Terry Knight

Terry Knight (born Richard Terrance Knapp; April 9, 1943 – November 1, 2004) was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but considerable success as the original manager-producer for Grand Funk Railroad and the producer for Bloodrock.

Knight was born in Lapeer, Michigan, United States. As a youth, he was captivated by the early sounds of rock and roll radio, especially the personality DJs like Dick Biondi, whose powerful signal from WLS in Chicago was easily picked up nightly on his radio in Lapeer. Young Terry set his sights on becoming a DJ and began to practice his radio patter at home on his own tiny reel-to-reel tape recorder. After graduating from high school in 1961, he briefly attended Alma College before dropping out. Knight's music career began as a DJ at the Top 40 rock station WTAC in Flint, Michigan, then going to Detroit in 1963 where he replaced Dave Shafer as "Jack the Bellboy" on WJBK. The following year, he moved across the river to CKLW in Windsor, Ontario. One of the first American DJs to air the Rolling Stones, he hosted a late night show from high-powered CKLW, bringing the British Invasion to the Northern states. He famously managed to get away with playing the Rolling Stones' "Little Red Rooster" over and over for an hour. He was awarded the honorary title of "The Sixth Stone" for his early support of the Stones. By the end of 1964, however, Knight had left CKLW and the radio business, intending to pursue his own career in music. One account has it that he gave his reason for leaving as planning to move to England to become the sixth Rolling Stone.

Around 1965, Knight fashioned a songwriting and performing career in Flint by becoming the front man for Terry Knight and the Pack. The Jazz Masters — with Farner, Brewer, and three other musicians — became the Pack, who backed Knight on his debut 1965 single, "Tears Come Rollin'." With this band, Knight recorded a handful of regional hits for Lucky Eleven Records, part of the Cameo-Parkway Records group, including his self-penned generation gap anthem "A Change On the Way", and scored two national hits, a cover of the Yardbirds' "(You're a) Better Man Than I", and his ultra-lounge reading of Ben E. King's "I (Who Have Nothing)", which peaked at No. 46 nationally. Terry Knight and the Pack were very popular locally and opened for both the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds when those bands toured in Michigan. The band left three garage rock classics before breaking up in 1967. Brownsville Station honored Knight and the Pack with a cover of the Knight-penned "Love, Love, Love, Love, Love" on their 1973 album Yeah! Terry Knight and the Pack were voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 1967 Knight moved to New York City, and attempted a solo career as a singer and staff producer with the Cameo-Parkway label, with limited success. He produced and wrote a handful of tracks by other artists, including garage band Question Mark & the Mysterians, and the easy-listening International Pop Orchestra. He also scored music for the 20th Century Fox noir film, The Incident (1967).

Knight traveled to London in 1968, hoping to become a recording artist or producer for the Beatles' newly formed Apple Records. Knight met Paul McCartney and was present at some of the recording sessions for the band's 1968 double album The Beatles (also known as the "White Album"), including the session when Ringo Starr temporarily quit the group. Knight was surprised to find the band members arguing with each other. He soon left London after he was unable to negotiate a contract with acceptable terms.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.