September 20, 1974

Morgan Auditorium

In the fall of 1974 glam rock was officially a thing in modern pop. Self-glorifying, revolutionary, and wildly decedent, it was fertile ground for flamboyant English artists such as David Bowie, Mott the Hoople, Slade, and Gary Glitter, as well as American bands like Kiss, Alice Cooper, and the New York Dolls. They were all part of the vanguard glowing glitterati of contemporary rock music. One lesser-known act was a young man named Bruce Campbell. Talented and distinctive, he left his home in Pennsylvania and headed for Los Angeles, reinventing himself in the early 1970s as Jobriath. A colorful Hollywood agent named Jerry Brandt had managed several successful acts over the years. He was credited with discovering acts like Chubby Checker and Carly Simon. Brandt was struck by the young musician and signed Jobriath to a contract with Elektra Records. The publicity blitz that followed included splashy full-page ads in mainstream publications such as  Penthouse, Vogue, and Rolling Stone, plus billboards, and the release of his first eponymous album. Rolling Stone declared Jobriath had "talent to burn,” while Record World called the album, "brilliantly incisive,” referring to the new rock star as a Renaissance man predicting he “will gain a tremendous following.” Other critics weren’t so sure. After the release of his second LP, “Creatures of the Street,” Jobriath and his band, The Creatures, took off on tour. Despite a handful of sell-outs, the money dried up midway through the much-ballyhooed tour. But the show must go on. Jobriath and The Creatures completed the tour, reportedly billing all expenses to their record company. The final concert was quite the event, especially on the campus of the University of Alabama. Hailed as the new David Bowie, Jobriath’s music was all over WUAL-FM leading up to the show in Morgan Hall (Apparently some tickets were printed with Sept. 13, the week before on them). 

For the local LGBTQ community, the Tuscaloosa show was a happening. The Friday night concert at Morgan Auditorium was explosive with Jobriath at the top of his game. It ended with a series of rousing encores before a fire alarm went off and the Tuscaloosa Fire Department emptied the building. Within a couple of years, Jobriath had moved to New York, declaring he’d left the music business except for occasional cabaret appearances at The Chelsea where he lived for a handful of years before he died in 1983.