They are a legendary act that was part of our lives for over a half century — or as they would say, “We Go A Long Way Back.” Formed in 1962 as a Kansas City high school doo-wop group then called the Sinceres, Bloodstone would go on to conquer the music world.
The band consisted of Harry Williams on percussion, Charles Love on guitar, Melvin Webb on drums, Roger Durham on percussion, Charles McCormack on bass, and Willis Draffen on guitar. The members renamed themselves Bloodstone, and relocated to Los Angeles, California.
Their eponymous first album introduced the song “That’s The Way We Make Our Music” and the gold follow-up album, Natural High, gave the group its McCormick-penned signature song in the form of the title track, which reached the Top 10 on both the pop and R&B charts. Bloodstone became known for their funky tracks that blended Jimi Hendrix-styled rock music with doo-wop and gospel music undertones. The groups other 1970s hits included “Never Let You Go”, “Outside Woman” and “My Little Lady”.
Bloodstone was instrumental in the “black rock” and funk movement of the 1970s and performed with such varied acts as Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Elton John and The Impressions. Bloodstone also starred in and wrote all the music for a film entitled Train Ride To Hollywood (1975).
Bloodstone achieved a comeback in the early 1980s with the album We Go a Long Way Back (1982), whose title track reached the R&B chart Top 5. A follow-up single, “Go On and Cry,” also hit the R&B top 20.
One by one, the founding members died — Roger Durham in 1972, Melvin Webb in 1982, Willis Draffen in 2002, Charles Love in 2014 and Charles McCormick in 2022. Williams continued the group, touring with new members Charles McCaleb and Donald Brown. Williams performed seated in the last few years before his death in 2024, as the last of the original members.
Bloodstone was known to many music fans for just a few major hits, but this group consistently delivered the goods over five decades onstage, and leaves a wonderful music legacy.
