After missing the boat with Lynyrd Skynyrd (for whom he played drums early on), guitarist/singer Rick Medlocke formed Blackfoot, arguably the first all-Native American rock group. The band struggled for almost a decade, playing run-of-the-mill Southern rock that they eventually injected with extra volume and attitude before signing with Atco, for whom they recorded their 1979 breakthrough Strikes. Known as a ferocious live unit and probably the heaviest of Southern rock bands (see opener "Road Fever"), Strikes also proved that Blackfoot could write great melodies for the gloomy "Left Turn on a Red Light" and the inspired cover version of Free's "Wishing Well." But the band's biggest hit would come in the form of the seven-minute "Highway Song," a tune that was admittedly very reminiscent of Skynyrd's "Freebird" and that helped drive the album to gold status. Also of note is the harmonica performance of Shorty Medlocke (Rick's grandfather) on his own blues, "Train, Train."
ProducerAl Nalli, Henry Weck
Record LabelAtco (USA)
UPC0075679041920
Product Key Features
Release Year1988
StyleHard Rock
GenreRock, Hard Rock, Rock & Pop
Additional Product Features
FormatCD
DistributorWea (Distributor)
Recording ModeStereo
Release Date19881101
Duration34min.
ArtistBlackfoot
Spar CODEN/A
Recording TypeStudio
