The Nighthawks – 444 (2014) Lossless

A hard-driving Washington, D.C.-based bar band with strong Chicago blues roots, the Nighthawks were formed in 1972 by harpist and vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery. The band earned a reputation as a solid outfit through more than a decade of touring and recording projects with John Hammond and former members of Muddy Waters' band. Thackery left in 1986, but Wenner regrouped around longtime members Jan Zukowski on bass and Pete Ragusa on drums. Trouble, their 1991 release on Powerhouse, was a blend of blues, R&B, and rock influences, with a typically energetic sound born from thousands of gigs across the country. Subsequent efforts included 1993's live Rock This House, 1996's Pain & Paradise, and 1999's Still Wild. A collection of live performances from 2001 saw release in the spring of 2002 as Live Tonight. Since then, the band has stayed active delivering such albums as 2006's Blue Moon in Your Eye, 2009's American Landscape, and 2015's Back Porch Party. In 2017 they returned with All You Gotta Do, which included a version of Brenda Lee's "That's All You Gotta Do."