Monday, November 20, 2017

Blues-Rock Playlist: Collaborations Between Older Black Bluesmen & Younger White Rockers

Between 1968 and 1971, these four albums came out featuring older bluesmen and their younger rock admirers. Many rockers proudly spoke of being inspired by classic bluesmen. These rockers went a step further.

These are remarkable documents:



Hooker 'n' Heat, the best of the blues/rock intergenerational collaborations, is a double album released in 1971, featuring blues great John Lee Hooker and the rock band Canned Heat. Canned Heat's Alan Wilson (harmonica/guitarist) died shortly after and this was his last studio recording. His framed photo is on the wall behind the other musicians on the album cover (he had died by the time this photo was taken.) It was the first album by John Lee Hooker to chart, reaching #78 on Billboard. Canned Heat's most famous song 1970's "Going Up The Country", featured on the Woodstock movie & soundtrack, was based on a song by bluesman Henry Thomas.


Fathers And Sons 1969 Muddy Waters, Paul Butterfield, Michael Bloomfield, Otis Spann, Donald "Duck" Dunn (from Booker T and The MGs), and Sam Lay (who played with Howlin' Wolf, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Bob Dylan at Newport, and on Dylan's song "Highway 61 Revisited")


Freeform Patterns 1968 Lightnin' Hopkins, Danny Thomas (drums/vocals) and Duke Davis (bass) of the imploding 13th Floor Elevators.


The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions 1971 Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin, Eric Clapton, Ian Stewart, Charlie Watts, Steve Winwood, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr, Klaus Voormann, Lafayette Leak


While listening to these albums, I remembered the Super Blues and Super, Super Blues Band albums and added them, as well as Al Kooper's Super Session for good luck.



Super Blues 1967 Bo Diddley, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Otis Spann


Super, Super Blues Band 1968 Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin, Otis Spann. Great album. The background singers are annoying (I still want to do a remix that edits them out) but it's quite an amazing album. Not their best work, but it's a must.



Super Session 1968 Al Kooper, Michael Bloomfield, Stephen Stills

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