Jim Valley released this album in 1977 on First American Records.The songs on this album include: Walking High (Mountain Song); Fairies (Dance Inside Your Heart); Switzerland In the Rain; Blinded By Love;Rockin' Chair; Cowgirls; Pied Piper; Rainbow Dancer; Paegasus; Rabbits and Feather (The Findhorn Song).
Jim Valley was born March 13, 1943 in Tacoma, Washington. Jim grew up in Seattle and at an early age fell in love with music, song and dance. Both his mom and dad as well as his grandparents played the piano and singing was a natural past time at home as well as in the family car. In the forth grade Jim learned to play the trumpet and really wanted to become the next Harry James.
In the fall of 1958 when Valley was a sophomore at Shoreline High School he and his friends who had been trying to form their own band finally had some players and were playing pretty well. It was then their little group became The Viceroys and the following spring they played their first dance earning a total of $60. During the four years, the Viceroys grew in popularity and became one of Seattle's most popular bands.
Then in the spring of 1963, the band recorded an instrumental song called Granny's Pad which became a huge Northwest hit and because of its popularity many of the bands were playing it in their sets.
The Viceroys were now one of the best drawing bands in the Northwest and joined the likes of the Wailers, Tiny Tony and the Statics featuring Merrilee Rush and the Frantics. Seattle radio stations promoted dances featuring these groups.
Early in 1964 the Viceroys are booked at The Pypo Club in Seaside, Oregon a very popular teen night club where they are told they'll probably have a crowd of 800. That night 80 kids showed up. It turned out that ten miles away a new group was stealing the night...Paul Revere and the Raiders, with amazing showmanship and even before the days of their soon to become popular costumes.
It wasn't long and Valley left the Viceroys and became a mainstay with Don and the Goodtimes a wild and crazy band from Portland, Oregon. The Goodtimes signed with Dunhill records and were gaining recognition but they kept missing the Paul Revere and the Raiders popularity. After about a year Valley was asked to join the Raiders and he did becoming Harpo.
During the next year, Valley, would perform for thousands of teen-age concert audi
ences, as well being portrayed in hundreds of fan magazine stories and pictures, like 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat. The Raiders were stars on Dick Clark's daily TV series "Where The Action Is" as well as appearing on The Smother's Brother Comedy Hour, The Hollywood Palace, The Milton Beryl Show,The Lloyd Thaxton Show and other national TV show of the era. He had stardom in a big way.
Jim was promised by Paul Revere that the Raiders would record some of his songs. It never happened, a huge disappointment that would be one of the major reasons for leaving the group.
It was however definitely a "magic year" for Jim, like five years rolled into one! A dream come true! But twelve months almost to the day that Jim joined the Raiders..... he departed! It was too late. Within a few months, two other Raiders would opt to leave the group, Phil "Fang" Volk and Michael "Smitty" Smith formed a group called the Brotherhood with former Raider guitarist Drake Levin.
Jim Valley went on to a solo career and this album is just a small part of it. This album is in near mint condition.