Canned Heat
This popular, but ill-fated blues/rock group was formed in 1965 by two Los Angeles-based blues aficionados: Alan Wilson (b. 4 July 1943, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; vocals/harmonica/guitar) and Bob "The Bear" Hite (b. 26 February 1943, Torrance, California, USA; vocals). Wilson, nicknamed "Blind Owl" in deference to his thick-lensed spectacles, was already renowned for his distinctive harmonica work and had accompanied Son House on the veteran bluesman's post ‘rediscovery’ album, FATHER OF FOLK BLUES. Wilson's obsession with the blues enabled him to have a massive archive blues collection by his early twenties. The duo was joined by Frank Cook (drums) and Henry Vestine (b. 25 December 1944, Washington, DC, USA; guitar), a former member of the Mothers Of Invention. They took the name Canned Heat from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson and employed several bassists prior to the arrival of Larry Taylor, an experienced session musician who had worked with Jerry Lee Lewis and the Monkees. 
Canned Heat's debut album was promising rather than inspired, offering diligent readings of such 12-bar stand ards as Rollin' And Tumblin', Dust My Broom and Bullfrog Blues. However, the arrival of new drummer Alfredo Fito (b. Adolfo De La Parra, 8 February 1946, Mexico City, Mexico) coincided with a newfound confidence displayed almost immediately on BOOGIE WITH CANNED HEAT. This impressive selection introduced the extended Fried Hookey Boogie, a piece destined to become an in-concert favourite, and the hypnotic remake of Jim Oden's On The Road Again, which gave the group a UK Top 10 and US Top 20 hit single in 1968. Wilson's distinctive frail high voice, sitar-like guitar introduction and accompanying harmonica has enabled this version to become a classic. A double set, LIVIN' THE BLUES, featured some of the group's finest moments, including an enthralling version of Charlie Patton's Pony Blues and a 19-minute tour de force Parthenogenesis, which captured the quintet at their most experimental. However, it was Wilson's adaptation of a Henry Thomas song, Bulldoze Blues, which proved most popular. The singer retained the tune of the original, rewrote the lyric and emerged with Goin' Up The Country, whose simple message caught the prevalent back-to-nature attitude of the late '60s,. This evocative performance charted in the US and UK Top 20, and was one of the highlights of the successful Woodstock movie. 
Between 1969-70 Canned Heat recorded four more albums, including a spirited collaboration with blues boogie mentor John Lee Hooker, and an enthralling documentary of their 1970 European tour. HALLELUJAH boasted one of artist George Hunter's finest album covers. It also featured Get Off My Back, which in its day was used by hi-fi buffs to check their systems were in phase, as the cross-channel switching in the mix was outrageously overdone. FUTURE BLUES marked the arrival of guitarist Harvey Mandel, replacing Henry Vestine, who could no longer tolerate working with Larry Taylor. The reshaped band enjoyed two further UK hits with a cover of Wilbert Harrison's Let's Work Together, which reached number 2, and the cajun-inspired Sugar Bee, but were rocked by the suicide of Alan Wilson, whose body was found in Hite's backyard on 3 September 1970. His death sparked a major reconstruction within the group. Taylor and Mandel left to join John Mayall, the former's departure prompting Vestine's return, while Antonio De La Barreda became Canned Heat's new bassist. The new quartet completed HISTORICAL FIGURES AND ANCIENT HEADS, before Bob Hite's brother Richard replaced Barreda for the band's 1973 release, THE NEW AGE. The changes continued throughout the decade, undermining the band's strength of purpose. Bob Hite, the sole remaining original member, attempted to keep the group afloat, but was unable to secure a permanent recording deal. Spirits lifted with the release of HUMAN CONDITION, but the years of struggle had taken their toll. On 5 April 1981, following a gig at the Palomino Club, the gargantuan vocalist collapsed and died of a heart attack. Despite the loss of many key members, the Canned Heat name has survived. Inheritors Larry Taylor and Fito De La Parra completed 1989's RE-HEATED album with two new guitarists, James Thornbury and Junior Watson. They now pursue the lucrative nostalgia circuit.