Ramatam was a sort of mini-supergroup, formed in the early 70's by Mike Pinera, from the Blues Image,
and Mitch Mitchell, former drummer for Jimi Hendrix.
They also had one other distinction, a female lead guitarist, April Lawton, a rare thing in those days and that was
always going to be the focus of the band.
She was hailed as the female Jimi Hendrix by many, and her style was an
inimitable mix of Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Alan Holdsworth.
Indeed she was so virtuosic that, stupid enough, many believed no woman could play like this. To this end, stupid enough, a rumor started to spread that she was actually a transvestite(?!).
April did two studio albums with Ramatam. Their self-titled debut on Atlantic Records produced by Tom Dowd in 1972
is considered to be a monumental highlight in Progressive Rock history and "In April Came the Dawning of the Red Suns"
in 1973.
The group disbanded after the second album, and April Lawton disappeared from the music scene almost entirely to
concentrate on painting and graphic design.
April Lawton passed away Thanksgiving 2006. R.I.P
The group unfortunately never lived up to its promise commercially but musically they were great.
Innovative hard rock, soulful, funky and progressive!!..
..
