Editing Iron Butterfly (section)

===Success with ''In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' and first breakup (1968–1971)===

The 17-minute "[[In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida]]", the title track of Iron Butterfly's [[In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (album)|second album]], became a top-30 hit (edited down to 2:52) in the U. S. The album was awarded a gold disc by the [[RIAA]] in December 1968.<ref name="The Book of Golden Discs">{{cite book |author=Joseph Murrells |year=1978 |title=The Book of Golden Discs |edition=2nd |publisher=Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. |location=London |page=[https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/242 242] |isbn=0-214-20512-6 |url=https://archive.org/details/bookofgoldendisc00murr/page/242 }}</ref> The album stayed on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' charts for 140 weeks and ultimately sold over 30 million copies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=iron+butterfly#search_section |title=Gold & Platinum |website=riaa.com |access-date=October 27, 2017}}</ref>

During this time, the band was represented by the [[William Morris Agency]], which booked all their live concerts. Iron Butterfly played its first national tour in the summer of 1968 alongside [[Jefferson Airplane]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pophistorydig.com/topics/iron-butterfly-1968-2007/|title="Iron Butterfly"1968-2007 {{!}} The Pop History Dig|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-04}}</ref> By the end of 1968, the band was back in the studio at work on their next album. Iron Butterfly's third album, ''[[Ball (Iron Butterfly album)|Ball]]'',  was released in January 1969 and went gold, reaching #3 on the Billboard charts.

The band had been booked to play at [[Woodstock festival|Woodstock]] in August 1969 but got stuck at New York City's [[LaGuardia Airport]]. They explained their situation to the concert promoters and asked for patience. Their manager, however, sent a telegram demanding that Iron Butterfly be flown in by helicopter, whereupon they would "immediately" take the stage. After their set, they would be paid and flown back to the airport. According to drummer Bushy, "We went down to the Port Authority three times and waited for the helicopter, but it never showed up".<ref>Mover, Johnathan. [http://www.drumheadmag.com/web/feature.php?id=14 Iron Butterfly's Ron Bushy Making History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301140730/http://www.drumheadmag.com/web/feature.php?id=14 |date=2012-03-01 }} drumheadmag.com. Retrieved August 31, 2009.</ref> Woodstock production coordinator John Morris claims he sent the manager a telegram reading: "'''F'''or reasons I can't go into / '''U'''ntil you are here / '''C'''larifying your situation / '''K'''nowing you are having problems / '''Y'''ou will have to find / '''O'''ther transportation / '''U'''nless you plan not to come." The [[acrostic]] formed by the first letter of each line in the telegram made it clear that the band was not welcome.<ref>{{cite book |author=Pete Fornatale |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781416591191 |url-access=registration |title=Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock, "Sweetwater" |publisher=Simon and Schuster |access-date=August 17, 2017 |isbn=9781416591191 |date=June 23, 2009}}</ref>

Erik Brann left the band after a final show in San Diego on December 13, 1969. Brann was frustrated with the band's unwillingness to move towards a harder rock sound. He was replaced in the line-up by two new musicians: guitarist/vocalist [[Mike Pinera]] (whose [[Blues Image]] had opened for Iron Butterfly's Vida tour) and guitarist [[Larry Reinhardt]] (from [[the Allman Brothers Band]] forerunner Second Coming). Both Pinera and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt had been rehearsing secretly with the band since September 1969 after Brann had voiced his objections to continuing. In August 1970 Iron Butterfly released its fourth studio album ''[[Metamorphosis (Iron Butterfly album)|Metamorphosis]]''. The album managed to get into the Billboard top 20.

While Iron Butterfly was touring in Europe with [[Yes (band)|Yes]] in early 1971, Doug Ingle announced his intention to leave the group. Ingle had grown tired of endless touring and wasn't totally on board with the band's new guitar-oriented blues and soul direction. The remaining four members cut the 45&nbsp;rpm single, "[[Silly Sally]]" (with Bushy eventually being replaced on the record by a session drummer, at the producer's prompting). Putting forth a horn-based sound more characteristic of groups like [[Blood Sweat and Tears]], the single failed to chart and proved to be their last recording before their mid-1970s reformation.

The band, with Ingle in tow, decided to play one final tour, pairing with [[Black Oak Arkansas]]. Pinera's band-mate from Blues Image, drummer Manny Bertematti, filled in for Bushy for most of the tour dates because of the latter's shoulder injury. The group then broke up after playing the tour's final show at [[Central Oregon Community College]] in [[Bend, Oregon]] on May 23, 1971.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://brunoceriotti.weebly.com/iron-butterfly.html|title=Iron Butterfly|website=Bruno Ceriotti, rock historian|access-date=5 October 2020}}</ref> Another reason for the band not continuing at this time, according to a later interview by Pinera, was the U. S. [[Internal Revenue Service]]'s effort to collect unpaid taxes.

Dorman and Reinhardt subsequently founded [[Captain Beyond]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Rod Evans. Captain Beyond History |url=http://www.deep-purple.net/tree/captain-beyond.htm |website=deep-purple.net |access-date=14 January 2020}}</ref>