On Saturday, March 28, from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., there's going to be a huge 20th birthday bash presented by, and featuring, Larry "Fuzzy" Knight's Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue featuring The Fabulous Smokettes, at Harvelle's, 1432 4th St., in Santa Monica. Admission is $10. Info: (310) 395-1676 or santamonica.harvelles.com.
Two decades ago — 1995, to be exact — a gallon of gasoline was $1.09, a dozen eggs were 87 cents, postage stamps were 32 cents each, and the average cost of a new car was $15,500. Also that year, longtime Southern California musician Larry "Fuzzy" Knight formed the Blowin' Smoke Rhythm & Blues Revue, a unique, multi-instrumental band with a big lineup and an even larger sound, augmented by three superb female vocalists collectively known as The Smokettes.
Two decades later, much has changed but one thing has remained constant — Knight and Blowin' Smoke are still going strong, entertaining audiences at festivals and better nightclubs throughout the Southland, often accompanied onstage by renowned guest musicians.
Knight — whose musical resume' includes a decade-plus stint as bassist for one of the great SoCal bands to emerge from the psychedelic era of the '60s, Spirit — recently announced the addition of a new member to the Blowin' Smoke lineup, Don Preston. Preston is a former original member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and co-founder of the GrandMothers.