Charles Stepney and Phil Upchurch. Cosey, Upchurch and Jennings joked about calling the group "The Electric Niggers". Marshall Chess liked the suggestion, but Leonard Chess refused to allow the name. Ultimately, blues purists criticized the psychedelic sound of Electric Mud and The Howlin' Wolf Album. Further albums, Texas International Pop Festival and disbandment In 1968, Rotary Connection released their second and third albums, Aladdin and Peace. Aladdin found Riperton assuming a more prominent vocal role than the "background instrument" status she had on the debut. The latter was a Christmas release, with strong messages of love and understanding for a nation in the grips of Vietnam. The album's cover art featured a hippie Santa Claus. Peace was notable for being involved in controversy: an anti-war cartoon, in a December 1968 edition of Billboard magazine, featured a graphic image of a bruised and bloodied Santa on a Vietnam battlefield. Mistaking this cartoon for the album's cover art, a drunken executive at Montgomery Ward cancelled all shipments of the album. On August 30, 1969, the band played at the Texas International Pop Festival followed by the Palm Beach Pop Festival on November 29. Rotary Connection released three more albums: Songs, in 1969, a collection of drastic reworkings of other artists' songs, including Otis Redding's "Respect" and The Band's "The Weight"; Dinner Music in 1970, in which they added elements of folk and country into the mix along with some electronic experimentation; and Hey, Love in 1971, a more jazz-oriented LP on which the band was billed as the New Rotary Connection. From this album came "I Am the Black Gold of the Sun". The outfit disbanded in 1974. Revival As part of the documentary film series The Blues (2003), produced by Martin Scorsese, members of the Rotary Connection recorded with rapper Chuck D and members of The Roots, to reflect the legacy of Electric Mud (1968). Discography Main albums 1967: Rotary Connection (U.S. No. 37) 1968: Aladdin (U.S. No. 176) 1968: Peace (U.S. No. 24) 1969: Songs 1970: Dinner Music (written by Jon Stocklin) 1971: Hey, Love (as The New Rotary Connection) As backing band 1968: Muddy Waters: Electric Mud 1969: Howlin' Wolf: The Howlin' Wolf Album Compilations 2006: Black Gold: The Very Best of Rotary Connection References External links Rotary Connection biography by Andy Kellman, discography, album reviews, credits and releases at AllMusic.com Rotary Connection discography, album releases & credits at