Canned heat

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Canned Heat 1979

Canned Heat is an American blues rock band founded in Los Angeles in 1965 .

Band name

In an interview in an American TV show Bob Hite said in 1969 that the name is a nod to the classic Canned Heat Blues by Tommy Johnson is from the year 1928th

Band history

The founding members of the band were Bob "The Bear" Hite ( vocals ) and Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson ( guitar , vocals and harmonica ). Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (guitar, formerly with Frank Zappa's The Mothers of Invention ), Larry "The Mole" Taylor ( electric bass ) and Frank Cook ( drums ) joined them later . Before that, Stuart Brotman, Mike Perlowin, John Fahey , Mark Andes (later with Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne ) and Keith Sawyer played briefly in the band with Wilson and Hite during the first year.

Her first album was released in 1967 after her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival . The second album Boogie with Canned Heat from 1968 was more successful than the debut album and made Canned Heat one of the hippie and blues bands on the west coast of the United States. The long Fried Hockey Boogie (11′04) was inspired by John Lee Hooker . The album contained the hit single On the Road Again , recorded in Chicago in mid-April 1967 , which made it to number 16 on the American charts. In addition, from this album Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra , who had already played with Etta James , replaced the drummer Frank Cook. In the same year, the band campaigned for Albert Collins so that this received a recording contract with Imperial Records .

In 1969 the double album Living the Blues followed , which gave them their biggest hit with Going Up the Country , in which Tank Harrigan ( Ray Charles Band) played the flute . The band also performed at the Woodstock Festival . The appearance there was preceded by a dispute between Henry Vestine and Larry Taylor two days earlier on the stage at Fillmore West , which Vestine took as an opportunity to leave the band. In an emergency, the band immediately engaged Harvey Mandel to be able to continue touring. Since they could not rehearse together, Adolfo de la Parra initially did not want to appear in Woodstock and left the band at short notice. Ultimately, manager Skip Taylor managed to get him and the rest of the band to play. The band played during sunset and was celebrated by the audience like no other during the festival. Her song Going Up the Country later became the festival's unofficial anthem.

Also in 1969 Canned Heat recorded the album Hallelujah , which contains more complex blues structures, for example 13-bar song parts. For Fito de la Parra it is “the most interesting record” of the band to this day. In 1970 Future Blues was released , which contains the band So Sad's first environmental song (The World's in a Tangle) . The smog over Los Angeles is denounced. This album is also the first studio album with Harvey Mandel instead of Henry Vestine as lead guitarist.

In 1970, Canned Heat had a final top 30 hit in the United States with the single Let's Work Together , a 1962 cover version of Wilbert Harrison's Let’s Stick Together . The song even reached number two in the Top Twenty in England, but the group's soaring was over. In May 1970, the band and John Lee Hooker recorded the critically acclaimed double album Hooker 'n Heat (including: The World Today ), the first album ever, which made it into the charts in February 1971. John Lee Hooker claimed that Alan Wilson played the harmonica outstandingly ("the greatest harmonica player ever").

Alan Wilson suffered from depression and died on September 3, 1970 of a pill overdose. Wilson's death left a void that the band could no longer fill. In addition, Larry Taylor and Harvey Mandel had left the band a few months earlier to join John Mayall's "USA Union" band. In 1971 they recorded the album Historical Figures and Ancient Heads with Wilson's successor Joel Scott Hill , on which Little Richard also participated. This album was only moderately successful and their last little hit. Canned Heat toured with great success in the following years, but was no longer able to record further hits. In the following years the line-up changed often; among others, Bob Hite's brother Richard Hite played bass. In his biography de la Parra describes this phase as the "long descent". The band changed record labels several times - the disco era also bothered them - so that the band went bankrupt after losing their record contract in 1973. At the time she had just recorded an album with Memphis Slim and was working with Clarence Gatemouth Brown , with whom she also performed at the 1973 Montreux Jazz Festival .

Another band member died on April 5, 1981. Bob Hite died of heart failure after years of excessive drug abuse. Up until then he had ended every concert with the words “And don't forget to boogie!”. Since then, Adolfo de la Parra has led the band. He says of himself: “I'm a survivor in charge” (Eng .: 'I am a survivor in charge'). The fans in Australia and around the world remained loyal to the band. Walter Trout became the new lead guitarist. With him in 1983 the album Boogie Assault [Live in Australia] was recorded. In 1988 the rather traditionally oriented LP Reheated was released, with Junior Watson on guitar and the returned Larry Taylor. In 1989 the band made a guest appearance on Hooker's album The Healer, which became a huge success. On October 20, 1997, Henry Vestine, the third founding member, died “on the road” after a concert at Paris airport. He too had taken too many drugs for decades.

