Blues Profile
Canned Heat
by Ray Stiles
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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Emerging in the mid 1960's, Canned Heat, founded by blues historians and record collectors Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson and Bob "The Bear" Hite, gained international attention and secured their niche in the pages of rock and roll history with their historic performances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival (along with Hendrix, Joplin and The Who) and Woodstock. Wilson and Hite, who took the name Canned Heat from a 1928 recording by Tommy Johnson, were soon joined by Henry Vestine, another dyed-in-the-wool record collector, who was the West Coast's answer to Michael Bloomfield and capable of fretboard fireworks at a moment's notice. Rounding out the bands early years were Adolfo "Fito" De La Parra on drums and Larry "The Mole" Taylor on bass. Their unique blend of modern electric blues, rock and boogie earned them a loyal following and influenced many aspiring guitarists at the time. Their Top-40 country rock songs, "Let's Work Together," "On The Road Again" and "Going Up The Country," became rock anthems with the later being adopted as the unofficial theme song for the film Woodstock. Canned Heat's debut album, released shortly after their appearance at Monterey, was deeply rooted in the blues and received moderate success, but their breakthrough moment occurred with the release of their second album (Boogie With Canned Heat). That album included the hit singles "On The Road Again" and "Fried Hookey Boogie," establishing them with hippie ballroom audiences as the "kings of the boogie." The band later collaborated with John Lee Hooker, the musician they originally got much of their musical inspiration from in the first place, producing the spirited 1971 album "Hooker & Heat." During their musical career, spanning well over three decades, the band has weathered assorted musical trends and the untimely deaths of founding members Alan Wilson and Bob Hite as well as the recent death of long time guitarist Henry Vestine. Other prominent musicians who have been members of the band include Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout, James Thornbury and Junior Watson. Now, more than thirty years down the road and with nearly as many albums to their credit, two of the early band members Adolfo "Fito" De La Parra (drums and vocals) and Larry "The Mole" Taylor (guitar, bass and vocals) are joined by the exceptional talents of Robert Lucas (slide guitar, harmonica and vocals), and Greg Kage (bass and vocals). Harvey Mandel has also been touring the band. This current line up has been described as the strongest and most entertaining since the band's seminal days of the late 1960's. Following the release of their 1998 RUF Records album (Canned Heat Blues Band), the group is "on the road again" and continues to dish out their distinctively infectious brand of rockin' boogie blues. Canned Heat performs at the Taproom on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights after the festival.
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