Canned Heat

Formed by record collectors, historians and music obsessives Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson and Bob "The Bear" Hite in 1966, Canned Heat turned their favourite, obscure blues tracks into groove laden boogies to become one of LA's most acclaimed bands of the era. Taking their name from Tommy Johnson's 1928 track Canned Heat Blues, the group started writing their own material and came to fame when second album Boogie With Canned Heat (1968) produced what would become their biggest hit, On The Road Again - adapted from a Floyd Jones song. The acclaimed Living The Blues (1968) album brought another hit with Going Up The Country (originally a Henry Thomas song called Bull Doze Blues) and Future Blues (1970) produced US Top 10 single Let's Work Together as the band starred at the legendary Woodstock Festival and collaborated with John Lee Hooker on the album Hooker 'N Heat (1971). Aged 27, Wilson died of a drugs overdose in 1970, believed to be suicide and Hite died in 1981 of a heart attack. The spirit of the band is kept alive, however, through Larry "The Mole" Taylor and Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra, who still play festivals around the world and are supported by a loyal fanbase which includes large members of the biker community.