L. A. Freeway

Youngstown, 1969-72

A couple of Wilson High School (in the south side of Youngstown) students formed the core of this teen band. Through a band member's connections they established a practice space in the community of Lowellville and staged their own shows there. In the summer of 1970 they recorded two songs at Hardman studios in Pittsburgh, and got the 45 on the studio's Kyra label. The A side, "Freedom", was a strong original written by bassist Daryll Plant, while the flip side was a cover of the Merry Go Round's "Listen, Listen". The B side got some airplay thanks to WHOT jock A. C. McCulloch. The L. A. Freeway played places like the Freakout and Yankee Lake with a set list that included the heavier and progressive sounds of the day like Led Zeppelin and Santana. Another, unreleased song called "Time No Longer" was recorded at United Audio. The group disbanded in '72 when most of the members graduated high school. Daryll Plant had played drums for a young, short lived band called the Fantastic Plastic Machine prior to L. A. Freeway.