Alan Wilson ( musician ) - wikipedia Alan Wilson ( musician ) Alan Wilson Background information Birth name Alan Christie Wilson Also known as Blind Owl ( 1943 - 07 - 04 ) July 4, 1943 Arlington, Massachusetts, U.S. September 3, 1970 ( 1970 - 09 - 03 ) ( aged 27 ) Topanga, California, U.S. Genres Blues rock boogie rock Occupation ( s ) Musician songwriter Instruments Guitar vocals harmonica Years active 1960 -- 1970 Labels Liberty Records Associated acts Canned Heat Son House Notable instruments 1954 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop Fender Duo Sonic Gibson ES - 335 Alan Christie Wilson ( July 4, 1943 -- September 3, 1970 ) was a co-founder, leader, and primary composer for the American blues band Canned Heat. He played harmonica, guitar, and sang with the group live and on recordings. Wilson was lead singer on Canned Heat 's two biggest U.S. hit singles. His death at age 27 prefigured that of some of the other rock artists of the 1960s. Contents 1 Early years 2 Canned Heat 3 Death 4 Discography 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links Early years Wilson was born and grew up in the Boston suburb of Arlington, Massachusetts. Some of Wilson 's first efforts at performing music publicly came during his teen years with a jazz ensemble he formed with other musically oriented friends from school. It was around this same time that Wilson developed a fascination with blues music after a friend played a Muddy Waters record for him. After graduating from Arlington High School, he majored in music at Boston University and played the Cambridge, Massachusetts coffeehouse folk - blues circuit. Wilson developed into a dedicated student of early blues, writing a number of articles for Broadside of Boston newspaper and the folk - revival magazine Little Sandy Review, including a piece on bluesman Robert Pete Williams. Wilson was considered by many of his musical peers to be an expert on the blues musicians who came before him ; many considered him as possessing an exceptional ability for connecting musically with the elder bluesmen. His biggest influences included Skip James, Robert Johnson, Son House, Charley Patton, Tommy Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, and Bukka White. James, in particular, was a highly exalted figure in Wilson 's personal music journey. In high school, Wilson studied James ' 1931 recordings with great ardor. Subsequently, Wilson began singing similar to James ' high pitch. Wilson eventually perfected the high tenor, for which he would become known. After Son House 's ' rediscovery ' in 1964, it was evident that House had forgotten his songs due to his long absence from music. Wilson showed him how to play again the songs House had recorded in 1930 and 1942. Wilson played House 's old recordings for him and demonstrated them on guitar to revive House 's memory. House recorded `` Father of the Delta Blues '' for Columbia Records in 1965. Two of three selections on the set featured Wilson on harmonica and guitar. In a letter to Jazz Journal published in the September 1965 issue, Son House 's manager Dick Waterman remarked the following about the project and Wilson : `` It is a solo album, except for backing on two cuts by a 21 - year - old White boy from Cambridge by the name of Al Wilson. Al plays second guitar on Empire State Express and harp on Levee Camp Moan. Al never recorded before, but he has backed John Hurt, Skip James, Sleepy John Estes, Bukka White and many others. He is good, and the record will prove it. '' Canned Heat During his time performing in Cambridge, Wilson met American guitarist John Fahey. From Fahey, he acquired the nickname `` Blind Owl '' owing to his extreme nearsightedness, roundish facial features and scholarly nature. In one instance when he was playing at a wedding, he laid his guitar on the wedding cake because he did not see it. As Canned Heat 's drummer, Fito de la Parra, wrote in his book : `` Without the glasses, Alan literally could not recognize the people he played with at two feet, that 's how blind the ' Blind Owl ' was. ''. With Fahey 's encouragement, Wilson moved with Fahey to Los Angeles with the aim of having Wilson assist Fahey with his UCLA master 's thesis on Charley Patton. It was in Los Angeles that Wilson met Bob Hite, a fellow blues enthusiast and record collector who would go on to establish Canned Heat with Wilson. With Canned Heat, Wilson performed at two prominent concerts of the 1960s era, the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and Woodstock in 1969. Although Canned Heat 's live performance was cut from the original theatrical release of the Woodstock film, they were featured in the 25th anniversary `` Director 's Cut. '' The studio version of `` Going Up The Country '' was featured in the Woodstock film. Wilson also wrote and sang the hit record `` On the