Blackfoot (band)

Blackfoot
Blackfoot at Penns Peak, Pennsylvania in 2008
Background information
Also known as	Rick Medlocke and Blackfoot Fresh Garbage Hammer
Origin	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Southern rock hard rock blues rock
Years active	1969 (1969)–1972 (1972) 1972 (1972)–1997 (1997) 2004 (2004)–2011 (2011) 2012 (2012)–present
Labels	Island Epic Atco Atlantic Music for Nations Wildcat! Bullet Proof
Associated acts	Lynyrd Skynyrd NDN Southern Rock Allstars Warp Drive Whiteface
Website	blackfootband.com
Members	Brian Carpenter Tim Rossi Matt Anastasi Rick Krasowski
Past members	See members section

Blackfoot is an American Southern rock musical ensemble from Jacksonville, Florida organized during 1970. Though they are primarily a Southern rock band, they are also known as a hard rock act. The band's classic lineup consisted of guitarist and vocalist Rickey Medlocke, guitarist Charlie Hargrett, bassist Greg T. Walker, and drummer Jakson Spires.

They have had a number of successful albums during the 1970s and early 1980s, including Strikes (1979), Tomcattin' (1980) and Marauder (1981).

During the spring of 1969, Rickey Medlocke and Greg T. Walker met New York City native Charlie Hargrett in Jacksonville and organized the band "Fresh Garbage" featuring Medlocke on drums and vocals, Walker on bass, Hargrett on guitar, and Ron Sciabarasi on keyboards. They played most of their shows at The Comic Book Club on Forsyth Street.

That autumn, Fresh Garbage dissolved following the departure of Sciabarasi. However, Medlocke, Walker, and Hargrett regrouped and formed the band "Hammer" with Medlocke switching to vocalist/guitarist, and with new recruits Jakson Spires (drums), DeWitt Gibbs (keyboards), and Jerry Zambito (guitars) joining the band. Gibbs and Zambito had previously played together in Tangerine. They soon relocated to Gainesville, Florida to be the house band of Dub's, a well-known topless bar on the outskirts of town.

About the beginning of 1970, the band relocated to Manhattan after a friend, who was working in a music publishing company, told her boss about the band and he had them move to New York City.

During the early spring of the same year, the band, after learning of another band on the West Coast named Hammer, decided to change their name to Blackfoot to represent the American Indian heritage of Walker, Spires and Medlocke: