The Nighthawks - Slant Six

Size: 51.0 MB
Time: 21:47
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2023
Styles: Electric Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Front

01. Motor Head Baby (2:39)
02. Forty Days And Forty Nights (3:23)
03. Standing Around Crying (5:00)
04. You're Welcome To The Club (3:58)
05. Poor Me (3:31)
06. Don't Know Where She Went (3:15)

‘Slant Six,’ features six new recordings that deliver the heart and soul of The Nighthawks! It’s the 50th year for the legendary blues and roots band The Nighthawks, who are finally back on tour.

Slant Six MP3
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The Nighthawks - On The Road / Established 1972

Album: On The Road: The WTOL-FM New Orleans 1982 Broadcast Size: 173.1 MB
Time: 74:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front

01. Lot Of Love (Live 1982) (4:34)
02. Trust My Baby (Live 1982) (5:54)
03. Don't Go No Further (Live 1982) (7:35)
04. Put Your Cat Clothes On (Live 1982) (2:41)
05. Washed My Hands (Live 1982) (3:52)
06. 36-22-36 (Live 1982) (3:40)
07. I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me) (Live 1982) (6:40)
08. Route 66 (Live 1982) (5:50)
09. Lot Of Love (Late Show) (Live 1982) (5:35)
10. Back To The City (Live 1982) (4:07)
11. Metropolitan Avenue (Live 1982) (5:42)
12. Guard Your Heart (Live 1982) (3:11)
13. Too Tall To Mambo (Live 1982) (3:59)
14. Felt Too Good (Live 1982) (4:28)
15. Sixteen Tons (Live 1982) (6:09)

The Nighthawks are a blues and roots music band based in Washington, DC. The Nighthawks are Mark Wenner (harmonica), Paul Bell (lead guitar), Johnny Castle (bass guitar), and Pete Ragusa (drums).

Formed in 1972, the Nighthawks underwent several personnel changes before stabilizing the lineup of Mark Wenner (harmonica), Jimmy Thackery (lead guitar), Jan Zukowski (bass guitar), and Pete Ragusa (drums). Keyboard player Greg Wetzel joined the band in 1983 and has continued to play at special performances as an "alumni" of the band.
The membership of the band remained relatively stable until 1987. At that time, tired of the band's extensive touring schedule, Thackery (lead guitar) departed. Following his departure, several players temporarily filled the lead guitar spot. These included Danny Morris and Pete Kanaras.
In 2003, the band featured in the first episode of the second season of The Wire with "Sixteen Tons".
Kanaras (lead guitar) and Zukowski (bass guitar) departed the band in 2004. They were replaced by DC musicians Paul Bell (lead guitar) and Johnny Castle (bass guitar)

On The Road: The WTOL-FM New Orleans 1982 Broadcast MP3
On The Road: The WTOL-FM New Orleans 1982 Broadcast FLAC

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Album: Established 1972 Size: 112.9 MB
Time: 47:56
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2022
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Front & Back

01. Nobody (3:00)
02. You Seem Distant (4:15)
03. I'll Come Running Back To You (4:11)
04. Coming And Going (2:30)
05. Take It Slow (3:14)
06. Johnny Too Bad (2:57)
07. Ask Me Nice (4:19)
08. West Memphis (3:35)
09. Ain't That Lovin You (2:24)
10. Gas Station Chicken (3:56)
11. Houseband (3:41)
12. Fuss And Fight (3:33)
13. Run Red Run (3:27)
14. Driving (2:45)

The Nighthawks are celebrating 50 years of being the best bar band in the world with a brand-new album, Established 1972, that’s so good you’ll want to listen to it for another 50. Out now on the VizzTone Label Group imprint, the record is a testament to the creative staying power and musical muscle of one of the USA’s all-time great blues bands.

Founded back in the day by lead singer and harpmaster Mark Wenner, it would have been easy for the group to pull a bunch of tracks from its back pages and call it an anniversary release but Nighthawks fans know that such a move doesn’t fit their favorite band’s well-established, hard-charging style. Instead, Established 1972 contains 14 new original songs that roam undefined through the wilds of American roots music and are absolutely ready to party. That, my friends, is The Nighthawks’ style.

This new set was produced by the band and longtime partner David Earl at Earl’s Severn Sound Studios in Annapolis, Maryland during the pandemic. Wenner and his present-day lineup of drummer Mark Stutso, guitarist Don Hovey, and bassist Paul Pisciotta circled up and made some of the finest music of the Hawks’ lengthy career. The musicians all share vocals and songwriting duties and have a clear chemistry together that has kept the D.C.-based outfit’s power and reputation intact despite all the time and miles that have gone by. The band has been through many changes in five decades but this version is as good as they’ve ever been and shows no sign of hitting the brakes.

Established 1972 kicks off with the amped-up Chuck Berry-ish rocker “Nobody.” It’s a strutting, dance floor song meant to improve both your mood and your circulation. Mark Stutso pounds out a straight-ahead beat that will wear out your shoe leather and Wenner’s harmonica is wonderfully dirty and cool. It’s the kind of number the group made its bones on, overflowing with energy, joy, and an obvious love for American music. Expect to play this one a few times in a row.

“You Seem Distant” is a prime Gulf Coast boogie delivered with a bit of subtle snark and a pocket that refuses to quit. The band locks together as one and puts down a sound that can hang with any house-rocking legend that’s ever taken the stage. Don Hovey’s guitar work is on point, super tasty, and well-executed here and throughout the album and he gives all the aspiring pickers out there a ton of cool licks to figure out.

