Blackfoot were a southern rock band that flew the Confederate flag during the 70’s and 80’s.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Blackfoot
ALBUM: Tomcattin’
LABEL: Atco
SERIAL: SD 32-101
YEAR: 1980
CD REISSUE: Discogs Reissue List
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA
LINEUP: Rick Medlocke – vocals, guitars * Charlie Hargrett – lead guitars * Greg T Walker – bass * Jakson Spires – drums, percussion
TRACK LISTING: 01 Warped * 02 On The Run * 03 Dream On * 04 Street Fighter * 05 Gimme Gimme Gimme * 06 Every Man Should Know (Queenie) * 07 In The Night * 08 Reckless Abandoner * 09 Spendin’ Cabbage
WEBLINKS: Sit
Blackfoot Background
Blackfoot were a southern rock band that flew the Confederate flag during the 70’s and 80’s. Perhaps not widely known is that Blackfoot traversed up and down the eastern seaboard between 1969 and 1975.
Blackfoot wasvnamed after the Indian heritage of members Medlocke, Walker and Spires. They resettled in Florida after stints in New York City, New Jersey and North Carolina.
During the early 70’s, Medlocke and Walker even joined an early incarnation of the great Lynyrd Skynyrd. But when that path ran its course, Blackfoot was resurrected. Due to the Skynyrd connection, Blackfoot released their first pair of albums ‘No Reservations’ and ‘Flying High’.
Their return to Florida coincided with their engagement as a backup band to female rocker Ruby Starr. And then during 1978, Blackfoot secured a record contract with Atco Records. They released their third (but first for Atco) called ‘Strikes’ in 1979. Atco would be the band’s home for the next 6 years.
The Songs
The triumvirate of albums: ‘Strikes’, ‘Tomcattin’ and ‘Marauder’ would all feature animals on their album covers. It made for a memorable visual recollection of their LP’s during this period.
Though steeped in southern and country references and influences, Blackfoot were quite a heavy band for their time. And it seems there was no discernible reference to their Indian heritage either. ‘Strikes’ saw the band feature with two of their best known songs: ‘Train Train’ and ‘Highway Song’.
The following album ‘Tomcattin’ which was released in June 1980 didn’t feature any songs that made for singles action. But that’s not to say the album didn’t have any worthwhile material. Far from it.
The coarse opener ‘Warped’ with chugging guitar work and arena rock intensity gets things off to a great start.
‘On The Run’ continues the hot surge of metallic southern rock. ‘Dream On’ has a lot in common with other contemporaries of the day. Meanwhile ‘Street Fighter’ is as tough as the songtitle suggests.
‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’ is another highlight, with the hot guitar lines worked into a humid southern/bluesy rocker. ‘Every Man Should Know (Queenie)’ is another fan favourite. A stomping rocker that has stood the test of time.
‘In The Night’ reduces the tempo, a slow burner ballad/rocker with some intense harmonica parts for good measure. Perhaps the closest to commercial material would be ‘Reckless Abandoner’, though the songtitle is a mouthful.
‘Spendin’ Cabbage’ is pure southern rock balladry, with all the pre-requisite lyrical content associated with the South included within. My favourite track is the closer ‘Fox Chase’, with grand-dad Shorty Medlocke providing a narration and a harmonica intro.
In Summary
1980 proved to be a busy year for Blackfoot on the touring front. The band went out as a support band for The Who, whom they also toured with the previous year.
Blackfoot also landed a prestigious gig supporting AC/DC on their ‘Back In Black’ tour. Plus they hooked up with The Scorpions on a jaunt to the UK later that year.
Though ‘Tomcattin’ only reached #50 on Billboard, it was enough to earn them Gold Certification. 1981 also proved to be a successful year with their ‘Marauder’ release.
Blackfoot on Video
Click to go to YTM album page.
