Blind Owl Wilson ‘Blind Owl Wilson’
2016 US Mississippi Records MRP-082
Compilation of the late Alan ‘Blind Owl’ Wilson / Canned Heat tracks.
Not hard to find, just not a common one to see compared to most Canned Heat stuff, so picked it up. I kinda dig the art too.
Canned Heat, headlined by Blind Owl, super charged the resurgence of Blues in the 60s as a Rock form directly referencing blues artists. Their best known ‘Going Up The Country’ and ‘On The Road Again’ are featured along with a stellar group of strong tracks. Hard to pick only 11 tracks, but this one’s a great set.
Blind Owl died in 1970, two weeks after Hendrix, followed within a year by Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, all four dying at the age of 27.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nBhpiUFSYWI

Robert Johnson ‘King Of The Delta Blues Singers’
1961 US Columbia CL 1654
Pitman pressing, first pressing
Hard to summarize the importance of Robert Johnson (1911-1938) to modern music and that of this first compilation (previously all only 78 singles) to future musical greats.
“Although his recording career spanned only seven months, he is recognized as a master of the blues, particularly the Delta blues style, and as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as perhaps "the first ever rock star".”
Ironically, also the inaugural member of the ‘27 Club’ before he gained any recognition. RIP