Dave Thomas was the lead singer, songwriter and guitar player for the seminal 60s/70s progressive rock band Blonde On Blonde. The band toured extensively, sharing stages with The Pretty Things, Jefferson Airplane, Hawkwind, Deep Purple, Genesis, Atomic Rooster, Marsha Hunt, Wishbone Ash, Barclay James Harvest, Edgar Broughton, Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum and The Steve Miller Band.
Blonde On Blonde appeared at both the Isle of Wight Festivals supporting Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix. In 1971 they were supported by Fleetwood Mac!
Dave plans to release a couple of new albums in 2020, one of which is the result of a writing collaboration with Dave Greenslade of Greenslade and Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum.
1 – Hello Central – Lightnin’ Hopkins
First blues I learned and performed solo at St Mark’s Church Hall in my home town – Newport, South Wales.
2 – Going By The River – Jimmy Reed
Wonderfully rich, rolling 8 bar blues packed with emotion, but so, so simple.
3 – Sassy Mae (Lend Me Your Love) – Memphis Slim
I love piano blues. This great song from Memphis Slim was on the first LP I ever bought – Preachin’ The Blues. My favourite blues guitarist, Matt Murphy, plays on it. It was the opening number I played with my first band – Skid Row.
4 – The Sky Is Crying – Elmore James
The best blues band from my home town of Newport in South Wales were called The Cellar Set. They did a brilliant version of this simple emotion-packed classic slow blues. Their guitarist Gareth Johnson was heavily influenced by Elmore James and Chuck Berry.
5 – Good Times Bad Times – Rolling Stones
My favourite Rolling Stones number. Great vocal delivery by Mick Jagger and rich 12 string guitar.
6 – Alabama Blues – J.B. Lenoir
I saw J.B. Lenoir when he was on the American Folk Blues tour. I’d gone to see Buddy Guy but it was J.B. who blew me away when he opened up the concert at the Colston Hall in Bristol with a searing, heartfelt solo acoustic delivery of Alabama Blues: a blues song written about racial oppression in the deep South.
7 – First Time I Met The Blues – Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy at his best! Visceral!
8 – One More Mile – James Cotton
One of my favourite blues from James Cotton and Otis Spann. I’ve recorded my version on my EP “One More Mile”.
9 – The Blues Never Die – Otis Spann
The title track from my favourite Otis Spann LP. Otis Spann, in my view, is the very best, combining deep blues with spiritual depth.
10 – A Few Good Years – Buddy Guy
“A Few Good Years” from Buddy Guy’s recent album “The Blues Is Alive And Well”. He’s still got it!. I met him in Chicago. He’s still a great inspiration to me.
For More Info – Dave Thomas
