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Providence "Ever Since the Dawn" (US Prog-Folk 1972)

Providence was a six-piece music group originally from Boise, Idaho, but later based out of Portland, Oregon, USA, circa 1971—1974. The band was made up of six members: Bob Barriatua, electric bass, vocals; Bartholomew Bishop, lead vocals, piano, harpsichord, organ, autoharp; Jim Cockey, violin, glockenspiel, vocals; Andy Guzie, guitars, vocals; and brothers Tim Tompkins, cello, vocals, recorders, percussion, and Tom Tompkins, viola, vocals, occasional violin.

The style of the group was decidedly soft rock with dominant classical influences, particularly in contrapuntal instrumental interludes by their string trio and in broad vocal harmonies that followed strict rules of voice-leading.

Their greatest accomplishment came when The Moody Blues, seeking to expand the roster of their fledgling label Threshold Records, signed Providence to a recording contract. They managed one release, Ever Sense the Dawn (1972), before parting ways.

Live, Providence was an impressive unit that drew heavily on the combined power of Bob Barriatua's bass and Tim Tompkins' cello, the two instruments combining to create a rock edge that could be quite intense. Layered on top of that were Tom Tompkins' viola and Jim Cockey's violin. Andy Guzie's guitar work was often treated as a lyrical embellishment more than the blistering leads of his rock contemporaries of the period. Bartholomew Bishop's keyboards centered around piano, organ and harpsichord, rather than the Moog, ARP and other synthesizers then in common use among groups exploring a mixture of rock and classical influences. Because of their string trio, the group did not use the popular Mellotron (which the Moodies popularized in songs like "Nights in White Satin"), giving Providence a sound that was quite organic and more complex than that created by the Mellotron.