Current Line-up
John Palumbo: Vocals, guitar
Rick Witkowski: Guitar
Bobby Hird: Guitar
Glenn Workman: Keyboards
John Tracey: Drums
Joe
Macre: Bass guitar
CRACK THE SKY
History
1970s
Crack the Sky traces its roots to an early seventies band called
ArcAngel, which featured John Palumbo on vocals and Rick
Witkowski on guitar.
Crack the Sky was formed in the mid-seventies by Palumbo and
Witkowski, after they signed with Lifesong Records. In addition
to Palumbo and Witkowski, the original band included other
former members of ArcAngel: Joey D'Amico on drums, Joe Macre on
bass, and Jim Griffiths on guitar.
The band produced a critically acclaimed
first album, the self-titled Crack the Sky in 1975. Rolling
Stone declared it the debut album of the year; however,
promotion and distribution problems prevented widespread
success.
The band's second album was originally designed to be a rock
opera on the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Animal Notes, like
the band's debut release, was critically acclaimed, but the high
concept nature prevented widespread commercial success.
Fueled by a breakdown in communications with their record label
and a divergence in creative approaches, Palumbo left the band
in 1977 to pursue a solo career. The remaining band members,
with vocalist Gary Lee Chappell, released Safety in Numbers in
1978. In addition, the live album Live Sky was released by this
lineup of the band. Crack the Sky disbanded and Classic Crack, a
greatest hits compilation, was released by Lifesong in 1980.
1980s
In 1980, Palumbo reunited with Witkowski and keyboardist Vince
DePaul and released White Music. This release featured a number
of "singles-quality" songs that had earlier proved elusive to
the band, including "All American Boy", "Skin Deep", and "Hot
Razors in My Heart."
Palumbo reformed the band once again in 1981 with DePaul, Carey
Ziegler, Michael Taylor and John Tracey, and produced
Photoflamingo. This release, and subsequent efforts including
World in Motion 1 and The End, eluded the critical and public
acclaims of the earlier releases, and the group disbanded again
in 1983. A notable song from this era is "All Fly Away"—about
the fears of nuclear holocaust—which the band performed live
before devoted fans for the first time since the early eighties.
Palumbo released the studio album Raw in 1986. Although the
album has the signature Crack the Sky sound and feel to it, it
featured no past members of the band besides Palumbo and
guitarist Jamie LaRitz is the only other musician credited.
Palumbo reunited Crack the Sky with Witkowski, DePaul, Zeigler,
and D'Amico for a series of live shows in 1986 at the Baltimore
club Hammerjacks. Between then and 1989 this band performed a
number of shows in the Baltimore area, including Painters Mill
Music Fair.
In 1988, Palumbo joined with Witkowski, DePaul and D'Amico to
produce From the Greenhouse, in many ways signifying the return
of the band to its classic sound with solid efforts including
the title track and the song "Lost In America". During this
time, this band performed occasionally in the Baltimore area
with Zeigler joining on bass.
1990s
Crack the Sky released Dog City in 1990. The period between then
and 1996 saw little activity except for the release of the
compilation disc Rare! in 1994.
Palumbo gathered the band together again in 1996 beginning a
series of live shows at small venues in the Baltimore area. The
band at this time featured the same lineup as 1993's The End,
with the addition of Nat Kerr on keyboards. A new studio album,
Cut, was released in 1999, as well as a double disc release
featuring one of the band's live shows at the Recher Theatre in
Towson, Maryland.
2000s
Crack the Sky (Rick Witkowski, John Palumbo and Joe Macre), June 26, 2004
Crack the Sky continues to perform occasional live shows and
collaborate on new music under Palumbo's guidance. The albums
Ghost and Dogs from Japan were released to critical acclaim in
2001 and 2003, respectively, and the band continues to enjoy a
devoted fan following. The band currently developed a new
concept album, tentatively entitled The Sale, which features the
return of original bassist Joe Macre. The new CD is out now.
