Rare Earth Day...

(Wikipedia- so it must be true) - Rare Earth is an American rock band affiliated with Motown's Rare Earth record label (which was named after the band), who prospered in 1970-1972. Although not the first white band signed to Motown, Rare Earth was the first big hit-making act signed by Motown that consisted only of white members. (The Rustix were signed before them and were an all white act, but did not have any hits.)

The group formed in 1960 as "The Sunliners" and changed their name to "Rare Earth" in 1968. After recording an unsuccessful debut album "Dream/Answers" on the Verve label in 1968, they were signed to Motown in 1969. The band was the first act signed to a new Motown imprint that would be dedicated to white rock acts. The record company didn't have a name for the new label yet and the band jokingly suggested Motown call the label "Rare Earth." To the band's surprise, Motown decided to do just that.

The main personnel in the group included Gil Bridges (saxophone, flute and vocals ), Peter Rivera a.k.a. Peter Hoorelbeke (lead vocals and drums), John Persh a.k.a. John Parrish (bass guitar, trombone and vocals), Rod Richards (born Rod Cox, guitar, vocals) and Kenny James (born Ken Folcik, keyboards).  During 1969 the group contributed music to the movie "Generation" that starred David Janssen and Kim Darby. But a proposed accompanying soundtrack album was canceled after the movie bombed at the box office and many of the songs ended up on the band's next album, Ecology, in 1970.  Rare Earth had a number of Top 40 hits in the 1970-1971 period, including covers of The Temptations' "(I Know) I'm Losing You" (which was used in the documentary video It's Time) and "Get Ready". The cover of "Get Ready" was their biggest hit, peaking at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, a more successful performance than the original. This disc sold over one million copies, and received a Gold record awarded by the Recording Industry Association of America. The group gained a bit of notoriety when it was mentioned dismissively in the lyrics to Gil Scott-Heron's 1970 poem, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," which included the line, "The theme song [to the revolution] will not be written by Jim Webb, Francis Scott Key, nor sung by Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Johnny Cash, Engelbert Humperdinck, or the Rare Earth."