The vibe turns almost completely around on the vintage soul jam “I’ll Come Running Back To You.” The Nighthawks pull back and smooth out on this one and deliver the kind of old-school, mid-tempo soul music that practically requires a velvet tuxedo. Wenner’s harp work fits into this context surprisingly well and the tune comes off as romantic and genuine. It’s a big shift in tone from the previous songs but the band slam dunks it with ease.

“Johnny Too Bad” is a pumping garage rock cut with roots overtones aplenty that’s nothing but fun. It has that simple, heady feel that set so many of us off in our formative days and will make you want to jump up and sing along. The ballad “West Memphis” is gentle and true. It has a plain-spoken, emotional take on tough times and love gone wrong that can’t help but touch any beating heart that encounters it and is one of the new record’s peak moments. Be sure to also spin “Gas Station Chicken” and the closer “Driving.” The Nighthawks still have an incredible amount of music to give us and Established 1972 is proof positive of that fact. Dig into it and it will make your summer happen. ~Mike O’Cull

Established 1972 MP3
Established 1972 FLAC

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The Nighthawks - Rock This House

Album: Rock This House
Size: 144,3 MB
Time: 62:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1993
Styles: Blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Rock This House (6:26)
2. Cat Clothes On (4:55)
3. I'm A Hog For You (8:31)
4. I'll Go Crazy (2:51)
5. Double Trouble (8:30)
6. Tell Me What I Did Wrong (4:41)
7. Nineteen Years Old (4:37)
8. Can't Be Satisfied (3:42)
9. Blind Love (4:32)
10. Just A Little Bit (3:28)
11. Honest I Do (3:35)
12. Sixteen Tons (6:40)

A live set of dependably accomplished bar-band contemporary blues with a slight rock edge. The set list won't win any prizes for originality, with covers of moldies by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed, Merle Travis, James Brown, Carl Perkins, and Otis Rush, and just one original tune. Yet it's executed quite competently, and the fidelity is good. /Richie Unterberger, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

Rock This House mc
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The Nighthawks - Trouble

Album: Trouble
Size: 98,3 MB
Time: 42:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1991/2001
Styles: Blues, rocking blues, harmonica blues
Art: Full

1. Blind Love (4:20)
2. 99 Pounds (3:59)
3. T.R.O.U.B.L.E (3:59)
4. Hard Hearted Woman (3:03)
5. Why Why Baby (2:15)
6. I Wouldn't Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me) (5:25)
7. One Rock At A Time (3:18)
8. Leave My Woman Alone (2:52)
9. The Chicken And The Hawk (Up, Up, And Away) (3:45)
10. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I'll Go Mine) (3:50)
11. Ride And Roll (2:49)
12. Tryin' To Get You (2:43)

Over the years, the Nighthawks have done their share of label-hopping. 1991 found them briefly recording for Powerhouse, a small Florida label that Ichiban was distributing at the time. Trouble, which the Nighthawks dedicated to Doc Pomus, was their only album for Powerhouse - and it is a solid blues-rock outing that sometimes detours into blue-eyed soul and early rock & roll. Whatever the style, the Nighthawks bring a lot of grit and enthusiasm to the material, which ranges from Lieber and Stoller's "The Chicken and the Hawk" to Bobby "Blue" Bland's "(I Wouldn't) Treat a Dog."

The band also turns its attention to Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee's "Ride and Roll," a song that blues lovers associate with the Piedmont, GA, school of Southern country blues. But in the Nighthawks' hands, "Ride and Roll" doesn't sound like Georgia blues - they give the tune an electric blues-rock makeover, and their version is closer to Chicago than Georgia. Another highlight of the album is Bob Dylan's "You Go Your Way"; the Nighthawks haven't recorded many songs by the folk-rock icon, but this one works well for them.

On many of their albums, the DC residents have been totally self-contained; but on Trouble, they have a few guests. One of them is "Steady Rollin'" Bob Margolin, who recorded for Powerhouse as a solo artist in the early '90s. Margolin is best known for his years as Muddy Waters' guitarist, which makes him a perfect guest for the Nighthawks - both of them both worship anything having to do with Chess Records. Trouble falls short of essential, but even so, it is an enjoyable (if overlooked) footnote in the Nighthawks' history. /Alex Henderson, AllMusic

(For personnel details, see artwork included.)

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The Nighthawks - Tryin' To Get To You

Size: 105.7 MB
Time: 45:04
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2020
Styles: Electric Blues, Harmonica Blues
Art: Full

01. Come Love (3:01)
02. I Know Your Wig Is Gone (2:31)
03. Tell Me What I Did Wrong (2:58)
04. Tryin' To Get To You (3:58)
05. Baby It's Time (3:25)
06. I Hate A Nickel (3:31)
07. Rain Down Tears (5:50)
08. Somethin's Cookin' (2:51)
09. Searchin' For My Baby (3:15)
10. Don't Worry Baby (3:26)
11. Luscious (2:46)
12. Chairman Of The Board (4:10)
13. The Cheap Stuff (3:16)

Legendary. Not so long ago, this word was reserved for people and things that truly were legends: Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, the music of Mozart and Eric Clapton. Nowadays everything is: photos, memes, ice cream flavors, even an unusually-witty retort to a commenter on YouTube. Where have all the real legends gone? In the blues world, sticking this term in front of one’s name could be a good marketing strategy, though not always accurate. Consider the case of The Nighthawks, a veteran ensemble founded in 1972. They’ve opened countless doors and forged many a touring route for more well-known contemporaries, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robert Cray, and played with as many blues and rockabilly legends as they could. They opened show after show for Muddy Waters, James Cotton and Carl Perkins, also backing and recorded with John Hammond and Pinetop Perkins. Without the Nighthawks, would the household names we know have become such? One can only imagine.

