Canned Heat is one of the oldest rock bands in the United States of America. The team was formed in 1965 in Los Angeles. At the origins of the group are two unsurpassed musicians - Alan Wilson and Bob Hight.
The musicians managed to revive a significant number of unforgettable blues classics of the 1920s and 1930s. The band's popularity peaked in 1969-1971. Eight compilations by Canned Heat have been on the Billboard 200.
Regarding the history of the band's name, everything here is trite. Alan Wilson and Bob Hight "borrowed" the name from the band of bluesman Tommy Johnson and his composition Canned Heat Blues (1928).
History of Canned Heat
Bob Hight from childhood had every chance to develop his singing talent. He was brought up in a creative family. So, the boy's mother sang on the professional stage, and his father played in a choreographic orchestra in Pennsylvania.
The guy realized that he was in love with the blues when he liked the melody Cruel Hearted Woman by Thunder Smith. Bob collected records and became a frequent visitor to music stores.
Regarding Alan Wilson, his creative career began on the folk blues scene, in the coffee houses of Boston University. The young musician had not only a beautiful voice. During his student years, he wrote several analytical articles on bluesmen Robert Pete Williams and Sonia House. Interestingly, the musician's articles were published in Broadside of Boston.
Wilson's friend John Fahey introduced him to Hite. The guys, without thinking twice, in 1965 in the Hite house created a new project, Canned Heat.
Bob Hight remained the only vocalist of the first line-up for a long time. The vocalist was accompanied by:
- guitarist Mike Perlovin;
- bottleneck guitarist Alan Wilson;
- bassist Stu Brotman;
- drummer Keith Sawyer.
The composition of the team changed from time to time. Perlovin was replaced by guitarist Kenny Edwards, who was a close friend of Wilson's. Ron Holmes sat behind the drum kit.
Almost immediately after the formation of the line-up, the musicians played their concert in the Hollywood hall "Ash Grove". Hite's friend Henry Vestein came to the performance. Until that time, the musician played in The Beans and The Mothers of Invention bands.
Henry was so impressed by the team's performance that he almost forcibly kicked Edwards out of the team. At the same time, another member joined the team - drummer Frank Cook. In this composition, the musicians set about conquering the pinnacle of the musical Olympus.
The creative path of the group Canned Heat
The group recorded the first compositions in 1966. The tracks were produced by John Otis. The musicians recorded songs at Vine Street Studios in Los Angeles.
However, the guys appeared on vinyl records in the early 1970s. Such a "delay" did not prevent the released collection from becoming a popular bootleg in the band's discography.
In the fall of 1966, Canned Heat performed at UCLA. William Morris's agents, Skip Taylor and John Hartmann, attended the musicians' concert. They were amazed by the talented musicians and began to “promote” the new band on their own.
During this period of time, singer Jackie Deshannon also noticed talented musicians. Being married to the head of the department of artists and repertoire of Liberty Records, she provided the team with the first lucrative contract.
Soon the team left Brotman. He considered the team not very promising. Some time later, the musician created his own project - the Kaleidoscope group.
Brotman was replaced by Mark Andes. He stayed in the group for several months and gave way to Samuel Larry Taylor. Larry was a very accomplished musician. He managed to work with Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry.
A year after the creation of the Canned Heat group, the musicians appeared in Monterey. The team performed brilliantly, receiving rave reviews from music critics:
“Technically, Vestein and Wilson are the best guitar couple in the world. In addition, it should be noted that Wilson also plays the harmonica ... ”, - these are the reviews about the team that were captured by Downbeat journalists.
Presentation of the debut single Kenned Heath
The song Rollin' and Tumblin', performed at the festival, eventually became the band's debut single. Soon the discography of the group was replenished with the disc Canned Heat. The album was released in 1976. It peaked at number 76 on the Billboard chart. Critics and fans were delighted with the songs EvilIs Going On, Rollin' and Tumblin', Help Me.
Not all moments in the biography of the team were rosy. Almost immediately after the release of the album, all members of the group, except for Wilson, were arrested in Denver (Colorado). It's all about possession of marijuana.
A day later, the group was given a chance to explain the situation. The musicians said that the case was fabricated and directed against the Family Dog club and the owners.
After this incident, the Canned Heat group suffered a financial collapse. The musicians did not have the financial cushion to hire lawyers. They were forced to sell 50% of their publishing rights to Liberty Records for $10. As a result, the team had to pay minor fines.
This was followed by a joint concert with Bluesberry Jam. Team manager Skip Taylor invited Adolfo de la Parra to audition. The group continued to record new compositions.
Boogie with Canned Heat Presentation
On the wave of popularity, the musicians presented their second studio album Boogie with Canned Heat. The main composition of the collection On the Road Again became a real hit in many countries of the world. Wilson is recorded in the album 6 times, he also sang the main vocal part.
Soon the musicians went on their first European tour. The team successfully performed in the Top of the Pops and Beat Club programs with the track On the Road Again.
Presentation of the third studio album of the group Kenned Heath
The musicians were productive. The band expanded their discography with the third studio album Living the Blues. Music critics noted that this collection differed from previous works.
What is the 19-minute composition Parthenogenesis worth. In this track, you can hear the influence of Jamaican and Indian cultures.
The song Going Up the Country was released as a single from the album. This is a kind of "squeeze" of the Henry Thomas song Bull Doze Blues. On the territory of the United States of America, the song took the honorable 11th position.
In 1969, the musicians delighted fans with the live album Live at Topanga Corral. The record was recorded at the Hollywood club Kaleidoscope. Interestingly, the recording studio Liberty Records refused to release the collection. The live album was released by Wand Records.
At the same time, the musicians recorded the fourth studio album Hallelujah. This is the last compilation released by the so-called classic line-up.
In support of the fourth studio album, the band held a series of concerts at the Fillmore East. Actually, then a serious scandal broke out between Taylor and Vestein. As a result of the conflict, Vestein left the Canned Heat team. Soon he formed the group Sun.
From that moment on, the composition of the group changed very often. Soon the group's discography was replenished with the fifth studio album Future Blues.
Music critics noted that the band had moved away from the usual blues themes. In particular, the musicians touched upon the topic of ecology. The cover of the collection, which showed American astronauts planting an inverted flag on the moon, caused an unexpected effect.
The fact is that some retail chains have provided that the image of the flag on the cover is an insult. So they refused to sell the record.
The Canned Heat team in the early 1970s to the present
In early 1971, the musicians released the Hooker 'N Heat compilation. The record was recorded with John Lee Hooker. The next album, Memphis Heat, was recorded with the participation of Joel Scott Hillom.
Wilson's death brought with it a number of changes: after Historical Figures and Ancient Heads, the team's roster changed several times. The last, most significant and striking work was the collection Gate's on the Heat (1973).
The band's studio compilation Friends in the Can (2003) was the final LP of the band's discography. It included old and new hits of the group. Friends helped the musicians to record the album. Fans and music critics appreciated the efforts of the band members.
The team still exists today. The group performs as part of: Fito de la Para - percussion instruments, Greg Cage - bass, vocals, Robert Lucas - guitar, harmonica, vocals, Barry Levinson - guitar.
The Canned Heat band has not replenished their discography with albums for a long time. But performances of musicians can be seen at various festivals. The team rarely went out "in public", but each appearance was like euphoria.
