Johnny Winter Blues Rock Legends

The Top 100 '60s Rock Albums represent the moment when popular music came of age. In the earliest part of the decade, bands were still regularly referencing earlier sounds and themes. By the middle, something powerful and distinct was happening, which is why the latter part of the '60s weighs so heavily on our list. A number of bands evolved alongside fast-emerging trends of blues rock, folk rock, psychedelia and hard rock, adding new complexities to the music even as the songs themselves became more topical. If there's a thread running through the Top 100 '60s Rock Albums and this period of intense change, it has to do with the forward-thinking artists who managed to echo and, in some cases, advance the zeitgeist. Along the way, legends were made.

Blues-rock with a distinct Texas edge is Mark May's thing. His playing recalls various Texas legends like Johnny Winter and Albert Collins, while always skirting the rock speed-demon side of the musical equation. This outing finds him surrounded by his regular rhythm section of Dan Cooper on bass, Travis Doyle on organ and Greg Grubbs on drums. May shares guitar soloing duties throughout the album with Alan Haynes ("Don't Give Up"), Billy Wells ("Mercury Blues") and Larry McCray (an impassioned Albert Collins duel on their mentor's "The Lights Are On, But Nobody's Home"), producing fireworks with every trill and bent note. Also noteworthy are several tracks featuring the Memphis Horns, who shine brightly on "Icehouse Special" and the soul ballad "Took Me By Surprise." When May keeps his playing roped in and restrained, the musical results are well worth a second listen.

Vicksburg Call is Gogo's 14th release and is poised to add even more acclaim to an already impressive inventory. He's earned numerous accolades, including four JUNO nominations and multiple Maple Blues Awards. He has thousands of tour miles under his belt and has shared stages with Johnny Winter, B.B. King, Otis Rush, Albert Collins, Bo Diddley, ZZ Top, Buddy Guy, Charles Bradley, and many others. Undoubtedly a rockin' blues album, Vicksburg Call was recorded in a studio with a live, intimate atmosphere, which yielded an overall grittier sound with lots of feeling. Gogo was affected by the loss of some very influential blues legends and colleagues while creating this album, and the songs explore themes of love and loss, reconciliation, regret, acceptance and hope for new horizons.

Texas Thunder was the first CD Benny recorded for Wolftrax.
Records and was recorded in the spring of 1993 at GEM/Lonestar studio in Austin, Texas. It is a collection of some of Benny's favorite blues songs plus three of his own originals. The CD was recorded with just the trio of Benny on guitar and vocals, Danny Valerio on bass and Steve Severson on drums. The CD was recorded classic old school style live in the studio over three days. This gives the CD that raw 50's blues sound which a lot of the fans seem to prefer…..