The Dirty Blues Band-Stone Dirt (1968)

The Dirty Blues Band was a blues rock band founded in Riverside, California, in early 1967 by vocalist and harmonica player Rod Piazza. They released two superb albums, "Dirty Blues Band" (1967) and "Stone Dirt" (1968), which were highly acclaimed by fans of the genre. This legendary band consisted of guitarist Glenn Roos Campbell, organist Pat Malone, drummer John Milliken, bassist Less Morrison, and steel guitarist Robert Sandell, in addition to the aforementioned Rod Piazza. In 1967, under the Bluesway label, they released their first album, which fused blues with jazz elements and sounds of funk and soul, all underpinned by Piazza's energetic vocals and harmonica playing. That first album featured the blues-funk track "Checkin' Up On My Baby", the jazzy "New Orleans Woman", and magnificent covers of Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog" and Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me To Talkin' ". A year later came "Stone Dirt", released by the same record label, which contained an irresistible repertoire including the boogie-blues "Bring It On Home" and "My Baby", the lilting blues (a John Lee Hooker cover) "It's My Own Fault", the rhythm and blues "I Can't Quit You Baby" and "Tell Me", the rock and roll "She's The One", and the hypnotic "Sittin' Down Wonderin' ". After this album, Piazza definitively disbanded the group and formed another similar one called Bacon Fat, with whom he released the monumental "Tough Dude" in 1971, another outstanding example of electric blues, which was duly reviewed some time ago on this blog.

Pot Liquor-Levee Blues (1971)

Pot Liquor was a short-lived band from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who released several albums with a distinct boogie blues and southern rock sound during the early 1970s. Their initial lineup consisted of George Ratzlaff on keyboards and vocals, guitarist Les Wallace, drummer Jerry Amoroso, and bassist Guy Shaeffer. After their debut album, "First Taste", released in 1970, which was well-received in the southern states, they released "Levee Blues" a year later. Considered their best work, this album expanded their characteristic southern rock sound with elements of country, blues, and gospel. Ratzlaff's vocals and organ, along with the inclusion of a group of female backing vocalists, lend a unique gospel touch to the album's closing tracks. The lively tracks “Cheer”, “River Jordan”, “The Train”, and “Chattanooga”, along with the heavy, hypnotic blues of “Rooster Blues” and the magnificent covers of The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” and Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good”, are the highlights of an interesting but forgotten album of the best Southern rock. However, despite its quality and exquisite production, it failed to achieve the desired commercial success. Nevertheless, the band continued to perform concerts for quite some time throughout Louisiana, enjoying a good reception from the public, something that didn't do much to ensure the band's continuation, and Pot Liquor finally disbanded a few years later.

Wild Turkey-Battle Hymn (1971)

In 1970, bassist Glenn Cornick left Jethro Tull, with whom he had recorded the formidable albums "This Was", "Stand Up", "Benefit", and "Living in the Past", and with whom he had played from 1968 to 1971, being considered the best bassist to have ever been part of the legendary British band. In early 1971, he formed his own band, Wild Turkey, in which he moved away from the blues and progressive folk style of the group led by Ian Anderson. For this new venture, Cornick recruited vocalist Gary Pickford-Hopkins, drummer John Weathers, and guitarist Jon Blackmore. However, in the middle of recording their first album, Jeff Jones replaced Weathers on drums, who left to join Gentle Giant. Wild Turkey would go on to release two interesting albums that achieved little commercial success, but their debut was nonetheless a good example of the hard rock being made in the British Isles at the time of its release. "Battle Hymn", as this first album is titled, is a work geared towards the powerful sound of hard rock with certain progressive elements, as demonstrated in tracks like the biting "Twelve Streets of Cobbled Back" and "One Sole Survivor", the passionate "Sentinel", the commendable "Butterfly", the bucolic "To The Stars", and the melodic "Sanctuary" and "Gentle Rain". After this first album, the band released the modest "Turkey", which marked the end of the group's run. Later, some of its members went their separate ways, such as Cornick himself, who would end up joining the German band Karthago, while Gary Pickford-Hopkins would actively participate as a vocalist in Rick Wakeman's albums "Journey to the Centre of the Earth" and "The Myths and Legends Of King Arthur and the Knights of The Round Table", among other collaborations, and finally Jeff Jones would end up joining the psychedelic and avant-garde rock group, Man.