What is "canned heat"

n. Fuel made from denatured and jellied alcohol and contained in a cannister with a removable top, designed to be burned directly from that cannister.

Canned Heat is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its interpretations of blues material and for its efforts to promote interest in this type of music and its original artists. It was launched by two blues enthusiasts, Alan Wilson and Bob Hite, who took the name from Tommy Johnson's 1928 "Canned Heat Blues", a song about an alcoholic who had desperately turned to drinking Sterno, generically called "canned heat". After appearances at the Monterey and Woodstock festivals at the end of the 1960s, the band acquired worldwide fame with a lineup consisting of Bob Hite (vocals), Alan Wilson (guitar, harmonica and vocals), Henry Vestine and later Harvey Mandel (lead guitar), Larry Taylor (bass), and Adolfo de la Parra (drums).

The music and attitude of Canned Heat afforded them a large following and established the band as one of the popular acts of the hippie era. Canned Heat appeared at most major musical events at the end of the 1960s, performing blues standards along with their own material and occasionally indulging in lengthy 'psychedelic' solos. Two of their songs " Going Up the Country" and " On the Road Again" became international hits. "Going Up the Country" was a remake of the Henry Thomas song "Bull Doze Blues", recorded in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1927. "On the Road Again" was a cover version of the 1953 Floyd Jones song of the same name, which is reportedly based on the Tommy Johnson song "Big Road Blues", recorded in 1928.

Since the early 1970s, numerous personnel changes have occurred, although the current lineup includes all three surviving members of the classic lineup: de la Parra (who has remained in the band since first joining in 1967), Mandel, and Taylor. For much of the 1990s and 2000s, de la Parra was the only member from the band's 1960s lineup. He wrote a book about the band's career. Larry Taylor, whose presence in the band has not been steady, is the other surviving member from the earliest lineups. Mandel, Walter Trout and Junior Watson are among the guitarists who gained fame for playing in later editions of the band. British blues pioneer John Mayall found several musicians for his band among former members of Canned Heat.

"Canned Heat" is the second single from British funk/acid jazz band Jamiroquai's fourth studio album, Synkronized, released in 1999. The song was their second #1 on the U.S. Dance Chart and peaked at #4 on the UK Singles Chart. The music video was directed by Jonas Åkerlund. The song is used in the film Napoleon Dynamite, as background music during the title character's famous dance performance before a high school assembly.

Canned Heat is the 1967 debut album by Canned Heat. It was released shortly after their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival, and features performances of several blues covers.

Canned Heat was re-released on CD in 1999 by French label MAM Productions under the title Rollin' and Tumblin'.

Canned Heat may refer to:

• " Sterno Canned Heat", fuel made from denatured and jellied alcohol, designed to be burned directly from its can
  • An alcoholic drink prepared from Sterno Canned Heat
• " Canned Heat Blues", a 1928 song by Tommy Johnson on the drinking of alcohol from Sterno Canned Heat
• Canned Heat, an American blues-rock band, named after the above song
  • Canned Heat (album), Canned Heat's 1967 debut album
  • "Canned Heat", a song on the band's 1969 Hallelujah album
• "Canned Heat" (song), a song by Jamiroquai
• Canned heat, a professional wrestling phrase
• Fiocchi Munizioni 'Canned Heat' ammunition sealed in metal cans enhancing shelf life