To date, they’ve released thirty-one albums. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Tryin’ to Get to You is their laid-back latest, featuring four original songs and nine covers. Of the latter, notable ones include T-Bone Walker’s “I Know Your Wig is Gone,” James Brown’s “Tell Me What I Did Wrong,” the title track, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland’s “Chairman of the Board,” and Greg Gallaman’s “Luscious.” If you’ve never heard of some of these, that’s okay, because the ‘Hawks put their own unique spin on each. As for their original material, strong instrumentation helps their cause tremendously.
“Baby It’s Time,” a plea for a certain lady to leave her lover, has a thrumming bassline and beat reminiscent of Chuck Berry’s “Downbound Train.” If those aren’t ominous enough, the song starts, “Baby, it’s time to put your old man down – down on the ground. Honey, put your old man down.” Are these two plotting a simple breakup or a murder? This is the kind of unexpectedly-eerie song that proves the Nighthawks still have a talon’s edge.

The current lineup features Mark Wenner on harmonicas and vocals; Dan Hovey on guitars and vocals; Mark Stutso on drums and vocals, and Paul Pisciotta on basses and vocals.

The Nighthawks was an idea in Mark Wenner’s brain long before he was able to implement it. The musical product of pre-1958 radio in Washington, D.C., he didn’t know there were rules against mixing blues, R&B, honky-tonk country, doo-wop, gospel and rockabilly into one delicious stew. So many iconic artists have had a taste. As for the ‘Hawks? They fly on. ~Rainey Wetnight

Tryin' To Get To You MP3
Tryin' To Get To You FLAC

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VA - Blues Live From Mountain Stage

Size: 139.3 MB
Time: 58:43
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1995
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01 The Nighthawks - Leave My Woman Alone (Live) (2:42)
02 Tracy Nelson - It Hurts Me Too (Live) (4:26)
03 Paul Geremia - Slidell Blues (Live) (3:40)
04 Snooky Pryor - That's The Way To Do It (Live) (2:57)
05 John Hammond - My Daddy Was A Jockey (Live) (3:23)
06 Charlie Musselwhite - Blues Why Do You Worry Me (Live) (5:13)
07 Chris Smither - The Devil's Real (Live) (4:22)
08 Cephas & Wiggins - Black Cat On The Line (Live) (5:06)
09 William Clarke - Lonesome Bedroom Blues (Live) (4:04)
10 John Jackson - Louisiana Blues (Live) (2:26)
11 The Legendary Blues Band - Got Love If You Want It (Live) (3:55)
12 Johnnie Johnson - That'll Work (Live) (5:23)
13 Charles Brown - Quicksand Blues (Live) (5:09)
14 Duke Robillard - Gee I Wish (Live) (5:52)

The Blues Live from Mountain Stage series continues documenting contemporary roots music's finest performers with this fine collection of blues performances, featuring artists including Charles Brown ("Quicksand Blues"), Charlie Musselwhite ("Blues Why Do You Worry Me?"), and Tracy Nelson ("It Hurts Me Too"). ~by Jason Ankeny

Blues Live From Mountain Stage MP3
Blues Live From Mountain Stage FLAC

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The Nighthawks - Last Train To Bluesville

Size: 95.4 MB
Time: 40:27
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2010
Styles: Acoustic Blues
Art: Full

01. The Chicken And The Hawk (Up Up And Away) (4:58)
02. Nineteen Years Old (4:15)
03. I'll Go Crazy (2:55)
04. You Don't Love Me (3:18)
05. Rainin' In My Heart (3:54)
06. Can't Be Satisfied (3:52)
07. Thirty Days (3:38)
08. Mighty Long Time (4:58)
09. High Temperature (3:14)
10. Rollin' And Tumblin' (5:20)

I've been following the 'Hawks since I long ago chanced upon their excellent '76 Open All Night LP in a used record shop and then laid hold of everything I could find by them. The band was indie as hell long before being so was fashionable, and I've always filed 'em in with The Juke Joint Jumpers, Siegel-Schwall Band, Jim Suhler & Monkeybeat, and a small mess of other groups that forever managed to keep things fresh, gritty, and snappin'. This latest CD is copped from a Sirius/XM radio concert, acoustic and straight to disc.

For me, that brings in a new wrinkle on an old but way too small tradition. 'Member all those audiophile LPs that used to feature live music or studio gigs direct to a two-track masters with absolutely no overdubs? When whatcha heard was 100% what was played? Those things succeeded to a jaw-dropping degree, preserving the immediacy of musicianship in a way few techniques could, frequently electrifying for their élan. Well, that's what happened here. The foursome checked into the studio and just went to it, producing a sound that's spotlessly clean while raw yet smooth, an exercise in what the blues used to be. The engineer, Michael Taylor, pulled off a flawless job capturing the event, preserving every last note pristinely, perfectly balanced.

