Life & Mysterious Death at 27. Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson of Canned Heat. 

Love Canned Heat. subbed. WTF is with the 27 club? High Strangeness right there...

One of the real joys of having a YT channel is getting to feature an artist I love who for whatever reason might not have gotten their proper due. IMO Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson is one of those guys. Enjoy!

That record store that Alan met Bob was Rancho Music my father owned. Worked with him until Canned Heat got signed. Great memories.

Thank You for putting Blind Owl story out for the world. Canned Heat was Awesome

I sat behind Blind Owl on a DC-8 flight to Atlanta long ago. I was 14 at the time. Their road manager gave me Canned Heat comic book with the band as various cartoon figures. Blind Owl died a month later.

Excellent video on a true artist who rarely gets his due. Thank you.

You've never been full of it in any of your videos. Blind owl is such a great blues name. Glad he got to play with John Lee Hooker a true genius!! I love this obscure gem🔥👓🎸💯

"Hooker and Heat" was one of my first albums. Thanks for the memories........again.

As a teenager, I worked at Baher Chevrolet as a painter's helper. While I was working, there was a concert going on at Devonshire Downs not too far away. I could hear Canned Heat playing. I remember wanting to be there rather than sanding and priming cars.

A never mentioned member of the "27" club.

Hi Tim great great great ! Been on a bit of a canned heat kick lately and Al Wilson has always facinated me. Thanks for the amazing content ....as usual

You are just dripping with LA rock history :) Thanks for another great video.

One of the best blues bands ever, period!! Thank you for this great video

I was friends with Richard Hite , when he and his mom lived in Memphis. I’d go over there and Richard would take a mint condition 78 of Robert Johnson, Ishman Bracey, etc. and we’d listen to them. They had thousands of 78 blues records and multi thousand blues albums. He had their Woodstock and Going Up the Country GOLD records on their record room wall. Richard and Bob were serious blues collectors. Richard said he and Bob would travel all over the Deep South in the early 60s and buy these records. Richard is gone now too. 🙏🏻🙏🏻

Thank you. Canned Heat was an incredible band and Alan Wilson was, as you say, incomparable. We all truly appreciate your efforts to keep this amazing part of American culture and history alive. FYI my Gen Z daughter and a group of her friends love canned heat and spin their records to this day. Thank god for the vinyl albums they left behind.

You hit a home run with this one Tim! Poor Alan was a tormented soul indeed, you can hear his life story with every haunted note he played and sang. I never listen to Alan's songs around other people. It's just me, the night sky, still green water and the blues.

Cool documentary Tim . Love those blues harmonica players ." Out in the woods with a sleeping bag is the only place where he finds peace ".... is probably where his hit " Going to the country " came from . Thanks again Rock Essentials Tim 🎸🎸🎸

Alan, unfortunately, joined the "27" club in 1970. What an incredible bluesman and talent ! RIP brother!

Great stuff. I've been friends with Alan's younger sister Jayne for 30 years now

This is a kind, respectful, and informative look back on an interesting person. Thanks for posting it.

I discovered Fred Neil ( Everybody’s Talkin ) by looking at liner notes on the back of album covers in the 70’s. When I read Alan Wilson, harmonica, on the list of musicians for that record I of course bought it, being a huge Alan Wilson fan. Alan was the gateway to opening up the Fred Neil world for me. When Alan passed, the paragraph in the Philadelphia newspaper said he died up in a Redwood forest in Oregon. I’m glad this guy attempted to rectify this. RIP BLIND OWL

Saw him often when I was hanging out in Laurel Canyon and I loved that band.

Definitely way overlooked in the annals of history. Loved his guitar playing. Their Woodstock set was epic.

Excellent video Professor Tim. So enjoyable to watch a video with so much research that gives us so much insight. Waiting for your next one. Thanks

Thanks for this great video. Canned Heat made a big impression on me as a youngster, and I'll never forget the moan of Alan's harp. Definitely an unsung blues hero and you did him justice!

