The Hoodoo Rhythm Devils were a blues-funk band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1970. Those familiar with their work knew Glenn Walters to be one of the great soul vocalists of San Francisco. At the band's brief peak, the combination of Walters' Southern-style soul shouting and Joe Crane's Texas good ol' boy hell-raising made the Hoodoo Rhythm Devils one of the most exciting attractions on the thriving San Francisco club scene.
The group recorded five albums. KSAN, the leading San Francisco FM rock radio station at the time, treated the Hoodoos like the house band, blasting out tracks like "Crazy 'Bout the Ladies," "Too Hot to Handle" or "Right on Mary." The Pointer Sisters supplied background vocals on the Hoodoo version of "Sea of Love," years before Tom Waits covered it.
When the original band broke up and Crane and Walters recorded their next Hoodoos album by themselves, they brought in guest guitarists such as Steve Miller, Ronnie Montrose and Link Wray.
But hard luck stalked the Hoodoos. The 1976 album, a brilliant distillation of the group's signature wacky sense of barbecue and rhythm and blues, was titled "Safe in Their Homes." The cover photo was taken in the Haight district home of Hoodoos manager-producer Jack Leahy, the same home where, weeks later, a woman was murdered and Leahy and his wife were attacked as they lay sleeping in their bed by an ax-wielding madman who worked for Leahy as a handyman.
Hoodoo Rhythm Devils remains a little-remembered band that was one of the great almost-was, hard-luck stories of the '70s San Francisco rock scene.
Tracklist:
01. Gypsy Fly (5:53)
02. Little Bit Of Love (2:42)
03. Get Somebody New (3:58)
04. Safe In Their Homes (3:15)
05. Safecracker (4:10)
06. Tangled Up In Blue (6:05)
07. W P L J (3:11)
08. You Can't Fool Me (4:07)
09. Teach Your Daughter (2:50)
10. Big Time Band (3:49)
Personnel:
Joe Crane - vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Glenn Walters - drums, percussion, flute, backup vocals
Richard Greene - bass, backup vocals
John Blakeley - guitar
Scott Matthews - drums, backup vocals
Bob Flurie - guitar
Maurice Cridlin - bass
Link Wray - guitar
Brian Self - backup vocals
Steamin' Freeman Lockwood - accordion
Fritz Heilbron - trombone
Chuck Bennet - trombone
John Coppola - trumpet
Bob Yance - trumpet
Boots Hughston - alto saxophone
Mel Martin - baritone saxophone
Bob Ferrera - tenor saxophone
The Hawkings Singers - backup vocals
Steve Miller - guitar
Pointer Sisters - backup vocals
H. Andrews - horn section
Ronnie Montrose - guitar
Media Info:
Bitrate: 320 kbps
Channels: joint stereo
Samplerate: 44100
Encoder: FhG
MPEG-1 layer 3
*many thanks and much respect to gkjoflm and all those who care enough to share