One of many folk-rock acts formed in the 1960s,
Lambert & Nuttycombe enjoyed modest success on the West Coast but failed to sustain a long-lasting career. Los Angeles native
Craig Nuttycombe honed his musical skills playing guitar with
the New Dimensions in the early '60s.
Nuttycombe left the band in 1964, and soon after, several members of
the New Dimensions formed
the East Side Kids, an outfit briefly featuring
Denis Lambert on guitar.
Lambert and
Nuttycombe became acquainted and decided to form their own act after both spent time as members of
the East Side Kids. Playing clubs in the Hollywood area, the acoustic-based folk duo soon built up a following. In 1969,
Lambert & Nuttycombe, now under the direction of
We Five manager
Howard Wolf, signed with A&M and moved to San Francisco to record their debut album. The sparse
At Home was released in 1970, and the moderate success of the record opened up new opportunities for the act. They soon began to tour more extensively, even landing a gig opening for
Canned Heat on their 1970 European tour. However, the duo, seemingly on the verge of greater success, began to lose steam. 20th Century signed the act after A&M let them go, and the duo, along with
Wolf, brought in producer
Keith Olsen and a host of musicians to help them expand their sound on record. Released in 1973,
As You Will generated a bit of attention but failed to bring
Lambert & Nuttycombe into the mainstream. Soon after the album's release,
Craig and
Denis went their separate ways.
Nuttycombe released
It's Just a Lifetime in 1978 to little response. After a long hiatus from recording, he reemerged in the '90s with a handful of releases reminiscent of
Lambert & Nuttycombe's rootsy folk sound. Both the duo and
Nuttycombe as a solo artist experienced a surge of popularity in Japan in the late '90s with the re-release of
At Home and the distribution of
Nuttycombe's solo work on Japanese labels.
Old Friends and
Days Gone By, collections of previously unheard
Lambert & Nuttycombe recordings, appeared in 2001.
Nuttycombe continues his involvement in music, issuing albums independently and playing dates in Southern California occasionally. Sadly,
Lambert took his own life in 1997.
–
Jeremy Frey, Rovi