Happy Birthday Alan Wilson!

It's July 4, and for Alanologists everywhere it's more than the day of our nation's founding. It's also the appearance day of Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson! He was born approximately 8 a.m. on this day in 1943, in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Here at the Blind Owl Blues Blog we are pleased and excited to celebrate the day of his appearance. If Alan was living today, he would be 66 years old. We wonder what he would look like, but since we'll never know, we are content to pay tribute to his all-too-short earthly life of 27 years.

Alanologist and artist Cat has created a wonderful portrait, infused with the essence of Alan's gentle spirit and his love of nature. We thank her for this beautiful birthday tribute to the Blind Owl, and are proud to present its debut on the Blind Owl Blues Blog!


While you are celebrating Alan's birthday today, take some time to check out Cat's other artwork - including many Alan-inspired pieces - on her website here!

Stay tuned to this blog for more Alan birthday specials, coming up....

Blind Owl Bio website under construction!

Exciting news!! The Blind Owl Bio website, blindowlbio.com, is being rebuilt. (You can still buy your copy of BLIND OWL BLUES, the book, there safely and securely through Google Checkout.)

Check back for updates to the website... and stay tuned to this blog for all things Alanological!

A Brief Review of the Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson Biography - By Dan Todd

For the discerning blues listener, no post-war figure has remained more shrouded in mystery and intrigue than Alan C. Wilson, inspiration and founding member of Canned Heat. The “Blind Owl’s” untimely death in 1970 left this seminal group without its signature voice, the voice of a lonely and powerful mind, heart, and soul. His introspective, absolutely original and creative modern blues drive and contributions have inspired musicians, young and old, blues and non-blues, for the 35 years since his passing. “Legendary” is not too strong a word, and the truth behind the legend can now be known. At last.

Rebecca Davis Winters cannot be congratulated enough for her ten-years-in-the-making research and documentation project, uncovering the full story of Al’s childhood, contributions to blues music and scholarship, and personal struggle to create true art in modern America. Her exhaustive research and clear and calm narrative voice can be experienced fully in her most recent book, Blind Owl Blues, (2007) now available through her website at http://blindowlbio.com.

Anyone interested in blues, unique musical expression, and the hardships necessarily endured by original creative artistic hearts and minds will find this book an indispensable addition to his or her collection. Blues is the true story told truthfully – do yourself a favor. Go out of your way to get this book!

- Dan Todd

Blind Owl Wilson FanFiction and Art

New ground is still being broken in the Alanological field of study! We at the official Blind Owl Blues Blog are astonished - and touched - by the many ways Alan Wilson, founder of Canned Heat, inspiration to blues legends like Son House and John Lee Hooker, continues to inspire artists today. Even those removed from him by both time and space are touched by his brilliant spirit, and he continues to urge us on to new levels of creativity.

Senior Alanologist Rebecca Davis Winters was delighted to receive first a book order, then a personal email from one young Alanologist, "Cat". Here's what she has to say about herself:

I'm a junior Alanologist and I specialize in drawing comics and playing classical piano. My website is http://newdivision-00.deviantart.com/.

Cat kindly shared some of her work with us at the Blind Owl Blues Blog.

• Here's a portrait of Alan paying tribute to his love of nature.
• Another portrait recalls Alan's poetry-as-song.
• This one, apparently done in some stylized form, is strange but interesting nonetheless.
• And here's a drawing in a more traditional medium.

Of even greater interest, owing to its unique nature, is Cat's Blind Owl Wilson FanFiction. While we at the Blind Owl Blues Blog are not very familiar with this genre, it is easy to spot a heartfelt tribute to Alan when we see it. In the Owl and Dove series, Part 1 and Part 2, the author imagines Our Hero being given a second chance at life... and at love!

Read Owl and Dove Part 1 here, and then read Part 2 here. Though the subject matter will likely strike traditional Alanologists as a bit odd, the author's feeling for his sensitivity and love of nature really comes through. Thanks to Cat for her continuing Alanological work. We hope she will be making further contributions to this blog in the future.

Alan Wilson/Canned Heat blog entries

New Blind Owl Wilson-related blog entries we found on the Internet include:

• "Cameron K's Blog: Canned Heat" , a general review of the band's history.
  
• A blog post about record collecting, featuring recollections of Canned Heat singer Bob Hite and his friend Claude McKee, can be found here.

If you have found a new Blind Owl Wilson-related blog entry, or a web page of note, send the url to wordworkshop@gmail.com and Alanological Priestess Rebecca Davis Winters will review it for listing here!

Blind Owl Blues author on Facebook

Rebecca Davis Winters, biographer of Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson, has established a presence on Facebook.

Visit her there:
http://www.facebook.com/blindowlblues

Sarod Master Ali Akbar Khan , Favorite of Blind Owl Wilson, Dies at 87.

It is a sad day for Alanologists and fans of sarod music everywhere. Ali Akbar Khan, master of the sarod, has died of kidney failure.

Click here for the San Fransisco Chronicle story.

Here's one of the Ali Akbar Khan LPs from Blind Owl Wilson's collection:

And another from Alan's collection, this one a collaboration with Ravi Shankar: