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.