Col. Bruce Hampton & The Aquarium Rescue Unit

Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Col. Bruce Hampton counted Col. Bruce Hampton & the Aquarium Rescue Unit among his numerous ventures after first earning recognition as leader of the Hampton Grease Band. Under Hampton's direction the ensemble fused rock, jazz, blues, Latin, funk, bluegrass, and psychedelia in a spirit of playful abandon. A concentration on technical prowess and improvisation placed the unit within the jam band orbit, prompting appearances on the H.O.R.D.E. tour and shared performances with Béla Fleck and Blues Traveler's John Popper. The band issued three albums in total: a pair of concert recordings that appeared in 1992 and 2007 plus the 1993 studio set Mirrors of Embarrassment. Hampton exited in 1993, yet the remaining members kept touring and recording under the Aquarium Rescue Unit name.