Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated

History

In the 1950s, Korner played with Chris Barber’s Jazz Band and met Cyril Davies, a fellow blues enthusiast. They started playing together as a duo in 1954, performing American blues in London jazz venues, and later opened the London Blues and Barrelhouse Club. That club hosted visiting blues musicians from the United States and attracted young talents like Charlie Watts, Long John Baldry, and Jack Bruce. In 1961, Korner and Davies created Blues Incorporated, Britain’s first amplified R&B band.

The lineup included Baldry on vocals, Watts on drums, Bruce on bass, and Dick Heckstall-Smith on saxophone, though the group was designed to have a rotating membership. On March 17, 1962, they launched a weekly Rhythm and Blues Night at the Ealing Jazz Club, drawing a crowd that included Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, Paul Jones, John Mayall, Zoot Money, and Jimmy Page, some of whom occasionally joined performances.

Watts then left to join the Rolling Stones and recommended Ginger Baker as his replacement. From May 3, 1962, Blues Incorporated held a Thursday-night residency at the Marquee Club, which caught the attention of producer Jack Good. He secured them a deal with Decca Records, leading to the album R&B from the Marquee, released later that year. The record was cut in Decca’s studio, with Baldry singing lead on tracks by Muddy Waters, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Leroy Carr.

By late 1962, Davies disagreed with Korner’s plan to add a brass section and shift toward jazz, so he left to form the Cyril Davies All-Stars. Graham Bond replaced him. Blues Incorporated then moved to the Flamingo club, but soon Bond, Bruce, and Baker departed to create the Graham Bond Organisation.