Founding Fathers (And One Founding Mama): Cold Blood

Founding fathers Cold Blood grazed the Top 40 in 1970 with the seriously funky cut, "You Got Me Hummin'." (Fillmore/Atlantic, 1970)

Formed in San Francisco in 1969 by Larry Field, Cold Blood are Founding Fathers (and one Founding Mama) of the Northern California blues-rock movement of the late ’60s.

Combining the R&B fusion of Tower of Power with the gutsy vocals of Lydia Pense (who has long drawn comparisons to Janis Joplin), Cold Blood were a very popular and highly-influential band during the heyday of San Francisco’s late-’60s blues-rock scene.

Signed to Bill Graham’s Fillmore label, they cut their first two record in 1969 (Cold Blood) and 1971 (Sisyphus). Donny Hathaway produced their third album, First Taste of Sin, in 1972 with another pair of sets coming in ’73 and ’74.

Often billed as Lydia Pense and Cold Blood, the troup recorded one more album in the late ’70s before disbanding. The ’80s found them back onstage and, since the ’90s, they’ve been a popular regional act, built around Pense’s dynamic vocals. Their last release, a live album, came out in 2008.

Back in 1970, they nearly made the Top 40 with this great song, the #52 cut “You Got Me Hummin’.”

It’s our Gallery of Greats! Check out more Founding Fathers here…