Taj Mahal-Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home (1969)

Taj Mahal is one of the great pillars of the blues, yet he has never achieved the fame or recognition of other more media-savvy bluesmen like B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, or Muddy Waters. Born in the mid-1940s, his artistic beginnings were rather tentative, practicing a style of blues that bore little resemblance to the mainstream, infused with gospel, jazz, swamp, and zydeco sounds. Consequently, purists were among the first to downplay his style at the start of his career. However, all those opinions became outdated when The Rolling Stones themselves invited him to participate in their "Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus" show in 1968. This momentous event marked the beginning of a reassessment of his unique style, which would contribute to the widespread dissemination of his work and the recognition of Taj Mahal's early albums from the late 1960s. With his second album, "The Natch't Blues", he gained enough fame to risk releasing a double album that would definitively cement his career among the great bluesmen of the era. Genericly titled “Giant Step/De Ole Folks at Home” (1969), this double album comprised two distinct discs. On the first, “The Giant Step”, Taj Mahal (vocals, harmonica, banjo, and steel guitar), accompanied by the powerful trio of Jesse Ed Davis on electric and acoustic guitar and organ, Gary Gilmore on bass, and Chuck Blackwell on drums, showcases his eclectic blues essence in tracks like the rock and roll “Keep Your Hands Off Her”, the blues classics “Give Your Woman What She Want”, “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl”, and “Bacon Fat”, the southern-tinged “Six Days On The Road”, and the borderland-tinged “Further On Down The Road”. Meanwhile, the second disc is a tour de force of solo performance by Taj Mahal with his guitar, harmonica, and vocals, reviving the primitive blues of the early 20th century with various influences such as gospel and different tribal sounds. With this double album, considered one of the best in the history of blues, Taj Mahal would enter the legend of the genre and, in turn, his career would be revalued, becoming one of the icons of the genre in the following three decades.

Sam Cooke-Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963 (1985)

For many, this is the best live album of all time, belonging to one of the greatest voices of all time: Sam Cooke. Sam Cooke was a pivotal figure in establishing soul music as a genre. His career, filled with essential songs and albums, demonstrated the enormous talent of this legendary and unforgettable singer. Cooke mastered soul, rhythm and blues, gospel, and rock and roll like no other, and along with Otis Redding and James Brown, he is considered one of the undisputed kings of soul, achieving a staggering fifty hits in just eight years (1957-1965). His death under mysterious circumstances on December 11, 1964, is one of the most tragic dates in the history of popular music. A year earlier, on June 12, Sam Cooke had performed a show at the legendary Harlem Square Club in Miami, which was recorded in its entirety and released many years after his death. That night, Cooke was surrounded by his usual band, comprised of guitarists Clifton White and Cornell Dupree, bassist Jimmy Lewis, drummer Albert Gardner, pianist George Stubbs, and the horn section of King Curtis and Tate Houston. In this live performance, Cooke sheds his elegant composure to become, for one night, a sweaty "soul man", singing and dancing with wild, rhythmic passion to an audience completely devoted to him. From the opening track, "Intro (Don't Fight It) Feel It", to the album's closing song, "Having a Party", Cooke demonstrates his incredible intensity on stage, completely energetic, powerful, and unrestrained, revisiting some of his greatest hits such as "Cupid," "Chain Gang," "Somebody Have Marcy", "Bring It On Home to Me", and "Twistin' the Night Away". “Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963” is considered one of the 500 best albums in history and a fabulous document of the best soul music ever heard.

Elf-Live At The Bank 1972 (1972)

Elf was a blues and heavy rock band formed in the late 1960s that remained active until the mid-1970s when several of its founding members were recruited by Ritchie Blackmore to join his new project after he left his beloved Deep Purple. These members were singer and bassist Ronnie James Dio, drummer Gary Driscoll, bassist Craig Gruber, and keyboardist Doug Thaler, who, along with guitarist David Feinstein, had released three noteworthy hard blues rock albums by 1975. In 1972, while touring in support of their self-titled debut album, Elf, they performed at a festival in Cortland, New York. This performance was available for many years as a bootleg titled "Live at The Bank, Cortland 1972", and was officially released in 2011, just a year after Ronnie James Dio's death, by the singer's family. With more than acceptable sound quality, this live recording is a historical document showcasing the band's enormous live potential, led by the diminutive singer. Packed with covers, delivered in the group's signature blues and hard rock style, it features a string of classics such as Jethro Tull's "Cross-Eyed Mary" and "Aqualung", Rod Stewart's "An Old Raincoat Will Never Let You Down", Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog", Humble Pie's "Four Day Creep", The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley", and a culminating version of Black Sabbath's "War Pigs".

