Get your own Free Home PageNote from The Redneck: I'm still working on these pages, so some of the links may not be operating. Check back often, as I will be updating as much as possible.
Designed for 800 x 600 resolution - other resolutions might look kind of funky!
In fairy tales, there is usually a happy ending. Hard, honest efforts are rewarded with success. And problems are solved by the very nature of the universe. Oh, if life were only that way!
If it were, the band Blackfoot would be one of the largest and best-known bands in the world. Indeed, they have developed a definite following, despite all the problems they have encountered over the years. This has been attributed by some to the fact that three of the four musicians are of American Indian heritage, but I believe it to be more due to the fact that they deliver a hard-hitting, in-your-face brand of Southern Rock that is second to none, even rivalling such legendary brands as Lynyrd Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet.
Formed in the late 1960s with Rick Medlocke, Charlie Hargett, Jakson Spires, and Greg T. Walker, the band began producing their own special brand of rock 'n' roll. But success did not come easy, nor did it come fast. Rickey Medlocke sang and played with Lynyrd Skynyrd when they first formed, documented on the album Skynyrd's First And ...Last, but Blackfoot seemed unable to find the success that Skynyrd did, at least for a while.
On stage, Blackfoot was incredible, but that enery was not transmitted in its entirety to the album. Added to this was the fact that Blackfoot had not recieved the national press of similar bands, so for a large segment of the population, they were still unknown. Sometimes the press is funny that way... The band continued on, playing night clubs and bars, managing to stay together throughout despite their failed recording career. The night life was their home, and in it they refined their already unique sound.
Slumping record sales, along with the erroneous belief by many in the music industry that "Southern Rock was dead", ended Blackfoot's latest recording career. The new modernization did not have the desired effect, as fans became disenchanted with the band's latest work. More than a decade would pass this time, and the original Blackfoot would never be heard from again.
That was the end, except for the release of the live album King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Blackfoot, which was actually recorded in 1983 (see above). But even if Blackfoot has faded into history, the members have not. Rickey Medlocke replaced an ailing Edward King on the Lynyrd Skynyrd album, Twenty, released in 1997. As of this update, he is a permanent member of the band.
Charlie Hargrett still plays with Rickey on occasion, and has remained in contact with the original members over the years. He is now forming a new band, No Idea, which has not yet released an album. You can read more about it by clicking here.
Jakson Spires and Greg T. Walker, after playing with the Southern Rock All-Stars with Jay Johnson, are also launching a new recording project, named NDN (say it fast, you'll get it). For more info on their new band, follow this link.
Their contribution to Blackfoot will never be forgotten.
In 1975, they made their first album, No Reservations. Filled with great music, it nonetheless was sluggish in sales. It did sell good enough, however, to allow the band to produce a second album. Flying High followed in 1976, continuing the band's budding national reputation as a premier act. It was not good enough, however, and it would be three more years before another Blackfoot album was to be recorded.
Then, like the legendary phoenix rising from the grave, Blackfoot was back. Changing labels from Epic to Atco, their 1979 album, Blackfoot Strikes became an instant hit with tracks like "Train, Train" and "Highway Song", which for Blackfoot fans has the same impact as Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird". Suddenly, success had come to Blackfoot. It was soon followed by another classic, Tomcattin'. Still filled with the best of Blackfoot's sound, it established them as a major Southern Rock Band. Fans were ecstatic, as it seemed that Blackfoot was climbing rapidly to the rank of super-star band.
1981 saw the release of Marauder. But in the midst of this success, the band began experiencing internal problems. As is usually the case, the road took its toll, causing tempers to flare. Arguments became common-place. 1982 saw the release of the album Siogo. There is a story behind the unusual name, but I am not going to give it here. Those really interested can visit Charlie Hargret's Blackfoot Page to learn more about it. The name does not mean "closeness".
IN 1983, with the band showing serious signs of deterioration in their organization, their musical triumph was forever captured on the album King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Blackfoot. This live album, however, never made it to the stores until many years later in 1998. It was finally released to recapture the spirit that was Blackfoot. Vertical Smiles saw the begining of the end of the original Blackfoot. For the first time, one of the original band members, Charlie Hargrett, was missing due to the internal strife that had been building. Blackfoot was trying a new, modern sound. Ken Hensley left the band after this in mid-tour, and was soon followed by Greg T. Walker and Jakson Spires. All that remained of the original band was Rickey Medlocke.
But Blackfoot would once more rise, although not to the point of its earlier days. In 1994, After The Reign was released. Besides Rickey Medlocke, it featured new band members Mark Woerpel, Tim Stunson, and Benny Rappa. A greatest hits album, Best Of Rattlesnake Rock 'N' Roll was also released in 1994. It marked the sad official end of Blackfoot as a band. Throughout the trials and tribulations that accompany every Southern Rock band, Blackfoot had lost their way, but to millions of devoted fans, their music will live on forever.
Click on any of the above album covers for more info on them.
Or click here for more great Blackfoot sites!
Blackfoot Songlist - Arranged Alphabetically or by Release Date
Site design ©1998 by James Douglas Tubbs.