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{{Short description|American psychedelic rock band}}
{{For|the Bubble Guppies character|Bubble Guppies}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Bubble Puppy
| image           =
| caption         =
| image_size      =
| origin          = [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], United States
| genre           = [[Psychedelic rock]], [[acid rock]], [[hard rock]]
| years_active    = 1967–1972, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1984, 2011–present
| label           =
| current_members = Rod Prince<br />David Fore<br />Jimi Umstattd<br />Mark Miller<br />Gregg Stegall
| past_members    = Roy Cox<br / >Todd Potter<br />Danny Segovia<br />Clayton Pulley<br />Craig Root<br />Rob Hammond
}}
'''Bubble Puppy''' is an American [[psychedelic rock]] band originally active from 1967 to 1972. They are best remembered for their Top 20 hit, "Hot Smoke & Sasafrass".
==History==
===Origins===
Bubble Puppy was formed in 1966 in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]], by Rod Prince and Roy Cox, who had previously performed together in the rock group called [[The Bad Seeds (American band)|The Bad Seeds]]. Looking to form a "top gun rock band" based on the concept of dual [[lead guitar]]s, Prince and Cox recruited Todd Potter, an Austin, Texas [[gymnastics|gymnast]], [[Saxophone|saxophonist]], and [[guitar]]ist. With the addition of Danny Segovia and Clayton Pulley, the original lineup of Bubble Puppy was complete. The name "Bubble Puppy" was taken from "Centrifugal Bumble-puppy", a fictitious children's game in [[Aldous Huxley]]'s 1932 novel ''[[Brave New World]]''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Vorda|first=Allan | title=Psychedelic Psounds | publisher=Borderline Productions|isbn=9780951287590 | year=1994}}, p. 57</ref>
After some lineup changes (drummer Clayton Pulley being replaced by Craig Root, and the departure of Danny Segovia), the final roster for Bubble Puppy settled at Rod Prince and Todd Potter on lead guitars, Roy Cox on [[bass guitar]], and David "Fuzzy" Fore on drums. In the spring of 1967, Bubble Puppy moved to [[Austin, Texas]],<ref>Vorda, p. 58</ref> and signed a [[recording contract]] with [[Houston]]-based [[International Artists]].<ref name="LarkinGE">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Guinness Publishing]]|date=1992|edition=First|isbn=0-85112-939-0|page=356}}</ref> Bubble Puppy were one of the last groups to signed by the label before its demise in 1971.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
The band appeared and toured with many notable artists from 1967 until 1971, including The Who, Grand Funk Railroad, Canned Heat, Steppenwolf, Jefferson Airplane, Bob Seger, Johnny Winter, and Janis Joplin.
===Chart success ===
Bubble Puppy scored a hit in 1969 with the [[Psychedelic rock|psychedelic]] single "Hot Smoke & Sasafrass", which became International Artists' biggest single,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> peaking at number 14 on the [[Billboard Hot 100]] and number 15 on the Canadian ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5981.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - April 14, 1969}}</ref> In addition to its misspelling of "[[sassafras]]", the title was inspired by a line of dialogue heard in an episode of ''[[The Beverly Hillbillies]]''.<ref>Vorda, p. 59</ref><ref name="austinchron">{{cite news|last1=Beets|first1=George|title=Hot Smoke & Sasafrass: Bubble Puppy Reissued|url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2004-05-07/hot-smoke-and-sasafrass/|newspaper=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=May 7, 2004|access-date=November 3, 2014}}</ref> Attempting to capitalize on the song's unexpected success,<ref name="austinchron"/> Bubble Puppy released their debut album that year, titled ''A Gathering of Promises'', but sales were poor and the group parted ways with International Artists in 1970.<ref name="LarkinGE"/>
===Demian===
Signing [[Nick St. Nicholas]] of [[Steppenwolf (band)|Steppenwolf]] as a manager, Bubble Puppy moved to [[Los Angeles]] in 1970. Their name was changed to '''Demian''', after [[Hermann Hesse]]'s [[Demian|1919 novel]], at the suggestion of St. Nicholas' wife.<ref name="Vorda, p63">Vorda, p. 63</ref> This was to avoid contractual difficulties with their previous record company but also because the former name appeared to link them with [[bubblegum music]].<ref name="Vorda, p63" /> The group signed to [[ABC Records|ABC]]-[[Dunhill Records]] and released one self-titled album in 1971, but its failure to perform on the charts led to financial difficulties with the label and the group's break-up in 1972.<ref name="LarkinGE"/> Potter stayed in California, working as a session player, before joining and touring with [[Rusty Wier|Rusty Wier's]] Fabulous Filler Brothers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2005-08-12/284218/ |title=Todd Potter Plays the guitar like ringing 'The Bell'| date=2005-08-12 | publisher=Greg Beets |access-date=2023-06-14 }}</ref>
===Later years===
The members of Bubble Puppy continued to be active in the [[music industry]] after the band's demise. Potter and Prince played with Sirius<ref name="Vorda, p65">Vorda, p. 65</ref> during the 1970s,<ref name="LarkinGE"/> and Fore drummed with the Texas [[punk rock]] band D-Day.
