Chris Darrow of Kaleidoscope dies

Singer-songwriter Chris Darrow of the Southern California psychedelic band Kaleidoscope has died. He was 75.

Darrow played with the original Kaleidoscope on its first two albums, including the critical favorite “A Beacon From Mars.”

He went on to long and prolific career, mostly playing folk- and country-influenced music.

Kaleidoscope also featured the famed string musician David Lindley.

Darrow grew up in Claremont, Calif., playing in various folk and bluegrass outfits and performing at the L.A. folkie haven the Ash Grove. He played guitar, bass, mandolin and fiddle.

Darrow met Lindley at a hootenanny in Arcadia, Calif., and agreed to join Lindley’s bluegrass band. That off-and-on partnership led to Darrow joining Lindley in the underground rock band Kaleidoscope, which had a deal with Epic Records. Other members were Solomon Feldthouse and Max Buda.

The “leaderless band” recorded several early singles in late 1966 and a debut album, 1967’s “Side Trips,” all of which failed to sell. Darrow penned three songs for the first album, including the sunshine pop number “Pulsating Dream.” (Some of the material ported over from his first rock band, the Floggs.)

The album “A Beacon From Mars” followed, this time with the band producing itself in an effort to duplicate its live sound. Sales were modest, but the group achieved some national recognition as underground music came into vogue. The album’s psychedelic brew included Middle Eastern sounds, country, folk, blues, old-time jazz and rock. The album featured a pair of epics: the hypnotic “Taxim” had a distinct Turkish flavor, while the title track mined the California psychedelic vibe.

The band performed at California’s hippie ballrooms such as the Avalon, in New York, and at the Newport Folk Festival. Belly dancers and flamenco dancers sometimes joined in the fun. Jimmy Page, who saw the group in San Francisco, said it was one of his favorite bands.

Darrow later said he thought it was “silly” to expect commercial success with Kaleidoscope. “I think in terms of all (those genres) coming out of one band, it was almost too hard for some people to take.”

Darrow soon quit “over differences in musical direction.” “As the major songwriter, my songs were not being performed onstage very much,” he told It’s Psychedelic Baby magazine. He continued to work with the band as a studio musician and agreed to tour with the group shortly after quitting.

Lindley emerged as bandleader and continued his tenure through the group’s demise in 1969. Kaleidoscope toured with Cream and contributed to Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Zabriskie Point” soundtrack.

Lindley has called Kaleidoscope “a genetical experiment that produced several mutant strains of unknown origin and eventually ate itself.” Darrow said he was “very proud” to be part of its history.

Darrow reunited versions of Kaleidoscope several times, recording the albums “When Scopes Collide” (1976) and “Greetings From Kartoonistan … We Ain’t Dead Yet” (1991).

He recorded with James Taylor, Leonard Cohen, John Stewart, John Fahey and Harry Chapin, among many others.

After leaving Kaleidoscope, he joined the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, recording several albums with that country rock act. He then formed the Corvettes, which toured behind Linda Rondstadt and was produced by Michael Nesmith. Darrow also started a short-lived ’70s group with ex-Moby Grape bassist Bob Mosley, the Darrow Mosley Band.

Darrow recorded almost a dozen solo albums, several for United Artists. In later years, he mentored alt-roots musician Ben Harper.

Darrow died Jan. 15, 2020, reportedly of a stroke.