CACTUS, founded in Long Island, New York during late 1969, was a hard touring hard rocking Boogie outfit with an illustrious pedigree. Bassist Tim Bogert and drummer CARMINE APPICE are both VANILLA FUDGE veterans.The original concept was to have included singer Rod Stewart and YARDBIRDS guitarist JEFF BECK. However, Beck was sidelined by an automobile accident and Stewart enrolled into the ranks of THE FACES.

Appice and Bogert persevered bringing in vocalist Rusty Day, (a.k.a. Russell Edward Davidson), previously with TED NUGENT's AMBOY DUKES whilst guitar player Jim McCarty's experience extended to acts such as MITCH RYDER AND THE DETROIT WHEELS and the BUDDY MILES EXPRESS band. This quartet opened with an eponymous 1970 album on Atco Records, hosting the singles 'You Can't Judge A Book By It's Cover' and 'Bro.Bill'. Second opus 'One Way...Or Another' followed in 1971 with accompanying singles 'Long Tall Sally' and 'Rock n' Roll Children'. Later that same year CACTUS issued a third album, 'Restrictions', promoted by the singles 'Evil' and 'Alaska'. Subsequently the band format widened to include second guitarist Ron Leejack for a brief period before reverting back to the original foursome.

For the April 1972 half live, half studio 'Ot' n' Sweaty' album, which kicked off with three songs recorded at the 'Mar y Sol' festival in Puerto Rico, CACTUS was virtually a different band centred around survivors Bogert and Appice. New line-up was quoted at Bogert, Appice, LEAFHOUND and ATOMIC ROOSTER vocalist Peter French, guitarist Werner Fritzschlings, of Rochester's THE RED, WHITE & BLUES BAND, and keyboard player Duane Hitchings. Erstwhile CACTUS personnel Jim McCarty formed ROCKETS before travelling on to join THE DETROIT BLUES BAND whilst Rusty Day hooked up with Mitch Ryder's DETROIT.

CACTUS disbanded before the close of 1972 but Hitchings revived the name as THE NEW CACTUS BAND with erstwhile IRON BUTTERFLY man MIKE PINERA releasing the 1973 album 'Son Of Cactus'. This new unit also featured former BLUES IMAGE drummer Manuel Bertematti and drummer Jerry Norris. For US touring the group pulled in GREGG ALLMAN band bassist Charlie Souza and CAPTAIN BEYOND drummer Bobby Caldwell.

Both Appice and Bogert forged into the limelight with an alliance with JEFF BECK and the much vaunted supergroup BECK, BOGERT, APPICE. Following this successful if brief liaison, Bogert created BOXER, MARCUS and PIPEDREAM in the mid seventies releasing a string of albums.

In 1976 Rusty Day, having relocated to Orlando, Florida, attempted a CACTUS reformation. Joining him would be guitarists Steve Dansby and Ron Sanders, bassists John Sauter, previously of the TED NUGENT band, and Mondo Thomas, plus drummers Gary Moffatt, formerly with PAT TRAVERS, and Frankie Robbins. Day is known to have been included on the short list to replace the late Bon Scott as frontman for AC/DC.

Tragedy was to strike Rusty Day and his family on 6th March 1982. Whilst working on an album with his act UNCLE ACID & THE PERMANENT DAMAGE BAND Day fell victim to a dispute over monies owed in a cocaine deal to another group member, Ron Sanders. Day, his 11 year old son Russell and house guest Garth McCrae were all murdered when Sanders used a machine gun to shoot through the windows of the singer's Longwood, Florida home. Ron Sanders shot himself six weeks later.

Carmine Appice later journeyed through KGB, the ROD STEWART band, RICK DERRINGER's D.N.A. and enjoyed a touring stint in OZZY OSBOURNE's band before forming KING KOBRA, the latter issuing three albums. By 1984 Appice and Bogert had reformed VANILLA FUDGE for a one off album 'Mystery'. The duo reunited once more in 1999 with legendary Japanese guitarist Char to form C.B.A. recording shows in Japan for a live album.

CACTUS marked a return in 2006 for a concert at the 'Sweden Rock' festival in June, preceded by a warm up at New York's B.B. King's Blues Club. For this line-up Bogert, McCarty and Appice were joined by ex-SAVOY BROWN man vocalist Jimmy Kunes. A new album, 'Cactus V', saw issue through Escapi Records.