Artists & Bands

King Harvest tunes

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The original Dancing In The Moonlight, or was it?

American King Harvest was formed in Paris, France where they started out playing covers by mainly Sly and the Family Stone, Jimi Hendrix, and their main influence The Band.

Even though they would go on to record their own material, their greatest success came with a tune that had already been recorded.

Funnily enough, one of the band members Sherman Kelly had written and released the song in question already with a previous band, Boffalongo. So to call it a cover is slightly strange.

Sherman joined King Harvest in the early 70s, having already released what was to become the band’s signature song, Sherman convinced the boys to record it again in 1973, although he himself didn’t take part as he left France before the band got into the studio.

Sherman’s tune was Dancing In The Moonlight which the band recorded without him and then broke up, soon after releasing it.

When the single gained traction in the U.S., they quickly reunited and started touring, even attracting new members on drums and bass who were more than happy to join the bandwagon.

Sherman came back too and they’d quickly recorded an album named after the single to go with the success.

Unfortunately, the album didn’t contain any more hits and neither did the follow-up in 1975, this time named after the band, rather than the hit. Consequentially, in 1976 the band decided to go their separate ways.

The tune Dancing In The Moonlight would keep them in the public consciousness, and even carry another band’s career on its shoulders, English Toploader who would have an even bigger hit with it in 1999. For them, it would also be their only hit.

If you think Thin Lizzy covered it too, think again, they just used a similar name. I’ll let you decide for yourself which of the two tunes is the best. King Harvest/Toploader’s, or what is actually called Dancing In The Moonlight (It’s Caught Me In Its Spotlight).