They're known as the founding fathers of Southern rock, but the Allman Brothers were actually much more progressive than the musical school they inspired. They reclaimed the US-influenced blues-rock of Cream et al. and brought it back to America, add…

b. David Albert Cook, 23 July 1947, Plaistow, London, England. Originally a drummer in the semi-professional Everons, Essex subsequently turned to singing during the mid-60s, and recorded a series of unsuccessful singles for a variety of labels. On t…

b. 20 November 1947, Wichita, Kansas, USA. Guitar hero Walsh started his long and varied career in 1965 with the G-Clefs. Following a spell with local band the Measles, he found major success when he joined the James Gang in 1969. Walsh's growling, e…

Though Otis Rush was born in Mississippi, he was no Delta blues guitarist. Seemingly a city boy at heart, he journeyed to Chicago, where he quickly became one of the most highly regarded urban blues players of the '50s and '60s. The left-handed guita…

Elvin Bishop was born in Glendale CA on October 21 1942 He grew up on a farm in Iowa with no electricity and no running water His family moved to Oklahoma when he was ten Raised in an all-White community he had no exposure to Blacks or their music ex…

b. Muriel Ellen Deason, 30 August 1919, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The family relocated to Humphries County but returned to Nashville in 1928, where Deason's father, who played guitar and sang for local dances, worked as a brakeman for the Tennessee …