About Us...

A Brief History Of The Earthtones

A long, long time ago...

twenty-two years actually...The Earthtones formed in State College, PA, a.k.a. Penn State. RT sang a song about sitting on the wall with "JoePa". Early on, The Earthtones earned a reputation for being a great band to see if you wanted to guarantee yourself...a deep groove to dance to...music with positive words to sing along with...and an occasion of undeniable celebration. Many of their fans are international students who have taken The Earthtones recordings back home to every corner of the world.

They have endured many personnel changes over the years but, one person has remained constant...founder/leader and lead vocalist, Rodney "RT" Thompson. As the only original member, he has been the band's foundation, front man, rhythm guitarist and spiritual leader.

RT has always said, "It starts with the music", and with this simple philosophy he has guided The Earthtones to success opening up for major reggae acts like "The Wailers", "Ziggy Marley", "Culture", and "Burning Spear" to name a few.

A few years ago, the band went through a major change in their line up. Now, having the consistency of a few years with the same members, the band is blossoming with a tighter, deeper groove and is poised to take the music of The Earthtones even further. Lately, they have been writing and debuting new original material and are looking forward to their next CD release. Their last release was a compilation CD titled, "Full Circle", containing the best of their first 3 recordings..."Spirits" [the vinyl album/cassette release]..."Earthtones Live" [cassette only]...and their first CD release "The Coast Is Clear"[out of print].