Jango Song Of The Day-Canned Heat

Artist:Canned Heat
Song:On The Road Again
Album:The Very Best Of Canned Heat





The blues rock group Canned Heat probably should have been much bigger. But they were beaten to the blues rock punch by Paul Butterfield but they were probably their own worst enemies. The members of Canned Heat when the band was best known were guitarist/vocalist Al "Blind Owl" Wilson (born July 4, 1943 in Boston), vocalist and harmonica player Bob "Big Bear" Hite (born Feb. 26, 1943 in Torrance, CA), lead guitarist Henry Vestine (born Dec. 25, 1944 in Takoma Park, MD), bassist Larry Taylor (born June 26, 1942 in New York City) and drummer Adolfo de la Parra (born Feb. 3, 1946 in Mexico City). Wilson and Hite were blues fans who decided to form a band in 1965. Vestine had been thrown out of The Mothers Of Invention for drug use and asked Hite if he could join the band. He replaced Kenny Edwards who went on to form The Stone Poneys. Bassist Stu Brotman left to form Kaleidoscope with David Lindley and was replaced by session musician Taylor. Veteran jazz drummer Frank Cook was with them when they recorded their first album in 1967. Of course their first big gig was the Monterey Pop Festival Apr. 17, 1967. They went on tour and landed in a Denver jail for drugs. Manager Skip Taylor had to get $10K to bail them out. Cook was replaced by de la Parra who had been in Bluesberry Jam. They would become Pacific Gas & Electric. On The Road Again was on their 1968 album Boogie With Canned Heat and reached #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. Wilson adapted the song from the 1953 hit by bluesman Floyd Jones. They also had a top 20 hit with Going Up The Country in 1969. Henry Vestine left after an argument with Taylor and was replaced by Harvey Mandel. Then they played Woodstock. Canned Heat continued to tour. Taylor left after their 1970 European tour to join John Mayall's band. After recording Hooker 'n' Heat with John Lee Hooker, wilson died of an accidental drug overdose on Sept. 3, 1970 at age 27. Wilson suffered from depression and had threatened to commit suicide several times. Though Canned Heat attempted to continue, they were never the same after Wilson's death. This comp is a perfect intro to their music. Bob Hite died in 1981. Henry Vestine died in 1997. Larry Taylor has been a session musician for years. Adolfo de la Parra leads a version of Canned Heat today. Canned Heat was a very good band but they could have been a lot better without the excesses. Here's Canned Heat performing On The Road Again at Woodstock.