Big Al Blake & The Hollywood Fats Band
Big Al Blake - Biography by Char Ham
Few blues artists go back and p… Read Full Bio ↴Big Al Blake - Biography by Char Ham
Few blues artists go back and preserve the source of the music, tied with the minute splashes of modern themes. Big Al Blake is a rare bird in that club.
As a child in Oklahoma, he heard and fell in love with blues from the radio. Moving to California in the mid-60's, he hung out at the Ash Grove, meeting Junior Wells, Freddie King, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sunnyland Slim. Soon after, he moved to San Francisco, where he formed his first band. By the early 70s, he was hanging out with King at the Ash Grove, when he met a plunky long haired large kid playing unearthly guitar. That kid was Hollywood Fats. Quickly they formed the Headhunters with pianist Fred Kaplan, which evolved into the Hollywood Fats Band by adding Richard Innes, and Jerry Smith, later replaced by Larry Taylor. They recorded their self titled album (later titled Rock This House) in 1978, and then broke up in the early '80s. They were a step away from reforming when Fats' died in 1986. Once disbanded, Blake lay low until joining Kim Wilson's Blue Collar label in 1997, releasing Mr. Blake's Blues.
Album: Mr. Blake's Blues (1996)
Blake conquers what few blues artists can do -- overload a listener with old blues styles, shaken and stirred with touches of the era he's living today. His originals serve as vignettes, taking these styles as a jumping-off point, then latching on modern themes such as escaping the formerly nicknamed Golden State, California, or his explanation for what creates the hot Santa Ana winds. These sessions also serve as a reunion of the Hollywood Fats Band with Fred Kaplan, Richard Innes, and Larry Taylor. Rounding out the lineup are two top-notch guitarists, Junior Watson and Kid Ramos, who work as team players, not as substitutes for Fats, who died at a young age.
Personnel:
Al Blake (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, harmonica)
Big Al Blake (guitar, harmonica)
Junior Watson, Kid Ramos (guitar)
Fred Kaplan (piano)
Richard Innes (drums)
Few blues artists go back and p… Read Full Bio ↴Big Al Blake - Biography by Char Ham
Few blues artists go back and preserve the source of the music, tied with the minute splashes of modern themes. Big Al Blake is a rare bird in that club.
As a child in Oklahoma, he heard and fell in love with blues from the radio. Moving to California in the mid-60's, he hung out at the Ash Grove, meeting Junior Wells, Freddie King, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Sunnyland Slim. Soon after, he moved to San Francisco, where he formed his first band. By the early 70s, he was hanging out with King at the Ash Grove, when he met a plunky long haired large kid playing unearthly guitar. That kid was Hollywood Fats. Quickly they formed the Headhunters with pianist Fred Kaplan, which evolved into the Hollywood Fats Band by adding Richard Innes, and Jerry Smith, later replaced by Larry Taylor. They recorded their self titled album (later titled Rock This House) in 1978, and then broke up in the early '80s. They were a step away from reforming when Fats' died in 1986. Once disbanded, Blake lay low until joining Kim Wilson's Blue Collar label in 1997, releasing Mr. Blake's Blues.
Album: Mr. Blake's Blues (1996)
Blake conquers what few blues artists can do -- overload a listener with old blues styles, shaken and stirred with touches of the era he's living today. His originals serve as vignettes, taking these styles as a jumping-off point, then latching on modern themes such as escaping the formerly nicknamed Golden State, California, or his explanation for what creates the hot Santa Ana winds. These sessions also serve as a reunion of the Hollywood Fats Band with Fred Kaplan, Richard Innes, and Larry Taylor. Rounding out the lineup are two top-notch guitarists, Junior Watson and Kid Ramos, who work as team players, not as substitutes for Fats, who died at a young age.
Personnel:
Al Blake (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, harmonica)
Big Al Blake (guitar, harmonica)
Junior Watson, Kid Ramos (guitar)
Fred Kaplan (piano)
Richard Innes (drums)
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12A Rambler & A Rolliln' StoneBig Al Blake & The Hollywood Fats BandBig Al Blake & The Hollywood Fats Band
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