Big Foot Chester (farewell), the Ugly Beats

After 30 years of hootin’ and hollerin’, Big Foot Chester is kicking its feet up for good. Beginning as a one-off to commemorate the birth of Chester “The Howlin’ Wolf” Burnett – known colloquially as Big Foot Chester because of his formidable size – these rockabilly titans never imagined they’d make it three decades, but here they are. This “punked out blues and country band” boasts a just-as-formidable lineup of musicians: harmonica titan Walter Daniels, guitarist and Austin Music Hall of Famer Bill Anderson, Dan Hoekstra of the Sons of Hercules, Sugar Shack and Lord High Fixers drummer Stephanie Friedman, and Angele Moyseos of the Cryin’ Out Louds on bass. Bidding adieu after 30 years seems like a fitting send-off, a full-circle moment for a band who once celebrated the birth of a blues icon. – Cy White