Foghat: Different Members, Same Great Sound

Foghat, the legendary rock band that was formed in 1971, is here in Mableton to perform at the Barnes Amphitheatre this evening. Well, sort of.

Although some of the band’s members have changed, the sound hasn’t.

The band has earned seven Gold records, one Platinum record (“Fool for the City” 1975, which contains the band’s most recognizable hit, “Slow Ride”) and one Double-Platinum record (“Foghat Live 1977).

In 1998, one of the band’s original founders, Lonesome Dave Peverett was diagnosed with cancer. He began touring again in 1999, even while he was undergoing chemotherapy. In February 2000, Peverett passed away.

After grieving and wrestling with the idea of whether to continue with the band, Roger Earl, the other founding member of the band, decided to start seeking a new singer. He remembered seeing Charlie Huhn, who was performing in another legendary rock band, Humble Pie, which used to open for Foghat. Huhn has also performed with Ted Nugent and Victory.

It only took a few hours jamming together for the group to know Huhn was the right fit.

“I’m filling some really big shoes,” Huhn told South Cobb Patch. “(Lonesome Dave) was one of my mentors. I used to love that band. That’s when I was a teen.”

At the end of 2003, veteran Foghat bassist extraordinaire Craig Macgregor rejoined the lineup. Since 2003, the group has released four albums, a live DVD and have even launched its own brand of wine called “Foghat Cellars.”

Foghat has never stopped touring and recording.  The 2010 version of Foghat comprised of Earl, MacGregor, Huhn, and Bryan Bassett has been together for 10 years since the passing of Peverett. 

Despite all the changes throughout the years, one thing remains the same.

The goal of the members is to ensure that after every concert, the attendees are “all convinced that they just got rocked, from the second we start the first song to the end of the show,” Huhn said. “We want to the music to be a testimony of rock and roll, moving rock and roll music.”

In 2010, the band recorded a blues album and featured blues legend Eddie Kirkland.

“We want to give back to our roots,” Huhn said.

The band grew from Peverett and Earl’s 1960’s British blues-rock duo, Savoy Brown. The name, however, was the result of a nonsensical word Peverett created in a Scrabble game that was never challenged, Huhn explained.

Huhn said the group has been able to touch a new generation, with many of the songs being included in movies and “Slow Ride” being the first song on Guitar Hero 3.

“It’s really cute to see this transgenerational thing,” Huhn said. “The music has long legs, you know.”

The band plans to keep “walking” on those long legs until they can’t.

Huhn said they are going to tour “forever. We’re never going to stop. It’s our livelihood. It keeps getting better.”

Foghat and the Fabulous Thunderbirds will be headlining the event along with performances from two local groups the Silver Lake Band and the Marty Manous Band. Ticket pricing is $25 for laen seats, $48 for terrace 2 seating (rows L - Q),  $55 for terrace 1 seating (rows A - K), and $340 for a table that sits four. Check this link  to order tickets on-line. The gates open at 4 p.m. The show is from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.