what happened to alan wilson of canned geat
The co-founder of Canned Oestrus, Alan Wilson was a guitarist, harmonica player and occasional vocalist who fronted the pioneering dejection-stone jam ring on its ii biggest hits, "On the Route Again" and "Going Upward the Land." Here are v reasons he remains a guitar legend…
1. Son House
Born in Arlington, Massachusetts on July 4, 1943, Wilson was a shy kid who preferred records and books to playing. By his teens he'd picked up guitar and developed an interest in jazz, but his preference turned to blues subsequently a friend spun a Muddy Waters record for him. Wilson developed an encyclopedic knowledge of the genre and performed as a solo artist on Boston's coffeehouse excursion.
In 1964, the twenty-year-old helped bring 62-yr-old blues pioneer Son Firm out of retirement later tracking down the forgotten bluesman at the request of producer John Hammond Sr. After years of neglecting his music, House had forgotten how to play his one-time songs. Hammond recalled that Wilson taught the bluesman "how to play like Son Firm over again" and assisted him on the recording of his 1965 album, Male parent of the Delta Blues, playing blues guitar and bravado harmonica.
2. Encyclopedic Musical Cognition
Wilson relocated to California in the mid 1960s to help his friend John Fahey, and then a educatee in UCLA's folklore principal'south program, write a thesis on Delta blues pioneer Charley Patton. Fahey nicknamed the nearsighted and bookish guitarist Bullheaded Owl, a proper name that stuck with Wilson for the rest of his curt life.
In Los Angeles, Wilson was introduced to fellow blues enthusiast "Big Bear" Bob Hite, who played him selections from his extensive collection of rare 78s. When Hite began singing along to the music, Wilson, who had brought along his guitar, began to accompany him. With a few friends, they formed a nascent version of Canned Heat, a jug band group they named after Sterno, the ethanol- and methanol-based cooking fuel that provided a cheap and often fatal high for destitute alcoholics and addicts.
3. Canned Heat
By 1966, Canned Heat had transformed into a capable boogie blues-rock act that was among the get-go to extend its tunes into long jams during live performances. The group signed to Liberty Records in 1967 and had its first hit with "On the Road Once more," a song that has its origins in Tommy Johnson'southward "Big Road Blues," recorded in 1927.
Though Hite was the group'southward main singer, it was Wilson who took lead on the vocal, singing it in an unearthly falsetto he copied from his Delta blues hero Skip James. Canned Heat had their showtime major performance that twelvemonth at the Monterey Pop Festival, where Jimi Hendrix and the Who made their U.Due south. debuts.
Wilson played a white Fender Mustang, wearing a metallic slide on his pinkie. He'd switched to a 1954 Les Paul gold-superlative past the time Canned Heat played at Woodstock, in 1969. The concert saw them perform the vocal that would define both the group and the festival, "Going Upwardly the Country," a remake of "Balderdash Doze Blues" written past country blues singer Henry Thomas. Sung once more by Wilson, "Going Upwards the Country" was subsequently released as a single and became an international hit, thanks in part to its prominent use in Michael Wadleigh's 1970 Woodstock documentary.
4. Close to Nature
Wilson adult a deep interest in botany and conservation and frequently slept outdoors, commonly at Hite'southward business firm, to exist closer to nature. His 1969 song "Poor Moon" was written out of business that humans would pollute the moon, and he wrote an essay chosen "Grim Harvest" that expressed concern for the fate of California's redwoods.
five. John Lee Hooker
In May 1970, Canned Heat supported their idol John Lee Hooker in the studio for the making of the double anthology Hooker 'northward Heat. Hooker, whose disregard for song format made him notoriously hard to follow, was impressed by Wilson's ability to go on up with him, noting "you musta been listenin' to my records all your life."The bluesman was likewise struck past Wilson's prowess on the harp, calling him "the greatest harmonica player ever."
Tragically, on September 3, 1970, before the album'due south release, Wilson was found dead from an overdose of barbiturates in his sleeping bag exterior Hite'south house. Wilson, who suffered from depression, had attempted suicide earlier. It's unknown if his expiry was accidental or intentional.
Browse Canned Heat music here (opens in new tab).
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Source: https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/five-reasons-alan-wilson-remains-a-guitar-legend
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