Blackfoot, named for lead singer/ guitarist Ricky Medlocke's Native American heritage, began their career with a southern-rock style like that of contemporary Lynyrd Skynyrd. After releasing a few albums in this style, the band was signed to Atco in 1979 and began to sharpen their style. They adopted a heavier rock sound and released Strikes, which became a hit. The album gave the band two hit singles: 'Train, Train" and "Highway Song". The success was followed up with two more acclaimed albums, Tomcattin' and Marauder.

In the mid-'80s, the group added keyboardist Ken Hensley to the lineup to help bring a new side to their sound, but the grouping did not last. The band broke up in 1984. However, Medlocke revived the name in 1990 with a new lineup. In the year 2000, Blackfoot released an album of greatest hits performed live.