In 68 saw Canned Heat and Bubble Puppy at Panther Hall in Ft Worth Tx and i never found my way home

I met him in the parking lot at Stony Brook University and had no idea who he was. He jammed some blues with the other two guys I was with playing harmonica. We figured it out later when we saw the band play. Cool guy.

Thanks for dropping this one of Canned Heat. One of my favorites and right up there with The Turtles and The Doors but decidedly much heavier in the Blues.

The harmonica on On the Road Again is down and dirty and mournful… dripping with vibe. And the drone sound is mesmerizing. A classic song from that era.

Alan Wilson is the reason I play a Les Paul,, a reissue of the 54 the same model he played

what a player he was and The band had a great sound. For a "typical" blues based Rock outfit, Canned Heat was damn good.

He is a text book case of a high functioning autistic aka Aspergers musical genius. I have lived my life with all of the same bells and whistles, minus perfect pitch, and had a wonderful musical career. Luckily I was diagnosed and found an Aspie therapist that made sense of it all for me. I toured and played some wonderful gigs, was mentored by Willie P Bennett. One of my songs Angels In The Backseat came 1st in the top 100, sang the national anthems at the world series, played lots of festivals and refused when asked to sign with Sam Feldman because success scared the shit out of me, I later found out Ron Sexsmith took my place. 6 cds later I am a semi successful abstract landscape painter that still plays the occasional gig. and have 3 cds on spotify. I no longer drink or do drugs, and my life is better than ever. Its sad to have lost such a musical giant like Alan Wilson. Its hard to survive as an Aspie in this world. I wish He had survived, I can only imagine what great music we would be covering today. Robert Atyeo.....

Poor Moon is one of the greatest songs ever. Great video, Tim. "Well, you sure look good, In the sky at night. And it's sad to say, You won't shine so bright. Some day.."

Best bio on Al I ever saw.... RIP Blind Owl❤

He grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts. It's just on the Western edge of Boston. I went there with my grandfather to visit his brother,my Uncle Andy.

Loved this episode, thanks for covering.👍🏼I have always been "intrigued" with the personality of Alan Wilson. He definitely was a very unusual character, blessed with talent and skills. It is my personal opinion, that his death was accidental. He was a great musician non-the-less.

Thanks for this video. I’ve read the canned heat book and also “blind owl blues”. This is one of, if not the best videos on Alan Wilson I’ve ever seen. The information is accurate, the narration is great, and I love the on scene filming. I obsessively study Alan’s harp playing. Nobody since that time has had that same feel. There’s been plenty of great harmonica players since then, but Alan is one of the only ones that matters to me!

I know Canned Heat’s music but didn’t know much at all about the music, so the video was really instructive to me. Blind Owl Wilson should certainly be mentioned alongside Janis, Jimi, Brian and Jim. Thanks Tim.

My first roommate turned me on to Canned Heat in '73. I wasn't aware of Alan Wilson exactly, and I didn't know that he'd already passed away, but I did (and still do), enjoy their music. Thanks for the video and musical history lesson. I do wish that you'd have been able to include some "cuts" of their music in the video. I know that there's YTube rules dictating using recorded music.

What a cool story, loved hearing the true story of Canned Heat!!! Thanks for posting!!!

THE best doc on "The Blind Owl" EVER!

Great video. Caught Canned Heat at Mothers Birmingham England, a legendary gig for us locals to this day. Alan was awesome, that harmonica sound will stay with me forever. Thanks for posting this.

Love Canned Heat and Alan was so talented. Great documentary!

I was once DJing at a hip coffee shop in China, it was a busy Saturday night and I played ‘On The Road Again’. I looked up and everyone had stopped talking and were nodding their heads and looking towards me. They’d never heard this song before but it hooked them in even before the vocals started.

