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Brewer and Shipley

Brewer and Shipley were an American folk-rock duo formed in the late 1960s. The duo consisted of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They are best known for their hit song "One Toke Over the Line," which was released in 1970 and became a controversial hit due to its perceived drug references.

Brewer and Shipley began playing music together in the mid-1960s in Los Angeles, California. They were signed to A&M Records in 1968 and released their first album, "Down in L.A.," that same year. Their music was heavily influenced by the folk and rock music of the time, and their sound was characterized by close vocal harmonies and acoustic instrumentation.

In addition to "One Toke Over the Line," Brewer and Shipley had several other successful songs, including "Tarkio Road," "Witchi-Tai-To," and "Shake Off the Demon." They released a total of 12 albums between 1968 and 1981, with their final album, "Heartland," released in 1981.

Brewer and Shipley's music was often political and socially conscious, and they were known for their support of environmental and anti-war causes. They continued to tour and perform together until the death of Mike Brewer in 2017. Tom Shipley continues to perform as a solo artist.


Brewer and Shipley (1968 - ?)
  • Mike Brewer - guitar/vocals - b. 1944, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
  • Tom Shipley - guitar/vocals - b. 1942, Mineral Ridge, Ohio.
Albums:
  1. "Down in L.A." (1968)
  2. "Weeds" (1969)
  3. "Tarkio" (1970) - Single: "One Toke Over the Line"
  4. "Weeds/Tarkio" (2-fer) (2004) - CD reissue of these two classic albums.
  5. "Shake Off the Demon" (1971)
  6. "Rural Space" (1972)
  7. "ST-11261" (1974)
  8. "Welcome to Riddle Bridge" (1975)
  9. "Shanghai" (1993)
  10. "Archive Alive!" (1997) - One of the few Brewer and Shipley albums currently available. Fans don't want to be without this CD (recorded live in 1973) of one of the best acoustic duos...great songs and beautiful harmonies.
  11. "Heartland" (1997) - Don't buy this from Amazon.com.  Village Records (https://www.villagerecords.com) has this CD at a much lower price.

Compilations:
  1. "Best of Brewer and Shipley" (1976)
  2. "Greatest Hits" (1999)
  3. "One Toke Over The Line: The Best Of Brewer & Shipley" (2001)

Mike Brewer solo:
  1. "Beauty Lies" (1983) - produced by Dan Fogelberg.
  2. "Retro Man" (2004) - You'll have to get this from Village Records (https://www.villagerecords.com).

Hartman Recommends:
Although most of their material is currently unavailable on CD, "Archive Alive!" (recorded in 1973 during their peak) is a great set and contains a lot of memorable tunes.  In fact, it leaves me wishing that this had been a 2-CD set instead of a single.  If you remember "One Toke Over the Line" with fondness and like their vocal harmonies, you really ought to pick this up.

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Last Revised: November 12, 2007
© 1999, 2002, 2007 by Gary S. Hartman.  All rights reserved.
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