General Caine hail from Los Angeles, U.S.A.
The group comprised of:
Mitch McDowell (bass, percussion and lead vocals)
Wayman Ballinger (lead and background vocals)
Robert Palmer (lead guitar)
Rick Hendrix (lead guitar)
Jim Morrison (keyboards)
Dave Dobler (keyboards and synthesisers)
Alvino Bennett (drums)
Gerry Davis (drums)
Marion McQuery (trumpet)
and
Jimmy Carter (sax)
General Caine released several fine albums from the Mid Seventies until the mid Eighties.In the same vein as Captain Sky and Bootsy Collins, Mitch McDowells group released some good examples of the genre, without receiving the recognition the tracks, obviously, deserved.
general caine - 1978 / get down attack - 1980 / girls - 1982 / dangerous - 1983
Signing to Groove Time Records in 1978, the group released their first album, entitled 'General Caine'.The group were managed by Mitch's brother Ezell McDowell Jnr.
Three years later (and still at Groove Time), the group released 'General Caine II, Get Down Attack'.
The album was dedicated to Mitch's son Senika Elliott Eugene McDowell, who sadly died while the album was being recorded.
'Get Down Attack' sold well, however, General Caine relocated to Tabu Records where they released the album 'Girls' in 1982.
This album featured songs written and arranged by Trey Stone guitarist for Bootsy Collins, Tony Patler and David Chadwick.
By this time the line up had changed to just six musicians, with the rest of the line up being made up of session artists, including Maceo Parker and Fred Wesley.
An album followed on Tabu the following year, entitled 'Dangerous', with many of the arrangement chores being handled by Johnny 'Guitar' Carson (known then as 'Grandman') Leon 'Ndugu' Chancler.
This album saw songwriting chores undertaken by 'General Caine', Johnny 'Guitar' Carson, Hershall 'Happiness' Kennedy, Reggie Andrew and Ndugu Chancler.
The General too the band away from Tabu and moved them to Capitol Records for a 'one off' twelve inch single entitled 'Where's The Beef?', a popular U.S. catchphrase of the time, in 1984.
in full chill - 1986 / wide open - 1987
By 1986, the band landed a deal at Motown Records, although the group had to go through a name change, possibly, due to the 'drug connotations' connected with the previous group identity, which Motown's squeaky clean image, may have demanded.Now known as General Kane, they proceed to record for the label, releasing two albums, 'In Full Chill' in 1986 and 'Wide Open' in 1987.
The former release contained the track 'Crack Killed Applejack', an anti drugs tune, a message that Mitch McDowell was keen to press home since the bands outset.