Old school friends Paul Dean and Ray Sparrow from Salisbury attended a blues concert by John Mayall at the end of the 1960s and were so impressed that they decided to form a band. With the two guitarists Bill Hinde and Bob Cooke and Phil Goddard as singer, the band became a five-piece ensemble. They called themselves Jerusalem and played numerous live gigs, first locally, then getting bigger and bigger. Paul's older sister Zoë had contacts in the London music scene and brought the band to the attention of Ian Gillan from Deep Purple.
He was impressed and wanted to manage the young band and produce an LP with them. After numerous concerts throughout England and the new singer Lynden Williams, the time had come in 1972. They recorded their first and only album in the studio of the De Lane Lea Sound Centre in London. Their brutal hard rock with psychedelic influences and dark lyrics was exceptional at the time and they were therefore a much sought-after live band. They shared the stage with many top bands of the time and also began to perform at major festivals in Europe. However, after internal disagreements, the band soon disbanded.
The original debut album by this legendary British heavy rock band, which could easily be confused with the British heavy metal of the early 80s, is now a sought-after rarity.
