John Lee Hooker is a legend and pivotal figure in this archive. He was very much "there" as blues became rock.

This article is not about Hooker though. It is about a band that stood behind Hooker.

The Groundhogs.

And as they stood behind Hooker, I stood in front of them. In a pub. In Camden.

This doesn't mean that I witnessed greatness, but it means I witnessed those who witnessed greatness!

The incarnation of the Groundhogs I saw in the 2000s contained Tony McPhee. It was he who renamed the band after a John Lee Hooker song. They backed him in his 1964 tour of England. The band was originally called the Dollar Bills and were formed in New Cross, London, in 1962 by brothers John and Peter Cruickshank.

While the lineup shifted and evolved through various iterations over the decades with McPhee keeping a steady grip on the steering wheel, I have gone for their most well-known single: Cherry Red from 1971.

Cherry Red by The Groundhogs

It's a great song in its own right. A proper kind of early 1970s rock song, complete with that raw, fuzz-driven guitar crunch and a massive chorus. For me, it's a particular niche of sound that I don't often turn to, but I do enjoy it in bursts. Which is why I have included this particular burst!