Shadows of Knight
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Shadows Of Knight | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois, USA | |
| Genre(s) | 1960s Rock | |
| Years active | 1964-1969 | |
| Label(s) | Dunwich (Atlantic sub.), Budda | |
| Former members | ||
| Warren Rogers Wayne Pursell Norm Gotsch Tom Schiffour Jim "Jimy" Sohns Joe Kelley Jerry McGeorge David "Hawk" Wolinski Bruce Bruscatto Tom Morris Jeffrey "Woody" Woodruff Dan Baughman John Fisher Kenny Turkin Jack "Hawkeye" Daniels Charlie Hess Bob Harper Eric Blomquist Gary Levin Lee Brovitz |
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The Shadows of Knight were a 1960's American rock band from the Chicago suburbs, who played a form of British blues mixed with influences from their native city (see Chicago blues).
The band was formed in 1964, and would release three albums in its five years of existence. Founding members included Warren Rogers (lead guitar), Norm Gotsch (rhythm guitar), Wayne Pursell (bass), Tom Schiffour (drums) and Jim Sohns (vocals). During 1965, Joe Kelley was recruited to play bass, replacing Pursell. Kelley would swap bass and lead duties with Rogers in late 1965 at the time of the "Gloria" recordings. Guitarist and vocalist Jerry McGeorge replaced Norm Gotsch in late 1965 after Gotsch was drafted into the U.S. military. David "Hawk" Wolinski, who later worked with Rufus and Chaka Khan, replaced Rogers on bass in late 1966.
After performing in and around Chicago's northwest suburbs in 1964 and 1965, the Shadows of Knight became the house band at the "Cellar", a teen club in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A stellar performance in support of The Byrds at Chicago's McCormick Place in early summer 1965 attracted the attention of Dunwich Records producers Bill Traut & George Badonski. During that show they performed "Gloria" by Them, an early Van Morrison group. The band signed with Dunwich shortly thereafter and recorded "Gloria" as a first effort.
Released in December 1965, "Gloria" received massive regional airplay. The band had slightly altered the song's lyrics, replacing Morrison's original "she comes into my room" with "she call out my name". This simple change overcame the prevalent AM radio censorship of the era, and got the Shadows of Knights' version of the song onto the playlist of influential Chicago station WLS. The single reached the #1 position on the radio station's countdown, as well as on local rival WCFL. On the Billboard national charts, "Gloria" rose to #10. The secondary publication Cashbox ranked "Gloria" as high as #5.
There is reason to believe the Billboard charting understated the song's popularity. The Shadows of Knight's version of "Gloria" reached number one in several markets where it received airplay. But because Dunwich was not a national label, the single was released on a staggered basis around the country. This caused it to peak in certain markets before being released in others, diluting its weekly placement. The song received little airplay in certain major markets, such as South Florida (Miami) and California, where Morrison's release of "Gloria" had just been a major hit the previous year.
The Shadows of Knight soon released the "Gloria" album, followed by the "Back Door Men" LP in summer 1966. Subsequent 45 singles included "Oh Yeah" (which reached #39 nationally), "Bad Little Woman" (#91) and the powerhouse "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" (#90), which can be seen as a precursor to hard rock. However, none of these releases approached their initial commercial success. Failure to find a winning followup to "Gloria" handicapped the band's earning power, and led to its disintegration. Tom Schiffour left the band in Spring 1967. McGeorge departed for acid-rock band H.P. Lovecraft shortly thereafter, while Kelley left to front his own blues band. Hawk Wolinski also left the band to form "The Bangor Flying Circus" with Schiffour and guitarist Alan De Carlo.
By mid-1967, the only original member of the Shadows of Knight remaining was vocalist Jim Sohns, who, through simple default, inherited the band's name. Some fans of the original band consider Sohns to have been the weakest member of the original group's distinctive sound. Sohns decided to take the band in a commercial, pop-oriented direction. In 1969, the latterday Shadows of Knight released "Shake" on Buddah Records subsidiary Super K Records; the track eventually climbed to #46. That same year, the unsuccessful update "Gloria '69" became the final release under the Shadows of Knight name. Sohns has fronted several incarnations of the group over the subsequent decades, mostly on the oldies circuit.
The 1967 demise of the original Shadows of Knight was one of the factors signalling the end of Dunwich Records as a separate independent label. Dunwich subsequently became a production company led by Bill Traut, and had notable chart successes with The American Breed and Todd Rundgren. George Badonsky attempted a personal management enterprise behind the middling success of H.P. Lovecraft, as well as more obscure acts, but was unable to sustain the effort. He later became owner of a successful Chicago restaurant, "George's".
In 2006, the band was part of Little Steven's cross-country "Underground Garage" tour with The Romantics. The Shadows' Halloween show included guest appearances by members of Cheap Trick, the Romantics, and Little Steven; this performance was subsequently televised on VH-1 Classic. A new album entitled "A Knight To Remember" was also released.
