One of the things that I greatly regret is never having been able to hear some of the great Blues men of the 1960s and before play. If I could go back in time and hear just one of them, my pick would certainly be Hound Dog Taylor. He may not be the most sophisticated player among the great ones, but he played the blues just as I like them: raw, rough, dirty, but with a lot of boogie, and, most of the time, up tempo.
Now Belgian blues/roots artist Lightnin' Guy has revived the music of Hound Dog Taylor. As I already stressed, I am in no position to compare his performance to the original, but I am sure that it is close enough! Guy's tone is very close to original, his playing is skillful, his show is very much alive, and he makes no compromises on the "raw, rough and dirty" part! I caught his show in Zoetermeer, which was set in a strange setting of broad daylight among Saturday shoppers in the middle of the town square. But it was a great show. if you like Hound Dog Taylor, or don't know him and want to learn about his music, Lightnin' Guy Plays Hound Dog Taylor is an outfit you want to catch.