13th Floor Elevators

The 13th Floor Elevators were a rock band from Austin, Texas, widely regarded as one of the true pioneers of psychedelic rock. Formed in late 1965, they blended garage rock with mind-expanding lyrics, reverb-drenched guitars, and a signature sound that helped define the psychedelic genre in the mid-1960s.

The band was formed by Tommy Hall, a University of Texas philosophy student and Roky Erickson, a teenage guitar prodigy and singer who had just left his previous band, the Spades. They were joined by guitarist Stacy Sutherland, bassist Benny Thurman, and drummer John Ike Walton.

Their debut single, You're Gonna Miss Me (originally recorded by Erickson's earlier band but re-recorded with the Elevators), became a regional hit and is now a garage-psych classic. It appeared on their influential 1966 debut album, The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators. Follow-up albums included Easter Everywhere (1967) and Bull of the Woods (1969).

The band's career was short-lived. They faced constant pressure from authorities due to their open advocacy of LSD and drug use as a path to enlightenment. Drug busts, legal troubles, and internal issues took a heavy toll. Roky Erickson endured significant hardships, including psychiatric institutionalization. The original lineup dissolved by the late 1960s, with occasional reunions in later decades.