In that environment, the Nighthawks prove that, now past the three decade mark, they're better than ever. There's just a way in that which blues masters seem to hold best. At times, as in the take on You Don't Love Me, I was reminded of the acoustic interlude in Foghat's killer Return of the Boogie Men, where the group proved beyond doubt that they, too, were by no means beaten down by time, market fortunes, or the biz itself, still true to the music. In the Nighthawks, Paul Bell's as finessey and inventive on guitar as ever while Mark Wenner's harp slices through everything, a siren call keeping its sharpened paces as a lead voice…and, of course, his singing is as strong, commanding, and sure as on the very 1st LP, perhaps more so.

Wenner originally founded the ensemble with Jimmy Thackery, who left early, then later picked up drummer Pete Ragusa manning one of the coolest time keeping duties around, a tasty blend of hip timekeeper and subtle player, a cat who never cops the spotlight but also whose absence would be irreparably damaging. Shortly thereafter, Bell was located along with bassist Johnny Castle, the latter as cagily unprepossessing as Ragusa, content to lay down a laid-back swinging secondary groove deceptive in its quiet ways.

All the tracks here are covers of the greats—Chuck Berry, Sonny Boy Williamson, even Leiber and Stoller, etc.—a dip into the well that comes up with blues aqua vitae admixed with swamp water and Louisiana sunlight (catch Bell's solo in Mighty Long Time for that last dose), but it's the sheer calm energy and bravura that impresses above everything else. These guys have everydamnthing well under control and cook with fingersnapping ease, masters of the genre and as born to it as a gator to a mangrove. When the CD closes with a spirited comp on Rollin' and Tumblin' , you can't help but smile like the cat that got the cream, licking your chops, content that all's right with the musical world. ~Mark S. Tucker

Last Train To Bluesville MP3
Last Train To Bluesville FLAC

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The Nighthawks - Open All Nite

Year: 1976/1995
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 37:03
Size: 86,0 MB
Styles: Electric blues, harmonica blues
Scans: Full

1. Nine Below Zero (3:26)
2. Help Me (4:02)
3. Shake Your Moneymaker (3:13)
4. Big Boss Man (3:25)
5. Little By Little (2:38)
6. Madison Blues (2:55)
7. Next Time You See Me (3:56)
8. That's Alright (4:02)
9. Long Distance Call (5:46)
10. Red Hot Mama (Feat. Pinetop Perkins) (3:35)

When Open All Nite was first released on LP in 1976, the Nighthawks had only been together for four years - little did they know that they would still be together in the 21st century and would celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2002. Some young bands sound like they still have some growing and developing to do, but the Nighthawks never sound the least bit undeveloped on Open All Nite. The blues-rockers always sound focused, and they know exactly what they're going for on gritty performances of "Nine Below Zero," Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man," and other Chicago blues staples. The Nighthawks were never innovative, but they were always sincere and honest, which is why they bring so much enthusiasm to these performances.

Over the years, the Nighthawks have often been described as a "bar band" - and most of the time, it is meant as a compliment. In most cases, people who call the Nighthawks a "bar band" are celebrating their rawness and lack of pretense. In fact, Open All Nite and other Nighthawks albums of the '70s sound like a rebellion against slickness - the blues-rockers sound like they're downright proud of their raw, rugged, bare-bones approach, and they seem oblivious to the glossier sounds of the '70s. In that sense, one can see some parallels between Open All Nite and the punk bands that were starting to make their presence felt in 1976.

The Nighthawks were never a punk band, but they did share punk's love of rawness and believed in keeping things simple, emotionally direct, and straightforward. This album, which Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab reissued on CD in the '90s, is a fine document of the Nighthawks' early period. /Alex Henderson, AllMusic

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Nighthawks - All You Gotta Do

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2017
Styles: Bluesrock
Time: 42:11
Size: 97,3 MB
Covers: Front;CD;Tray

(3:10) 1. That's All You Gotta Do
(4:12) 2. When I Go Away
(3:45) 3. Baby, I Want To Be Loved
(3:07) 4. Let's Burn Down the Cornfield
(3:03) 5. Another Day
(2:54) 6. Voodoo Doll
(2:54) 7. Ninety Nine
(4:44) 8. Three Times Your Fool
(3:52) 9. Isn't That So
(3:07) 10. Snake Drive
(3:13) 11. Blues For Brother John
(4:07) 12. Dirty Water

The Nighthawks have been legends for a long time now. For All You Gotta Do, they use all of those years of experience - 43 for vocalist Mark Wenner! - combined with just as much vocal power as they have ever had, to deliver an eclectic mix of songs, a few of which may surprise as well as delight. The album starts out easy with Wenner delivering a version of "That's All You Gotta Do" that is pure happy rockabilly. The song was written by Jerry Reed and first recorded by Brenda Lee. But then comes the first surprise, as the band changes it up with a cover of the Larry Campbell-written Levon Helm farewell song, "When I Go Away." The gospel inspiration of the tribute tune is beautifully captured on the vocals by drummer Mark Stutso, and it is a moving experience. The Nighthawks are a Chicago blues band though, so of course they have a Muddy Waters cover, "Baby, I Want to Be Loved," originally written by Willie Dixon. Wenner handles the vocals on this one. It's time for another surprise: Randy Newman's "Let's Burn Down the Cornfield," a lesser-known song of his that allows guitarist Paul Bell to get in some tasty slide guitar. The band learned the darkly humorous song for a performance of Newman's songs in D.C. Everybody sings on this record except Bell, who has his hands full being brilliant (on guitar), so Johnny Castle steps up next with his own song, "Another Day," a very topical modern day protest song. Stutso then does his original song, the wry "Voodoo Doll." Love can be torture! Wenner delivers fantastic harmonica on Sonny Boy Williamson's rocking "Ninety Nine" before Stutso tears your heart out with "Three Times Your Fool," which he wrote with Norman Nardini. The band gets to show off their close harmonies on Jesse Winchester's "Isn't That So," and then cuts loose on R.L. Burnside's "Snake Drive." Then they have some fun turning "Frere Jacques" into "Blues for Brother John." Finally, Castle proves himself a natural down and dirty rocker with his remake of The Standells' "Dirty Water," now a tribute to D.C. rather than Boston. The goal of The Nighthawks is to have fun, and you will have fun with this album! They would never have lasted this long if they were not awesome. -- Mark Pucci.

