Dinosaurdays - Blackfoot

Vocalist/guitarist Ricky Medlocke formed the band in Florida in the USA in the early to mid seventies, taking the name from his own native American tradition. Medlocke was one of two members of one of the bands that would later evolve into Lynyrd Skynyrd, the band that he would later guest with in 1977 and return to on a fulltime basis in the late nineties. Blackfoot released their first album," No Reservations ", on the Island label in 1976. This excellent second album carried on in a similar vein and led to a six album deal with Atco Records. At various stages, Uriah Heep's Ken Hensley and Axe's Bobby Barth were members of this stunning Southern rock band. They split in 1986 and reformed three years later, finally calling it a day in the mid nineties, with Medlocke the only original member. Even though it's great to see him with Skynyrd, it's a pity that Blackfoot are ( apparently ) no more.

(If you have more info on this band, please e-mail us)

Biography by Bruce Eder
Blackfoot were contemporaries of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried for years to make it as a Southern rock band, although they finally succeeded as a hard rock outfit, in the manner of AC/DC and the Scorpions. They racked up a hit album (Strikes) and a pair of successful singles ("Train, Train," "Highway Song") in the late 1970s and early 1980s, before they became lost in the post-MTV era of visually oriented bands.

The group started out as a quartet: singer/guitarist Rickey Medlocke, the grandson of bluegrass musician Shorty Medlocke, who wrote "Train, Train"; drummer/singer Jakson Spires, bassist/singer Greg T. Walker, and lead guitarist Charlie Hargrett. They were signed to Island Records in 1975, evidently as that label's resident Southern rockers, but moved to Epic Records the following year. Neither relationship was successful, but in 1979, after moving to Atco, their first album for the new label, Strikes, hit a responsive chord — the group spent the next few years on Atco, racking up impressive sales with the follow-ups Tomcattin' and Marauder.

In the mid-'80s, the group added ex-Uriah Heep keyboardman Ken Hensley in order to bring a new side to their sound. The group's fortunes declined amid the advent of MTV and the growth in importance of rock video promotional clips, as well as the influence of sounds from Europe and Australia, and they never recovered, despite efforts to adapt their sound and image. Hensley was replaced near the end of their history, but Blackfoot (who took their name from the Native American tribe, part of Medlocke's heritage) had broken up by 1984, before the new lineup recorded. Medlocke revived the name in 1990 with a new backing group.

Ken Hensley
Doug Bare
Charlie Hargrett
Rikki Mayr
Rick Medlocke
Gunner Ross
Jakson "Thunderfoot" Spires
Mark Woerpel
Greg T. Walker

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