Adolfo de la Parra | |
|---|---|
 Adolfo in 2018 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Fito |
| Born | February 8, 1946 Mexico City, Mexico |
| Genres | Blues rock |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums |
| Years active | 1960s-present |
| Member of | Canned Heat |
| Formerly of | Bluesberry Jam |
Adolfo "Fito" de la Parra (born February 8, 1946) is a Mexican drummer. He has been the drummer for Canned Heat since 1967.
Early life
Parra was born in Mexico City in 1946. His first group was in 1958 called Los Sparks.[1] Adolfo originally played rock and roll after his father, who was a fan of Western Cukture, took him to see Bill Haley & His Comets,[2] but swiftly changed to blues after first being exposed to the genre: “I had been playing rock 'n' roll and pop music for a few years in Mexico, but then I discovered rhythm and blues and blues music through an American girlfriend and with the arrival of Javier Batiz in Mexico. That's when I got involved with the blues and never went back to pop music.”[3] Aged 20, he arrived in California in 1966, a year before joining Canned Heat.[1]
Career
Bluesberry Jam
Prior to Canned Heat, he played for Bluesberry Jam, a blues rock group who were regulars at the Magic Mushroom bar in Los Angeles. The turning point for Parra was one night when Bluesberry Jam were playing at the Magic Mushroom sharing the same bill with Canned Heat, when a large quantity of the audience were mainly focusing on watching de la Parra for a strange reason.[4] This was actually arranged by Skip Taylor, Canned Heat’s manager, so that Canned Heat's members could be secretly lured in to watch de la Parra‘s on stage. The result of this was de la Parra being asked to audition for Canned Heat.
Canned Heat
As parra was driving to his audition for Canned Heat, he stopped by a record store and picked up a copy of a live recording of Junior Wells and Buddy Guy.[2] Adolfo says thatlead singer Bob Hite later told him, “I had already seen you play and you play good, but there are many drummers that play good. But when you showed up with that blues record under your arm, I knew this is going to be the drummer for Canned Heat.”[2] He had it under his arm when he arrived for the audition. As Canned Heat were looking to get rid of their drummer Frank Cook, the whole thing became a simple switch-over with Cook then becoming the drummer for Bluesberry Jam.[5]
Parra replaced Canned Heat drummer Frank Cook in December 1967.[6] His first concert with Canned Heat took place on December 4, 1967, opening with The Doors at the Long Beach Auditorium.[1] He joined just after they had played at the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967. Parra became a member of the groups classic lineup, consisting of; Bob "The Bear" Hite (lead vocals), Alan "Blind Owl" Wilson (guitar), Henry "Sunflower" Vestine (guitar), Larry "The Mole" Taylor (bass) and Parra (now also known as "Fito"). Parra joined before the making of their second album Boogie with Canned Heat.
Parra joined the band a few months before their releases would gain recognition around the world. Parra’s first hit single with the group was with On the Road Again in April 1968. They would later be known for the releases of Going Up the Country and Let's Work Together. This eventually led to the band performing at Woodstock on Sunday, August 16, 1969, between 7:30 to 8:30pm.[7] The performances were not included in the original Woodstock film release, but are included in the 1994 "Director's Cut" version. Parra produced four Canned Heat albums:
- Hallelujah (1969)
- Canned Heat '70 Concert Live in Europe (1970)
- Future Blues (1970)
- Live at Topanga Corral (1971)
Parra has been in Canned Heat for over fifty consecutive years. Following the death of Larry "The Mole" Taylor in 2019, Parra remains the only member in the classic lineup to still be touring with Canned Heat (although he is not a founding member), as well as the sole surviving member of the classic era of the group.
Personal life
Parra can also play guitar and piano, but prefers drums.[3] Parra released a book titled Living The Blues.[1] The book tells stories about his personal life and time in Canned Heat in the late 1960s.[1][8] Adolfo had thoughts about his book being made into a movie. Mike Judge of“Beavis and Butt-Head fame opted to produce it.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 LeValley, Jason (2022-03-19). "Interview: Fito de la Parra of Canned Heat". Psychedelic Scene Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- 1 2 3 4 Savio, Jason. "'Born to play': Original drummer brings Canned Heat's blues to the Cape". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- 1 2 Posted by Michael Limnios Blues Network on November 10, 2011 at 12:00pm; Blog, View. "An Interview with Fito de la Parra of Canned Heat: Living the Blues". blues.gr. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Lindblad, Peter. "Goldmine Magazine – 10-12-2007: CANNED HEAT'S HARD LUCK TALE". Archived from the original on November 20, 2010.
- ↑ "The Official band biography". Archived from the original on 2010-11-20.
- ↑ "Fito de la Parra". Discogs. Retrieved 2022-12-12.
- ↑ "Canned Heat: 50 Years of Peace & Music". Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ↑ "Fito de la Parra's Book – Canned Heat". Retrieved 2023-11-08.
See also
- Albums produced by Adolfo de la Parra