Blackfoot is the band that Rick Medlocke formed after leaving Lynyrd Skynyrd. Blackfoot were the first moslty Native American rock group. (Charlie Hargrett was the lone "white guy' as Rick put it!) The band was made up of: singer/guitarist Rickey Medlocke, the grandson of bluegrass musician Shorty Medlocke, who wrote "Train, Train"; drummer/singer Jakson Spires, bassist/singer Greg T. Walker, and lead guitarist Charlie Hargrett. The group also added ex-Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley in the mid-80's. They played a form of hard Southern rock that was popular with fans of the NWOBHM, for some reason. Their success in America was never that of Europe, who latched onto their heavy southern sound. In the mid-to-late 80's however, they popularity dwindled and the band broke up. Rick is now back touring and writing with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jakson Spires formed the Southern Rock Allstars in 2000 with ex-Molly Hatchet guitarist Dave Hlubeck. Other members of Blackfoot (Charlie Hargrett), the Danny Joe Brown Band (Buzzy Meekins & Steve Wheeler) are now touring as the Southern Rock Rebellion.

Blackfoot-No Reservations (HF9530) 1975

1. "Railroad Man" (2:22)
2. "Indian World" (2:52)
3. "Stars" (4:08)
4. "Not Another Maker" (5:08)
5. "Born to Rock & Roll" (3:37)
6. "Take A Train" (4:23)
7. "Big Wheels" (5:05)
8. "I Stand Alone" (7:47)
9. "Railroad Man" (1:10)

Blackfoot's debut is a hard rocking and muscular take on Skynyrd's southern rock n roll. Medlock was fresh out of the band at this point, if I am not mistaken. Still Rick has a slightly more metallic and, at times, bluesy vibe going on than Skynyrd ever did, For some odd reason this disc is one of the hardest in the band's catalogue to find, even before cd's when vinyl ruled the world. This particular copy seems to be a bootleg of sorts, although the packaging and pressing are quite professional there is no record label or copyright information given.

Strikes Blackfoot-Strikes (Atco) 1979

1. "Road Fever" (3:07)
2. "I Got A Line On You" (3:17)
3. "Left Turn On A Red Light" (4:35)
4. "Pay My Dues" (3:03)
5. "Baby Blue" (2:33)
6. "Wishing Well" (3:11)
7. "Run And Hide" (3:24)
8. "Train, Train (Prelude)" (:36)
9. "Train, Train" (2:56)
10. "Highway Song" (6:59)

A smoking and heavy southern rock album. "Highway Song" is Blackfoot's "Freebird." This song just jams, which is what I like best about Southern rock. "Train, Train" is another great song with some killer harmonica playing by Shorty Medlocke. Great cover version of Free's "Wishing Well" as well. Gary Moore has also recorded this song.

Tomcattin' Blackfoot-Tomcattin' (Atco) 1980

1. "Warped" (4:12)
2. "On the Run" (4:00)
3. "Dream On" (5:16)
4. "Street Fighter" (2:34)
5. "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" (4:06)
6. "Every Man Should Know (Queenie)" (3:43)
7. "In the Night" (3:52)
8. "Reckless Abandoner" (5:13)
9. "Spendin' Cabbage" (3:15)
10. "Fox Chase" (4:23)

1980 and Blackfoot showed no signs of slowing down at this point. They were even gaining major popularity in the European NWOBHM scene. 'Tomcattin'" was Blackfoot's second major label effort. Many were disappointed that this album didn't contain any obvious made for rock radio hits, including the record company from what I have read. Still at this point in the band's career, their popularity was climbing. The lack of radio hits may have been a scare to the record company executives but I think this was a good thing. 'Tomcattin' was 100% pure, Jack Daniels soaked, rebel flag waving, Southern rock 'n roll. The album opens at full tilt with "Warped" before finding moving into a more midpaced groove in killer songs like "On the Run," "Dream On," Street Fighter" and one of my favorites "Reckless Abandoner". "Every Man Should Know (Queenie)" could very well have been a radio hit as it has a monster rhythm guitar hook, some very cool slide guitar and some choice guitar solos. "Gimme Gimme Gimme" would have fit nicely on any Molly Hatchet record with it's heavy boogie rhythm, tough vocals, and some more slick slide guitar work. Of course what would a Southern rock album be without at least one song with some harp blowing, and "Tomcattin'" doesn't fail to deliver this with the bluesy "In the Night.""Spendin' Cabbage" brings home some Medlocke southern blues. The final track has Rick's father Shorty Medlocke introducing the song "Fox Chase."

Marauder Blackfoot-Marauder (Atco) 1981

1. "Good Morning" (3:36)
2. "Payin' for It" (3:38)
3. "Diary of a Workingman" (5:36)
4. "Too Hard to Handle" (4:02)
5. "Fly Away" (2:58)
6. "Dry Country" (3:42)
7. "Fire of the Dragon" (4:05)
8. "Rattlesnake Rock 'N' Roller" (4:01)
9. "Searchin'" (5:43)

Blackfoot's "Marauder" is a GREAT album and should have been a giganitic hit. Why it was not a hit in the U.S. is a mystery although I have read that it was mostly the fault of poor marketing and indifference by their label. "Marauder" was a hit for the band in Europe however. Why is it that American's are so stinking reliant on labels and trends to tell them what to listen to. To bad, cause most Americans missed out on a great band.

