Kingfish - Live 'N' Kickin' (Reissue) (1977/1989)

Live 'n' Kickin' is the second album by the rock group Kingfish. It was recorded live at the Roxy in West Hollywood, California. Released as an LP in 1977.
Kingfish's story has to start with Matthew Kelly (harp/guitar/vocals) who had his own band St. Matthews Blues Band in the early 60s. Dave Torbert (bass) and Chris Herold (drums) played in The New Delhi River Band at that time (1967) - a band that also featured David Nelson. Kelly joined this band and soon started a new band with Dave and Chris which they called Shango. This band lasted a few months only and when they disbanded Matthew, Dave and Chris became the backing band for singer/actor Don Johnson. Under the name Horses they recorded the LP "Album Number One" which included songs that would become Kingfish standards later: "Cheyenne", "Jump For Joy" (then called "Run Rabbit Run"), "Overnight Bag" and "Asia Minor".
The next band wasn't Kingfish though. When the Horses disbanded the members choose different directions. Dave Torbert would join the New Riders of the Purple Sage and Matthew Kelly would leave the States and try his luck in Great Britain. There he joined the group Gospel Oak, played rock and blues songs and recorded one album with this band in 1970. Kelly left Gospel Oak in 1971 and returned to California where he renewed his old connections. Together with Chris Herold he started the group Mountain Current which would turn into Lonsome Janet in 1972. This later band had Robbie Hoddinott on guitar and caused Dave Torbert to leave the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Once Torbert joined the band it finally got it's name Kingfish.
This very short summary of pre-Kingfish times shows that Kingfish's musicians have been around for some time. The first Kingfish line-up included Matthew Kelly, Chris Herold, Dave Torbert, Robbie Hoddinott and Mick Ward (who had also been playing keyboards in Mountain Current/Lonesome Janet). Together they went into a studio and started recording. They also played well received gigs in the Bay Area. It was a major setback when Mick Ward died in a car accident in 1973. This wasn't the end of Kingfish though, the four remaining musicians kept working together. In 1974 Grateful Dead's Bob Weir (longtime boyhood pal of Matthew) joined Kingfish. Weir's arrival had two major impacts which can be seen as a blessing and a curse: a) Kingfish got a recording contract with the Dead label Round Records and b) from now on they were often identified as Bob Weir's backing band.
As a matter of fact, Bob Weir (who never saw Kingfish as a Dead offshoot) was an active Kingfish member for a short time only and recorded the first two albums with them. He would contribute to later albums as guest artist only. He left Kingfish at the end of 1976 to fulfill his Grateful Dead commitments. Kingfish's third album "Trident" saw more line-up changes as Robbie Hoddinott also left the band ... actually Kingfish's line-up was ever changing since these times with Matthew Kelly being the only constant factor. Thus it is not wrong to say: Kingfish = Matthew Kelly. This is also the reason why Kelly's solo album "A Wing And A Prayer" is listed in the discography underneath as it features many musicians who also played with Kingfish.