Salty Dog

Formed toward the end of 1986 in Los Angeles, the band Salty Dog originated when bassist Mike Hannon, born in Columbus, Ohio, joined forces with drummer Khurt Maier from Sacramento, California. They brought aboard vocalist Jimmi Bleacher, who hailed from Youngstown, Ohio, and swapped their initial guitarist Scott Lane for Canadian Pete Reveen early the following year. Their sound took root in blues traditions, prompting swift parallels to Led Zeppelin even as it drew more substantially from earlier figures such as Memphis Slim, “Sonny Boy” Williamson, and Willie Dixon alongside the later aggression of Black Flag and Motörhead.

Tracked at Rockfield Studios in Wales under producer Peter Collins, the album Every Dog Has Its Day showcased the aptness of those Zeppelin echoes through its range of approaches inside the group’s blues framework, stretching from the direct “Come Along” to the smoldering “Slow Daze” and onward to the wry acoustic number “Just Like A Woman.” Although the record drew strong critical notice, Salty Dog could not build on the momentum once Bleacher exited soon after its release. Efforts to recruit a new singer eventually yielded Dallas-born Darrel Beach, formerly of DT Roxx, in late 1991, yet the interruption had already proved decisive and the band gradually dissolved.