Canned Heat | Artist

Founding member Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson died in 1970 at the age of 27, tragically joining that illustrious group of brilliant yet ill-fated artists known as the "27 Club"

Canned Heat was an American blues band formed 1965 in Los Angeles, California by Bob "The Bear" Hite (vocals), Alan Wilson (guitar, harmonica, vocals), Henry Vestine (guitar), Larry Taylor (bass) and Adolfo de la Parra (drums). They played Boogie and Blues based rock and played support to Blues legends John Lee Hooker and Memphis Slim. The group was noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and Bob Hite, who took the name from Tommy Johnson's 1928 "Canned Heat Blues", a song about an alcoholic who had desperately turned to drinking Sterno, generically called "canned heat". The music and attitude of Canned Heat attracted a large following and established the band as one of the popular acts of the hippie era. Canned Heat appeared at most major musical events at the end of the 1960s, including the Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, performing blues standards along with their own material and occasionally indulging in lengthy "psychedelic" solos. Three of their songs "Going Up the Country", "On the Road Again", and "Let's Work Together"—became international hits, giving them a degree of commercial success. Outstanding albums include Boogie With Canned Heat (1968), Living The Blues (1968), Future Blues (1970), Hooker 'n Heat (1971), Historical Figures & Ancient Heads (1972), and Live at Topanga Corral (1972). The excellent 1971 album Hooker 'n Heat came about when the band met blues legend John Lee Hooker at the airport in Portland, Oregon, and discovered they were fans of each other's work. Hooker and Canned Heat became good friends and Hooker had stated that Wilson was "the greatest harmonica player ever." They went into the studio to record with John Lee Hooker the tracks that would yield the double album, Hooker 'n Heat, which helped resurrect the flagging career of the blues legend. On April 5, 1981, having collapsed from a heroin overdose during a show at the Palomino in Los Angeles, Bob Hite was later found dead in de la Parra's Mar Vista home at the age of 38. Canned Heat's popularity has endured in some European countries and Australia, and they have continued to release studio albums up to the present day. Many guest artists have featured on their albums including John Lee Hooker, Taj Mahal, Walter Trout, Corey Stevens, Roy Rogers, Harvey Mandel, Larry Taylor, and Henry Vestine. Eric Clapton and Dr. John made guest appearances on the Christmas Album (2007). In July 2007, a documentary, Boogie with Canned Heat: The Canned Heat Story, was released, as was a biography of Wilson, Blind Owl Blues, by author Rebecca Davis Winters.

Artist Website: cannedheatmusic.com

Featured Albums: Canned Heat

Related Artists: John Lee Hooker, Harvey Mandel, Walter Trout

Collections: 27 Forever