Hound Dog Taylor & the HouseRockers was the album that launched the “Genuine Houserocking Music” phenomenon of Alligator Records in Chicago, and arguably Hound Dog Taylor has yet to be surpassed as the champion of all houserockers. Certainly no entertainer ever provided a better time for his audiences, and plenty of new listeners reveled in Hound Dog’s music as a result of Alligator founder Bruce Iglauer’s production and promotion of this LP and several subsequent albums as well as his management of Taylor’s touring career. Taylor’s slide guitar boogies were in a class of their own, and his interplay with guitarist Brewer Phillips was extraordinary in itself, as the two switched back and forth between slashing lead guitar and propulsive bass lines –- the band never recorded with an actual bass player. Drummer Ted Harvey drove the proceedings happily along. This LP, recorded in Chicago in May and June of 1971, featured Taylor’s own originals and adaptations as well as versions of two Elmore James songs, a hot “44 Blues,” and the Brewer Phillips showcase “Phillips’ Theme.”
Released as Alligator 4701 (LP) in 1971.