Sour Grapes

Sour Grapes emerged in the mid-70's through the friendship and musical acoustivc collaborations of John Rigby and Sean McCool. When they went electric they added Terry Ruth on bass and Charles Higginson on drums. The name "Sour Grapes" was suggested by Higginson, with a nod to John Prine and a more than a hint of self-deprecation. (One of their early posters featured two cartoon characters drawn by Terry Ruth saying "Hey, man, ya wanna go see Sour Grapes?" "Naw, they're probably lousy anyways!") The band had three personas, pictured in the sepia poster in the photo gallery: a tribute to 50's and 60's "greaser music"; a foot-stompin' country repertoire facilitated by Rigby's consumate fiddle playing; and straight ahead two-guitar rock. When John Rigby dropped out he was replaced by Kerry Smith on guitar and the band had to drop the popular fiddle repertoire but maintained a country-rock and R&R bent. Kerry Smith was later replaced by Ron Bierman and the band took a decidedly rock turn with an emphasis on British rock. The b... more...