Alan was a under estimated fantastic musician & he often gets forgotten, thanks for the video

He probably drank alcohol that day and experienced what they call the "synergistic effect" where "both alcohol and barbiturates activate GABA receptors in the brain, they amplify each other's effects when they are combined. Someone who mixes alcohol and barbiturates is likely to feel extremely intoxicated or drowsy." So it's highly unlikely he killed himself, particularly in light of the other 4 found in his pocket, but likely died by accident from the synergistic effect of the barbiturates and the alcohol. NEVER mix those two, ever.

Thank you thank you. This man's presence and music ability is a very powerful influence in this man's musical day. Startling, is 3 remarkable shape shifters, gone within days of each other-speaks of another time dimension in appearance. Woodstock and Alan's guitar is stunning to this day. Very very interesting.

Great content as always. Ever consider doing a history of the legendary venues and impresarios?

Canned Heat's Boogie at Woodstock looking like straight outta Goodwill changed the dynamics of celebrity in rock music to embrace creativity rather than pomposity...or something like that.

I'm from Rochester NY and I love the blues all my life. 60 now and I happened to come across your channel and subscribed cool info thanks you. I did some landscaping for Linda Ronstadt in Tucson Arizona. Had no clue that it was her home or a summer home. All I knew was that we had to be at the job site by 5 am so we could be done for the day by 1 pm because of the heat. She came out to the back patio and offered us ice tea and I was floored when I seen who we were working for. Asked my boss and he said he didn't know either. What happened was we did her neighbors and they set it up. Thank you brother.

Great video as always. I watched the Woodstock Director's Cut a few months ago after not having seen it for many years. I'd never paid much attention to Canned Heat until this latest viewing. I became quite interested in the band and Al Wilson in particular. I've done sone reading and watched a few inferior videos, but you filled in some blanks for this novice and it is greatly appreciated. I always look forward to your videos and keep up the great work!

Absolutely love Alan Wilson . One of the best harmonica players ever. Wright up there with little Walter. Thanks for this Man. This is awesome. People need to know more about the blind owl

Greetings from a swiss Canned Heat fan, since 1968. Have all their LPS. Alan Wilson was,is, and will be an idol for me. Switzerland, Europe, " the old world".

The thrill of listening to Alan Wilson and Canned Heat as a teenager growing up in New Zealand in the 1970s has never left me. Unfortunately being a supremely gifted musician and artist doesn't always guarantee the happiest of lives but it surely adds to the happiness of others lives. Thank you for the great video.

I listen to "On the Road Again", pretty much, every night before I go to bed. I think the Harp breaks are some of the finest Blues ever made. What a great band, on so many levels.

Since I was a kid, Canned Heat always got my attention because they were so unique. Thanks for this really good video.

Enjoyed Tim !Thank you .👍🤩🎸🎼🎤. 👋🐊

LOVE CANNED HEAT. THANKS FOR POSTING.👍

Great video .loved it ..grew up listening to canned heat .. From Australia 🦘 🦘🦘

Blind Owl Wilson is my favorite harmonica player ever. "Burning Hell" really is hellacious.

Great video. Blind Owl never gets near the amount of recognition that he deserves. Love Canned Heat and all the members. Have all their records.

hi Tim 👋 thanks so much for this Alan Wilson segment , much appreciated , Cheers Tim ✌️🎸✌️

I got hooked on Canned Heat in '68 when I was 16. In 1968. I was proud that the "Blind Owl" was, like me, from Boston, Massachusetts!

As always my friend I appreciate seeing another vid from you sir.

I met Alan and the lads several time at the Ash Grove on Melrose Avenue and in a club called the blue law in Torrance California. Can he was all always very accessible and informal. They were very friendly and unpretentious and despise snobbery. I went to the blue law with a broken Les Paul gold top with a broken headstock and asked Henry Vestin if he had a recommendation on repairman on break on his spent about a half hour talking to all of the guys very wonderful people Alan Wilson was very retiring and shy didn’t say much Bob. He was like the ring leader directing the show like a circus Empresario. They rocked the house that night I truly missed the original Canned Heat. To me that was the best Iration of the band to me that was the original knock me out play your hearts out canned heat. It’s my understanding that Vito de para and Bob Taylor is still around.