All You Gotta Do

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Rev. Billy C Wirtz (featuring The Nighthawks)- Full Circle

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 2016
Styles: Blues
Time: 41:47
Size: 96,2 MB
Covers: Front,CD,Tray

(2:50) 1. Too Old
(3:13) 2. Smokie, Pt. 2
(2:30) 3. One Pont Five
(3:39) 4. Mama Was a Deadhead
(2:29) 5. Rockin' Up to Gloryland
(2:50) 6. Your Last Goodbye
(3:09) 7. Daddy Passed Away
(2:46) 8. Breakup
(1:35) 9. Who Dat? (The Rev's Theme)
(2:20) 10. I'm a Senior
(3:29) 11. Daddy Was a Sensitive Man
(3:56) 12. Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee
(3:53) 13. Mennonite Surf Party
(2:23) 14. Hand of the Almighty
(0:39) 15. Reprise (Smokie Part 2.5)

Recorded in Richmond, VA, with the help of some friends (Little Ronnie, Steve Riggs, Bob Driver) and The Nighthawks, Billy Wirtz (born William McClean Wirths) delivers some fine piano and fun. Some tracks are recorded with an audience in the studio. In his teens, Billy played guitar in coverbands and worked in a record store. At this time he discovered blues, jazz and gospel music. His favorite instrument became the piano. At the end of the 1970s, Wirtz moved to Chicago and befriended Sunnyland Slim. He learned piano and boogie-woogie from this piano master. In 1982 he recorded his first album. Wirtz also broadcasted his favorite music on several radio stations.

Full Circle

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The Nighthawks - Blue Moon In Your Eye: Live At The Barns At Wolf Trap

Size: 136,2 MB
Time: 58:45
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2006
Styles: Electric Blues, Blues Rock
Art: Full

01. Woke Up This Morning (From The Sopranos) (3:45)
02. Born In Chicago (3:24)
03. Thirty Days (3:35)
04. Jump Into My Fire (5:07)
05. Big River (4:06)
06. Black Night (7:51)
07. You Don't Love Me (You Don't Care) (3:47)
08. None Of That Stuff (3:17)
09. Soul Of A Man (3:57)
10. Put Your Cat Clothes On (4:53)
11. Walkin' After Midnight (2:55)
12. Same Thing (5:51)
13. Can't Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover (6:10)

Since "Open All Night" (actually their second album)! Nighthawks is one of best bar bands ever, but it was not easy to replace Jimmy Thackery, who quit in 1986. More recently, also Jan Zukowski left. Paul Bell and Johnny Castle are not beginners and provide very solid fret work; as a result this "Blue Moon in your eye" is Nighthawks' best effort in years. Owing to the mix of rock'n'roll/blues/rock songs, there are a few weak moments - a constant feature throughout Nighthawks' life - which may disappoint blues "hardliners", though slow blues are terrific. Great singing and drumming from Pete Ragusa.

Blue Moon In Your Eye

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The Nighthawks - 2 albums: Best Of The Nighthawks / 444

A hard-driving D.C.-based bar band with strong Chicago blues roots. Formed in 1972 by harpist and vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, the band earned a reputation as a solid outfit through more than a decade of touring and recording projects with John Hammond and former members of Muddy Waters' band. Thackery left in 1986, but Wenner regrouped around longtime members Jan Zukowski on bass and Pete Ragusa on drums. Trouble, their 1991 release on Powerhouse, is a blend of blues, R&B, and rock influences, with a typically energetic sound born in thousands of one-night stands across the country. Subsequent efforts include 1993's live Rock This House, 1996's Pain & Paradise, and 1999's Still Wild. A collection of live performances in 2001 saw release in the spring of 2002 as Live Tonight. ~bio by Bill Dahl

Album: Best Of The Nighthawks
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:58
Size: 157.9 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 1982/1990
Art: Front

[3:04] 1. Bring It On Home
[3:12] 2. 9 Below Zero
[9:26] 3. Shake And Finger Pop
[2:53] 4. Madison Blues
[3:32] 5. Red Hot Mama
[3:20] 6. Can't Get Next To You
[4:54] 7. You Got To Move
[2:35] 8. Little By Little
[4:39] 9. Are You Lonely
[2:28] 10. Claudette
[3:09] 11. Ubangi Stomp
[2:22] 12. Sea Cruise
[2:46] 13. What A Girl Can't Do
[4:19] 14. I Keep Cryin'
[4:15] 15. Tramp On The Highway
[3:31] 16. Fat Back Mama
[2:54] 17. Tripe Face Boogie
[2:55] 18. Slow Down
[2:34] 19. Nervous Breakdown

