Some moments of a musicians long career in rock n roll, especially one as adventure-filled as that of Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook, are unforgettable. Their music spanned several genres, mostly novelty songs and acoustic ballads in their early years, though their greatest success came with their later material, mostly consisting of disco-influenced soft rock, which the band recorded under the shortened name Dr. Hook. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images George Cummings, Ray Sawyer, Billy Francis, and Popeye Phillips all originally came from the band "Chocolate Papers". Dr. Hook has been on the road for nearly 18 months, which means a year and a half propped up on pillows against Holiday . Sting's beloved road manager, Billy Francis, has died of cancer at age 73. Explore. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Haffkine discovered a song titled "A Little Bit More" written and originally performed by Bobby Gosh and released on his 1973 album Sitting in the Quiet, on a record he purchased for 35 cents at a flea market in San Francisco. I got my five copies, and we went back to work.. I always turn up your songs & place my hand over my heart when I hear your songs. Producer-manager Ron Haffkine sat in the back seat along with Dennis and Ray. In 1970, the band's demo tapes were heard by Ron Haffkine, musical director on Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?. Considering the pressure of touring and . Be Nice. The new band was named Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Tonic for the Soul. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. In addition to their own material, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show performed songs written by the poet Shel Silverstein.The band had eight years of regular chart hits in the United States, where their music was played on top-40, easy listening, and country music outlets, and throughout the English-speaking world including the UK, Canada and South Africa. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Think it will be rough as the Grass Roots?, Rough as the Grass Roots! he snorted. The Cover of the Rolling Stone, the bands biggest hit, is almost 40 years old, but Sawyer who brings Dr. Hook to The Shed in Maryville on Friday night can still remember the night it was conceived. According to Steve Huey, of All Music Guide, it solidified their reputation as "disco-tinged balladeers". I listened to the new song written for the group by Shel Silverstein, a chorus of which goes: Some folks love ham hocksAnd some folks love pork chopsAnd some folks love vegetable soups.Roland the Roadie loves Gertrude the GroupieAnd Gertrude the Groupie loves Groups. Theyre great musicians and great guys. Billy sang lead vocals on the Dr. Hook tracks 'Get My Rocks Off' (1972) and 'I Wanna Make The Women Tremble' (1977). Your Scrapbook is currently empty. The 12-Second Video at the Heart of Nick Drake's Mystery Dr. HookCountry-rock band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show was a band that combined country with pop and rock, and was perhaps best known for the catchy and witty hit song "The Cover of the Rolling Stone." They were among the bands that became popular during the 1970s thanks to AM radio play. The Ibogaine-Adrenochrome plexi-tab began to take hold somewhere near South Hill, Virginia. The band did not replace him. Billy Francis came out from behind the keyboard, gangly and slinking. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Wenner then sent Cameron Crowe (who later wrote and directed Almost Famous about his time as a music journalist), then 16 years old, to interview the band for issue 131 (March 1973). Touring, then, is a lonely highway, and there are those young ladies even in the Bible Belt states who know this and offer the entourage the Christian solace of spiritual conversation. The new band was named Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Tonic for the Soul. . They then recruited Dennis Locorriere on bass, who would later become the vocalist. Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password. Now living in Nashville with his son Jessejames, Locorriere, 38, retired from music for a while but Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. [citation needed] The band had changed labels again, to Casablanca Records in 1980, but could not replicate earlier successes. Its music, spanning novelty songs, acoustic ballads, and soft rock, was played on Top 40, easy listening, and country music outlets throughout the English-speaking world. Im perfectly at home on stage, and I love it up there.. Billy Francis was born on January 16, 1942 in Mississippi, USA. Stage front, three beefy guards, not one under 200 pounds, took turns watching the band and the crowd. Dr. Hook began serving on the OSF St. Francis Hospital Medical Staff in 2012, when he and his family settled in the Upper Peninsula. Today january 16 was his birthday. When the band began recording its first album, Olivier was replaced by session player Jay David, who became a band member in 1968. ). The band's second single, "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (1972) from Sloppy Seconds, was another million-selling disc,[3] poking fun at the idea that a musician had "made it" if they had been pictured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. There was an error deleting this problem. coming back or are we on our way out?' Turtles. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Sawyer died on 28 December 2018. Billy Francis are up to. packing it in in 1985. Threats of harming another Dr Hook Supporting Childline; Contact; Select Page. Jan 16 Billy Francis, American keyboardist (Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show - "Cover of the Rolling Stone"), born in Sacramento, California (d. 2010) Jan 16 James "Jimmy" Grashow, American sculptor and woodcut artist, born in Brooklyn, New York; In addition to its own material, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show performed songs written by the poet Shel Silverstein. Select from premium Dr Hook of the highest quality. Billy Francis, Dennis Locorriere and Rik Elswit of Doctor Hook pose for photos on December 7, 1976. On a personal note, I am very glad to have discovered the music of Dr. Hook. Billy Francis, another ex-Chocolate Paper, rejoined his old pals, a couple of other musicians were added and they were soon on their way. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Ray Sawyer left in 1983 to pursue a solo career, while the band continued to tour successfully for another couple of years, ending with Dr. Hook's One and Only Farewell Tour in 1985, with Locorriere as the sole frontman. Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, shortened in 1975 to Dr. Hook, was an American rock band, formed around Union City, New Jersey. redirects here. Doctor Hook, later released as Sylvia's Mother, is the debut studio album by American country rock band Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, released in 1972. Share with Us. Though the band toured constantly, they had not yet managed to turn their success with singles into album sales. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. 1942 Billy Francis was born on January 16, 1942 in Mississippi, USA as William Allen Francis. Other titles on the album included "Marie Lavaux", "Sing Me a Rainbow", "Hey Lady Godiva", "Four Years Older Than Me", "Kiss It Away", "Makin' It Natural", "I Call That True Love", "When She Cries", "Judy", and "Mama, I'll Sing One Song for You". Before Dr. Hook formed as a band three of its members, George Cummings, Ray Sawyer, and Billy Francis, were in a Southern band called "The Chocolate Papers". Musician,Vocalist. It had started as an ordinary enough day. The three members in the band relocated from the South to New Jersey and after they hired the New Jersey native Dennis Locorriere as their vocalist, they named themselves Dr. Hook . With the CBS Records deal, the band experienced international success over the next 12 years with Haffkine as the group's manager and producer. During the Old Grey Whistle Stop Ray Sawyer sang The yodel song he did a funky jig type dance. R.I.P BillyBilly has known Ray since the 60ti. The album sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on August 2, 1972. William Allen "Billy" Francis, Jr, 1942 - 2010. They enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1970s with hit singles including \"Sylvia's Mother\", \"The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'\" (both 1972), \"Only Sixteen\" (1975), \"A Little Bit More\" (1976), \"Sharing the Night Together\" (1978), \"When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman\" (1979), \"Better Love Next Time\" (1979), and \"Sexy Eyes\" (1980). hooked up in 1968 (Sawyer's eye patch, the result of an injury received in a car accident in 1967, Please try again later. . Search above to list available cemeteries. " The music was loud and good and the harmonies were all there, as surreal and inept as the bands physical appearance. CBS Records responded by setting up a phone line that would play the song to anyone willing to dial in, which helped build the buzz. Member of American 70s/ early 80s group Dr. Hook. The band was known for their song "The Cover of Rolling Stone," which was written by Shel Silverstein. Bobby Dominguez - drums. I haven't listened to many of their songs, but the . The album was listed in the Billboard 200 in 1973. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? "We were on Solid Gold until Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Follow-ups to "A Little Bit More" included "Sharing the Night Together" (US number 6), "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (US number 6), "Better Love Next Time", and "Sexy Eyes" (US number 5), which featured prominent female backup singers. This is a carousel with slides. , money, salary, income, and assets. Unlike previous projects, this album included original material written by the group. The band covered and released the song, which reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks at number nine on the Cash Box Top 100.
