Adolfo de la Parra
Adolfo de la Parra | |
|---|---|
 Hamburg, March 1974 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 8, 1946 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Genres | Blues rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, author |
| Instrument | Drums |
| Years active | 1958–present |
| Member of | Canned Heat |
| Formerly of | Los Sinners Bluesberry Jam |
Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra (born 8 February 1946) is a Mexican-born musician who is best known for his work as the drummer of the American blues rock band Canned Heat, which he joined in 1967.[1][2]
Life and career
[edit]Parra was born in Mexico City, and has played in bands such as Los Sinners and Los Hooligans. When he moved to the United States, he joined The Sotweed Factor, and then left them to join Bluesberry Jam.[3][4][5] Members of this band were later in Pacific Gas & Electric.[3]
When Parra was with Bluesberry Jam in 1967, he was discovered by the members in Canned Heat.[citation needed] He was invited into the band and made the classic member lineup. Parra replaced Frank Cook as drummer for Canned Heat, and Cook replaced Parra as drummer for Bluesberry Jam, which was described by them as a “simple switch over”.[6][better source needed] He joined shortly before they recorded their first worldwide hit song, "On the Road Again". His first gig was on December 1, 1967.[4]
Parra has been a member of Canned Heat since he joined in 1967. He played on all of their biggest hits from the 1960s, such as "Going Up the Country" and "Let's Work Together". He also played with the band at Woodstock in 1969 (Parra and Canned Heat appeared in the 1970 documentary film Woodstock, as well as featuring on the original soundtrack recording).[7][8][9][10] The members of the band were given nicknames, and Adolfo was given “Fito”, which was also the only non-animal related nickname.[citation needed] Since the death of Larry Taylor (The Mole) in 2019, Parra is the only principal member of the 1960s who is still alive.[11][12]
In his career, Parra has also played with blues musicians such as The Coasters, T-Bone Walker, Ben E. King, Mary Wells, Etta James, and The Platters.[5] He produced and appears in the 2007 film Rock 'n Roll Made in Mexico: from Evolution to Revolution,[4][13] and also wrote the 2010 book Living The Blues.[14]
Publications
[edit]- De La Parra, Fito (2010). Living the Blues: Canned Heat's Story of Music, Drugs, Death, Sex and Survival. Canned Heat Music. p. 412. ISBN 9780967644905.
See also
[edit]List of performances and events at Woodstock Festival
References
[edit]- ^ Locey, Bill (1991-05-16). "Old Flame : Blues rockers Canned Heat have been around for about 25 years, but they may just be warmin' up". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Bell, Max (2018-10-19). "Canned Heat: the badass blues band that death couldn't kill". louder. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ a b "Canned Heat's drummer relates how police set band up with drugs". Putnampit.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ a b c ""Made in Mexico, from Evolution to Revolution" Press Release | Happy Trailers HD". 2011-10-06. Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ a b "Strumming for Vets, Guitars, Veteran, Music, Fender, Gibson, Military, Bay Area". strummingforvets.org. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ "Canned Heat Official WebSite - Biography". 2010-11-20. Archived from the original on 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ Savage, Jon (2009-08-19). "Jon Savage on song: Canned Heat's Woodstock anthem". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Canned Heat brings blues-rock legacy from Woodstock to Rams Head in Annapolis". Wtop.com. 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Savio, Jason. "'Born to play': Original drummer brings Canned Heat's blues to the Cape". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Iwasaki, Scott (2019-01-09). "Canned Heat lights up three nights in Park City". Parkrecord.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Kaufman, Gil (2019-08-20). "Canned Heat Bassist Larry Taylor Dies at 77". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ Scott, TONE (2023-04-03). "My 5 most influential albums: Fito de la Parra of Canned Heat". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Rock 'n Roll Made in Mexico: From Evolution to Revolution (2007)". Mubi.com. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
- ^ "Living the Blues". Goodreads.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
External links
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