The Hollywood Fats Band - Road to Rio / Larger than Life (2006)

The Hollywood Blue Flames emerged from the smoldering embers of The Hollywood Fats Band, arguably the best young blues band to come out of the 1970s, led by guitar phenomenon Michael 'Hollywood Fats' Mann. Along with bassist Larry Taylor (fresh from Canned Heat), drummer Richard Innes (ex-Rod Piazza), Lloyd Glenn protege Fred Kaplan on piano, and featuring the multi-talented Al Blake on harmonica and vocals, Hollywood Fats almost single-handedly ignited a traditional blues revival that still echoes loudly to this day. Whenever you hear the warm retro sounds of classic Chicago blues coupled with a swinging rhythm section and tasty-but-nasty guitar, you’re hearing the legacy of The Hollywood Fats Band. Sadly, Fats passed away unexpectedly in 1986, and the band members all went on to other successful musical ventures.
Their 2005 reunion release 'Soul Sanctuary' on Delta Groove – with acclaimed young blues guitarist Kirk Fletcher ably filling the shoes of Fats - earned universal rave reviews. Their new Delta Groove release 'Road To Rio' picks up without skipping a beat, and includes several very welcome extras: two previously un-recorded songs co-written by Hollywood Fats and Al Blake that point in a roots-rock direction the band was just beginning to explore before Fats’ untimely passing; collaborations with fellow West Coast blues guitar pioneer Junior Watson, and Fabulous Thunderbirds frontman Kim Wilson; and an entire CD of previously un-released vintage live performances by Hollywood Fats in his prime, including guest appearances by Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson, and legendary blues shouter Roy Brown!
The Hollywood Blue Flames / Hollywood Fats Band music contained on 'Road To Rio' and 'Larger Than Life' stands on its own as some of the most enjoyable blues and roots music to be released in recent memory, but with the inclusion of the previously unheard live recordings, it’s also an important and historic document of musical geniuses whose likes we will not see again.