One of the most exhilarating & important rock ’n’ roll stories ever told— Julian CopeThe trailblazing13th Floor Elevatorsreleased the first psychedelic rock album inAmerica, transforming culture throughout the 1960s & beyond.The Elevatorsfollowed their own spiritual cosmic agenda, to change society by finding a new path to enlightenment. Their battles with repressive authorities inTexas& their escape toSan Francisco s embryonic counterculture arelegendary.When theElevatorsreturned toTexas, the band became subject to investigation by Austin police. Lead singerRoky Ericksonwas forced into a real-life enactment of"One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest"& was put away in a maximum-security unit for the criminally insane for years.Tommy Hall, their Svengali lyricist, lived in a cave. GuitaristStacy Sutherlandwas imprisoned. The drummer was involuntarily subjected to electric shock treatments, & the bassist was drafted into theVietnam War.This fascinating biography breaks decades of silence of band members & addresses a huge cult following ofElevatorsfans in the United States & Europe. The group is revered as a formative influence onJanis Joplin,Led Zeppelin,Patti Smith,Primal Scream,R.E.M, &Z.Z. Top.Roky Ericksonis the subject of a heralded recent documentary feature,"You re Gonna Miss Me"; a box set of remasteredElevatorsCDs with liner notes by authorPaul Drummondwill be issued in fall 2007."