment building in Forest Hills Queens called the Balfour whose other residents included future Steely Dan cofounder Walter Becker who cited Californias bluesbased guitar style as an influence on his own playing The stage name Randy California was given to him by Hendrix to distinguish him from another Randy in the band Randy Palmer whom Hendrix dubbed Randy Texas When Hendrix and California were invited to come to England by Chas Chandler former bassist of British Invasion band the Animalswho became Hendrixs manager and producerRandys parents refused to allow him to go insisting the 15yearold stay and finish high school By some accounts Chandler wanted Hendrix as the only guitarist for the band and nixed Californias going to England Together with Cassidy songwriterfrontman Jay Ferguson bassist Mark Andes with whom California and Cassidy had initially formed a band called the Red Roosters and keyboardist John Locke California founded the band Spirit Their first selftitled album was released in January 1968 a month before Californias 17th birthday He then wrote the bands biggest hit 1968s I Got a Line on You for Spirits second album The Family That Plays Together He also wrote the single 1984 inspired by George Orwells novel of the same name Released in early 1970 the song was so pointed against the US government that it was banned from many radio stations although it was a huge hit in Germany In Canada the song reached 66 California also wrote Spirits other hit Natures Way for the bands bestselling album Twelve Dreams of Dr Sardonicus California drowned in the Pacific Ocean in 1997 at the age of 45 while rescuing his 12yearold son Quinn from a rip current near his mothers home in Molokai Hawaii He managed to push Quinn who survived toward the shore The Randy Craig Wolfe Trust was established after his death and using royalties from Californias recording contracts financially supports the Randy California Project an afterschool music education program for underprivileged elementary school children in Ventura County