Bacon Fat

Bacon Fat was an American blues band formed in 1968 by Buddy Reed, Dick Innes, Gregg Schaefer, J.D. Nicholson, Jerry Smith and Rod Piazza. The group released two albums the following years and finally split in 1971, where members went their own way.

Links to Peel
Bacon Fat's singer Buddy Reed was a close friend of Peel when he was working for KMEN, under the real name of John Ravenscroft. In an interview with the Keep the Blues Alive website, Buddy Reed described Peel as one of the most important experiences he had:

"'Man, there’s been so many great meetings.. probably first of all I’d have to say meeting and becoming good friends with the great John Peel. When I first met him he was known as John Ravenscroft. He was the late night closing D.J. on a radio station in San Bernardino, California, (KMEN), in the next town over from where I lived, Rialto. It was the height of the “British Invasion”... and him bein’ an Englishman with a thick British accent he was big stuff around there. Well, me and my band were already tryin to play blues, Jimmy Reed, Howlin’ Wolf, Bo Diddley etc. He was a blues FREAK, and he dug us and took me under his wing. He had a vast blues collection and opened up that whole world to me. The first time I ever heard Muddy was in his livin’ room...”Standin’ Around Cryin” with that screamin harp of Walter’s.' "

During the time he and Peel met, Buddy Reed was in a blues band called The Exits, who didn't seem to get a record deal.

On his 21 February 1970 show, Peel played a track from Bacon Fat and after his death, it was found that he had two albums of the band in his Record Collection: B.

Shows Played

 * 1970
 * 21 February 1970: Nobody But You (single) Blue Horizon