10 Unforgettable Blues Rock Power Trios

The basic three person power trio made up of lead guitar, bass guitar and drums is the heart and soul of blues rock. While the addition of keyboards and other instruments eventually occurs this list is just for power trios or the band’s power trio period. In some cases bands only existed for short periods of time until they added instruments or when they would break up and the lead guitarist/singer/songwriter would form a new band. The following list of 10 Unforgettable Blues Rock Power Trios includes both short lived and long lived ones.

Taste

In 1966, guitar/vocalist Rory Gallagher formed Taste in Cork, Ireland. The original lineup was short lived but Gallagher reformed the band with Richard McCrackenon on bass and drummer John Wilson. Their balls to the wall performances of blues rock fusion soon gained international recognition. As a result, they recorded two studio albums and played a historic set at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival. The band showcased Rory Gallagher’s fiery guitar work and songwriting but broke up by the end of the year.

Blue Cheer

Blue Cheer was a San Francisco blues rock power trio that formed in 1966. It was a high volume band with a rebellious attitude making them the band of choice for the local Hell’s Angels motorcycle club chapter parties. The band was made up of vocalist and bass guitarist Dickie Peterson, guitarist Leigh Stephens and drummer Paul Whaley. Their three person period lasted until 1969 when lead guitarist Leigh Stephens left the band. After that they added keyboards and other instruments as they evolved over the decades. The band was part of the hippie counter culture at the time and was named after an LSD batch that Grateful Dead chemist and sound engineer Owsley Stanley produced. Their two power trio albums are Vincebus Eruptum and Outsideinside both released in 1968.

The James Gang

The James Gang originated in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966 when it was formed by drummer Jim Fox as a five-piece band playing local venues and covered popular rock and R&B songs from that time period. In 1968 after some of the original members left the group it reformed as a three person power trio made up of original members Jim Fox on drums, Tom Kriss on bass guitar and the addition of Joe Walsh on guitar and vocals. The trio recorded and released their debut album Yer’ Album in 1969 with two more studio albums and a live album. They remained a trio until Joe Walsh left the band in late 1971.

Gov’t Mule

Allman Brothers band members Warren Haynes (guitar) and Allen Woody (bass) recruited Matt Abts (drums) to form Gov’t Mule in 1994. They embraced the blues rock power trio format popularized by Cream and Jimi Hendrix that showcased their heavy blues rock sound. This period solidified their reputation as a jam band powerhouse by their extended improvisations and deep grooves. They recorded three studio albums and two live before Allen Woody died in 2000. Rather than disband the band continued with guest bass players from Bootsy Collins to Jack Bruce and expanded beyond the trio format.

Rory Gallagher Band

Following the disbanding of Taste in 1970, Rory Gallagher began his solo career by forming a new band with bass guitarist Gerry McAvoy and drummer Wilgar Campbell. Drummers changed but the band blazed its way through the 1970s with critically acclaimed albums like 1971’s self-titled Rory Gallagher and Deuce. In   1973, he released Tattoo and 1974’s IrishTour “74” which was recorded live in North Ireland at the height of the troubles. By the 1980s, he expanded the instruments in his band, but until his death in 1995, he was most at home with a three person power trio.

ZZ Top

The Texas psychedelic period of the late 1960s resulted in the formation of ZZ Top as a blues rock boogie band, in 1969.  Former Moving Sidewalk member Billy Gibbons became the singer and guitarist of the band along with former American Blues members drummer Frank Beard and bass guitarist Dusty Hill. In 1969, the trio released ZZ Top’s First Album which established them as a gritty blues based band. They are the longest living blues rock trio in the history of the genre. After Dusty Hill died in 2021 the band continued with Elwood Francis on bass.

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble  

Stevie Ray Vaughan put together a blues rock power trio with Tommy Shannon on bass guitar, Chris Layton on drums and Stevie singing and playing lead guitar in 1978 in Austin, Texas. They gained widespread acclaim by playing raw, high energy Texas blues combined with rock. The band released its first album Texas Flood in 1983 and Couldn’t Stand the Weather in 1984. Then in 1985 when they recorded and released their third album Soul to Soul,  keyboardist Reese Wynans was added to the lineup ending their power trio period.

Jimi Hendrix Experience

The Jimi Hendrix Experience was a trio made up of Jimi Hendrix (lead guitar), Noel Redding (bass guitar), and Mitch Mitchell (drums). They formed a blues rock power trio in London England in 1966 soon after Hendrix arrived from America. The band showcased Hendrix’s groundbreaking guitar techniques that revolutionized rock, by seamlessly combining blues, hard rock, and psychedelia together. Between 1966 and 1969, the trio released three albums before Redding left the group.

Band of Gypsys 

After Noel Redding left the band the original Experience was disbanded. Hendrix reformed and expanded the band, and after playing at the Woodstock music festival in August 1969, he began jamming with his former army buddy and bass guitarist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles. The trio blended together blues, rock, and funk with raw improvisational energy. They began performing live shows with new songs and their performance at the Fillmore East in New York on New Year’s Eve 1969 and New Year’s Day 1970 was recorded. The result was a live album titled Band of Gypsys but the trio disbanded after a disastrous performance at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 1970

Cream

When guitarist Eric Clapton, bass guitarist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker formed Cream in 1966 it became known as the first supergroup. Cream’s virtuosic musicianship and extended improvisations set the blueprint for power trios. They fused blues, hard rock, and psychedelic elements together to create their unique sound. Cream only remained together for two years and broke up by December 1968, but during that short period, they released four albums.