Dr. Hook

Did You Know?

• The band's name was inspired by Ray Sawyer's eyepatch and Captain Hook from Peter Pan; when fans asked which member was Dr. Hook, the band would point to the bus driver.
• During a 1971 meeting with Clive Davis of CBS Records, drummer Jay David kept the beat using a wastebasket, and Billy Francis danced on Davis's desk.
• The BBC initially refused to play "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" because they considered it advertising a trademark name; CBS set up a phone line for people to dial in and hear the song.
• The band filed for bankruptcy in 1974, despite continuing to tour incessantly.

History

The founding core of the band consisted of George Cummings, Ray Sawyer, and Billy Francis, who first worked together circa 1966 in Mobile, Alabama, in a band called Chocolate Papers. Cummings, Sawyer, and Francis started a new band in Union City, New Jersey, in 1968 and included primary vocalist Dennis Locorriere, who initially joined as a bass player. Other members of the Chocolate Papers included Jimmy Allen, Popeye Phillips, and Bobby Dominguez; according to Locorriere, previous websites incorrectly listed them as former members of Dr. Hook.

By 1969, the new band was named Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Tonic for the Soul. The name, thought up by Cummings, was inspired by Sawyer's eyepatch and a reference to Captain Hook. Sawyer lost his right eye in a near-fatal car crash in Oregon in 1967 and, after that, wore an eyepatch, leading some people to believe that he was Dr. Hook; when asked by fans which band member was Dr. Hook, they would all point to the bus driver. Popeye Phillips left the band to become a session musician, contributing to the first album by the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Drummer Joseph Olivier was the drummer by the time the core members relocated to New Jersey. Just before Dr. Hook began recording its first demos, Olivier was replaced by session drummer Jay David, who became a band member in 1970. 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?. Haffkine asked the band to record two songs for the film, including "The Last Morning" and "Bunky and Lucille," which the band can be seen performing in the movie.

The film helped Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show secure their first recording contract. In 1971 the group met with Clive Davis of CBS Records. David used a wastebasket in the meeting to keep the beat, and Francis danced on the mogul's desk while Sawyer, Locorriere, and Cummings played and sang. With the CBS Records deal, the band experienced international success with Haffkine as the group's manager and producer.

In 1972 after recording their debut album, the band added a full-time bassist, Jance Garfat, and another guitarist, Rik Elswit. Shel Silverstein wrote all the songs for their self-titled debut album, released in May 1972. The album sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA on August 2, 1972. The single "Sylvia's Mother" became the band's first million-seller and hit the top five in the summer of 1972.

The band's second single, "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'" (December 1972), was another million-selling disc in early 1973. Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone issue 131 (March 1973), albeit in caricature rather than in a photograph. The band shortened its name to Dr. Hook in 1975.