Road Again. '' In an interview with Down Beat magazine he remarked that, ``... on `` On The Road Again '' ( second LP ) I appear in six different capacities -- three tamboura parts, harmonica, vocal, and guitar, all recorded at different times. '' On the double album Hooker ' N Heat ( 1970 ), John Lee Hooker is heard wondering how Wilson is capable of following Hooker 's guitar playing so well. Hooker was known to be a difficult performer to accompany, partly because of his disregard of song form. Yet Wilson seemed to have no trouble at all following him on this album. Hooker concludes that `` you ( Wilson ) musta been listenin ' to my records all your life ''. Hooker is also known to have stated `` Wilson is the greatest harmonica player ever. '' Death On September 3, 1970, Wilson was found dead on a hillside behind bandmate Bob Hite 's Topanga Canyon home ; he was 27 years old. An autopsy identified his manner and cause of death as accidental acute barbiturate intoxication. Wilson reportedly had attempted suicide a few months earlier, attempting to drive his car off a freeway in Los Angeles. He was briefly hospitalized for significant depression, and was released after a few weeks. Although his death is sometimes reported as a suicide, this is not clearly established and he left no note. Wilson 's death came just two weeks before the death of Jimi Hendrix and four weeks before the death of Janis Joplin, two artists who also died at the same age. Along with his talent and intellect, Wilson had a reputation for social awkwardness and introversion which may have contributed to his depression. Wilson was a passionate conservationist who loved reading books on botany and ecology. He often slept outdoors to be closer to nature. In 1969, he wrote and recorded a song, `` Poor Moon '', which expressed concern over potential pollution of the moon. He wrote an essay called ' Grim Harvest ', about the coastal redwood forests of California, which was printed as the liner notes to the Future Blues album by Canned Heat. Wilson was interested in preserving the natural world, particularly the redwood trees. When he died, so too did the Music Mountain organization he had initiated dedicated to this purpose. In order to support his dream, Wilson 's family has purchased a `` grove naming '' in his memory through the Save the Redwoods League of California. The money donated to create this memorial will be used by the League to support redwood reforestation, research, education, and land acquisition of both new and old growth redwoods. Stephen Stills ' song `` Blues Man '' from the album Manassas is dedicated to Wilson, along with Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman. Discography Father of the Delta Blues : The Complete 1965 Sessions, w / Son House 1965 The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party & Other Excursions, w / John Fahey 1966 Vintage Heat Canned Heat 1966, Janus Records Canned Heat Canned Heat 1967, Liberty Records Fred Neil w / Fred Neil 1967, Capitol Records Boogie with Canned Heat Canned Heat, 1968, Liberty Records Living the Blues Canned Heat, 1968, Liberty Records Woodstock w / Canned Heat, 1969, Warner Bros. Records Woodstock 2 w / Canned Heat 1969 Warner Bros. Records Hallelujah Canned Heat, 1969, Liberty Records Slim 's Got His Thing Going On w / Sunnyland Slim, 1969 World Pacific Records Cookbook : Their Greatest Hits Canned Heat, 1970 Live at the Kaleidoscope 1969 Canned Heat, 1971, ( Originally released as Live at Topanga Corral ), Wand Records Future Blues Canned Heat, 1970, Liberty Records Canned Heat ' 70 Concert Live in Europe Canned Heat, 1970 John The Revelator : The 1970 London Sessions w / Son House, 1970, Vequel Records ( re-released in 1995 on Capitol Records as Delta Blues and Spirituals ) Hooker ' N Heat Canned Heat w / John Lee Hooker, 1971, Liberty Records Other Canned Heat Compilations e.g. The Boogie House Tapes Vol. I, II and III - 2012 Canned Heat Revolution. Alan Wilson : The Blind Owl, 2013 ( 2 CD Severn Records ) See also 27 Club References Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. p. 7. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. p. 10. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. p. 20. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Unterberger, Richie ( 2002 ). Turn ! Turn ! Turn ! : The 60 's Folk Rock Revolution. Backbeat Books. p. 190. ISBN 9780879307035. Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. pp. 37, 53, 54. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Milward, John ( 2013 ). Crossroads : How the Blues Shaped Rock N ' Roll ( and Rock Saved the Blues ). Northeastern University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978 - 1 - 55553 - 744 - 9. Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson ( 2nd ed. ). Blind Owl Blues. p. 45. