Hollywood Fats 5008550 224713119 2008-07-10T02:16:20Z 90.201.13.57 /* Notes */ '''Hollywood Fats''' (born Michael Leonard Mann in [[Los Angeles]], [[May 17]], [[1954]]- [[December 8]], [[1986]])<ref>Liner notes from Al Blake's album ''Dr. Blakes Magic Soul Elixir'' by Eric LeBlanc</ref> was an accomplished [[blues]] [[guitarist]] active in [[Los Angeles]]. ==History== Fats started playing guitar at the age of 10. While in his teens, his mother would drive him to various clubs in South Central Los Angeles to jam with well-known blues musicians when they came to town. Fats came from a successful upper-middle-class family living in Santa Monica. His father was a doctor and his siblings went on to become doctors and lawyers. Fats was considered the black sheep of the family due to his artist nature and was supported by his family for a number of years. Two of the more famous blues men he met included [[Buddy Guy]] and [[Junior Wells]] who gave him the nickname. <ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gbfixqr5ldje~T1 All Music Guide bio by Char Ham]</ref> Fats toured with [[James Harman]], [[Jimmy Witherspoon]], [[J.B. Hutto]], [[John Lee Hooker]], [[Muddy Waters]], and [[Albert King]], among others. Although Fats' "natural" style was more of a swingy T-Bone Walker type, by the age of 17 he was equally adept at all blues styles, playing behind each of these bandleaders as if he'd dedicated a lifetime to their style only. During the 1970s and 1980s he worked with the famous blues harmonica player and singer [[James Harman]]. He played on a number of James' well-received blues records, including "Extra Napkin's," "Mo' Napkins, Please" and ''[[Live in '85]].'' It is on these recordings that one will find his most famous signature guitar licks. Other guitarists with whom he played included Junior Watson, Kid Ramos and Dave Alvin. The Harman recordings provide the largest examples of his instrumental style. Fats was invited to be a sideman to Muddy Waters and later met harmonica player [[Al Blake]]. Blake had just moved to Los Angeles from Oklahoma. In [[1974 in music|1974]], Fats and Blake formed a band consisting of pianist Fred Kaplan, Richard Innes on drums and [[Canned Heat]] bassist [[Larry Taylor]] called the Hollywood Fats Band.<ref>Liner notes from Al Blake's album ''Dr. Blakes Magic Soul Elixir'' by Eric LeBlanc</ref> For a [[King Biscuit Flower Hour]] concert (Sept.7, 1979), which was later to be released on record, Hollywood Fats played the lead guitar in [[Canned Heat]]. The Hollywood Fats Band released a self-titled album in [[1979 in music|1979]], the only album under their name. The album did not create much stir, compared to those recorded with James Harman. The band broke up not long after and Fats continued to play with [[James Harman]]'s band, and [[The Blasters]] in [[1986 in music|1986]], replacing [[David Alvin]]. Fats died of a heroin overdose in 1986 in Los Angeles at the age of 32. He was plagued by drug abuse for a number of years prior to his death. At the time of his passing, he was playing with the James Harman Band, the Blasters and was thinking about restarting the Hollywood Fats Band with Al Blake. ==The band reunion== Around [[2002 in music|2002]], the remaining original members of the Hollywood Fats Band were reunited with young [[Kirk Fletcher]] on guitar, and recorded some new materials. (first of the recordings came out on Al Blake's solo album ''Dr. Blakes Magic Soul Elixir'' released in 2002.) This new version of the band started calling themselves the Hollywood Blue Flames. They released two albums under their name from [[Delta Groove Productions]]. The second album ''Road To Rio'' comes with a CD titled ''Larger Than Life'' which entirely consists of previously unreleased live recordings of the original Hollywood Fats Band. ==Discography== {| class="wikitable" !align="center" valign="top"|Year !align="center" valign="top"|Title !align="center" valign="top"|Label !align="center" valign="top"|Remarks |- |align="left" valign="top"|[[1979 in music|1979]] |align="left" valign="top"|''The Hollywood Fats Band'' |align="left" valign="top"|PBR |align="left" valign="top"|the original release |- |align="left" valign="top"|[[1993 in music|1993]] |align="left" valign="top"|''Rock This House'' |align="left" valign="top"|Black Top |align="left" valign="top"|Reissue of the 1979 album |- |align="left" valign="top"|[[2002 in music|2002]] |align="left" valign="top"|''Hollywood Fats Band'' |align="left" valign="top"|CrossCut (German) |align="left" valign="top"|the complete 1979 recordings |- |align="left" valign="top"|[[2006 in music|2006]] |align="left" valign="top"|''Larger Than Life'' |align="left" valign="top"|Delta Groove Productions |align="left" valign="top"|unissued live recordings |} ==Notes== <references /> [[Category:1954 births]] [[Category:1986 deaths]] [[Category:American blues guitarists]] [[Category:American blues musicians]] [[Category:People from Los Angeles, California]] [[es:Hollywood Fats]]