Before Jimmy Thackery left, the band hit the road for a “Farewell for Now” tour through the Northeast, including a show at Carnegie Hall in New York and a trek to Canada. For these shows they shared the bill with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop and Robert Cray.

This U.S. tour concluded with a July 5 show at D.C.’s Carter Barron Amphitheatre that paid tribute to The Nighthawks role as stage partner and supporting cast for some of the blues world’s best. This concert featured guests Bob Margolin, Pinetop Perkins and Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson from the Muddy Waters band, along with John Hammond and Toru Oki. It would be the basis for the live album “Backtrack.”

The album is a great showcase of how The Nighthawks could bring a consistent sound and lively performance to a variety of material..