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Gioia, Ted ( 2008 ). Delta Blues : The Life and Times of the Mississippi Masters Who Revolutionized American Music ( 2nd ed. ). W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. p. 372. ISBN 9780393062588. Jump up ^ Jazz Journal, published September, 1965 `` ' Jazz Journal '' ' ``. Jazz Journal Limited. Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. pp. 62, 63. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ de la Parra, Fito ( 2000 ). Living The Blues : Canned Heat 's Story of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex, and Survival. Canned Heat Music. p. 125. ISBN 0 - 9676449 - 0 - 9. Jump up ^ Milward, John ( 2013 ). Crossroads : How the Blues Shaped Rock N ' Roll ( and Rock Saved the Blues ). Northeastern University Press. p. 80. ISBN 978 - 1 - 55553 - 744 - 9. Jump up ^ de la Parra, Fito ( 2000 ). Living The Blues : Canned Heat 's Story of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex, and Survival. Canned Heat Music. p. 19. ISBN 0 - 9676449 - 0 - 9. Jump up ^ Down Beat magazine, published June 19, 1968 Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. pp. 229, 243. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Talevski, Nick ( 2006 ). Rock Obituaries - Knocking On Heaven 's Door. Omnibus Press. p. 719. ISBN 1 - 84609 - 091 - 1. Jump up ^ Rolling Stone issue # 68, published October 29, 1970 Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. pp. 218 -- 219. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Jump up ^ Davis, Rebecca ( 2013 ). Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson. Blind Owl Blues. p. 3. ISBN 0 - 615 - 79298 - 7. Further reading Rebecca Davis, `` Blind Owl Blues : The Mysterious Life and Death of Blues Legend Alan Wilson '' ( 2007 ) ISBN 978 - 0 - 615 - 14617 - 1 Fito De La Parra, Living The Blues. Canned Heat 's story of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex and Survival ( 2000 ) ISBN 0 - 9676449 - 0 - 9 Boogie with Canned Heat : The Canned Heat Story, a documentary ( on DVD, Eagle Ent., 2007 ) External links Alan Wilson authorized tribute website Alan `` The Blind Owl '' Christie Wilson Facebook Page run by Canned Heat on Facebook Alan Wilson on IMDb Alan Wilson at Find a Grave Canned Heat Bob Hite Alan Wilson Henry Vestine Larry Taylor Adolfo de la Parra Harvey Mandel Studio albums Canned Heat Boogie with Canned Heat Living the Blues Hallelujah Future Blues Vintage Hooker ' n Heat Historical Figures and Ancient Heads The New Age One More River to Cross Reheated Live albums Canned Heat ' 70 Concert Live in Europe Live at Topanga Corral Compilations Let 's Work Together : The Best of Canned Heat Uncanned ! The Best of Canned Heat Singles `` Rollin ' and Tumblin ' '' `` On the Road Again '' `` Going Up the Country '' `` Let 's Work Together ( Let 's Stick Together ) '' Other songs `` Spoonful '' `` Got My Mojo Working '' `` Pretty Thing '' `` Dimples '' `` Talk to Me Baby ( I Ca n't Hold Out ) '' `` Evil Is Going On '' `` Goin ' Down Slow '' `` Catfish Blues '' `` Dust My Broom '' `` Help Me '' `` The Hunter '' `` Mean Old World '' `` Pony Blues '' `` Terraplane Blues '' `` Big Fat ( The Fat Man ) '' `` I Wish You Would '' `` It Hurts Me Too '' `` That 's All Right ( Mama ) '' `` Bring It On Home '' `` Killing Floor '' `` Meet Me in the Bottom '' `` Driftin ' Blues '' `` Boogie Chillen No. 2 '' `` That 's All Right '' `` Shake, Rattle and Roll '' `` Night Time Is the Right Time '' `` Chicken Shack Boogie '' `` Take Me to the River '' Related articles Discography Tommy Johnson Floyd Jones Jug band Boogie rock Johnny Otis John Lee Hooker List of band members VIAF : 48909821 LCCN : no2003010787 ISNI : 0000 0000 8127 0758 GND : 135356075 SUDOC : 158167902 BNF : cb14239501k ( data ) MusicBrainz : a86e10f7 - 8ec8 - 457d - af00 - 9d584a738a1f Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Wilson_(musician)&oldid=798702962 '' Categories : American male singers American blues harmonica players American blues guitarists American male guitarists American blues singer - songwriters Blues rock musicians Canned Heat members 1943 births 1970 deaths Musicians from Boston Singers from Massachusetts Drug - related deaths in California People from Arlington, Massachusetts People from Topanga, California 20th - century American singers 20th - century American guitarists Songwriters from Massachusetts Guitarists from Massachusetts Hidden categories : Articles with hCards Find a Grave template with ID same as Wikidata Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Eesti Español فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands Polski Português Română Slovenčina Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 3 September 2017, at 09 : 03. 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Question: who is the lead singer of canned heat
Answer: Alan Christie Wilson