Blackfoot
Blackfoot were contemporaries of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried for years to make it as a Southern rock band, although they finally succeeded as a hard rock outfit, in the manner of AC/DC and the Scorpions. They racked up a hit album (Strikes) and a pair of successful singles ("Train, Train," "Highway Song") in the late '70s and early '80s, before they became lost in the post-MTV era of visually oriented bands.
The group started out as a quartet comprising 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. Named Blackfoot as an acknowledgment of Medlocke's heritage, they were signed to Island in 1975, evidently as that label's resident Southern rockers, but moved to Epic the following year. Neither relationship was successful, but in 1979, after moving to Atco, their first album for the new label, Strikes, hit a responsive chord -- the group spent the next few years on that label, racking up impressive sales with the follow-ups Tomcattin' and Marauder.
In the mid-'80s, Blackfoot added ex-Uriah Heep keyboardist Ken Hensley in order to bring a new side to their sound. Their fortunes declined amid the advent of MTV and the growth in importance of rock video promotional clips, as well as the influence of sounds from Europe and Australia, and they never recovered, despite efforts to adapt their sound and image. Hensley was replaced, and a new lineup recorded Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot (1987). Only two albums, Medicine Man (1990) and After the Reign (1994), were released during the first half of the 1990s. Committed to his duties in Lynyrd Skynyrd, Medlocke put Blackfoot on ice in 1997.
The following decade and into the 2010s, the band was active as a performing act featuring original members but not Medlocke. Blackfoot released a handful of live sets, including On the Run (2004) and Fly Away (2011). In 2012, Medlocke -- still part of Lynyrd Skynyrd -- chose four new musicians to represent Blackfoot and acted as the band's producer.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Discography
39 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Another Day, Another Dollar (Live 1985)
Rock - Released by musique d'herbs on 17 Jun 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Highway Song Live (Live Version)
Rock - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 10 May 1982
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Vertical Smiles
Rock - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 19 Feb 1984
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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No Reservations
Rock - Released by Walhalla Records on 26 Dec 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Southern Native
Rock - Released by Loud & Proud Records on 5 Aug 2016
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Original Album Series
Rock - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 4 Feb 2013
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Train, Train
Rock - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 17 May 2018
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Highway Songs
Rock - Released by Warner Music Group - X5 Music Group on 25 Mar 2017
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
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Live - Train Train-Southern Rock's Best
Rock - Released by Golden Core on 5 Jun 2007
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Blackfoot (Road Fever 1980 - 1985)
Rock - Released by Sunset Blvd. Records on 20 Sep 2019
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
After the Reign
Rock - Released by Bullet Proof Records on 26 Dec 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Rick Medlocke & Blackfoot
Rock - Released by Rhino Atlantic on 8 Apr 1987
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Rainbow Music Hall, Denver (Classic 1979 LIVE Broadcast)
Blues - Released by Smokin' Badger on 1 Jun 2020
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo -
Rockin’ Suzie in the Qu - Live in Regensburg 1994 (Live)
Rock - Released by Nibelung Records on 15 Sep 2022
Available in16-Bit/44.1 kHz Stereo