Tuesday 30 December 2008

Hound Dog Taylor & Little Walter - Wild About You Baby

Theodore Roosevelt "Hound Dog" Taylor (April 12, 1915 - December 17, 1975) was an American blues guitarist and singer.
Hound Dog Taylor is best known for his raw vocal style and searing slide guitar, using a cheap Teisco guitar and Sears Roebuck amplifier to great advantage. He was not a smooth virtuoso on either of his instruments (guitar or vocals), and was known to say, "When I die, they'll say, 'He couldn't play shit, but he sure made it sound good!'" The HouseRockers were also unique in the fact that they had no bass player; rather, Taylor and Phillips would take turns playing the rhythm/bass line while the other soloed. Hound Dog Taylor and the HouseRockers have been called "The Ramones of the blues".
Freddie King admitted when interviewed that his classic, "Hideaway", later covered by Eric Clapton, was inspired by an unnamed Hound Dog Taylor instrumental he had heard Taylor perform at the south side Chicago club Mel's Hideaway in the late 1950s. Stevie Ray Vaughan also covered Taylor's best known song, "Give Me Back My Wig", both in concert and in studio.

Hound Dog Taylor & the Houserockers featuring Little Walter on harmonica. This was back in 1967.

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