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Best Of The Nighthawks zippy

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Album: 444
Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 47:01
Size: 107.7 MB
Styles: Contemporary blues
Year: 2014
Art: Front

[3:12] 1. Walk That Walk
[4:21] 2. Livin' The Blues
[2:44] 3. 444 A.M
[4:04] 4. You're Gone
[3:15] 5. Honky Tonk Queen
[3:09] 6. Got A Lot Of Livin'
[2:57] 7. Crawfish
[4:20] 8. Price Of Love
[4:01] 9. High Snakes
[4:35] 10. Nothin' But The Blues
[3:59] 11. No Secrets
[3:12] 12. Louisiana Blues
[3:05] 13. Roadside Cross

444 mc
444 zippy

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Nighthawks - Backtrack

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: LL (from CD)
Released: 1988
Styles: Blues
Time: 58:12
Size: 134,5 MB
Covers: Full

Personnel:
Mark Wenner - vocal & harp
Jimmy Thackery - vocal & guitar
Jan Zukowski - vocal & bass
Pete Ragusa - vocal & drums
Pinetop Perkins - vocal & piano (4)
Luther "Guitar Jr" Johnson - vocal & guitar (5)
John Hammond Jr - vocal & guitar (6)
Bob Margolin - vocal & guitar (3)
Toru Oki - vocal (7)

( 3:36) 1. Backtrack
( 3:23) 2. Pretty Girls and Cadillacs
( 7:44) 3. Screamin' and Cryin'
( 6:32) 4. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie
( 9:11) 5. On My Job
( 6:45) 6. Sugar Mama
(10:49) 7. Hip Shake Mama
( 3:50) 8. Sad and Lonesome (bonus track)
( 6:18) 9. Nine Below Zero (bonus track)

After more than 3000 gigs in 15 years with almost no change in personnel for The Nighthawks, time had come to pause, to reflect, to look back, to look at the present and the future. This live album represents the final chapter of those 15 years. The band played weeks at a time opening shows for the great Muddy Waters. They became friends with Muddy and with the musiciansfrom his band of that era, including Pinetop Perkins, Luther guitar Jr Johnson and Bob Margolin. Some of them played on the Jacks and Kings albums and on this present offering. Along with these legends, John Hammond Jr has not only been a great teacher and counselor, but also a supporter and a friend. In 1979, The Nighthawks played on Hammond's "Hot Tracks" album. The Nighthawks' friendship with Toru Oki took the band overseas to Japan and brought Toru Oki to the USA, joining the Hawks on the Mississippi Blues Festival. Great times but times change and life moves on. Jimmy Thackery has chosen to pursue his career with a new group, the Asssissins. Mark, Pete and Jan have chosen to continue with the band, joined by Jimmy Nalls on guitar and Jimmy Hall on saxophone and second harp. So, although this album is the final chapter of the early Nighthawks, it's the opening of a whole new story ... to be continued ...

Backtrack

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Nighthawks - Live In Europe

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Source: From LL
Released: 1987/1990
Styles: Blues
Time: 42:37
Size: 98,4 MB
Covers: Full

Personnel:
Mark Wenner - harmonica & vocals
Jimmy Thackery - guitar & vocals
Jan Zukowski - bass
Pete Ragusa - drums & vocals

( 0:26) 1. Intro
( 3:57) 2. If You Love Me (Say I)
( 4:06) 3. Back To The City
( 4:58) 4. Mighty Long Time
( 4:10) 5. Nothin' But You
( 4:22) 6. Save That Dress
(11:09) 7. Black Night
( 3:16) 8. Hard Headed Woman
( 6:09) 9. I Can Tell

In 1986, the Nighthawks toured in Europe with their good friend John Hammond. First they played the Berlin Jazz Festival, but they were not well received by the crowd. But the next venue in Bremen was an unqualified triumph before a wildly ecstatic blues audience. The band tore the roof down, a performance which undoubtedly resulted in a host of return engagements through the whole of Europe, including the Amsterdam Blues Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival. Moreover, such recognition eventually led to German blues aficionado, Detlev Hogan, also of Bremen, who would subsequently produce the 1986 Live In Europe LP on his Crosscut label in 1987, reissued by Rounder in 1990.

Live In Europe

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Nighthawks 2 albums: Nighthawks Live / Times Four

Album: Nighthawks Live
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1976-1995
Styles: Blues
Time: 75:29
Size: 172,8 MB
Covers: Full

(1:14) 1. Intro
(3:23) 2. Jail House Rock
(1:58) 3. Hound Dog
(3:17) 4. Can't Get Next to You
(9:26) 5. Shake & Fingerpop
(2:16) 6. Whammer Jammer
(3:01) 7. Tripe Face Boogie
(8:54) 8. Nineteen Years Old
(8:30) 9. Shake Your Money Maker
(5:45) 10. Come On, Let the Good Times Roll
(2:22) 11. Off the Wall
(9:31) 12. Double Trouble
(0:21) 13. Intro
(3:19) 14. Ubangi Stomp
(2:15) 15. Mystery Dance
(4:08) 16. Boppin the Blues
(5:39) 17. Talked To Me Baby

The Nighthawks, at their heart, are a bar band in the best sense of the term -- they're at their best in a live setting. Live at the Psychedelly captures them at their mid-'70s peak, running through standards ("Jail House Rock," "Hound Dog") and contemporary rockers ("Can't Get Next to You," "Whammer Jammer," "Tripe Face Boogie"), with fire and energy. This CD reissue includes four bonus tracks recorded at the El Mocambo.

