The 77s
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The 77s | |
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Origin | Sacramento, California, US |
Genres | Rock, Christian rock, Christian alternative rock, new wave |
Years active | 1979–present |
Labels |
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Members | |
Past members |
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Website | www |
The 77s (alternatively spelled the Seventy Sevens or the 77's) is an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass guitar, and Bruce Spencer on drums.
History
Mike Roe started the band under the name Scratch Band in Sacramento, California, in the late 1970s. Accompanying him were Mark Tootle on guitar and keyboards, Jan Eric Volz on bass guitar, and Mark Proctor on drums. They were occasionally joined by singer Sharon McCall and guitarist Jimmy A. Their repertoire included songs by English poet Steve Scott. The name of the band was changed to The 77s before the release of the first album, Ping Pong over the Abyss (1982). When Proctor left the band, he was replaced by Aaron Smith, who appeared on the album All Fall Down and remained with the band until the 1990s. Tootle and Volz left the band in 1988. In 1989, The 77s signed with Island Records.
David Leonhardt joined in the early 1990s. A live album (88) and a compilation (Sticks and Stones) were released. Pray Naked was released in 1992 but the title was changed by the label, Word Records, to The Seventy Sevens. This was followed by Drowning with Land in Sight in 1994. Leonhardt and Smith left the band soon after, and Smith was replaced by Bruce Spencer of Vector. Scott Reams sometimes played in the band during concerts. At the end of the 1990s, The 77s started the label Fools of the World and reissued some of its albums.
In 2010, The 77's participated in the tribute album Mister Bolin's Late Night Revival, a compilation of 17 unreleased tracks written by Tommy Bolin. [1]
Discography
- 1982 Ping Pong over the Abyss
- 1984 All Fall Down
- 1987 The 77s
- 1990 Sticks and Stones
- 1991 88
- 1992 Pray Naked
- 1994 Drowning with Land in Sight
- 1995 Tom Tom Blues
- 1996 Echos o' Faith
- 1999 EP
- 2000 88/When Numbers Get Serious, re-release of 88 w/bonus disc containing various live tracks (1987–1998)
- 2001 A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows
- 2002 Direct
- 2006 77s DVD Collection
- 2008 Holy Ghost Building
- 2014 Gimme a Kickstart.... (part of a two-disc set packaged with .....And a Phrase or Two by Michael Roe)
Promotional singles
Year | Single | CCM Rock peak pos |
Album | ||||||
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1983 | "Renaissance Man" | 1 | Ping Pong over the Abyss | ||||||
"Ping Pong over the Abyss" | 5 | ||||||||
"A Different Kind of Light" | — | ||||||||
1984 | "Someone New" | 18 | |||||||
"Mercy Mercy" | — | All Fall Down | |||||||
1985 | "Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba" | 4 | |||||||
"Caught in an Unguarded Moment" | 14 | ||||||||
1987 | "Do It for Love" | 13 | The 77s | ||||||
"I Can't Get Over It" | — | ||||||||
1990 | "Miserable" | 12 | More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be | ||||||
"This Is the Way Love Is" | 1 | Sticks and Stones | |||||||
"M.T." | 1 | ||||||||
1991 | "You Walked in the Room" | 6 | |||||||
"The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" | 6 | The 77s | |||||||
1992 | "Woody" | 4 | Pray Naked | ||||||
"Phony Eyes" | 7 | ||||||||
1993 | "Nuts for You" | 6 | |||||||
1994 | "Snake" | 1 | Drowning with Land in Sight | ||||||
"Nobody's Fault But Mine" | 3 | ||||||||
1995 | "Cold, Cold Night" | 14 | |||||||
1996 | "Rocks in Your Head" | 7 | Tom Tom Blues | ||||||
2001 | "Related" | 6 | A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows | ||||||
"Mr. Magoo" | — | ||||||||
"Genuine" | 20 | ||||||||
"—" denotes singles that did not chart. |
7&7iS
Members of The 77s have used the moniker 7&7is to release projects that they do not see as fitting under their regular band name. The name comes from the title of a classic song by the 60s music group Love, called "7 and 7 Is."
The name was first used for Alternative Records' 1989 collection of rarities and outtakes (later released as More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be). The name was revived in 2004 for Fun with Sound, a collaboration between lead singer Michael Roe and bassist Mark Harmon. Harmon and Roe also toured that year under the name.
7&7iS Discography
- 7&7iS, 1989, collector's edition box set (vinyl record, cassette, 3" CD)
- More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be, 1990, album
- Fun with Sound, 2004, album