The group was formed in 1964 in Los Angeles, California by four brothers from Mississippi, George, Willie, Lester and Joe Chambers. They toured extensively throughout southern California, but did not achieve nationwide success until 1965 when, with the addition of drummer Brian Keenan, they appeared at the Newport Folk Festival. Shortly after this they recorded their debut album People Get Ready. The band scored their first major hit in 1968 with "Time Has Come Today" (written by Joe & Willie Chambers), from their similarly named third album The Time Has Come. The song spent five consecutive weeks at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, just missing the Top Ten. However they found it difficult to build on this success and eventually split up in 1972. They reformed in 1974 to record Unbonded, and have toured regularly since. Keenan died of heart failure in 1985.