3 Underrated Blues-Rock Bands From the 1970s That Should Be Household Names Today

Diehard fans of blues-rock might know the following three underrated bands from the 1970s already. Casual fans, though, might be totally new to them. Either way, the following three outfits should have been way more famous than they were. Let’s take a look!

Bloodrock

Few blues-rock bands really dove deep into dark and spooky themes, but Bloodrock made it look easy. It’s strange to me that this band wasn’t more popular, at least with niche audiences and fans of early heavy metal. 

This Fort Worth, Texas outfit launched in 1963 and lasted through 1975, reuniting just once in 2005. Sadly, they came to an end in 1975 after getting dropped by Capitol Records and ongoing issues among the original lineup. All six of their studio albums dropped in the 1970s. I recommend Bloodrock 2, arguably their best work, for anyone interested in getting into the band. Though, Bloodrock Live from 1972 really captures the live essence of the band beautifully.

Cactus

Cactus was packed to the brim with successful and talented musicians from other bands. Tim Bogert, Carmine Appice, Jim McCarty, and Rusty Day of Vanilla Fudge and several other bands made up the core lineup. And yet, Cactus as a blues-rock outfit didn’t get very far. I’m still not sure why.

The band broke up and got back together several times over the years. But you just can’t beat their 1970s era, especially when it comes to their debut self-titled album from 1970. It’s a classic, one that has stood the test of time beautifully. I’d also recommend giving One Way… Or Another from 1971 a spin.

Back Street Crawler

Back Street Crawler was formed by Paul Kossoff of Free after the latter band broke up. Sadly, I believe this band didn’t quite get to the heights it could have because Kossoff passed away at only 25, after Back Street Crawler was steadily making commercial moves with two excellent albums. It was a tragedy, and this underrated entry on our list of blues-rock bands of the 1970s really had potential. They were together for less than two years.

If you want a taste of Back Street Crawler’s soulful blues-rock styling, give both of their studio albums a spin: The Band Plays On from 1975 and 2nd Street from 1976.

(Photo by Dick Barnatt/Redferns)

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