Mariah-Mariah (1975)

A short-lived band originally from Chicago, formed in the late 1960s, which enjoyed considerable popularity in the Michigan club and concert hall scene for a few years. During the early 1970s, under the name The Jamestown Massacre, they recorded a series of singles released by Warner Bros., which received some airplay on local Chicago radio stations. After several lineup changes, in 1974 the band, now definitively renamed Mariah, reformed with keyboardist Mark Ayers, bassist Ed Burek, singer Comforte, drummer Wayne DiVarko, and guitarists Len Fogerty and Frankie Sullivan. After signing with United Artists, they moved to Los Angeles where they recorded their self-titled debut and only album, "Mariah." On this debut album, the band drew influences from a wide range of groups, from the vocal melodies of The Doobie Brothers to the progressive style of Styx, and the heavy sounds of American hard rock from Mountain. "Mariah" consists of nine uniformly enjoyable tracks such as "Reunion," "Broadway," "Rock and Roll Band," "I Was Born," and "Hey Mama," all brimming with catchy melodies aimed at North American FM radio. Despite the album's high quality, it went largely unnoticed, which led to the band's breakup some time later. Frankie Sullivan would later found the band Survivor, with whom he achieved massive success throughout much of the 1980s.