Ilmo Smokehouse

American heavy psychedelic blues/rock band formed 1969 by Freddie Tieken, in Quincy, Illinois, named after a faded sign on a building on Front Street, West Quincy, Missouri. Initial members were Freddie, his brother Dennis Tieken (drums), and Keith "Slink" Rand (guitar) from Freddie's previous band American Music Band. Freddie then hired Craig Moore (bass) and Gerry Gabel (keyboards) from the band Gonn. Bix Clements, formerly bassist in Freddie's American Music Band, joined later. Freddie then retired from performing to focus on management and producing and the band relocated to Detroit as "Rio Smokehouse." Then returned to Quincy, Illinois, and added Steve Gaines (later of Lynyrd Skynyrd), Ron Shumake (formerly of Freddie Tieken And The Rockers), and Bill Haller. Released one album produced in 1971 at Beautiful Sounds Studio in Memphis, ILMO Smokehouse made a name for themselves during the early 1970s thanks to their incessant gigging, often sharing the stage with names like MC5, Big Brother & The Holding Company, The Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station, James Gang, Sugarloaf, Crow, The Flock and BB King. The band later evolved into a trio "Smokehouse," (John Sauter then Willie Dale III, Dennis Tieken, Micki Free) which was closed to signing with Mercury in the mid-1970s, but the deal never materialized, Freddie then relocated to Chicago, Micki to California, and Dennis eventually carried on the group with a different lineup.