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Formed 1960, in Fayetteville, AR. Twin brothers who started their first band while in their teens, Earl and Ernie Cate have become a legendary blues outfit anywhere within overnight range of their Fayetteville home base. Briefly, way back when, they had Levon Helm, later of the Band, in their group (and he introduced them to his nephew, Terry Cagle, who became their drummer for a spell). It was the Cates that Helm called to fill in at the New Jersey club the Hawks were playing when they got the call from Bob Dylan to join him to be booed around the world for playing electric music. Singer Ernie Cate's smoky voice is reminiscent of Ray Charles or Bobby Bland, and guitarist Earl Cate can burn like Eric Clapton or smolder like Stevie Ray Vaughan. They recorded four prized-to-collectors soul albums in the 1970s, flirted with a hit with "Union Man" and backed the Band off-and-on in the 1980s. Depending on the place and the time of night, they can be the tightest cover group or the best damned original band you never heard of; if you're somewhere between Fayetteville and Memphis and see their name on the marquee, take the chance.