Cactus was conceived in late
1969 as a supergroup of the
Vanilla Fudge rhythm section,
bassist Tim Bogert and drummer
Carmine Appice, plus guitarist
Jeff Beck and singer
Rod Stewart. However, Beck had an automobile accident and Stewart joined
Ronnie Wood in
Faces. Out of frustration, Bogert and Appice formed what became Cactus in early 1970. The cast was complete when Day joined them on vocals and
Jim McCarty joined on
lead guitar. Having made a name for himself in
Detroit's rock scene, Day worked to restore
the Band Detroit to national prominence. The Band Detroit was formed as an offshoot of
the Detroit Wheels by members
Steve Gaines (who later joined
Lynyrd Skynyrd), Teddy "T-Mel" Smith, Nathaniel Peterson, Terry Emery, Bill Hodgeson, and others. There is a recording of Rusty Day, Steve Gaines, and the rest of the band performing in 1973 called
The Band Detroit – The Driftwood Tapes, which was released as a Lynyrd Skynyrd bootleg in 1998. In 1976, Day re-incarnated Cactus by placing an ad in
Rolling Stone which stated that he needed exceptionally good guitar, bass, and drums. This lineup lasted from 1976 until 1979, and featured Gary "Madman" Moffatt, who plays drums for
.38 Special. Day claimed to have turned down
AC/DC's request to have him join their band to replace
Bon Scott, and
Rossington-Collins's request to have him replace
Ronnie Van Zant. He eventually formed the Uncle Acid & the Permanent Damage Band, which gained him a deal with
Epic Records. Rusty Day formed his last band, the Rusty Day Band, in 1979 and hired Jacksonville guitarist Mike Owings. Owings had just left the Jacksonville, Florida band
Lizzy Borden with Steve Gaines' brother, Bob Gaines, as drummer. Owings was then 20 years old. == Death ==