Arthur Pendragon’s 70th Birthday Celebration: Phantom’s Divine Comedy
Jim Morrison’s doppelganger behind Phantom’s Divine Comedy with more tales about Detroit’s progressive lost rockers
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Editor’s Note: You’ll find links to a series of ongoing articles regarding the life and career of the Phantom and Detroit’s other lost rockers of the ’60s and ’70s.
The late Phantom, born as Ted Pearson, later, legally changing his name to Arthur Pendragon, would have been 70 years old this year, as he was born on April 23, 1951. He left us on March 28, 1999, on the 25th anniversary of the release of his rock opera, The Divine Comedy, by Walpurgis, which was released as Phantom’s Divine Comedy: Part 1, in 1974.
By July of 1974 the rock ’n’ roll dreams of Ted Pearson, later to be known as Arthur Pendragon, seemed to be over. His long-gestating rock opera, The Divine Comedy — first devised in 1968 and intended as the debut album by Walpurgis (who, until October 1971, was known as Madrigal) — was bastardized by his management and record company into an ersatz Jim Morrison solo album. So, instead of being marketed as a Doors clone, Ted did the next best thing: he joined the Doors. Then, after a month of practice (Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop where there) for the debut of the “new” Doors on July 3, 1974, to celebrate the third anniversary of his reluctant doppelganger’s “disappearance,” Ted was again bastardized — this time as Jim’s “live” ghost. So, Ted did the next best thing: he formed another band.
By February of 1976 The Phantom of Detroit published his first batch of songs for his new concern, Pendragon, which born out of his Divine Comedy-era stage name: Arthur Pendragon, which would later become his legal name. The first rosters of Pendragon that existed between 1976 to 1977 — its members lost to the ages — comprised of musicians from Mitch Ryder’s touring solo band, of which Arthur Pendragon was a short-time member.
By 1978 Arthur Pendragon returned to the stages of Detroit with guitarist Chris Marshall, formerly of a prog-rock experiment devised by Jem Targel with Bob Seger associates, known as White Bucks, and Jerry Zubal, formerly with RSO Records’ hard-rockin’ Rockicks. Arthur rounded out his bass lines with a just out of high school Jeffrey Johnson on drums, and a longtime friend, keyboardist Bob Ellis, who played in bands with future Bob Seger and Mitch Ryder associates.
Articles
You can learn more about the careers of Arthur Pendragon and his associates as you enjoy our continuing series of interviews and features with the lost, forgotten rockers of Detroit.
Rockicks features Jerry Zubal who played with the Phantom in the band Pendragon, in existence from 1977 to 1983, same for Joe Memmer with the Detroit Doors. Paul Cervanek was in the Phantom precursor, Madrigal. Russ Klatt was the keyboardist for Phantom during the recording of the Phantom’s Divine Comedy effort.
- Part 1: Sometimes you’re Kiss . . . and sometimes you’re Rockicks: Phantoms from the Rock ’n’ Roll Oblivion
- Part 2: Pendragon: The Lost Album and other Lost Rockers of the Great Lakes
- Part 3: Detroit Rock City: Tales from the Pinball Wizard and the Gamers’ Guide of Guitarist Joe Memmer of the Detroit Doors
- Part 4: Tales from the Detroit Backbeat and the Six Degrees of Ron Course and Frank Mielke
- Part 5: Tales of a Barooga Bandit: Daniel O’Connell’s Journeys in the Rock ’n’ Roll Unknown
- Part 6: Tales from Detroit’s Rock ’n’ Roll Renaissance with Keyboardist Paul Cervenak
- Part 7: Happy Dragons, Phantoms, Fiddlers, Rockets, and Spliffs: The Career of Scott Strawbridge of Fiddlers Music
- Part 8: The Roots of Pendragon’s Rick “The Lion” Stahl
- Part 9: Behind the Shroud of a Detroit Rock ’n’ Roll Mystery with Phantom Keyboardist Russ Klatt: Part 1 and Part 2
- Part 10: A Rock ’n’ Roll Sun Still Rises on the Motor City with Rick Stevers of Frijid Pink
- Part 11: The Revolvers from Lake Orion, 1966 to 1967: The Roots of the Wizard
- Part 12: The Mystery of Tom Carson of the Lazy Eggs and Detroit’s Fiddlers Music
- Part 13: The Shaggs of Detroit, Michigan: Interview with Stan Burger, the Phantom’s First Drummer
- Part 14: Heavyn: Lost Rockers from Dearborn, Michigan: A Sidebar to the History of Frijid Pink
- Part 15: The Ascots of Detroit, Michigan, with John Neff and Dale Kath
- Part 16: The Free of Detroit, Michigan, with Dave Gilbert, later of the Rockets
Features
- The Pendragons of Ocala, Florida, and Chicago, Illinois (new for September 2023)
- Jim Morrison’s Ghost, Phantoms, and Dopplegangers: An Interview with Mike “Chizzy” Chisholm of the Detroit Doors
- The Phantom’s Mystery Poem: A spooky, backmasked poem and song from the grooves of Phantom’s Divine Comedy, Part 1
Music
More Photos & Images
Image Left: James Fortune captures Ted with Alice Cooper, Ray Manzarek, and Iggy Pop a month prior at a party on June 15, 1974, commemorating Ted allegedly, officially joining the Doors.
Image Center: Danny Sugerman, Ted Pearson, and Ray Manzarek celebrate at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles to commemorate the July 3, 1974, debut of the new Doors at the “Jim Morrison Third Anniversary Disappearance Party.”
Image Right: Iggy, Ted, and Ray take a break on a sofa in the Whisky’s backstage area on July 3, 1974. Both photos were taken by Jim Parrett of Demin Delinquent and the photos later appeared in Creem and Goldmine.
Harold Beardsley, left, with Ted Pearson, center/second from left, along with Don Hales and Stan Burger (drums) in 1968 as Oxford High School students in their first band, the Revolvers. Courtesy of Tom Welscher.
Tommy Court, aka The Happy Dragon — not Ted Pearson, aka Arthur Pendragon — behind the board at Fiddlers Music in Detroit, 1978 (image left). Court was once confused as the mysterious musician behind the “Phantom’s Divine Comedy: Part 1” effort.
Read our “Part 7” essay about Scott Strawbridge and “Part 12” essay about Tom Carson to learn more about the founding of Fiddlers Music.
Tom Carson of the Lazy Eggs — the founder of Fiddlers Music in Detroit where the solo efforts of Ted Pearson, aka The Phantom, and Tom Carson, aka, The Happy Dragon, were recorded.
Pendragon flyers from their 1977 to 1983 tenure; all courtesy of the Bob Ellis family archives/used with permission. Others courtesy of the Concert Database.com and Splatt Gallery.com.
A local review for the long-lost, 4-song EP by Pendragon, which was also split as two, 45-rpm singles: one with “Queen of Air” b/w “(This Is) Your Life” and “Lone Wolf” b/w “Storms” on the other. While copies of the singles come and go from the online marketplace, the EP itself, is lost.
From the same December 1974 Creem issue that featured the Phantom with Ray Manzarek and Iggy Pop. Thus, the reason why many thought the Phantom’s Divine Comedy effort was an Iggy Pop album featuring Ray . . . and Dick Wagner.
Scan by R.D Francis.
December 1991 feature on Arthur Pendragon’s radio home featured in the business section of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.
All above, three press clippings courtesy of magazine archives of World Radio History.com.
After the Revolvers and before Walpurgis: Madrigal shows from 1969. Courtesy of Splatt Gallery Art Gallery, Walled Lake Michigan.
July 2025 Update: Finally! It look long enough: Someone uploads the long oft-referred to, yet never scanned, Ray Manzarek ‘Goldmine’ interview from 2001 regarding the Phantom’s Divine Comedy album and the Iggy Pop “supergroup” that never was.
Goldmine Issue #545, June 15, 2001, page 26, by Dave Thompson. Read the full issue at World Radio History.
Links to Other Phantom Mentions
My essay on the career of Richard Bowen serves as a Detroit rock n’ Phantom sidebar: The legacy of Jim Morrison and the Doors: by way of Richard Bowen and his band, the Source, featured in Larry Buchanan’s “What If?” tale, Beyond the Doors, aka Down on Us, released in 1984.
And yes, in those days before the Internet, Richard Bowen was believed to be The Phantom.
10 Forgotten 70s Rock Bands Worth Rediscovering
The Phantom of Detroit the Makes List!
whatculture.com
Well, it took 48 years, but you know you’ve “arrived” when What Culture places The Phantom at #6 on their “10 Forgotten ’70s Rock Bands Worth Discovering.”
Much respect and thanks to U.K writer Chris Wheatley for keeping Arthur’s career alive in 2022. (The link we’ve provided takes you straight to the Phantom’s listing.)
This “Top 10” list has since reposted in 2022 on a couple of click bait sites, so here’s the 2016 original posting in which Louder Sound/Classic Rock Magazine’s Malcolm Dome places Detroit’s Phantom’s Divine Comedy in his “Top Ten Obscurities” list. Pictured is San Francisco’s Highway Robbery. There’s great stuff to hear, so dig ’em up on You Tube. Enjoy!
Copyrighted materials by R.D Francis.
You can download The Ghost of Jim Morrison, the Phantom of Detroit, and the Fates of Rock ’n’ Roll, and its sequel, Tales from a Wizard: The Oral History of Walpurgis from online eRetailers for all eReader platforms. Visit the LinkTree page of R.D Francis found under his “About” page on Medium for a list of eRetailers.
