American hard rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967. The band has sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. The band's fusion of hard rock with psychedelia, and penchant for occult, fantastical and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, had a major influence on heavy metal music. They developed a cult following and, while achieving mainstream hits like " The Reaper" and "Burnin' for You", their commercial success was limited. Both songs, and others such as "Godzilla", remain classic rock radio staples. The band were early adopters of the music video format, and their videos received heavy rotation on MTV in its early period
