77s

    77s

    Also credited as 7&7's, 77's, Seventy Sevens, The 77's, The Seventy Sevens

    Sacramento, California25 reviews across 12 releases

    alternative rockblues rockrockroots rock
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    The 77s began in Sacramento as a church-based group in the late 1970s, first working under the name Scratch Band before becoming the Seventy Sevens. By the mid-1980s, Michael Roe's songwriting and guitar placed them between Christian alternative rock and the broader history of rock and roll. The band could move from melodic pop to hard-edged blues without settling into one style. The Seventy Sevens pushed Hendrix-influenced guitar and Beach Boys-inspired harmonies against a run of concise pop songs, while Tom Tom Blues reduced the lineup to a three-piece and made the sound heavier, stranger and more cohesive. By A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows, layered production and brighter melodies had brought the blues-rock core into a more accessible pop setting without removing Roe's rougher vocal attack or the band's interest in spiritual and relational conflict.

    After Mark Tootle and Jan Eric Volz left around 1989, Roe rebuilt the group with Aaron Smith, David Leonhardt and Mark Harmon, allowing the 77s to continue after the earlier lineup's dissolution. The 1987 Island release had failed to reach a broad market, partly because U2's The Joshua Tree commanded the label's attention, and the band returned to smaller Christian-music labels. Leonhardt and Smith left before Tom Tom Blues, with Bruce Spencer joining Harmon and Roe in the three-piece lineup. The group continued through the 2000s, releasing Direct in 2002 and recording Fun With Sound under the related 7&7is name in 2004. The 77s remain active with Roe, Harmon and Spencer; the trio released 7 in February 2026.

    12 releases reviewed