Mo' Roots

Born Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr. in Harlem, New York, Mahal grew up in Springfield, MA. Taj Mahal is now rightly acclaimed as being one of the blues greats, his work firmly influenced by Delta Blues with a bit of Hawaiian music thrown in. 1974's 'Mo' Roots' saw reggae appear on Taj's musical radar, ranging from a sublime "Johnny Too Bad" through pleasant lovelorn jogs to an unusual skanking take on the traditional "Blackjack Davey". Taj plays everything himself, though his dreamy version of The Wailers' "Slave Driver" was produced by Bob Marley, with keyboards from The Wailers' Aston Barrett. Hailed as innovative at the time, it still sounds fresh.