The year was 1983; the location, the heart of 's Sunset Strip. The Palladium, a springboard for boosting numerous 'home grown' bands, was unquestionably the place to play. For one night in August, however, the Palladium hardly felt like the usual West Coast hotspot; with Blackfoot on the bill, it belonged to the South. 'We were so psyched because we were headlining the Palladium on the Sunset Strip. It was a really big thing for us,' recalls Blackfoot co-founding member and frontman Rickey Medlocke.

'I remember it as just being a very positive nightand we went out and started kicking major butt!' With the King Biscuit Flower Hour recording the performance, the gig became an opportunity for a bunch of boys from Florida to showcase their unique blend of original Southern blues and heavy rock for a much wider audience. For Medlocke, Jakson Spires, Charlie Hargrett, Greg Walker and newly acquired keyboardist Ken Hensley, an against-the-grain attitude was the catalyst that launched Blackfoot's worldwide success. Thanks to their platinum 1979 album, Strikes, the band was armed with two bona fide hit singles: 'Train, Train' and 'Highway Song.' Album sales were soaring in the U. Tradewinds Classic Crack there. S. As well as abroad, and 'Highway Song' was rapidly moving up the charts. Sensing opportunity, the band packed up and hit the road to open for the likes of AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Journey, the Scorpions and.

It was here, out on the road, that Blackfoot shed the Southern band stereotype, carved their own niche and placed themselves among the heavy-rock elite; and here that Medlocke and Blackfoot developed their signature in-your-face stage presence. 'Blackfoot was one of the ultimate live bandsthere was no pretense, no gimmickry, it was sound, lights, and rock and roll,' Medlocke says with a grin. 'Our whole goal was to be terrifyingto strike fear and cause havoc in a closing band's minds,' accomplished, he believes, because of the fact that 'this was a band of together people that had been there for many years. Incredible players, guys that were so locked in together. We knew each other's moves - we were so tuned in to each other. There wasn't one time that I was ever worried about that band walking out on stage in front of anybody, and not coming up with the goods. Simtr Game here. ' Buttressed by a double-platinum album and a thriving worldwide fan base, Blackfoot continually strove to capture new followers.

For Medlocke, who began performing publicly at age three with his legendary father, Shorty Medlocke, the stage must have been familiar turf. 'The band used to really take it to heart.

To Jakson, Greg, Charlie, myself, and even Ken, it was very important for us at that time to really make the audience feel like they were a part of that show. As a front man, I did my best to make sure they were a part of the showI remember a story with the guys from Nazareth.