In 1984, the original Bubble Puppy line-up reunited for performances and recordings, and they released their second LP, ''Wheels Go Round,'' in 1987.<ref name="Vorda, p65" />
Roy Cox founded The Blues Knights and released two CDs: ''Before I Go'' in 1999, and ''Road To Freedom'' in 2001. He formed the NYC Outlaws in September 2007 in New York City, along with Tony Saracene on guitar, Dan Curley on guitar, Cody Willard on guitar, Evan Hammer on bass, and Billy Brooks on drums. Cox died on April 2, 2013.
===Reunion and 2011–2018 appearances===
{{unsourced section|date=September 2019}}
In 2011, three of the original members of Bubble Puppy reunited for a performance at Austin Chronicle's Music Awards.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/music/article/Bubble-Puppy-s-one-hit-remains-a-wonder-4964653.php | title = Bubble Puppy's one hit remains a wonder | last = | first = | date = 2013-11-08 | website = www.houstonchronicle.com | publisher = Andrew Dansby | access-date = 2023-06-14 | quote = }}
</ref> The band also added Mark Miller (guitar) and Jimmy Umstattd (bass) to the line-up. David Fore met the two while playing in Austin cover band the Kopy Kats. Fore and Miller also played together in the mid-1970s in another Austin cover band, Zeus. In April 2013, Gregg Stegall joined the line-up, taking Todd Potter's place in the band. Stegall has a long-standing musical affiliation with Miller and Umstattd, dating from the early 1970s. David Fore is currently taking a leave of absence, with Randall Maxwell on drums since mid-2018.
==Band members==
===Original members===
* Rod Prince ‒ lead guitar, vocals
* Roy Cox ‒ (died 2 April 2013)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://bubblepuppy.com/news.htm |title=News |access-date=2017-11-11 |archive-date=2017-11-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171111094717/http://bubblepuppy.com/news.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> bass guitar, vocals
* Todd Potter ‒ lead guitar, vocals
* David Fore ‒ drums, vocals
===Current members===
* Rod Prince ‒ guitar, lead vocals
* Mark Miller - guitar, vocals
* Jimi Umstattd ‒ bass, vocals
* Gregg Stegall  ‒ guitar, vocals
* Randall Maxwell - drums, groove
==Discography==
===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Single
! colspan="3"| Chart Positions
|-
! <small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US]]</small>
! <small>[[RPM (magazine)|CA]]</small>
! <small>[[Kent Music Report|AU]]</small>
|-
|rowspan="5"|1969
|"Hot Smoke & Sasafrass"
|align="center"|14
|align="center"|15
|align="center"|39
|-
|"If I Had A Reason"
|align="center"|128
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"Beginning"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"Days of Our Time"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|"What Do You See"
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|-
|1971
|"Face the Crowd" <small>(as ''Demian'')</small>
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|align="center"|-
|}
===Studio albums===
* 1969: Bubble Puppy ‒ ''A Gathering of Promises'' (International Artists)
* 1971: Demian ‒ ''Demian'' (ABC-Dunhill)
===Live albums===
* 1987: Bubble Puppy ‒ ''Wheels Go Round'' (One Big Guitar)
===Compilation albums===
* 2000: Bubble Puppy ‒ ''Hot Smoke'' (Actual Artists)
==References==
{{Reflist}}
Interview with drummer David Fore discussing the formation of the band and a track-by-track analysis of the album "A Gathering of Promises" on the Psychedelic Relics Podcast, released February, 2024: Epysode 04: "A Gathering of Promises", by Bubble Puppy.https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/30150398
==External links==
*[http://bubblepuppy.com/ bubblepuppy.com] Official Site
*[https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bubble-puppy-mn0000635471 Bubble Puppy] on [[AllMusic]]
*{{Discogs artist|Bubble Puppy}}
*{{imdb name|8475488}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Musical groups from San Antonio]]
[[Category:Psychedelic rock music groups from Texas]]