Shadows of Knight

"The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds took the Chicago Blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English version of the Blues and re-added a Chicago touch." The Shadows of Knight's self-description was fairly accurate. Although this mid-'60s garage band from the Windy City did not match the excellence of either their British or African-American idols, the teen energy of their recordings remains enjoyable, if not overwhelmingly original. The group took a tamer version of Them's classic… Show more "Gloria" into the American Top Ten in 1966, and also took a Yardbirdized version of Bo Diddley's "Oh Yeah" into the Top 40 the same year. Their patchy albums contained a few exciting R&B covers in the Yardbirds/Stones style and a few decent originals in the same vein. The group's original lineup splintered quickly, and the Shadows faded in the late '60s after briefly pursuing a more commercial pop sound. Vocalist Jim Sohns continued fronting various incarnations of the band and was ultimately arrested in 1980, although he only served a three-year sentence for drug charges. In the years that followed, the Shadows of Knight enjoyed something of a comeback as several labels reissued their material, and Sohns pieced together a new touring lineup. Shows with the Romantics and Cheap Trick followed, as did the release of two new albums: 2007's A Knight to Remember and 2008's Rock 'n' Roll Survivors. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi

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