Bobby Mack - Live At Jandj Blues Bar (1997)

19 June 1954, Fort Worth, Texas, USA. Dismissed early in his career as a second-rate Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texan guitarist Mack has begun to develop his own identity with two well-received studio sets, and some tough live appearances with his band Night Train. During the 70s, Mack was playing a mix of blues and rock in a covers band, Thrills, before forming his own Austin-based blues outfit. Austin was at this time the centre of an underground blues movement that included Stevie Ray Vaughan and his brother Jimmy (who went on to form the Fabulous Thunderbirds with Kim Wilson), and the informal atmosphere of impromptu jamming sessions and joint bills provided invaluable experience for a young bluesman. After briefly giving up music, Mack went on to put together Night Train with bass player Danny Turansky, and Thrills drummer Steve Fulton. With various personnel passing through the band, Mack changed the name to Bobby Mack & The Night Train to establish a firmer identity, recording a six-track mini-album under this name in 1985. Following a piecemeal New Zealand-only release, Say What?, which included demo sessions with the Neville Brothers, Mack put out the Red Hot And Humid live album. Recorded for a live radio show in Austin, its success led to a recording contract with the Dutch label Provogue. Following his Provogue debut, Honey Trap, Mack set up the Palindrome label to release the album in America, and then worked on several of the label’s releases, including production duties for harp player Willie Foster. His late 90s release, Sugar All Night, was notable for featuring predominantly original material.