Alexis Korner´s Blues Incorporated-R&B From The Marquee (1962)

Alexis Korner is one of the musicians who most influenced the generations of English bluesmen of the first half of the 1960s. Unfortunately, his work has not been as widely disseminated outside the United Kingdom and North America, unlike the work of the many musicians who were directly influenced by him, such as Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker (Cream), Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones), Long John Baldry, a singer of impressive talent, Dick Heckstall-Smith (Colosseum), and the aforementioned Graham Bond, or who indirectly influenced musicians like John Mayall and Al Kooper, among many others. However, Korner's career had begun a decade earlier when he formed a blues and jazz duo with Cyril Davies, performing frequently on the London club circuit. Later, the two musicians opened their own club, the "London Blues and Barrelhouse", where they regularly invited young British and American jazz and blues musicians to play. It was then that they met Jack Bruce, Charlie Watts, and Long John Bladry, which encouraged them to form their own band, Blues Incorporated (1961), which became England's first amplified blues band. With the addition of saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith, the band built a strong reputation throughout England thanks to their famous concerts, and it was common to see promising musicians like Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Keith Richards (Rolling Stones), Jimmy Page and Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, and John Mayall, among many others, in their audience. Blues Incorporated focused primarily on live performances rather than recording albums, and the group only released two singles on Parlophone: "I Need Your Loving" (1964) and "Little Baby" (1965). That same year, Graham Bond decided to leave and form his own band, recruiting all his former Blues Incorporated bandmates. In 1964, Alexis Korner, with a new version of his Blues Incorporated, released the albums "At The Cavern" and "Red Hot From Alex", featuring American singer Herbie Goins and Danny Thompson, later a member of the folk group Pentangle, on bass. After the third and final album for the group, "Sky High", released in 1965 with a new singer, Duffy Power, Alexis Korner definitively disbanded the group a year later in 1966. In 1967, Korner founded the short-lived band Free At Last with former Bluesbreakers drummer Hughie Flint and bassist Binky McKenzie, which received little media attention. It wasn't until 1971 that Alexis Korner returned to the spotlight, joining the large jazz, rock, and blues band C.C.S., modeled after the American jazz-rock bands Chicago Transit Authority and Blood, Sweat & Tears. With this band, Korner achieved some notable success on the British charts, primarily with jazz-rock covers such as Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" and Donovan's "Walking". In 1973, after C.C.S. disbanded, Korner founded another supergroup with Mel Collins, Boz Burrell, and Ian Wallace, all former members of King Crimson. With this group, he released two albums, launched his own solo career, and worked in radio fusion on the BBC, hosting highly popular blues, soul, and jazz programs. In 1978, a massive concert was held to celebrate his 50th anniversary, featuring a lineup of superstars including Eric Clapton, Chris Farlowe, Zoot Money, and Paul Jones, among others. In 1981, Korner joined Rocket 88, led by Ian Stewart, where he reunited with old bandmates like Jack Bruce and Colin Hodgkinson. Three years later, Korner passed away at the age of 55 in London, leaving behind one of the most intense and influential careers in the history of rock music.