Mickey & The Soul Generation

Bass player Gilbert Rivera worked as a studio engineer for Manny "Mr G" Guerra, and used the studio at weekends to record with his band, Mickey & The Soul Generation. They released some singles between late 60s and early 70s. Best known for their 1969 paper hit “Iron Leg,” the mixed instrumental combo Mickey & the Soul Generation came to semi-national attention following Nipsey Russell’s performance of the Iron Leg dance on Johnny Carson. Though they shared a label with Ben E. King, they lacked access to the same promotion and marketing resources. A tour with Sam & Dave and opening slots for James Brown, Kool & the Gang, and The Supremes found them performing for thousands nightly, but still sleeping on floors. By the mid-’70s the group had fractured, with members joining the army, bottling Coke, and starting families. In 1977 two members, Mickey Foster and George Salas, recorded and issued under the old name a single, that however went completely unnoticed. At the dawn of the 2000s, Josh Davis (AKA DJ Shadow) tracked Mickey and his Soul Generation down for the reissue their recordings on his upstart Cali-Tex label.

Gilbert Rivera (bass).
Andrew Gordon (drums).
George Salas (guitar).
Mickey Foster (organ, keyboards).
Johnny Hooks (tenor saxophone).
Emil Carter (vocals, saxophone).
Harvey Edmerson (drums).
Charles Johnson (vocals).
Chris Urrutia (drums).

NOTE: not to be confused with the soul group Soul Generation from Newark, New Jersey, USA.