Delta Blues Band - Rare Blues & Beat from Denmark (1969-70)

Delta Blues Band was originally formed as Delta Blues Boogie Band in may 1968 in Copenhagen. The group was established around Troels Jensen and Thomas Puggaard Müller,who had been the bluegrass-duo Troels & Thomas. Together with Michael Puggaard Müller and Soeren Engel they started to play traditional blues in the small clubs in Copenhagen. In the spring 1969 they got the chance to record an album for the big established record - company E.M.I. and their album was one of the first rock albums using multitrack technique in Denmark. Technique or not the album sold extremely badly. Just after the release of their debut album the brothers Thomas and Michael left the group to form the successful, but very short living group Pan. The next couple of years the group was playing a lot on Festivals and as backing for touring blues people like Sonny Terry, Link Wray, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley etc., but the group was still underground and had not got their real breakthrough. One of the reasons might had been the constant change of members, so the group never really learned to play together. The group began to sell records,when they recorded "No Overdubs" with the american guitar player Billy Cross. The group had already worked together with Cross, when he visited Denmark in 1974-75 then as Billy Schwartz. In the eighties became Delta Cross Band a very popular live band, not only in Denmark,but on festivals inScandinavia, Germany and the rest of Europe. But all that is history. Here you have the very first album from the Danish blues legends Delta Blues Band.

Hurdy Gurdy started as B.B.Brothers in Copenhagen and had released a terricfic single "Balla Balla/Dont Reply" in 1966. The group more or less split up in march 1967,but reunited as a trio and had in the summer same year a very short period as backing for Peter Belli. This team did not work as Belliwas more to pop and the group was into the new sounds from Hendrix and Cream. Their scottish bass player was thrown out of Denmark because of adrugtrial and the trio renamed them Hurdy Gurdy and moved to England, where they actually had ashort releationship with Donovan and recorded a never published version of "Hurdy Gurdy Man". In 1970 they returned to Denmark and recorded "Tick TockMan/Lend Me Your Wings" for the small independent record label Spectator. Later Hurdy Gurdy was known as the main acid group in Denmark and recorded a highly praised album for CBS in 1971 (released in 1972).

Gnags formed as Those Gnags back in 1966 in Skjern, Jutland. Won the Danish Championship in Beatmusic 1969 and recorded shortly after the extremely rare "Eyes and Ears" single for Jacks Beat Records. This was probably the only record Gnags recorded in English. Became hippie group number one inthe 70s and developed during the 80s and 90s toone of the biggest rock groups in Denmark exspecially known for their great live concerts.

Gasolin are probably the most popular Danish band ever. They was formed in 1969 as a real underground group and appeared on the semi-legendary Thy Festival. In 1970 they made some very rare recordings for Danish Radio, were we have choosen two "Harry The Loverman" and "Speedboss". Like Hurdy Gurdy they made their first single on Spectator records and sold nothing. Two more singles on more established companies like Sonet and CBS did not any better. Their breakthrough came when they made the first album in 1971 in Danish language -which actually included "Harry The Loverman" as "Hey Christoffer"- and in the next eight years they became the biggest group in Danish rock ever. Loved for their funny and suprising Danish lyrics. After Gasolin the lead singer Kim Larsen went solo with a big huge success and he is still around with his current band Kjukken playing new music and great versions of Gasolin songs.

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