Almightly Blues

Hey Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew has got Almighty Blues by Wishbone Ash spinning right now from that 2002 album Bona Fide, and it is one of those tracks that just grabs you by the collar and does not let go. Written by Ben Granfelt, who was the second guitarist in the lineup for that record, this one opens the whole thing with a driving rocker that carries a blues edge without ever slowing down for a second. It runs about five minutes and twenty-three seconds, and the dual guitar work between Granfelt and Andy Powell is pure Ash territory, with a catchy chorus that sticks in your head long after the needle lifts. Fans and reviewers over the years have pointed out how it has that high-energy feel, almost like a ZZ Top style number with a surprising atmospheric bridge that opens into an old-fashioned guitar solo section before slamming back into the main riff. It was a regular in the live set during the tour that followed the album, and there is even a live recording of it from the AshCon shows around that time that stretches it out a bit longer, letting those twin leads breathe.

Bona Fide itself was a big deal for the band because it was the first studio album in six years, and it remains the only one that features Ben Granfelt as a full member. Granfelt wrote a bunch of the tracks on it, including this opener and the title cut, and the record marked a return to form with accessible songs that still had the band's signature twin-lead guitar attack. Powell produced the album, and the lineup was completed by Bob Skeat on bass and Ray Weston on drums. Stories from the period show that the band hit the road hard after the release, touring worldwide for a couple of years, and Almighty Blues became one of the songs that got the crowds moving early in the set. There is a live album from the era called Almighty Blues London & Beyond that captures some of that energy, recorded during the shows supporting Bona Fide. Granfelt later stepped away citing family reasons, but his contribution on this track is a fine example of how the Ash could bring in fresh writing while keeping the core sound intact. One of the nice bits of trivia is that the song was already being road-tested as early as 2001, before the album even came out, showing how the band liked to work material in front of audiences.

The lyrics dig into that feeling of loneliness after a breakup, with lines about never feeling this way before and wondering if this is the blues, the almighty kind that hits harder than anything. It is straightforward and heartfelt, matching the musical drive, and it fits right into the band's long history of blending blues influences with hard rock energy. Over the years, listeners have kept coming back to it as a standout from that period, a reminder that Wishbone Ash kept delivering solid material long after their classic early albums.

Speaking of how the whole thing got started, the story of Wishbone Ash goes back to 1969 in the Torquay area of Devon, England. It grew out of a trio called the Empty Vessels, later briefly known as Tanglewood, that Martin Turner and Steve Upton had going. They put an ad in Melody Maker looking for a guitar player, and Andy Powell answered it. Powell had been playing since he was about eleven, inspired by the Shadows and Chuck Berry, and by his teens he was in local soul and R&B bands, honing his ear on harmony parts that would later shape those famous twin leads. When it came down to the final two candidates for the guitar spot, the band could not decide between Powell and Ted Turner, so they took both of them. That decision created the twin lead guitar sound that became the band's hallmark, something that set them apart and influenced groups from Thin Lizzy to Iron Maiden and beyond. Managed by Miles Copeland, they played clubs and opened for Deep Purple early on, where Ritchie Blackmore took notice during a soundcheck jam and helped get them attention from producers and labels. Powell has talked in interviews about growing up with the British blues boom, listening to people like Peter Green and John Mayall, and how the band drew from folk, jazz, and R&B traditions to build their own melodic hard rock style. They named the band by picking words off lists they wrote down, landing on Wishbone and Ash, and from there it was constant touring and recording that kept the fire going for decades.

Andy Powell remains the constant through all the lineup changes, still out there with the current band trading licks and keeping that original spirit alive. It is the kind of long-haul rock and roll story that fits right in with what we do here at THE ZOO, spinning the deep cuts and the stories behind them for the Zoo Freaks who appreciate the real deal.

If you want to dig deeper into the band, head over to the official site at Wishbone Ash Official. You can also catch them on Facebook, Instagram, and X. For the fans keeping the conversation going, there are groups like the Wishbone Ash Facebook group and Friends of Wishbone Ash where folks share stories, photos, and memories from the road. It is all part of keeping that twin-guitar flame burning for the next generation of listeners who still get it when a track like Almighty Blues comes on.