The Shadows Of Knight Biography
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 Formed in Chicago in 1965, the original line-up comprised Jim Sohns (vocals), Warren Rogers (lead guitar), Jerry McGeorge (rhythm guitar), Norm Gotsch (bass) and Tom Schiffour (drums). As the house band at the city’s Cellar club, the Shadows were already highly popular when they secured a recording contract. Their debut single, a cover version of the classic Them track, ‘Gloria’, written by a youthful Van Morrison, was the climax to the quintet’s stage act, but when the group toned down its mildly risqué lyric, they were rewarded with a US Top 10 hit. By this point Gotsch had been replaced by Joe Kelly, with Rogers switching to bass to accommodate the changing instrument role of Kelly. Their best-known line-up now established, the Shadows Of Knight enjoyed another minor chart entry with ‘Oh Yeah’, before completing their debut album. Gloria consisted of several Chicago R&B standards which, paradoxically, were patterned on UK interpretations of the same material. Two excellent group originals, ‘Light Bulb Blues’ and ‘It Happens That Way’, revealed an emergent, but sadly under used, talent.
Back Door Men offered a slightly wider perspective with versions of ‘Hey Joe’ and ‘Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Just Another Day’ (also recorded by the Monkees), but the highlight was an inspired interpretation of ‘Bad Little Woman’, originally recorded by Irish group the Wheels. Dave ‘The Hawk’ Wolinski replaced Warren Rogers when the latter was drafted in late 1966. This was the prelude to wholesale changes when, on 4 July 1967, Sohns fired the entire group. The singer subsequently reappeared fronting a new line-up - John Fisher, Dan Baughman, Woody Woodfuff and Kenny Turkin - and a new recording contract with the bubblegum Super K label. ‘Shake’ gave the group a final US Top 50 entry, but its unashamed pop approach owed little to the heritage of the ‘old’. Further releases for the same outlet proved equally disappointing, while an attempt at recreating the past with ‘Gloria 69’ was unsuccessful. Sohns has led several versions of his group over the ensuing years, McGeorge found fleeting notoriety as a member of H.P. Lovecraft, while Wolinski found fame as a member of Rufus and his work with Michael Jackson.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
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Formed in Chicago in 1965, the original line-up comprised Jim Sohns (vocals), Warren Rogers (lead guitar), Jerry McGeorge (rhythm guitar), Norm Gotsch (bass) and Tom Schiffour (drums). As the house band at the city’s Cellar club, the Shadows were already highly popular when they secured a recording contract. Their debut single, a cover version of the classic Them track, ‘Gloria’, written by a youthful Van Morrison, was the climax to the quintet’s stage act, but when the group toned down its mildly risqué lyric, they were rewarded with a US Top 10 hit. By this point Gotsch had been replaced by Joe Kelly, with Rogers switching to bass to accommodate the changing instrument role of Kelly. Their best-known line-up now established, the Shadows Of Knight enjoyed another minor chart entry with ‘Oh Yeah’, before completing their debut album. Gloria consisted of several Chicago R&B standards which, paradoxically, were patterned on UK interpretations of the same material. Two excellent group originals, ‘Light Bulb Blues’ and ‘It Happens That Way’, revealed an emergent, but sadly under used, talent.