Lowell George-Thanks, I´ll Eat It Here (1979)

Lowell George is undoubtedly one of the icons of American roots music. A singer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, he rose to fame after his time with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and for leading the enduring Little Feat for almost a decade. Instrumentally, he was known for his skill with the slide guitar, but he also mastered other instruments such as the harmonica, saxophone, flute, and guitar. With Little Feat, he released a series of great works, including his self-titled debut album, and subsequent releases like "Sailin' Shoes", "Dixie Chicken", and "The Last Record Album", not to mention the double live album "Waiting for Columbus", a true classic of live recordings. It wasn't until the late 1970s that he decided to release his first solo album, "Thanks, I'll Eat It Here", showcasing his diverse musical style, alternating original songs with covers of artists like Allen Toussaint and Rickie Lee Jones. "Thanks, I'll Eat It Here" demonstrates the enormous range of Lowell George's musical sounds, as evidenced in the track "What Do You Want The Girl To Do", which confirms his New Orleans influences. His covers of Rickie Lee Jones' "Easy Money," Ann Pebbles' "I Can't Stand The Rain", and Jimmy Webbs' "Himmler's Ring" are brilliantly adapted to his eclectic and versatile style. His own compositions are also captivating, as demonstrated in the tracks "Two Trains" and "Twenty Million Things". For the recording of this album, Lowell George had enlisted the collaboration of some of the cream of the crop of West Coast music, including David Foster, Bonnie Raitt, Nicky Hopkins, Jim Price, Michael Baird, and Jim Keltner, among many others. After the album's release, Lowell George formed a band to promote it with a series of concerts across the United States, while simultaneously announcing the definitive breakup of Little Feat. But he barely had time to begin the tour; on June 29, 1979, he died of a sudden heart attack, leaving an irreplaceable void in American music. Later, a tumultuous tribute concert was held in his honor at the Forum in Los Angeles, featuring his band Little Feat, Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, and Linda Ronstadt, among others. In subsequent years, several tribute albums to Lowell George have been released, such as "Rock'n'Roll A Tribute Lowell George", featuring artists like Randy Newman, Eddie Money, and J.D. Souther, while other artists like The Black Crowes and Van Halen have made reinterpretations of his songs, and others like Christopher Cross dedicated songs to him, such as the famous and well-known "Ride Like The Wind".