Delaney & Bonnie

In their toughest, 1969 incarnation -- an 11-piece revue -- Delaney & Bonnie made Southern soul-rock with scorching expertise. Honing her R&B chops as history's only white Ikette, powerhouse vocalist Bonnie Bramlett and husband Delaney, an ace picker and country-tinged singer, had the talent and charisma to attract breathtaking sidemen: Leon Russell, Bobby Keys, Carl Radle, Rita Coolidge, Jim Keltner -- and, at various times, Eric Clapton and Duane Allman. As one of the best bands in rock & roll, they make On Tour a triumph: Clapton tears up Steve Cropper's "Things Get Better," D&B exult the funk on "I Don't Want to Discuss It." The acoustic "Motel Shot" is another kind of wonder: traditionals like "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" played with a casual, loving freedom. The Rhino collection starts off with Accept No Substitute, which formulated D&B's synthesis of Stax/Volt, gospel, and hard country and then gives us the career highlights of a duo who created genuinely credible big-band rock. Their sound remains exciting and groundbreaking: The musicians they introduced are also featured on Clapton's first solo album and Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen. (PAUL EVANS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide