After Hagar was fired due to creative differences, Oakley took over as lead vocalist and the group began recording demos for a planned studio album with producer Phil Ramone.

Originally formed as Bonamassa's backing band with the help of the guitarist's manager Roy Weisman, Bloodline's name was chosen based on the fact that four of the group's founding members were the sons of famous musicians – Hagar of Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, Krieger of former The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, Oakley Jr. of original Allman Brothers Band bassist Berry Oakley, and Davis of prolific jazz trumpeter Miles Davis.

[1] Bonamassa approached Oakley Jr. with the idea of forming a band together, with Krieger included on the suggestion of the bassist, and jazz trumpeter Miles Davis's son Erin added on drums later.

[3][4] Hagar was fired from the band later in the year, primarily due to a differing opinion on the musical direction of the group – Segreti stated that "he was leaning toward commercial ballads while the rest of Bloodline wanted to stick to the blues".

[7] The album received positive reviews from a number of publications including Cash Box magazine and The Washington Post, both of whom focused their praise on Bonamassa's lead guitar performance.