They formed in Brooklyn in 1968 by brothers Ric, Lou and Carlos Wilson, all of whom were born in Panama & raised in the Bed-Stuy. Mandrill got it's name from the colorful primate the Mandrillus Sphinx which is closely related to the baboon. They never became superstars but they certainly had their legion of fans who were into their eclectic spacey sound.
I'll just say this, I met one of my best friends when I was Djing at Bob's Salon in the Lower East Side of Manhattan a few years ago. I was playing funk breaks & someone comes up to me to discuss what I was playing, the second I mentioned Mandrill it turned into a classic explosive instant Dj bonding moment.
They're great like freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.
Here's a clip of them on Soul train performing "Hang Loose"
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