Brownsville Station: A Night on the Town

Brownsville Station is an American rock band from Michigan that was hugely popular in the 1970s and 1980's. Original members included Cub Koda (guitarist/vocalist), Mike Lutz (guitarist/vocalist), T.J. Cronley (drummer), and Tony Driggins (bassist/vocals).  Later members included Henry "H-Bomb" Weck (drummer) and Bruce Nazarian (guitarist/vocalist).  They are remembered for the top-10 hit single "Smokin' In The Boys Room" (1973).   Although they formed in Ann Arbor, MI - I think they took their name from the town of Brownsville, TX - which has a train station.  Kris Kristofferson is from Brownsville, TX.   Or, perhaps their name is taken from the Brownsville  Metrorail station in the Brownsville neighborhood of Miami, Florida.  That station is located at the intersection of Northwest 27th Avenue (SR 9) and 52nd Street, opening to service May 19, 1985.  But based on that date - no way.  The record above is from 1972 - and is the one that came out before their largest selling LP, that contained their hit Smoking in the Boys Room.   This record above is on Big Tree Records.  The Label was started by Doug Morris (now head of Universal Music Group) and Dick Vanderbilt in 1970.  Originally pressed and distributed by Ampex Records but switched distribution to Bell Records in 1972 and again to Atlantic two years later.  The label stopped releasing new material in 1979; the biggest-selling Big Tree LPs remained in WEA's catalog until 1983 after which the entire Big Tree catalog was absorbed by Atlantic.