Diamondback - 1974 (2015)

Diamondback were a short lived seventies rock band that never actually released an album....until 2008! They were Mike McKenna, Scott Cushnie, Peter McGraw and Richard Love. Mike McKenna was a respected and well known guitarist on the Toronto music scene before forming Diamondback in 1974. He was in an early sixties band called Luke & The Apostles. They opened for the likes of Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. McKenna would form another influential band in the late sixties called McKenna Mendelson Mainline. Later, abbreviated to Mainline. This band recorded their debut album in London, England and received a ton of critical acclaim. The band Diamondback falls into the period following Mainline's breakup. McKenna had a few different things going on but decided to hook up with piano man, Scott Cushnie, who's own musical resume included stints with Ronnie Hawkins, Robbie Robertson and eventually, as a musician with Aerosmith's Toys In The Attic tour. They recorded and pressed the Diamondback debut in 1974 but it was never released. In 2008, working in conjunction with Pacemaker Entertainment, the album was finally made available. This album is a gem and the song, One Track Open, is a funky track that is reminiscent of the Staple Singers.