hey were high school friends, all born and raised in Tampa, Florida -- percussionist Manuel Bertematti (b. 1946), drummer Joe Lala, and lead singer/guitarist Carlos "Mike" Pinera (b. Sept. 29, 1948). Beginning in the mid-'60s, they performed together at local functions. It wasn't, however, until after they graduated, and after Joey had worked for a while as a barber, that the threesome met bassist Malcolm Jones (b. Cardiff, Wales) and the idea of a Latin-like blues band became a reality.

Tampa, Fla. quintet Blues Image scored their sole US Top 40 hit, "Ride Captain Ride," in the spring of 1970. First charting on May 23, 1970, the song rose to No. 4 on the on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart, and remained on the chart for 12 weeks. It was certified gold by the R.I.A.A. in March 1970. In 2022, Purple Pyramid Records released Blues Image - Anthology of Classics on CD.

They toured about the East Coast, and even touched down in Europe, presenting their evolving blues blend. For a while, they ran a psychedelic hangout in Tampa called Dino's. Keyboardist Frank "Skip" Konte (b. Canyon City, OK) -- Alaskan-raised philosophy dropout, and one-time welder and sign-painter -- joined early in 1968. By year's end, the group was based in New York City, where they ran a club in a converted bowling alley called The Image. Besides offering their own performances, the Blues Image booked acts like the Mothers of Invention, the Lovin' Spoonful, and Cream.

After moving to Los Angeles, reps from Atlantic Records spotted the troupe at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go in 1968. A first album, Blues Image , was issued in 1969; it was quickly followed by Open (1970). Open featured what would become the group's singular single of significance, "Ride Captain Ride." But with success came dissension: Pinera left to join Iron Butterfly, so singer Dennis Correll and guitarist Kent Henry were brought in. Before the name was shelved, and some of the members drifted into a band called Manna, one more LP -- Red, White and Blues Image -- was patched together.

In the early '70s, Pinera and Bertematti recorded with the New Cactus Band. Thereafter, Mike recorded with Ramatram, his own Thee Image, and in the early '80s, with Alice Cooper. After a few solo efforts, he appeared in the '90s on an attempted comeback album by Tiny Tim. Jones moved to England, where he did studio work with Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett and the Soft Machine's Kevin Ayers. He died on Feb. 22, 2020. Konte has since recorded with Brooklyn Dream, Cold Blood, and Three Dog Night. Lala has hardly been out of the studio limelight, having played with artists like the Bee Gees, Jackson Browne, Harry Chapin, John Cougar Mellencamp, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young, and Rick Derringer.

- Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, Billboard, 1998.