Rossington Collins Band-Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere (1980)

Another of the great Southern rock bands was the Rossington Collins Band, formed some time after the tragic plane crash that killed Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and his sister Cassie Gaines, while they were en route from Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This band consisted of guitarists Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Barry Harwood; Billy Powell on keyboards; Derek Hess on drums and percussion; Leon Wilkeson on bass; and singer Dale Krantz. Their first album, "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", released in mid-1980, was a huge success. This debut featured the Southern rock anthem "Don't Misunderstand Me", as well as the bright and energetic tracks "Prime Time", "One Good Man", "Winners and Losers", and the boogie-rock number "Opportunity". Near the end of the following year came their second album, and ultimately their epitaph, "This Is The Way", where they reinforced their Southern sound with heavier, more powerful elements, highlighting the Southern boogie "Gotta Get I Straight", the beautiful "Tashauna", the gospel-infused "Pine Box", and the rock and roll anthem "Don't Stop Me Now". Once this second album was released, Gary Rossington left the band due to internal disagreements with the rest of the group, a fact that would precipitate the definitive dissolution of the Rossington Collins Band some time later. Several years later, Allen Collins founded the Allen Collins Band, which had a short run due to Collins' own erratic behavior, a consequence of his alcohol addiction. He definitively abandoned the project in 1985 due to a serious car accident that left him practically paralyzed for a very long time.

Firefall-Firefall (1976)

Another legendary country rock and southern rock band was Firefall, who released a series of superb albums in the 1970s that placed them at the top of the genre, almost on par with their most prestigious contemporaries like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, and The Marshall Tucker Band. Founded in Colorado in the mid-1970s, their core members were guitarists and founders Jock Bartley and Rick Roberts, who had previously played in the bands The Flying Burrito Brothers and Zephyr. The two musicians, along with bassist Mark Andes, drummer Michael Clarke, and guitarist Larry Burnett, recorded their self-titled debut album in 1976. It featured catchy melodies reminiscent of country pop, such as "It Doesn't Matter", "Love Isn't All", "Dolphin's Lullaby", and "Sad Ol' Love Song". These, in contrast to the country rock tracks "Mexico," "Livin' Ain't Livin' ", and "No Way Out", showcased a diverse and appealing style, reminiscent of the melodic and vocal lines of bands like America and The Eagles. This first album reached a respectable number 26 on the American charts, thanks in part to hits like the enchanting "You Are The Woman", which achieved a top ten hit on the Billboard charts. A year later, the band expanded with the addition of keyboardist David Muse, with whom they recorded their next album, "Luna Sea". This album followed a similar path but featured more sophisticated arrangements thanks to Muse's contributions of synthesizers and electronic keyboards. This second release featured standout tracks such as the addictive country rock song "So Long", the energetic "Sold On You", the southern-tinged "Just Think", the catchy rock song "Getaway", the rhythmic country track "Head On Home", and the powerful "Even Steven". Their characteristic melodic vein was also present in the delightful "Just Remember I Love You" and "Only A Fool". "Luna Sea" would go on to surpass their debut album on the charts, reaching a surprising eleventh place on the Billboard charts. The tremendous success of this second album was mirrored in their third work, "Elan", released in 1978, which contained a repertoire of exquisite country rock tracks such as "Strange Way", "Wrong Side of Town", "Count Your Blessing", "Anymore", and "New Man". But from this point on, the band entered a creative crisis, as evidenced by the uneven "Undertown", the last album recorded with the original lineup, which barely made an impact beyond the American country rock scene. From then on, a constant turnover of new members led Firefall through a period filled with good albums like "Cloud Across the Sun" (1980), "Break of Dawn" (1982), and "Mirror of the World" (1983), but none quite reaching the brilliance of their first three works. 

Foreigner-Agent Provocateur (1984)

Three years after the release of the multi-platinum "4", Foreigner returned with a new album titled "Agent Provocateur", the fifth in the band's career. While not reaching the heights of its predecessor, it still showcased a band in top form, creating iconic songs like the extraordinary "I Want To Know With Love Is", which would soon become one of their most emblematic tracks alongside classics like "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold as Ice", "Hot Blooded", and "Urgent". However, this album didn't just live off the success of such a great ballad; it also features interesting tracks like "That Was Yesterday", another superb mid-tempo song, and the powerful rock tracks "Tooth and Nail" and "She's Too Tough", not to mention the forceful "Strange in My Own House" and the melodic "A Love in Vain" and "Two Different Worlds". Together, these songs form a well-balanced work that would perform perfectly on the charts around the world, achieving five platinum records for its massive worldwide sales and keeping them at the forefront of adult-oriented rock.