Rockette Morton

Rockette Morton
Rockette Morton
Background information
Birth name	Mark Boston
Born	1949
Origin	Salem, Illinois United States
Genres	Rock, alternative rock
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
Years active	1963–present
Associated acts	Captain Beefheart Mallard Frank Zappa
Website	rockettemorton.com

Rockette Morton (real name Mark Boston; born 1949 in Salem, Illinois) is an American musician, best known as a bass guitarist and guitarist for Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band in the 1960s and 1970s.

Career

Early years

In 1963, after moving to Lancaster, California, he joined up with future Magic Band member Bill Harkleroad aka Zoot Horn Rollo in a band named B.C. & The Cavemen. Later, while performing in The Magic Band, he played on such critically acclaimed albums as The Spotlight Kid and Trout Mask Replica produced by Frank Zappa. His performances earned him nomination for Bass Player of the Year by Playboy Magazine in 1969.

While working with Captain Beefheart, Boston received his nickname by which he was most often associated for the duration of his career. He performed on five successful albums, which include Trout Mask Replica (1969), and Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970), which spent eleven weeks on the UK Albums Chart, the most commercially successful of Captain Beefheart's recordings. Following them, 1972 saw the release of two albums: The Spotlight Kid, and Clear Spot, and last, Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974), which was Beefheart's eighth LP, but failed to climb the Billboard Top 200, perceived by the Magic Band's fans as too commercial.

In the book Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience, guitarist Bill Harkleroad details some of the tensions that arose between Don Van Vliet (best known by his stage name, Captain Beefheart) and members of the band. These tensions led to a split in 1974, when Rockette Morton left to form Mallard with bandmates John French, Bill Harkleroad, John Thomas, and Art Tripp. Following the demise of Mallard, he continued performing in various bands as guitarist and bassist. Always interested in studio performance, he remained active in his own recording studio. From 2003 to 2006 members of The Magic Band regrouped and performed on a world tour. Morton has also released a solo album, Love Space in 2003. Of this album he said, "If you enjoy listening to this music even half as much as I enjoyed recording it I'll be happy".

Discography

Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band albums

• Trout Mask Replica (1969)
• Lick My Decals Off, Baby (1970)
• The Spotlight Kid (1972)
• Clear Spot (1972)
• Unconditionally Guaranteed (1974)

Mallard albums

• Mallard
• In a Different Climate

Solo albums

• Love Space (2003)

References

Further reading

• Harkleroad, Bill (1998). Lunar Notes: Zoot Horn Rollo's Captain Beefheart Experience. Interlink Publishing. ISBN 0-946719-21-7.

External links

• Rockette Morton Official Website
• Extensive Biographical Information
• Mallard (band) web pages online since 1995
• Rockette Morton

Persondata
Name	Boston, Mark
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1949
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