Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs: Revisiting 'Pigus, Drunkus, Maximus' - A Blues Revival
Top Jimmy, the blues singer known for the Van Halen song, and his band the Rhythm Pigs are having their only album, "Pigus, Drunkus, Maximus," re-released next year. The album, recorded in 1981 but released in 1987, will be available on CD and pig pink colored vinyl with a gatefold sleeve and a 16-page booklet of photos by Gary Leonard and liner notes by Chris Morris. The first single, "Dance With Your Baby," can be streamed now.
Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs were a popular act in the 1980s Los Angeles club scene, with fans like David Lee Roth, Tom Waits, X, the Blasters, Maria McKee, and Steve Wynn. The album was originally released by Wynn's Down There label but has been out of print for almost 40 years. Producer and saxophone player Steve Berlin of the Blasters expressed excitement about the re-release, highlighting the band's energetic performances.
David Lee Roth praised Top Jimmy as a great drinking buddy and a powerful presence on stage, while Tom Waits reminisced about the band's performances at the Cathay de Grande club in Hollywood. Top Jimmy, whose real name was James Paul Koncek, passed away in 2001 at the age of 46 from liver failure. The re-release of their album will bring back the raw blues sound that Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs were known for, capturing a snapshot of the vibrant music scene of the 1980s.