Goshen, Indiana psych-folk band These Vizitors was formed in 1965 by the Curtis siblings: singers/guitarists Rick and Tom, singer/bassist Michael and singer/tambourine player Patti, with friend Travis Rose on drums. After earning a devoted local following and even appearing on WGN Chicago's wildly popular children's television program #The Bozo Show, the group signed to Capitol, traveling to New York City in 1967 to record with producer Phil Ramone; the sessions yielded five tracks in all, with the most commercial -- For Mary's Sake and Happy Man -- appearing as a Capitol single in May of 1968. By that time These Vizitors were settled in West Palm Beach, Florida, appearing on local bills in support of the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Jefferson Airplane; when the single went nowhere, the group dissolved, although Rick and Michael continued pursuing a career in music. In 1972, the Curtis brothers contributed original material and vocals to the Crazy Horse LP At Crooked Lake, which they parlayed into an option deal with Polydor; there they befriended the struggling duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, and together the foursome cut a pair of demos: Blue Letter and Seven League Boots. While the former was later re-recorded on the self-titled 1975 Fleetwood Mac album that heralded Buckingham and Nicks' addition to the group, the latter was later retooled by Crosby, Stills Nash, becoming their 1982 smash Southern Cross. In the interim, the Curtis Brothers -- now consisting of Rick, Michael and Tom -- cut an eponymous 1976 LP for Polydor, two years later completing a follow-up for International Artists that remains unreleased. Mike later toured with latter-day lineups of the Byrds and Buffalo Springfield, in addition serving for 12 years as a member of singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton's backing band. Rick Curtis died unexpectedly after suffering a seizure in January 1995.

~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi