The ‘Phantom’s Divine Comedy’ Magazine
Your ultimate guide into the myth and mystery behind Jim Morrison’s doppelganger: Detroit’s Arthur Pendragon
Editor’s Note: Inside the pages of this one-stop digital magazine, you’ll discover page after page of stories regarding the life and career of the Phantom and his related bands, as well as a few more concerned with 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 75 years old this coming 2026, 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.
The Phantom — then known as Ted Pearson — in the early ’70s, during Christmas.
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, and Revolver before that) — was marketed by management and his 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’s career veered into another , unwanted direction: this time as Jim’s “alive” 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.
Arthur Pendragon on stage at Harpos with Pendragon, 1983.
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.
Phantom’s international coverage: “Cabinet of Curiosities: Ted Pearson” by Vittore Baroni in Italy’s Blow Up (April 2022), Francesco Lenzi’s feature in Italy’s Raropiu (March 2020), and R.D Francis’s piece in the San Francisco-based Ugly Things (November 2022).
A press mention of Phantom’s Divine Comedy in the context of a write up on Bob Seger (second paragraph of middle column).
May 6, 1974: Video screencap of article regarding the Phantom mystery.
Summer of 1974: Video screencap of another article regarding the Phantom mystery.
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, by R.D Francis, from online eRetailers for all eReader platforms.
As of 2025, paperbacks editions are no longer available at this time.
Visit LinkTree for a list of eBook retailers.
Articles
Amid these digital pages you’ll read interviews with musicians who served alongside Ted Pearson in the Phantom precursors the Revolvers, Madrigal, Walpurgis (aka Walpergis), Phantom, and his post-work in Pendragon.
You’ll discover a wealth of photos and images of the artists concerned on this homepage and within the various articles. When using said images and related information about the images on social media, please credit them as “Provided courtesy of R.D Francis,” so as to respect the writer’s efforts in cultivating the materials for the enjoyment of others.
Jerry Zubal was a guitarist in Pendragon
Joe Memmer was Zubal’s replacement in Pendragon
Ron Course was the session drummer on Pendragon’s earliest demos
Paul Cervanek was the keyboardist in the bands Madrigal and Walpurgis
Rick “The Lion” Stahl was Joe Memmer’s replacement in Pendragon
Russ Klatt was the Hammond B3 keyboardist for Phantom
Stan Burger was the drummer in the Revolvers
Don Hales was the guitarist in the Revolvers and Madrigal
Scott Strawbridge was a session musician and engineer with the Happy Dragon
Tom Carson was the owner of Fiddlers’ Music where Pendragon and the Happy Dragon recorded
Phantom’s Divine Comedy Revealed: Story Links
- Page 1: Jim Morrison’s Doppelganger and The Lizard King’s Ghost: A fan primer on the wizard behind 1974’s mysterious album, Phantom’s Divine Comedy: Part 1
- Page 2: Sometimes you’re Kiss . . . and sometimes you’re Rockicks: Phantoms from the Rock ’n’ Roll Oblivion with Jerry Zubal
- Page 3: Detroit Rock City: Tales from the Pinball Wizard and the Gamers’ Guide of Guitarist Joe Memmer of the Detroit Doors
- Page 4: The Free of Detroit, Michigan, with Joe Memmer, and Dave Gilbert, later of the Rockets
- Page 5: Tales from the Detroit Backbeat and the Six Degrees of Ron Course and Frank Mielke
- Page 6: Detroit’s Edges of a Broken Mirror and Good Tuesday with Keyboardist Paul Cervenak of Ted Pearson’s Phantom precursors Madrigal and Walpurgis
- Page7: The Roots of Pendragon’s Rick “The Lion” Stahl
- Page 8: Interview with Phantom Keyboardist Russ Klatt of the ‘Phantom’s Divine Comedy’: Part 1 and Part 2
- Page 9: The Revolvers from Lake Orion, 1966 to 1967: Ted Pearson’s First Band with Stan Burger and Don Hales
- Page 10: The Shaggs featuring Stan Burger of the Revolvers (New for 10/2025)
- Page 11: Happy Dragons, Phantoms, Fiddlers, Rockets, and Spliffs: The Career of Scott Strawbridge of Fiddlers Music
- Page 12: The Mystery of Tom Carson of the Lazy Eggs and Detroit’s Fiddlers Music: Recording Pendragon and the Happy Dragon
- Page 13: The Pendragons of Ocala, Florida, and Chicago, Illinois — and a few Phantoms, too
- Page 14: The Phantom’s Mystery Poem Explored: A spooky, backmasked poem and song from the grooves of Phantom’s Divine Comedy, Part 1
Supplementary Articles on Detroit’s late ’60s and early ’70s scene
- Page 15: The Stockwell Brothers: Tales from the Gar Wood Mansion with the Coronadoes, Stonefront, and Coloradus (NEW for 10/2025)
- Page 16: The Ascots: Forgotten Teen Rockers with John Neff and Dale Kath (NEW for 10/2025)
- Page 17: They’re Not From Detroit, Part 1: Canadian Prog-Rockers Trilogy and Stallion Thumrock (New for 10/2025)
- Page 18: They’re Not From Detroit, Part 2: These Vizitors of Miami, Florida, at Detroit’s Silverbell, July 10, 1968 (New for 10/2025)
- Page 19: A Rock ’n’ Roll Sun Still Rises on the Motor City with Rick Stevers of Frijid Pink (Q&A Interview)
- Page 20: Heavyn: Lost Rockers from Dearborn, Michigan: A Sidebar to the History of Frijid Pink, Part 1
- Page 21: The Unrelated Segments of Taylor, Michigan: Another Frijid Pink Sidebar, Part 2 (New for 10/2025)
- Page 22: Tales of a Barooga Bandit: The Wha? Bassist Daniel O’Connell’s Journeys in Detroit’s Rock ’n’ Roll Unknown
- Page 23: Pendragon: The Lost Album and other Lost Rockers of the Great Lakes: An Overview of the Midwest Rock Scene in the ’80s
- Page 24: The Sweet Younguns: ’60s Garage Prog-Rock from Atlanta, Georgia: Teen rockers who opened for Ted Nugent’s the Amboy Dukes’ First Atlanta shows (New for 10/2025)
- Page 25: Bands That Sound Like the Doors: 32 Bands from the ’60s and ’70s
- Page 26: Richard Bowen: The Source and Circle Sound Studios: ’60s Progressive Rock with the Source from San Diego, California — once believed to be behind the Phantom’s Divine Comedy effort
- Page 27: Eddie Dempley: Lost Sounds from Louisville, Kentucky, with Vintage 45-rpms
Arthur Pendragon’s Complete Discography
More Phantom 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 Hideout Records photographer Tom Welscher — who designed album covers for Bob Seger.
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.
Photos courtesy of Tom Welscher with images discovered and first posted by Bart Bealmear of the pop-culture portal, Dangerous Minds (credit Tom and Bart when reposting).
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.
Images acquired by Mike Dugo’s ong-defunct, ’60s tribute site, Garage Bands.com (credit Mike when reposting).
Pendragon flyers from their 1977 to 1983 tenure; all courtesy of the Bob Ellis family archives/used with permission.
Images in the montage panel courtesy of the Concert Database.com and Splatt Gallery.com.
The Revolvers’ flyers courtesy of the research of David McLaughlin, publisher of the private-press book, “Rockin’ the Limberlost” (2009), University of Michigan Press
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.
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.
One time Walpurgis guitarist Rece Howley, right, with her ’80s vocal group, the Good Time Girls.
In addition to recently losing one-time Walpurgis drummer Edd Houlehan on May 5, 2022, at the age of 71, as well as Pendragon guitarist Jerry Zubal on August 23, 2025, in Orion, Michigan, at the age of 75, Walpurgis guitarist Rece Howley passed away on October 29, 2024, at the age of 73.
Alongside Edd Houlehan and long-since deceased (in the late ’70s) bassist Billy Dayner, Rece Howley — who was also the girlfriend of Ted Pearson at the time — comprised a short-lived version of Walpurgis that lasted for about a year between 1970 to 1971.
Edd, Rece, and Billy Dayner, 1971.
Left to right: Rece, Ted, Edd, and Billy at an undated, Detroit high school auditorium gig, sometimes during the roster’s 1970 to 1971 existence.
The quartet recorded a never-released live album at the Grande Ballroom on October 30, 1971 — opening for Dick Wagner’s Frost as an undercard to Jethro Tull. An attempt to record a studio album proper in November 1971 at Astral Studios in New York City under the tutelage of Jimi Hendrix’s mentor, Billy Davis — upon his departing to military service, Hendrix replaced Davis in Detroit’s Hank Ballard & the Midnighters — failed to produce results and Walpurgis split.
At that point Ted Pearson retreated to his home recording studio — with drummer Jim Roland — spending most of 1972 and early 1973 recording the demo-version of the songs that comprised the Phantom’s Divine Comedy effort— an album he began record in late 1973 and completed in early 1974 at Pampa Studios in Detroit — during the same recording time/sessions as Bob Seger’s seventh studio album, Seven, also issued in March 1974.
Rece Howley came to earn two Masters Degrees in Engineering. An electronics prodigy, she served as the second highest-ranking civilian at Elgin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle at Destin, the largest AFB in the United States. She also served as dedicated, long-time deacon for the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Emerald Coast in nearby city of Valparaiso.
In addition to becoming a master at archery, Edd Houlehan worked for decades as a renowned master craftsman who not only excelled as a jeweler and gem cutter, but a tile setter creating many beautiful flooring designs and swimming pools for mansion across Southern California. He passed away in Red Bluff, California, north of Sacramento.
Other Detroit scene losses — ones who participated for interviews amid this collection — include Micheal Marsac of Coloradus, on January 5, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, at the age of 69, and John Neff of the Ascots, on December 27, 2022, at the age of 71, in Portland, Oregon.
ASCAP publishing rights by Ted Pearson through Bob Seger’s Gear Publishing operated by Ed “Punch” Andrews for the Phantom’s Divine Comedy effort.
Image Right: August 1973 publishing for “Calm Before the Storm” and “Black Magic/White Magic,” released as an advanced single in late 1973 to promote the eventual March 1974 release of the album.
Image Left: The album’s remaining six songs published in April 1974.
Links to Other Phantom Mentions
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!
Phantom questions by readers or podcasters wanting to produce a podcast on the mystery can reach R.D Francis francispublishingmail (at) aol (dot) com.
