British blues-rock group
the Hoax consisted of Jon Amor on guitar,
Hugh Coltman on vocals and harmonica, Jess Davey on guitar, Robin Davey on bass, and Dave Raeburn on drums. The members were all young students of the blues and had played together since they were in their teens; songwriting and arrangements were worked out together by all five members. The Hoax began to attract attention while on tour with the
Smokin' Joe Kubek Band around England, and Code Blue Records label chief
Mike Vernon signed them to a deal.
Vernon, a veteran producer who had worked with
John Mayall,
Eric Clapton,
Ten Years After,
Savoy Brown, and
David Bowie, was impressed by the maturity in the band's playing. Critics in England were also impressed with the band's prowess and heaped praise on
the Hoax, comparing them to
the Yardbirds,
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and
the Rolling Stones. Their debut album, Sound Like This, was released in 1995 on the Code Blue/Atlantic label (although Code Blue was later jettisoned by Atlantic), and the recording is a good reflection of their live shows. On it, the band pays tribute to its influences, such as
Albert Collins,
Albert King,
the Fabulous Thunderbirds,
Robben Ford, and
Stevie Ray Vaughan. ~ Richard Skelly