The original line-up for Captain Beyond included former Deep Purple singer Rod Evans, former Johnny Winter drummer Bobby Caldwell, former Iron Butterfly guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt and former Iron Butterfly bassist Lee Dorman alongside keyboardist Lewie Gold. Gold left for personal reasons before the first album was recorded. The remaining line-up recorded the self-titled debut album, released in 1972 by Capricorn Records, a Macon, Georgia-based independent label primarily known for cultivating such Southern rock groups as The Allman Brothers Band and Wet Willie.
Following that album, Caldwell left the band to join Derringer and was replaced by Brian Glascock. Also joining the band around that time were keyboardist Reese Wynans and conguero Guille Garcia. The record company's chosen producer, Giorgio Gomelsky, did not like Glascock's drumming and requested a new drummer. Glascock was released and Marty Rodriguez was brought in on drums on the recommendation of Garcia. This six-man lineup recorded the group's second album, Sufficiently Breathless, with producer and Capricorn Records co-founder Phil Walden. Tension during the recording led to Evans quitting, and the band splitting consequently. The original lineup with Caldwell reformed later in 1973 for gigs in the US and Canada. However, Evans left the band permanently around Christmas of 1973 and the band broke up.
The band reformed in 1976 with Caldwell, Dorman, and Rhino, being joined first by Jason Cahoon and later with Willy Daffern as vocalist. They recorded the band's third album Dawn Explosion on Warner Bros., but broke up in 1978.
Sufficiently Breathless, the second album by Captain Beyond, was released in 1973 and features a jazzier, smoother sound than its predecessor, reminiscent of mid-1970s Santana. The medley format of the first album is retained only for the last six minutes of Sufficiently Breathless: "Voyages of Past Travellers" flows directly into "Everything's a Circle", which in turn is actually two distinct songs despite being listed under a single title. Original drummer/songwriter Bobby Caldwell had been replaced by Marty Rodriguez and Guille Garcia in the band.
According to bassist Lee Dorman, the songs were written by vocalist Rod Evans, guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, and Dorman himself, but Rodriguez and Garcia were allotted a percentage point of the songwriting royalties due to their contributions to the arrangements. Sufficiently Breathless also featured a sixth band member, pianist Reese Wynans, but his time with Captain Beyond was brief; he did not play on the album's title track and quit after one show with the band due to his economic situation. Dorman alone was credited as writing the songs on the album, because Reinhardt and Evans were in litigation with Iron Butterfly and Deep Purple at the time.
(en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Beyond#)