THE NIGHTHAWKS "Established 1972": A Fitting Testament to Mark Wenner's Music Legacy

Mark Wenner is no dummy. He earned a bachelor's in English from Columbia. He has taken rusty frames and buckets of nuts and bolts and restored them to vintage American motorcycle glory. But Mark Wenner's greatest legacy is his quiet but persistent leadership and guidance of an American music collective known as the Nighthawks. Part of Wenner's genius is that he has always recognized that the Nighthawks are a collective of the talents of its individual members, whose sum is greater than the parts. Despite numerous changes in personnel over the years, Wenner has shown great agility and adapted yet always stayed true to the integrity of his musical vision. 

 Not to be pigeon holed as a blues band, the Nighthawks have always exemplified the musical influences from which they came. The D.C. area has always been one of the great confluences of American music influences. Living in the D.C. area you are exposed to Bluegrass from Virginia, Country Western and Rockabilly from Maryland and jazz, blues and funk from D.C. and Baltimore.With such a wide range of musical influences, it is no wonder why so many greats call this area home. Duke Ellington, Roy Buchanan, Danny Gatton, Nils Lofgren, Robert Gordon, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the Seldom Scene are just some of the artists that come to mind. But no group embodies the diverse influences of the D.C. area better than the Nighthawks.

 

 Established in 1972 by Wenner and co-founder Jimmy Thackery, the band started its meteoric rise a few years later after solidifying it's foundation with the addition of the rhythym section of Pete Ragusa on drums and Jan Zukowski on bass. Over the next ten years the band earned its well deserved reputation among fans, critics and fellow musicians alike, playing as many as 200 gigs or more some years, across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. 

 Admirers included Muddy Waters and his Legendary Blues Band, with whom the Nighthawks earned a grammy nomination for their excellent Jacks and Kings volumes and Gregg Allman, who loved them so much he was ready to join the group and booked an East Coast tour.  Unfortunately, the tour was aborted after only one show due to Gregg's personal struggles. I was in line waiting to get into the Bayou in D.C. for the second night of the tour when the bouncer came out and announced to the crowd, which stretched around the block, that the show had been cancelled. The bootleg of the first show at the Scorpion in Happy Valley, PA the night before with special guest Billy Price is legendary, with many people thinking that the stripped down versions of Allman originals are among the best and truest treatments ever recorded.

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The only thing the band lacked was a hit single and the heavy rotation airplay that comes with it to crack the ceiling into the next level. Part of the problem, in my personal opinion, was the commercial radio industry which still suffered from the lingering corruption of the payola system. 

 By 1986 cracks between Wenner and Thackery had developed into fissures and eventually the writing on the wall was becoming apparent.  But not before a tour of the Mid and South West that I was fortunate to follow on my motorcycle. A few months later, in August of 1986, I made the trip back to D.C. for their regrettably-named "Farewell" show at the Carter Baron Amphitheater where they were joined by many fellow travelers and friends. Gregg Allman, John Hammond, Jr., Toru Oki, Pinetop Perkins, Luther  "Guitar Junior" Johnson and Bob Margolin were just some of the luminaries who came out to show their gratitude and respect.

Fast forward 36 years and its 2022 and the Hawks have released "Established 1972" their new studio album on the VizzTone Label Group celebrating the band's 50th Anniversary. Produced by the band and long time collaborator David Earl and the album was recorded at Earl's legendary Severn Sound Studios in Maryland.  The 2022 version of the Nighthawks has Wenner at the helm of course,  the ever lovable Mark Stutso on drums and vocals and the newer members, Don Hovey on guitar and Paul Pisciotta on bass.  Everyone contributes with vocals and songwriting credits.

The album kicks off with Wenner doing a rousing version of Garaint Walker's "Nobody" followed by the record's strongest original composition, Hovey's excellent "You Seem Distant", one of four tracks he contributes.  Stutso takes over lead vocal duties on a solid cover of Eddie Hinton's arrangement of Sam Cooke's "I'll Come Running Back" popularized by his old bandmate Jimmy Thackery.  Stutso is also featured on "Coming and Going" as well as his funky and greasy original contribution "Gas Station Chicken".  You cannot mention chicken without thinking Memphis, which the band does quite nicely on Raiford Starke's "West Memphis".  Hovey's straight ahead rock version of the reggae standard "Johnny Too Bad" works surprisingly well as does the humorous cover of the Coaster's "Run Red Run".  Hell, even the co-producer, Mr. Earl, cannot resist adding some Eddie Taylor inspired guitar licks to the Jimmy Reed classic "Take It Easy".  Always keeping their ears open to good material and wonderful arrangements the Hawks remind us of their great taste in covering John Hammond's version of Mose Allison's "Ask Me Nice",  a perfect fit for Wenner.  

All in all, "Established 1972" is a remarkable product for a band that keeps putting out first class performances of music covering a wide range of genres.  The injection of new blood and strong original contributions, especially from Hovey, show that the Nighthawks are not ready to pull in their wings and nest.