Pepper Coyote

Pepper Coyote formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s around singer-songwriter John York and guitarist Richard Benner, with bassist Tom Stone and drummer Paul Avery joining later. They put out their first album, 'Now,' in 1968. Their sound drew from folk and rock, but didn't fit neatly into what labels were looking for at the time.

Their second album, 'Duck and Cover,' came out in 1970. The title track became an anti-war statement that resonated during the Vietnam era, though its directness about the conflict drew some criticism. They kept recording through the 1970s and into the 1980s, with albums like 'Between the Wars' in 1972, 'The Ghosts of Electricity' in 1974, and 'A Backward Glance' in 1980.