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Naturally, bands like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears come to mind when rock bands with horns is mentioned. I’m going to skip over these bands and give you five other classic rock bands that prominently featured horns in their music.

Ides of March’s “Vehicle” is one of the first rock tunes with a rousing horn part. I thought this song was played by Chicago, but obviously it wasn’t. Reportedly, the songwriter, Jim Peterik, wrote the song about a woman who merely used him for transportation (“I’m your vehicle, baby”), but they eventually hooked up in a romantic sense. The song reached number two on the pop chart. Peterik would later co-found Survivor and co-write many of their hits including “Eye of the Tiger.”

Average White Band made great use of horns in their rock-funk sound. “Pick Up the Pieces” is my favorite, but “Cut the Cake” is also a great, rocking tune. Originally formed with Scottish members in the early 1970s, the band found success with their second album, which topped the album chart in the U.S. with the million selling “Pick Up the Pieces.” AWB continues on today.

Electric Flag “Over Loving You” Mike Bloomfield (guitar), Buddy Miles (drums), Barry Goldberg (keyboards) Harvey Brooks (bass), Nick Gravenites (guitar), plus horn players Peter Strazza, Marcus Doubleday and Herbie Rich were the main members, even though the original lineup didn’t last very long. Bloomfield came from The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. The Electric Flag was a volatile mix of blues, rock and jazz.

War “The Cisco Kid” was the funk/rock/jazz group features horns and wind instruments. Soulful grooves and Latin influenced percussion, the group mixes a variety of L.A. sounds. Formed in 1969, former Animals vocalist Eric Burton was an original member. War continues on today with a sole original member.

Chase “Open Up Wide” A jazz-rock band featuring four trumpets along with bass, guitar and drums. Their debut album peaked at number 22, but stayed on the chart for 26 weeks. They recorded three albums before leader Bill Chase was killed in a plane crash.

Lots of bands use horns to accent their songs. Jazz and R&B groups often had horn sections, while rock bands tampered off on the horn sound after the early 1970s, some bands would include a sax player like Bruce Springsteen, Supertramp, the Edgar Winter Group, Dave Matthews Band, Psychedelic Furs, Haircut 100, Men at Work, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Climax Blues Band, King Crimson (early lineup), etc. On tour, many artists take horns on the road like the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Bruno Mars, Doobie Brothers, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, etc.