King Biscuit Blackfoot-King Biscuit Flower Hour Live (King Biscuit) 1998

1. "Rattlesnake Rock & Roller" (4:20)
2. "Wishing Well" (3:15)
3. "Teenage Idol" (4:38)
4. "Train, Train" (8:22)
5. "Easy Livin'" (2:27)
6. "Highway Song" (10:21)
7. "On the Run" (5:53)
8. "Fly Away" (3:44)
9. "Livin' in the City" (4:29)
10. "Interview With Rickey Medlocke" (17:08)

An awesome live performance recorded live at the Palladium in Hollywood, CA, USA on August 10, 1983. Rickey Medlocke and Charlie Hargrett trading licks and guitar tricks back and forth. The generous friend who gave me this disc described it like this: It is a real raucous, energetic performance. It sounds more to me like the Allman Bros. borrowing Dan McCafferty from Nazareth, and injecting equal doses of Nugent's attitude and Raven's reckless abandon into their own thing. I'm actually thinking the studio records are going to be pretty tame in comparison. I couldn't have said it better myself. High energy swamp music! Lots of highlights on this disc but the biggest surprise was a furious cover of Hensley's Uriah Heep hit "Easy Livin'." This superb recording features Rickey Medlocke (Vocals, lead and slide Guitar), Greg T Walker (Bass), Charlie Hargrett (lead Guitar), Jakson Spires (Drums) and Ken Hensley (Hammond Organ and Slide Guitar). The 17 minute Interview with Rickey Medlocke closes out the CD with Rick discussing the European tours, Shorty Medlocke, "Highway Song" the album and why it was never released in the States and Rick's ideas on what made the band what it was. Not that I care much for interviews, but it is quite annoying that the interview cuts off while Rick is in the middle of a sentence. There is another version of this disc out simply titled LIVE that omits the interview and has very cheap packaging.

Dave Murray * Rick Medlocke

Blackfoot also performed a cover of ZZ Top's 'Tush' on stage with Iron Maiden at the Reading Festival in 1982. The photo at the left shows Iron Maiden's Dave Murry and Blackfoot's Rickey Medlocke as both bands performed together. This song was released on a bootleg compilation called Iron Maiden-High Voltage Vol.1 that I have a cdr copy of.

Medicine Man Blackfoot-Medicine Man (Nalli) 1991

1. "Doin' My Job" (3:55)
2. "The Stealer" (3:21)
3. "Sleazy World" (3:56)
4. "Not Gonna Cry Anymore" (3:38)
5. "Navarre" (1:50)
6. "Soldier Blue" (3:59)
7. "Runnin', Runnin'" (4:38)
8. "Chilled to d'Bone" (4:16)
9. "Guitar Slingers Song and Dance" (5:27)

I could find very little information about this disc on the internet for some strange reasons. AMG, whose reviews I generally don't trust, had a review of 'Medicine Man' but they gave it very poor ratings. I can see why some long time fans would be disappointed as Rick Medlocke, who has always been the heart and soul of this band, is the only original member of the band and has toned down the band's heavy metal vibe quite a bit. Still, "Medicine Man" is obviously a disc that Rick wanted to write, as opposed to "Siogo" or "Vertical Smiles' which were Rick under pressure from record company executives to write hits. 'Medicine Man' returns to the more down home southern rock and blues of the past. As with many artists who are no longer on big labels, Rick seems much more comfortable writing in his own style, rather than trying to change with the times, as he was being forced to do in the past. So, while this album may not be the masterwork of 'Strikes' it is still a very enjoyable disc and I cannot imagine any fan of Medlocke being disappointed.

Blackfoot-After the Reign (Bullet Proof) 1994

1. "Sittin' on Top of the World" (4:41)
2. "Nobody Rides for Free" (4:00)
3. "Tupelo Honey" (4:52)
4. "Rainbow" (4:32)
5. "It's All over Now" (4:29)
6. "The Road's My Middle Name" (4:07)
7. "Hang Time" (4:24)
8. "Tonight" (3:41)
9. "After the Reign" (5:21)
10. "Bandelaro" -instrumental (3:35)

This album is simply awesome. It's a bit bluesier than anything Rick had done in the past, but it's all done with a passion that can be felt within each and every song. Rick's vocals bring the songs to life. He has a soulful, passionate voice that works well with this type of mostly acoustic, bluesy affair. There are several covers, a Van Morrison cover, a Bonnie Raitt tune, and the blues standard "Sittin' On Top Of the World." All are excellent and fit well with the originals. Rick Medlocke was just made to do this kind of stuff, even if some would call it predictable. Others have tried and failed miserably, but Rick is a master at his craft.

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