Mike Pinera, the singer, guitarist and co-writer and Blues Image and then singer and guitarist for Iron Butterfly, has died in Florida at the age of 76.
Pinera formed Blues Image in Florida in 1966. The band also featured Joe Lala on drums, who went on to be a member of the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young band.
Pinera co-wrote Blues Image’s only hit ‘Ride Captain Ride’. It reached no 4 in the USA and no 23 in Australia.
‘Ride Captain Ride’ was released in 1970 but Pinera had left the band in 1969 to join Iron Butterfly. He was guitarist and vocalist for the fourth Iron Butterfly album ‘Metamorphosis’. It was a Top 20 album in the USA.
After Iron Butterfly, Pinera formed Ramatam with Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix band but both left after the first self-titled album, produced by Tom Dowd.
Pinera then release a solo album ‘Isla’ in 1977 and a second solo album ‘Forever’ in 1979.
In the early 80s Pinera was a member of the Alice Cooper band playing on the albums ‘Special Forces’ (1981) and ‘Zipper Catches Skin’ (1982).
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