A giant of a man and yet the gentlest. Bob "The Bear" Hite had the perfect presence and voice for Canned Heat. As a performer and singer he never stole the show from the band, giving way to the soloing of the players while coaxing them and the audience into their Hooker style boogie. An audience just naturally warmed to him.
As you might expect a passionate fan of the blues, it was said he had some 15,000 78rpm records.
Just before a show Bob Hite was found dead in his van of a heart attack in 1981, at the age of 38.
Here's the classic "Catfish Blues" from Canned Heat's first album