P.S. Gonna have to listen to some Canned Heat !! 🎼🎸🎤🎹

Thank you for sharing. It's very well done as always. Look forward to many more.

I too was pretty oblivious to Canned Heat past "Going Up The Country", tho I did have the single when it came out and always loved it (was only 4 but already into records)...just a few years ago I decided to look further into not only the Heat but also their blues influences, partially due to my long friendship with Barry Hansen aka radio legend Dr Demento, who was there before the formation of the group (was even roommates with Wilson) and partially responsible for getting them together (via Fahey)...To say I've been blown away by what I found would be an understatement; was never too interested in the blues and was somewhat unaware of the older country blues that influenced the Heat, this was a total revelation. Learned a ton in the last couple years from listening to the other blues forms, which brings up how important Wilson was in bringing back that area of the art form. There are a few interviews and a recording of a harmonica lesson here on YT, utterly fascinating stuff. How I wish he hadn't passed so we could hear more of his exploration of music, what he might have come up with in the ensuing years...not to mention picking his brain on the music etc. Fine job on the video, thanks for helping keep it going! (and of course, don't forget to Boogie.)

Thanks so much, Tim!!!

Me and my...uh...stoner friends went to the horse race track in Boise, Id in 1971(?) to see 'Canned Heat'! They were so good we never stopped groovin'! 69 now in 2024, and saying Thanks to you for bringing this memory back! Never did Sterno, but tried most everything else from ludes or sugar cube with(made a few with droppers and vials of who knows what!?)supposedly acid! Thanks again, Tim, for helping my addled brian< to recall this fine era! I'll be 'Going up the Country' for a dirtnap before too long! Great post!! PS you may be correct about the autism thing...in fact, historically were we able to know, that issue, or affectation(as I like to call it!) may have been present in great frequency! Thanks, Tim

I've always loved Canned Heat - never got to see them - but have almost every album they did and had them for over 40 years. Greatly underappreciated.

My late wife, Tracey, was Alan’s first cousin. I was always a big Canned Heat fan from the late 1960’s. I found out about this, however, when Tracey and I were dating while living in Stockton CA in the late 1970’s. “On the Road Again” came on the car radio and Tracey blurted out, “Hey! That’s my cousin” when Alan started singing. It was all I could do to avoid running my car off of the road out of distracted disbelief when she said that. I only met Alan’s Mom (Shirley) once along with his youngest sister Heidi while we were living in Baltimore and they came down from Boston to visit. We did correspond with Alan’s oldest sister, Darrell, occasionally over the years prior to her death around 2011. Darrell once told me that she never quite came to terms with Alan’s death and she sometimes felt he was just out on the road touring.

TIM - LOVE THESE HISTORIC ROCKUMENTARIES

Loved the harmonica ever since 👍. Thanks bro 🙏

McCartney tried to emulate his voice on Get Back. Macca really liked "Going Up the Country"

Cool subject. This guy is def looked over in the 27 club. I admit I didn’t know much about the guy so thank you for this video. People will say he wasn’t really that memorable but he did and created something 99.9% us normies never will. His name will still come up every now and then 100 years from now. I doubt mine and most other peoples will.

Listening to Muddy changed Blind Owl's life. Listening to Hooker 'n Heat changed mine. I saw Canned Heat open for the Byrds in Upsala College in NJ in, I think, 1969 and bought a few of their records in the next couple of years because I liked what they called "Boogie Music." Then I heard the real thing and had a revelation.

Thank you. That was great reportage and a respectful telling of his story. R.I.P. Alan Wilson. They're still talking about you.

Thanks for this one. Blind Owl was so, so good. Vocals, guitar, harp...

