"Mercy mercy me..."

The first time Nolan hit the charts, he didn't even need a last name. But good word travels fast, and before long Nolan Porter was mixing it up with the likes of Steppenwolf, Little Feat and Johnny Guitar Watson. His own unique brand of music brings Marvin Gaye, Randy Newman and, well, lots of Nolan all into the same sound. And, yes, you do have to hear it to really know what Nolan Porter is all about.

Nolan spent his youngest years in Los Angeles, but he's one of those characters who doesn't belong to any place geographical. His travels have taken him to Asia and all over the western world giving his voice the kind of world-wisdom that peeks out of Randy Newman's lyrics. 1970 brought Nolan to Lizard Records, brainchild of Gabriel Mekkler and sporting the talents of Johnny Guitar Watson, himself on the cusp of a golden era. Together with Mekkler, Nolan penned the Steppenwolf success "What Would You Do If I Did That To You". After a series of his own R&B hits Nolan's second LP was picked up by ABC Records, and through a maze of connections Nolan soon found himself jamming with what had until recently been the original Mothers Of Invention. Together with Jimmy Carl Black, Lowell George and Roy Estrada, Nolan was a part of the early Little Feat sessions.

After traveling the world in the 80s, the spiritual side of Nolan's music was stronger than ever. In recent years the sound of Marvin Gaye could still be heard in one of Nolan's favorite tunes, "What's Going On?". As so often happens, Nolan has found his life curving back upon itself: Some two decades and who knows how many miles after playing with the alumni of Frank Zappa's Mothers Of Invention, Nolan found himself together with Candy Zappa. Their relationship through music has manifested itself (among other things) in the Once A Legacy review, which premiered in early 2000. Nolan feels as at home on the Legacy stage as he has anywhere else in the world. "Candy and I do songs that we share at some deeper level. Once A Legacy is more or less the story of how we might have met long ago, how we finally did come together and how we might have known each other all this time". How does he mean that? Have a listen for yourself!