(2-CD) Since arriving on Delta Groove
The Hollywood Blue Flames have been hailed as the true torch bearers of classic blues in the modern age. Their unyielding and steadfast dedication to the art form has set the benchmark standard by which all other musicians must strive towards in order to obtain mastery within the traditional blues genre. The band's original inception dates back to the early 1970's with the formation of the
Hollywood Fats Band, led by the brilliant, first-rate guitarist Michael 'Hollywood Fats' Mann. Their one and only album, the self-titled
Hollywood Fats Band released on PBR Records in 1979, laid the blueprint for modern day era West Coast Blues and is widely considered a landmark album of the genre.
Following Fats' premature death in 1986, the band laid dormant until the release of Mr. Blake's Blues on Blue Collar Music in 1997. Released under the banner of Big Al Blake & The Hollywood Fats Band, Mr. Blake's Blues reunited all four surviving members of the Hollywood Fats Band including Al Blake, Fred Kaplan, Larry Taylor and Richard Innes, along with top-flight guitarists Kid Ramos and Junior Watson. Years later, upon hearing the young emerging guitar virtuoso Kirk 'Eli' Fletcher, Blake rechristened the band as The Hollywood Blue Flames and incorporated the blossoming talent of this promising new guitarist. Their 2005 Delta Groove debut Soul Sanctuary received unanimous praise and earned a Blues Music Award nomination for Comeback Album of the Year. A sophomore release, Road To Rio, soon followed, surpassing critics and fan expectations alike as the band delivered another solid effort, only this time with the inclusion of a bonus disc containing previously unheard live performances of the original Hollywood Fats Band. The Hollywood Blue Flames were again recognized with another Blues Music Award nomination honoring them for Historical Album of the Year. Road To Rio also landed the #5 spot on Living Blues Magazine's Top 50 Blues Recordings of 2006.
Deep In America follows true to the formula of the band's previous two-disc set, Road To Rio, once again throwing open the vaults and treating fans to a virtual treasure trove of classic archival material obtained from two different eras of the band. Disc one gathers together a collection of recordings by The Hollywood Blue Flames featuring stellar support from guitarists Kirk Fletcher and Junior Watson, all drawn from various studio sessions over the years with previously unreleased material that includes outtakes, alternates and some newly recorded songs. Disc two contains more vintage live recordings taken from various sources of the original Hollywood Fats Band, showcasing the amazing talent of Hollywood Fats and the evolution the band was undergoing before his untimely death in 1986. Deep In America stands as a testament to the strength and power of a band whose music continues to burn ever so brightly after igniting that very first flame more than three decades ago.
