Ian McLagan, Bugs Henderson

It's a shame, but it seems most piano-men end up behind the scenes and known only to those who obsessively read liner notes. Though not known by the common fan, Ian McLagan has played keyboards on some legendary records by the Stones, Rod Stewart, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and others. And his greatness is not limited to rock stars. Some of McLagan's best playing happens to be on Johnson by the great but unknown '80s retro-rockers the Pontiac Brothers. More recently, McLagan has contributed fine playing on tour with Billy Bragg. Of course, McLagan was a founding member of the Small Faces and stayed with the band after they mutated into simply the Faces. Now living in Austin, McLagan and his crack band play bluesy rock and soul that never wanders too far from the holy grail of Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St. Local legend and guitar hero Bugs Henderson has released 14 records over four decades, all of them fairly consistent collections of blues, jazz, swing and funk. Henderson has played with B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Ted Nugent and many others. This great double bill features two players who, whether leading a band or purely providing able support, always give it their sweaty all.