Elvin Bishop

Elvin Bishop - Feel It! - 1970 - Fillmore

The Elvin Bishop Group's second album saw the band tilt the balance more away from blues-rock, and toward soul-rock and R&B-influenced rock, than had been the case on their debut. The result was more consistent than the patchy The Elvin Bishop Group, but still not an optimum distillation of Bishop's talents. Jo Baker took over much of the lead vocal duties, and while that was a plus inasmuch as Bishop himself didn't have many singing chops to speak of, Baker was only an adequate soul singer. Again the program was split between blues-R&B-soul covers and originals, but the covers weren't remarkable interpretations, and the group-generated compositions were just so-so. Bishop's guitar prowess is rather subdued on much of the material, a highlight being the Santana-like instrumental "Hogbottom," which indeed features Chepito Areas and Mike Carabello of Santana on percussion. The 2002 CD reissue on Sundazed adds a bonus track from an Epic 45, "Stealin' Watermelons." © Richie Unterberger, allmusic.com

Feel It! is a good R&B/Soul recording. Rolling stone described this album as ""A fat pack of San Francisco-ballroom R&B", and if you like that music genre, you may enjoy this album. Elvin Bishop's guitar skills are not apparent on the album, except for the "Hogbottom" track which is a good instrumental. To hear more of the blues rock side of Elvin Bishop, give his great "Let It Flow" album a listen

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Don't Fight It (Feel It) (Cropper / Pickett)
I Just Can't Go On (Baker)
So Good (Bishop / Miller)
Crazy 'Bout You Baby (Williamson)
So Fine (Otis)
Party Till the Cows Come Home (Bishop / Miller)
Hogbottom (Bishop / Miller)
Be With Me (Bishop / Miller)
As the Years Go Passing By (Malone)

MUSICIANS

Elvin Bishop - guitar, vocals
Kip Maercklein - bass
Stephen Miller - piano, organ, vocals
John Chambers - drums
Mike Carabello, José Chepitó Areas - percussion
Jo Baker - percussion, vocals
Perry Walsh - harmonica, vocals
The Pointer Sisters - vocals

BIO

A veteran guitarist who fused the blues with gospel, R&B, and country traditions, Elvin Bishop was born in Glendale, CA, on October 21, 1942. He grew up on a farm in Iowa with no electricity or running water, and eventually moved to Oklahoma with his family when he was ten. Raised in an all-White community, his only exposure to African-American traditions was the radio, which introduced him to the sounds of blues stations in Shreveport, LA. The piercing sound of Jimmy Reed's harmonica won his attention; Bishop would later liken it to a crossword puzzle that he had to figure out. What was this music? Who made it? What was it all about? Inspired, he began to put the pieces together. However, it was not until he won a National Merit Scholarship to the University of Chicago in 1959 that Bishop found the real answers to his questions. He found himself in the middle of the Chicago blues scene and immersed himself in the genre. After two years of college, Bishop dropped out and pursued music full time, eventually meeting Howlin' Wolf's guitarist Smokey Smothers and learning the basics of blues guitar from him. In the early '60s, Bishop teamed up with Paul Butterfield helped form the core of the Butterfield Blues Band. Although he had only played guitar for a few years, he practiced frequently and played with Butterfield in just about every place possible, including campuses, houses, parks, and — in the venue that helped launch the band — Big John's on Chicago's North Side. Bishop also helped shape the sound of several Butterfield albums, including The Pigboy Crabshaw, whose title refers to Bishop's countrified persona. In 1968, Elvin Bishop left Butterfield's band following the release of In My Own Dream. He launched a solo career and relocated to the San Francisco area, where he made frequent appearances at the Filmore with artists like Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Jimi Hendrix, and the Allman Brothers Band. Bishop recorded for four albums for Epic Records and later signed with Capricorn in 1974. His recording of "Traveling Shoes" (from the album Let It Flow) made a dent on the charts, but the single "Fooled Around and Fell in Love" (from Struttin' My Stuff) made a bigger splash in 1976 when it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard charts. Over the next few years, the Elvin Bishop Group dissolved. He released his album Best Of in 1979 and lay low for several years, eventually resurfacing when he signed with the Alligator label in 1988. Bishop then released Big Fun in 1988 and Don't Let the Bossman Get You Down in 1991, both of which were well received. He also participated in Alligator's 1992 20th Anniversary cross-country tour; three years later, he toured with veteran bluesman B.B. King and released an album entitled Ace in the Hole. The Skin I'm In followed in 1998, and 2000's That's My Partner saw him teaming up with Smokey Smothers, the same musician who had originally taught him guitar. After a five-year hiatus, Bishop released Gettin' My Groove Back in 2005 via Blind Pig Records; he then jumped to the Delta Groove Music label for 2008's The Blues Rolls On, which featured guest spots by B.B. King, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks, and others. © Michael Erlewine, allmusic.com