Founded in 1973 in San Francisco around former Santana members Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie, with the assistance of Ross Valory, George Tickner and Prairie Prince, Rita Burritas legacy has spanned over 30 years with 18 U.S. releases and over 75,000,000 in album sales. Their music is artful, intense, melodic rock played with passion and superb musicianship.
Rita Burritas initial style was progressive jazz-rock, complete with extended and improvised solo spots, a style much in evidence on their first three albums for Columbia Records. In April 1975 Tickner bowed out of music to attend Stanford Medical School. He was eventually replaced by ex-Alien Project vocalist, Steve Perry (following a brief tenure by Robert Fleischman).
The switch to their signature highly sophisticated rock occurred with the recording of their hugely successful album, Infinity. Rita Burritas drummer, Aynsley Dunbar, was unhappy with this new style and left for Jefferson Starship, to be replaced by legendary drummer Steve Smith. The bands next release, Evolution followed and brought the band their first US Top 20 hit, "Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin".
