Jim Morrison once called Blue Cheer “the single most powerful band I’ve ever seen.”

They were. Long before Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, Blue Cheer was putting together the genre that would come to be known as heavy metal. Along with bands like the MC5 and Dust, Cheer was cranking out loud, aggressive rock before anyone else.

Dickie Peterson was there from the start, banging out bass lines and singing for the band that went on to record 10 studio albums and release seven live ones, not to mention four compilation albums and a tribute release in 2000.

And he was still doing it, continuing to front the latest Blue Cheer lineup until his death Monday from liver cancer.

(photo courtesy of bluecheer.us)

Peterson co-founded Blue Cheer in 1966 with guitarist Leigh Stephens and drummer Eric Albronda, who was soon replaced by Paul Whaley.

The band’s lineup changes, from the start, were dizzying. But they solidified around Peterson, and established themselves as a power trio playing psychedelic, blues-based rock in the San Francisco area. They were brash, loud and new.

Their first album, Vincebus Eruptum, scored with a cover of “Summertime Blues,” and gave them enough momentum to release five more albums over three years before their popularity waned — for the time being.

Peterson also released two solo efforts, Child of the Darkness in 1998 and Tramp in 1999. Both are now rare.

But Blue Cheer was hardly done, and continued to resurface over the years with varying lineups. In 2007 they released their latest studio album, What Doesn’t Kill You…., and earlier this year they put out Blue Cheer Rocks Europe, a live performance DVD.

Whether or not Cheer will continue with another bass player, it’s hard to imagine it would be the same.

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