Canned Heat escaped my attention until Wilson was already gone. I never experienced any real-time sense of loss but have very often wished for more of him. Blues kinda replaced hard rock for me 25 years ago and so, naturally, Canned Heat is one of the best IMO. Joplin’s passing was the one that really hurt me at the time…. I have zero talent so people like this totally amaze me and I live vicariously through them.

Since he went to see John Fahey that day, I don't believe Alan committed suicide. What did Fahey say about it? Same thing with Jimi Hendrix. That day Eric Clapton had brought a guitar to give to Jimi, but didn't get the chance. Hendrix would possibly be alive today if Eric had been with him that day and given him the guitar.

In the summer of 1967, Canned Heat was in residence at, I believe, Club 47 in Harvard Square. They used the club's space for afternoon rehearsals for about 3 months. The rehearsals were open to the public for free. I'd go twice a week. There might be 20 minutes between songs as they went over how they would play them. Alan Wilson would sit on the edge of the stage during these, obviously stoned on downers, and never participated. The music was electric. There was a great recording of the sessions released on some small label that you could find in the bargain bins a few years later. They played straight blues, with the exception of working out what became Going to the Country. Great times.

Thank you for your insight on the life n passing of Alan (Blind Owl) Wilson.🎸🎙️🇺🇲👍

Iconic band , iconic musician. Alan was the sound of Canned Heat. Totally agree he's underated. Thx for this awesome post! 👍

Another great vid Tim. Session player Jim Horn is also still with us. He contributed the timeless flute intro to Going up to the Country that leads off the Woodstock Doc. Thanks!

I love Canned Heat. when you think of 68-69 you hear their music in your head

Fantastic video. As a 13 year old I bought their albums Saw them live in London in about 1975. A legendary band. God bless Al Wilson

Great content. I never knew about the drink. I once was driving up to a dead show and bought a canned heat cassette out of a truck stop. We smoked out to that tape all the way up. Epic trip, epic album.

Another highly informative treatment, Tim. I was a Canned Heat fan during the late 1960s (age 15 or so) and will always associate them with the Woodstock generation a few years older than me. Alan Wilson was indeed a strange persona for someone heavily involved in what was at the time a very influential American band. Using today's medical vernacular, he may have been afflicted with Asperger's syndrome. Thanks for providing some background information on him that I was not aware of. And congrats on getting into the Rusk facility - - much appreciated. I'll bet that Todd Rundgren's Ritalin-infused psyche continues to reverberate through that space. Still hoping at some point you will do a comprehensive piece on Spirit, still one of my favorite bands of all time. Their "Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus" album is as fresh to me today as it was when I first heard it nearly 53 years ago....

Theirs was one of the best performances at Woodstock, with some great guitar work from Alan Wilson.

I was listening to the song On The Road Again repeatedly a couple summers ago and was really being blown away by how exceptional that particular song is.

This was great! Thanks for making it! I’m a die hard Canned Heat fan. Love Alan Wilson and Bob Hite. Wish more people knew about them

Long live the Blind Owl!

I have been watching you for years and just now realized I wasn't subscribed yet. These have really progressed into something special. Keep it up! Really enjoying them.

Canned Heat and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, two of the greatest bands ever that have unfortunately been forgotten.

Great video! Huge Alan Wilson fan. So glad there are so many views. He is a person everyone should know about. From all accounts a really nice person too.

In the mid-80s I went to a blues show at the local Sons of Italy Hall in Arlington, MA where a friend and fellow harp player introduced me to Al’s father. We spoke glowingly of our admiration for Al’s unique style and how it had inspired us. Thanks for this remembrance.

Liked, shared. 👍 Another awesome episode.

Seven years old in '63, we're building treehouses and using Sterno canned heat for them cold nights. Couple years later we heard this band come out and it was love at first song. I still crank "On The Road" in my car!! 👌Excellent video

I just know in my mind he was the best harmonica player in my lifetime. Guys like him you can't replace.......that's why canned heat was toast after his death.