The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their records, before they eventually emerged as one of the most popular garage rock artists during a second wave of the genre's revival in the 2000s. The band's raw blues rock sound draws heavily from Auerbach's blues influences, including Junior Kimbrough, R.L. Burnside, Howlin' Wolf, and Robert Johnson.
Friends since childhood, Auerbach and Carney founded the group after dropping out of college. After signing with indie label Alive, they released their debut album, The Big Come Up (2002), which earned them a new deal with Fat Possum Records. Over the next decade, the Black Keys built an underground fanbase through extensive touring of small clubs, frequent album releases and music festival appearances, and broad licensing of their songs. Their third album, Rubber Factory (2004), received critical acclaim and boosted the band's profile, eventually leading to a record deal with major label Nonesuch Records in 2006. After self-producing and recording their first four records in makeshift studios, the duo completed Attack & Release (2008) in a professional studio and hired producer Danger Mouse, who subsequently became a frequent collaborator with the band.
The group's commercial breakthrough came in 2010 with Brothers, which along with its popular single "Tighten Up", won three Grammy Awards. Their 2011 follow-up El Camino received strong reviews and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, leading to the first arena concert tour of the band's career, the El Camino Tour. The album and its hit single "Lonely Boy" won three Grammy Awards. In 2014, they released their eighth album, Turn Blue, their first number-one record in the US, Canada, and Australia. After completing the Turn Blue Tour in 2015, the duo took a hiatus for several years to work on side projects and produce other artists. They returned in 2019 with their ninth album, Let's Rock. They have since released three additional studio albums: Delta Kream (2021), consisting of hill country blues covers; Dropout Boogie (2022); and Ohio Players (2024).
from this album in RP library
albums by The Black Keys
I'm liking it!
Akron, OH is less of "The Blues" and more of "Clinical Depression".
This tune is an unsubtle ripoff of a tune on R.L. Burnside's live album, "Burnside on Burnside," I think named Snake Drive. Burnside does it better. (The whole album is dynamite.)
While Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home is a traditional blues song that has been around since at least 1900, the album credits this version to R.L. Burnside. (Howlin' Wolf also recorded it in 1957).
The whole Delta Kream album consists of covers, most by R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. Kenny Brown, Burnside's guitarist even plays on the album.
This tune is an unsubtle ripoff of a tune on R.L. Burnside's live album, "Burnside on Burnside," I think named Snake Drive. Burnside does it better. (The whole album is dynamite.)
So when was "blues" not ripped off? Better have a drink or two and calm down!
Akron, OH is less of "The Blues" and more of "Clinical Depression".
As someone who was born in Akron, I probably should feel some resentment about your comment. But no. Akron is, after all the Buckle of the Goiter Belt!
I agree.
This tune is an unsubtle ripoff of a tune on R.L. Burnside's live album, "Burnside on Burnside," I think named Snake Drive. Burnside does it better. (The whole album is dynamite.)
I heard once that Led Zeppelin ripped off some Muddy Waters riffs. Know anything about that?
fyi that car on album cover may be a 442, gto, or cutlass
No GTO, that would be a Pontiac and didn't have those tail lights. That is a def an 1970 Oldsmobubble Cutlass, looking at the CD cover the logo on the right is "Cutlass", whereas the 442 would have...erm..."442".
kewl blues riff there. At 9 for now, no less than 8.
This tune is an unsubtle ripoff of a tune on R.L. Burnside's live album, "Burnside on Burnside," I think named Snake Drive. Burnside does it better. (The whole album is dynamite.)
If you call it a tribute it sounds less negativ.
This tune is an unsubtle ripoff of a tune on R.L. Burnside's live album, "Burnside on Burnside," I think named Snake Drive. Burnside does it better. (The whole album is dynamite.)
It's pretty much a standard, one-chord, up-tempo, blues shuffle that sounds similar to hundreds of other songs. They're not trying to create a new music form with this, just paying homage to people like John Lee Hooker, Willie Dixon, and other old blues masters.