In 1999 Fito surprised with a new line-up: with himself on drums, Greg Kage (electric bass and vocals), Dallas Hodge ( lead guitar and vocals), John Paulus ( rhythm and lead guitar and vocals) and Stanley Behrens (harmonica, flute, Saxophone and vocals); for many the most convincing canned heat line-up in many years. In 2003 her album Friends in the Can was released before Don Preston replaced guitarist John Paulus in 2005 . From 2006 the band went on tour in the composition Barry Levenson, Greg Kage, Robert Lucas and Fito de la Parra. This line-up was supported in June 2007 by the still living members from the Woodstock era, Larry Taylor and Harvey Mandel , at two festivals in Austria . On November 23, 2008, singer and slide guitarist Robert Lucas died of a drug overdose after leaving the band shortly before to continue his solo career. In the summer of 2010 Canned Heat's “Woodstock Reunited Lineup” toured Germany with Fito de la Parra, Larry “The Mole” Taylor and Harvey “The Snake” Mandel, complemented by Dale Spalding (guitar, harmonica, vocals). With this line-up, the band had some appearances in Germany again from 2011, with John Paulus most recently replacing Larry Taylor. Since 2017 the band has been going on a “50 Years of Woodstock” memorial tour in Germany together with Ten Years After .

Others

The blues musician John Mayall describes in his piece The Bear (released in 1968 on the LP Blues from Laurel Canyon ) his occasional cohabitation with the musicians of Canned Heat. The piece, which begins with a distinctive intro, reminiscent of the canned heat boogies and played by Mick Taylor , is at the same time a homage to Bob Hite.

Discography (selection)

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Singles
On the Road Again
  DE 13 October 19, 1968 (8 weeks)
  UK 9 08/17/1968 (11 weeks)
  US 10 08/10/1968 (12 weeks)
Going up the country
  DE 36 03/15/1969 (2 weeks)
  UK 24 01/25/1969 (5 weeks)
  US 10 11/30/1968 (11 weeks)
Time what
  US 45 03/08/1969 (6 weeks)
Let's work together
  DE 6th 07.03.1970 (13 weeks)
  UK 2 January 31, 1970 (10 weeks)
  US 17th 09/26/1970 (13 weeks)
Sugar Bee
  DE 39 07/18/1970 (1 week)
Rockin 'with the King
  US 90 03/25/1972 (5 weeks)

Albums

Album title Released Label
Canned heat 1967 Liberty Records
Boogie with Canned Heat 1968 Liberty Records
Living the blues 1968 Liberty Records
Hallelujah 1969 Liberty Records
Future blues 1970 Liberty Records
Vintage 1970 (recorded 1966) Janus
Canned Heat '70 Concert Recorded Live in Europe 1970 Liberty Records
Hooker 'n Heat 1971 Liberty Records
Live at Topanga Corral 1971 (recorded 1969) Wall records
Historical Figures and Ancient Heads 1971 United Artists
The New Age 1973 United Artists
One More River to Cross 1973 Atlantic / WEA Records
Memphis Heat 1974 Barclay (France)
Gate's on the heat 1974 Barclay (France)
Human condition 1978 Takoma / Sonet
Captured live 1980 Accord
Hooker n 'Heat, Live at the Fox Venice Theater 1981 Rhino
Kings of the Boogie (Dog House Blues) 1981 Destiny Records
Infinite boogie 1986 Rhino
Boogie Up the Country 1987 inak / Friday Music
Reheated 1988 SPV / Friday Music
Burnin 'Live 1991 SPV / AIM
Boogie Assault ( re-released as Live in Oz) 1991 AIM
Canned Heat Live 1993
Internal combustion 1994 AIM
King Biscuit Flower Hour presents Canned Heat in Concert 1995 (recorded 1979) King biscuit
Live at Turku Festival 1995 Friday Music
The Heat Brothers '84 1996 (recorded 1984) RCA Mexico
Canned Heat Blues Band 1996 Viceroots / Ruf Records
The Ties That Bind 1997 (recorded 1975) Friday Music
House of Blue Lights 1998 Going for GFS
Boogie 2000 1999 Reputation Records
The Boogie House Tapes 2000 Reputation Records
Friends in the Can 2003 Reputation Records
The USA Sessions 2003
The Boogie House Tapes Volume 2 2004 Reputation Records
Under Dutch Skies 2007 Major League
Christmas album 2007 Reputation Records

