Henry Gray immediately commands respect and not just for the dozen years he spent in Howlin Wolf’s band. His stage presence and fiery demeanor still convey the love he feels for the music and it was abundantly evident throughout the two shows he performed at the Rhythm Room. As he did with Pinetop, Kim Wilson, added his signature harmonica touches to several of Henry’s offerings, bringing urgency and electricity to “Dust My Broom”, “Henry’s Houserocker” and “Sweet Home Chicago”. Henry’s set, in fact, was a tribute to the earthy roots of the blues and he captured its essence flawlessly.

As Ramos and Auerbach contemplated this desert summit, they felt it was important to add one more element to the mix. Johnny Tucker, the HighJohn recording artist who first introduced Auerbach to Floyd, proved to be the missing piece of the puzzle. Building a natural bridge between Ramos’ fiery opening set and the star-studded night ahead, Tucker packed a wallop with his original songs and was at his finest with “Do You Wanna Dance”. His gravelly soulful voice and crowd pleasing theatrics evoked memories of the late Otis Redding as well as the recently departed Wilson Pickett and he made instant fans out of the Rhythm Room attendees.

Floyd Dixon’s legacy will live on through his music and HighJohn Records has chosen to donate a portion of the proceeds of this record to the Blues Foundation in his name.