Terry Knight and the Pack

Terry Knight and the Pack
Also known as The Pack
The Fabulous Pack
Origin Flint, Michigan, United States
Genres
Years active 1965 - 1967
Labels Lucky Eleven
Cameo-Parkway
ABKCO
Associated acts Terry Knight
Grand Funk Railroad
Past members Terry Knight (vocals)
Don Brewer (drums)
Mark Farner (guitar, bass)
Bobby Caldwell (organ)
Herm Jackson (drums, bass)
Curt Johnson (guitar)

Terry Knight and the Pack (earlier known as the Pack) was an American garage rock band formed in Flint, Michigan in 1965. The band was signed to the Lucky Eleven label throughout most of its short recording career, and they produced one national hit with their cover version of the song, "I (Who Have Nothing)". Despite their inability to replicate their success, the band was still a frequent attraction in the Michigan rock scene. The Pack was fronted by singer, Terry Knight. In 1967, the group disbanded, but two of the members of the band, drummer/vocalist Don Brewer and guitarist Mark Farner, would later go on to form another band, Grand Funk Railroad.[1]

History

Origins

Former DJ, Knight was tenured in several radio stations before trying his hand at a solo musical career in 1964. As a DJ, he was an early advocate of The Rolling Stones, and imitated their style as soloist and later when he joined the band. His initial efforts, which included an unsuccessful single and local performances, were not met with much success, so Knight persuaded a band known as The Jazz Masters to accept him as their frontman in 1965.[2] The group, impressed by Knight's contacts in the music industry, accepted him into the band. Knight quickly took control of the band, first by changing their name to The Pack, inspired by The Shangri-Las' hit, "Leader of the Pack".[3] and taking the group out of uniforms and switching to a more casual look similar to The Rolling Stones.[3] In the band, Knight became the singer and songwriter. Brewer and played drums and Herm Jackson was on bass guitar. Curt Johnson was on lead guitar, while Bobby Caldwell provided keyboards.[2][4]

Recording

Knight was able to use his contacts to enable the Pack to record their first single, “Tears Come Rolling"/"The Colour of Our Love”, at the Golden World Studio in Detroit, released on the Wingate label.[3] At this time the band was managed by Jim Atherton, of Flint, who felt that a traditional label such as Wingate could not properly promote a British-influenced Rock group like the Pack. Atherton convinced fellow Flint businessman Otis Ellis to record the band on his small Lucky Eleven label.[3] Before the band recorded their second single, the band name was changed to Terry Knight and The Pack, reflecting Knight's de facto role as the charismatic front man and leader of the group.[3]

Six of their nine singles made regional Top 40s throughout Michigan, Ohio and New York, with two of them - "You're a Better Man Than I" (originally by The Yardbirds) and "I (Who Have Nothing)" (a cover of a Ben E. King song) - reaching the national charts. "I (Who Have Nothing)" went to #46 and earned the band an appearance on Dick Clark's television program Where the Action Is. Their debut album, Terry Knight and the Pack, and second album, Reflections, were both released in 1966.

Tracks by the band include: "This Precious Time" (composed and produced by P.F. Sloan), covers of the Rolling Stones' songs "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" and "Lady Jane", and several Knight originals: "Numbers", "A Change on the Way" and "Love, Love, Love, Love, Love" (later covered by Detroit roots rockers Brownsville Station). The Music Explosion issued an almost identical version of "Love, Love, Love, Love, Love", with the same instrumental backing track but a different vocal track; it's unclear whether The Pack or the Music Explosion recorded the "original".

TK&TP were mainstays on Cleveland's TV rock & roll showcase, Upbeat. In addition, they opened regional gigs for the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five and the Yardbirds.

Grand Funk Railroad

After their second LP, Reflections, Knight left the band to pursue a frustrated solo career as producer and singer. The Pack continued without Knight with even less success, releasing a few more 45 RPM singles under the names The Pack and The Fabulous Pack. The band was largely forgotten until Farner and Brewer formed the nucleus of Capitol Records' best-selling act of the early 1970s, Grand Funk Railroad, initially managed and produced by Knight.

Reissues

All recordings by Terry Knight and the Pack have been out of print since 1973, except for "I (Who Have Nothing)" which is included in the Cameo Parkway 1957-1967 box set. Only one "best of" compilation was released in late 1972 by ABKCO Records as the double album Mark, Don & Terry 1966-67 (plain blue cover) inspired by the Grand Funk Railroad doublet Mark, Don & Mel: 1969–71 (plain black cover) released earlier that year on Capitol. The ABKCO-released album was later re-packaged in 1973 as Funk-Off. Both albums are considered collectors items after being dropped from the ABKCO catalog. Another quasi-best-of compilation, Track On, was released on Lucky Eleven circa 1969-70.

Discography

Singles

Year A-side/B-side
Both sides from same album except where indicated		 Label & number U.S. Chart Album
Billboard
1965 "Harlem Shuffle"
b/w "I've Got News for You"		 Lucky Eleven 003 - Non-album tracks
"Does It Matter to You Girl"
b/w "Wide Trackin'"		 Lucky Eleven 007 -
1966 "I've Been Told"
b/w "How Much More" (Non-album track)		 Lucky Eleven 225 - Terry Knight and The Pack
"You're a Better Man Than I"
b/w "I Got Love"		 Lucky Eleven 226 125
"Lady Jane"
b/w "Lovin' Kind"		 Lucky Eleven 228 -
"A Change on the Way"
b/w "What's on Your Mind"		 Lucky Eleven 229 111
"I (Who Have Nothing)"
b/w "Numbers"		 Lucky Eleven 230 46
1967 "This Precious Time" /
"Love Love Love Love Love"		 Lucky Eleven 235 120
117		 Reflections
"One Monkey Don't Stop No Show"
b/w "The Train"		 Lucky Eleven 236 -

Albums

Issued with same catalog number as the Reflections album, although the legality of this album is in question

References

  1. ↑ Richie Unterberger. "Terry Knight and the Pack - Biography". allmusic.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Michigan Hall of Fame - Terry Knight and the Pack". michiganrockandrolllegends.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "TERRY KNIGHT AND THE PACK". Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Check date values in: |access-date= (help);
  4. ↑ "Mark Farner: Timeline". markfarner.com. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.