Singles

  • 1967: Rollin 'and Tumblin' / Bullfrog Blues (Liberty)
  • 1967: World in a Jug / Evil Woman (Liberty)
  • 1968: On the Road Again / Boogie Music (Liberty)
  • 1968: Going Up the Country / One Kind Favor (Liberty)
  • 1968: The Chipmunk Song / Christmas Blues (Liberty US)
  • 1969: Time Was / Low Down (Liberty)
  • 1969: Poor Moon / Sic 'em Pigs (Liberty)
  • 1970: Let's Work Together / I'm Her Man (Liberty)
  • 1970: Spoonful / Big Road Blues (Pye UK)
  • 1970: Sugar Bee / Shake It and Break It (Liberty)
  • 1970: Future Blues / Going Up the Country (Liberty)
  • 1970: Christmas Blues / Do Not Enter (Liberty UK)
  • 1971: Whiskey and Wimmen '/ Let's Make It (with John Lee Hooker ) (Liberty)
  • 1971: Wooly Bully / My Time Ain't Long (Liberty)
  • 1971: Long Way from LA / Hill's Stomp (WP)
  • 1972: Rockin 'with the King / I Don't Care What You Tell Me (WP)
  • 1972: Cherokee Dance / Sneakin 'Around (WP)
  • 1973: Going Up the Country / Let's Work Together (re-release, WP)
  • 1973: Rock and Roll Music / Lookin 'for My Rainbow (with the Clara Ward Singers) (WP)
  • 1973: Harley Davidson Blues / You Can Run, But You Sure Can't Hide (UA)
  • 1973: Got My Mojo Working / Straight Ahead (Bellaphon D)
  • 1973: One More River to Cross / Highway 401 (Atlantic)
  • 1974: The Harder They Come / Rock 'N Roll Show (Atlantic)
  • 1975: On the Road Again / Let's Work Together (re-release, WP)
  • 1984: The Heat Bros. '84 (12 ″ EP, US)
  • 1989: Let's Work Together (CD-Maxi, 12 ″, UK)

Video albums

  • 2005: Canned Heat - On the Road Again
  • 2006: Canned Heat - Live in Montreux 1973
  • 2006: Canned Heat - Canned Heat EP (4 songs)
  • 2007: Canned Heat - Boogie with Canned Heat: The Canned Heat Story
  • 2015: Canned Heat - Songs from the Road

Members

  • Only official members are listed.
  • Members of the “classic” line-ups are written in italics .
  • † shows that the member has since passed away.
  • Some members did not always appear with the band even though they were a member, or performed with the band even though they weren't a member.

Current occupation

  • Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra - drums, vocals (1967 – today)
  • Dale Spalding - guitar, harmonica, bass, vocals (2008-present)
  • John Paulus - guitar, bass, vocals (2000-06, 2011-today)
  • Rick Reed - Bass (2019-present)

former members

Front men (lead vocals / harmonica / guitar)

Guitarists

drummer

  • Keith Sawyer (1965)
  • Ron Holmes (1965-66)
  • Frank Cook (1966-67)

Bass player

  • Stuart Brotman (1965-66)
  • Mark Andes (1966-67)
  • Larry "The Mole" Taylor - bass, guitar, vocals (1967–70, 1978–80, 1987–92, 1996–97, 2009–19) †
  • Antonio de la Barreda (1970-72) †
  • Richard Hite (1972-76) †
  • Richard Exley (1976-77)
  • Jon Lamb (1980)
  • Ernie Rodriguez (1980-85)
  • Skip Jones (1985-87)
  • Ron Shumake (1990-96) †
  • Mark "Pocket" Goldberg (1996)
  • Greg Kage (1996-2010)

Keyboard player

  • Ed Beyer (1972-74)
  • Clifford Solomon (1974)
  • Jock Ellis (1974)
  • Gene Taylor (1974-76)
  • Ronnie Barron (1978, 1987-88) †
  • Jay Spell (1978-80) †
  • Stanley "The Baron" Behrens (2000-05)

timeline

literature

  • Fito De La Parra: Living the Blues. Little Big Beat, Lindewerra 2001, ISBN 3-00-007020-6 .

Web links

Commons : Canned Heat  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Joel Whitburn: The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books, New York 2000, ISBN 0-8230-7690-3 .
  2. ↑ Charts DE Charts UK Charts US