Grinderswitch

In 1973 four young musicians, Joe Dan Petty, Larry Howard, Dru Lombar, and Rick Burnett, moved to a farm outside of Warner Robbins, Ga. For 10 months the band wrote and rehearsed material for what was to become their first album on the rising Capricorn label. The album "Honest to Goodness", The band GRINDERSWITCH. With the release of their first album came non stop touring with The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Charlie Daniels Band, Wet Willie and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

For the next 3 years the band stayed on the road and released the critically acclaimed "Macon Tracks" and "Pullin Together". Then in 1976 after returning from a major European tour with MTB and Bonnie Bramlett ,Grinderswitch entered the studio to record what would become their biggest Album "Redwing" but there were problems with the label and the album was shelved. The band sat without work or any future prospects of breaking the stalemate for 6 months. Times were tough but they stuck together and in 1977 "Redwing" was released on the newly formed Dick Wooley Rabbit/Atco label. The band was impressed by the amount of promotion the new album was receiving and went into the studio and recorded 10 tracks for an album with the working title "Chasing Wild Desires" Then came DISCO. All of a sudden the Southern Music scene just disappeared.

Grinderswitch went on to release a couple of Indie label releases but by 1983 they knew it was over. Dru Lombar, took a break from the road and moved back to his home of Jacksonville, Fl. Working at a local Studio he honed his engineering and production skills but the road was in his blood and in 1986 Dr. Hector and the Groove Injectors was born. Over the next 15 years Lombar recorded and released 6 Cd's on the FL based Blues Indie "Kingsnake Records".

Larry Howard saw the end coming. He left Grinderswitch in 1980 moved to Florida and began recording again in 1984 after fully recovering from ferocious drug addiction. His first Gospel Blues project is consider by most as being the first "Contemporary Gospel Blues project." He is often considered "The Father of Contemporary Gospel Blues" His first project "Scantified Blues" included the "Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section" and famed Sax player Jim Horn of George Harrison and the Blues Brothers Fame. Jimmy Nalls of "Sea Level" fame also was front and center on this and other releases from Larry. Larry has released 10 solo Cd's. Larry Is still releasing new projects on his Maximum Security label.

Their track "Pickin 'the Blues" was the intro music to the late night alternative BBC radio show hosted by the late John Peel in the UK.