Nighthawks Live

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Album: Times Four
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1981-1997
Styles: Blues
Time: 50:39
Size: 116,1 MB
Covers: Full

(5:45) 1. Let the Good Times Roll
(2:22) 2. Off the Wall
(9:31) 3. Double Trouble
(3:26) 4. Let a Woman Be a Woman
(4:11) 5. All Your Fault
(2:44) 6. What a Girl Can't Do
(4:54) 7. You've Got to Move
(2:28) 8. Claudette
(4:24) 9. Mystery Train
(3:02) 10. Backseat Boogie
(4:41) 11. How Many More Years
(3:07) 12. Mind Your Own Business

I've alway felt that the Nighthawks best showcase was their live stage persona, seen them several different times at different venues, and they never disapoint. What you are getting with this double album is a taste of their special gritty take on the urban blues. Its amazing that the Nighthawks vocal harmonies, along with Mark Wenner's just stone slutty as a dockyard doxie, harmonica solo's are enough to draw your attemtion, but Jimmy Thackery's out front, in the background guitar work is his standard excellence. (The 1981 2LP had 4 extra tracks, reissued on the Nighthawks Live cd).

Times Four

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Nighthawks - Back Porch Party

File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2015
Styles: Bluesrock
Time: 44:56
Size: 104,6 MB
Covers: Front

(5:17) 1. Rock This House
(3:02) 2. Walkin' After Midnight
(4:13) 3. Down In The Hole
(3:49) 4. Matchbox
(4:06) 5. Tiger In Your Tank
(2:30) 6. Jana Lea
(3:11) 7. Rollin' Stone
(3:45) 8. Guard My Heart
(4:06) 9. Down To My Last Million Tears
(2:21) 10. Hey Miss Hey
(3:50) 11. Rooster Blues
(4:41) 12. Back To The City

After the success of their last acoustic recording, the Hawks return to the format with a live audience that probably appreciates the volume being turned town while the heat is still on full. An engaging set of rocking blues by pros that have gone their own way for over 40 years and are none the worse for wear for it all. Hot stuff recorded in one take with no fixing in the mix, this is real music for real ears. Hot stuff full of heart and soul. - Chris Spector

Recorded live to tape, with no overdubs or do-overs in front of a studio audience, The Nighthawks prove that an acoustic set can be powerful and fun. It really does feel as though you are visiting with very talented musician friends who are playing a combination of original tunes like "Hey Miss Hey," "Guard My Heart," and "Back to the City" and covers of songs from Lightnin' Slim, Ike Turner, Muddy Waters and BB King, plus two very surprising choices, this is an excellent album for any occasion. The two surprising choices are "Walking After Midnight,” which is so associated with Patsy Cline that few other musicians have recorded it, and "Down in the Hole," the dark theme song for television’s "The Wire.'
In both cases, The Nighthawks do a stellar job.
You will enjoy this album from start to finish. - amazon review

Back Porch Party

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Various - Blues: Live From Mountain Stage

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 58:35
Size: 134.1 MB
Styles: Blues-Country-Folk-R&B
Year: 1995
Art: Front

[2:42] 1. The Nighthawks - Leave My Woman Alone
[4:24] 2. Tracy Nelson - It Hurts Me Too
[3:40] 3. Paul Geremia - Slidell Blues
[2:57] 4. Snooky Pryor - That's The Way To Do It
[3:22] 5. John Hammond Jr. - My Daddy Was A Jockey
[5:13] 6. Charlie Musselwhite - Blues Why Do You Worry Me
[4:21] 7. Chris Smither - The Devil's Real
[5:05] 8. Cephas - Black Cat On The Line
[4:04] 9. William Clarke - Lonesome Bedroom Blues
[2:25] 10. John Jackson - Louisiana Blues
[3:55] 11. Legendary Blues Band - Got Love If You Want It
[5:22] 12. Johnnie Johnson - That'll Work
[5:09] 13. Charles Brown - Quicksand Blues
[5:51] 14. Duke Robillard - Gee I Wish

The Blues Live from Mountain Stage series continues documenting contemporary roots music's finest performers with this fine collection of blues performances, featuring artists including Charles Brown ("Quicksand Blues"), Charlie Musselwhite ("Blues Why Do You Worry Me?"), and Tracy Nelson ("It Hurts Me Too").

