It saddens me that the passing of Doug Ingle has gone virtually unnoticed. Ingle, founding member of the group Iron Butterfly and author of the historic one-track album side "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" died on May 24, 2024. He was 78.
Iron Butterfly's first album was titled "Heavy," and it and the group's name might be credited with ushering in the whole "heavy metal" music genre. I always note with not a little irony, that the original lead guitarist, Danny Weis, left the group after heavy, but sold his guitar to his 17 year-old replacement Erik Brann so that the band could retain "the sound."
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sold 30 million copies, and was certified 4x platinum in 1993. It was the highest-selling album of 1969 in the US. For a number of years, it was the best-selling item in Atlantic Records' catalogue.
I felt his passing should receive a bit more notice. R. I. P.