Blues: Live From Mountain Stage mc
Blues: Live From Mountain Stage zippy

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Various - Raise The Roof: A Retrospective: Live From The Barns At Wolf Trap

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 68:51
Size: 157.6 MB
Styles: Electric blues, Acoustic blues, Folk, Roots
Year: 2004
Art: Front

[6:20] 1. The Nighthawks - Rock This House
[3:44] 2. Deanna Bogart - Peephole
[4:24] 3. Fighting Gravity - I Disagree
[3:20] 4. John Mccutcheon - Yesterday's Fools
[6:04] 5. Nils Lofgren - Some Must Dream
[5:08] 6. The Iguanas - Para Donde Vas
[4:28] 7. The Grandsons - Don't Let Go
[4:34] 8. Speidel, Goodrich, Goggin & Lille - Lefty's Boys
[3:35] 9. Tom Paxton - Did You Hear John Hurt
[3:27] 10. Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer - Daughters Of Feminists
[3:23] 11. Chris Smither - Winsome Smile
[3:38] 12. Cravin' Dogs - First Of September
[4:30] 13. Roomful Of Blues - Two Bones And A Pick
[2:58] 14. Beausoleil - Perky Dance Two-Step
[4:23] 15. Saffire The Uppity Blues Women - Some Cold And Rainy Day
[4:49] 16. Eddie From Ohio - Great Day

Reviewed in The Washington Post by Richard Harrington, Wednesday, February 2, 2005: "That two conjoined 18th-century barns could prove so hospitable to so much fine music won't surprise anyone who's ever visited them at Wolf Trap. In fact, 17 acts have recorded live albums at the Barns since they opened in 1981 as the smaller, year-round adjunct of Wolf Trap, and a handful of compilations have also come out of assorted folk-focused programs. This new CD gathers one track from each of 16 artists, about half of them local, and captures the venue's populist appeal, nowhere more raucously than in the opening track, "Rock This House," a Jimmy Rogers blues classic delivered with typical bravado by the Nighthawks. The Barns' juke joint feel is brought home in similarly energized performances by the Deanna Bogart Band, the Grandsons and the aptly named Roomful of Blues, who romp through the T-Bone Walker instrumental, "Two Bones and a Pick." Beausoleil's "Perky Dance Two-Step" and the Iguanas' sinewy "Para Donde Vas" exemplify why the Barns also doubles so effectively as a dance hall. On the other hand, its superb acoustics are well suited to the subtler singer-songwriter offerings of Nils Lofgren (the airy, hopeful "Some Must Dream"), John McCutcheon and Chris Smither. Among the previously unreleased tracks: Tom Paxton's gentle evocation of the '60s folk boom, "Did You Hear John Hurt?," with harmonies from Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer, whose wry and mirthful "Daughters of Feminists" is a highlight. So is Eddie From Ohio's "Great Day," a rousing a cappella gospel quartet built around Julie Murphy Wells's sterling lead and underscored by clapping hands and tapping feet."

Raise The Roof: A Retrospective: Live From The Barns At Wolf Trap mc
Raise The Roof: A Retrospective: Live From The Barns At Wolf Trap zippy

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The Nighthawks - Jacks & Kings Vol. I & II

Size: 165,2 MB
Time: 71:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1977/1994
Styles: Chicago Blues
Art: Full

01. For You My Love (3:29)
02. Come Baby (3:15)
03. Love Me Or Leave Me (3:52)
04. Dust My Broom (4:08)
05. Sugar Mama (Thank You) (4:40)
06. The Sky Is Crying (4:54)
07. Pinetop's Boogie Woogie (3:22)
08. Floyd's Guitar Blues (2:48)
09. Walkin' By Myself (3:53)
10. Little Queenie (4:25)
11. Born In Chicago (2:42)
12. Anna Lee (2:54)
13. Two Bugs And A Roach (3:21)
14. Likin Gravy (5:00)
15. Sea Cruise (2:23)
16. Nervous Breakdown (2:34)
17. Rockin The Boogie (3:13)
18. After Hours (3:50)
19. Mother-In-Law Blues (3:33)
20. Gotta Get My Baby Back (3:34)

Classic material and stirring playing. A must-find.

What appears to be the earliest use of this popular band name is connected with the multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Percy Nelson of Hartford, CT. He put his first version of the Night Hawks together in the late '20s, working from the rostrum of musicians available in both New York City and his home turf. The group held forth at the Hotel Bond for 18 months but was also known as a touring outfit, hitting dance events in New England, Canada, and Pennsylvania. ~Biography by Eugene Chadbourne

Thanks to Kempen.
Jacks & Kings

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The Nighthawks - Rock 'N' Roll

Size: 100,0 MB
Time: 42:20
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1974/1983/1990
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Rockin' Blues
Art: Full

01. Red Hot Mama (Fine Little Mama) (4:14)
02. Can't Get Next To You (3:41)
03. Keep Cool (3:29)
04. Bring It On Home (3:44)
05. Tell The Truth (3:11)
06. Stop Breakin' Down (4:46)
07. Shake And Finger Pop (3:00)
08. Bright Lights, Big City (3:24)
09. Little Sister (2:55)
10. (Love Is Like A) Heat Wave (3:13)
11. Memo From Turner (4:07)
12. Teenage Nervous Breakdown (2:33)

The Nighthawks were formed in 1972 by harp player and vocalist Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery. After numerous changes in personnel, the line-up would solidify in 1974 with the addition of bassist Jan Zukowski and drummer Pete Ragusa. Basing their early sound on the classic Chicago blues of legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, the band fast found an eager audience performing on a thriving D.C. music scene that included talents like guitarists Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton.

As they expanded their sound to include elements of root-rock, rockabilly, and soul the Nighthawks would become one of the most in-demand live bands of the decade, regularly pulling down 300+ shows a year from 1974 through the mid-1980s. The band's on-stage chemistry was incendiary, and they would find themselves opening shows for, or backing up such artists as Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and John Hammond. The band released its first album in 1974, Rock 'N' Roll appearing on the recently-revived Alladin Records label and including covers of songs by the Rolling Stones, Sonny Boy Williamson, Elmore James, and others.

Rock 'N' Roll

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