Terry Knight (born Richard Terrance Knapp; April 9, 1943 – November 1, 2004) 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

Around 1965, Knight fashioned a songwriting and performing career in Flint by becoming the front man for Terry Knight and the Pack. 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.

"Saint Paul"

In early 1969, Knight secured a producer's contract with Capitol Records which also allowed him to release his own songs as a solo artist. He wrote and recorded a single, "Saint Paul", which may have contributed to the "Paul is dead" theory that erupted late in the year. The cryptic lyrics of the song are generally thought to allude to Knight's failed relationship with McCartney and his apparent belief that the Beatles would soon break up. The lyrics do not refer to death, but were interpreted by some fans as containing clues. The ending repeats the phrase "hey Paul" in an arrangement that sounds similar to the Beatles' song "Hey Jude". There are two versions, both in stereo. The full five-minute version contains a high-pitched voice singing lines from Beatles songs, including "Hello, Goodbye", "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and "She Loves You", while the four-minute edit does not contain additional song excerpts.

Initial copies of the single listed Knight's company Storybook Music as the publisher of "Saint Paul". After Capitol received a cease and desist letter from the Beatles' music publisher, Maclen Music (the U.S. division of Northern Songs), the record was pulled from distribution.

A deal was then worked out between Knight and Maclen Music. About a month later, in May 1969, "Saint Paul" was reissued with a publishing credit by Maclen. The second pressing of the record also contained a note on the label that stated that "Hey Jude" was "used by permission". The reassignment of the publishing rights made Knights' song the only non Lennon–McCartney tune owned by Maclen. "Saint Paul" reached the top 40 in some cities in the upper Midwest region but failed to make the Billboard Hot 100 national chart, making in to #114 in the "Bubbling Under" charts. The fact that "Saint Paul" was re-published by Maclen was seen by some Beatle fans as evidence of a conspiracy involving Knight, the Beatles and the "Paul is dead" rumor.

"Saint Paul" was re-recorded in 1969 by New Zealand singer Shane and became one of the best-selling singles of the 1960s in that country. In the early 1990s author Andru Reeve repeatedly tried to interview Knight while writing a book about the "Paul is dead" theory. Reeve was unable to get Knight to talk about the song.

While becoming their manager-producer, Knight helped steer the trio to international fame, Knight's marketing savvy was instrumental to the band's explosive rise. The band spent $100,000 on a New York City Times Square billboard to advertise Closer to Home. By 1971, Grand Funk equaled the Beatles' Shea Stadium attendance record but sold out the venue in just 72 hours, whereas the Beatles concert took a few weeks to sell out. He also discovered and produced the Fort Worth, Texas group Bloodrock, For his part, Knight would claim the band had had only three months left on their contract with him when they first took him to court, and could have been free with half the legal aggravation; the trio ultimately won their separation from Knight but at a heavy cost, before adding keyboard player Craig Frost and continuing a successful recording and touring career through 1976.

Life after Grand Funk

Knight was also dropped from Capitol soon after the Grand Funk court actions were resolved and began his own label, Brown Bag Records, John Hambrick, Faith Band and most notably Wild Cherry, producing their initial demos and singles, though the band achieved their breakthrough hit "Play That Funky Music" in 1976 on Epic Records under self-production. Terry Knight was cremated and buried in a family plot in Lapeer, Michigan. He is survived by daughter, Danielle. Four years after his death, Terry Knight and The Pack were voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame.

Discography

As producer

Singles

  • The Bossmen - Baby Boy/You And I (1966)
  • The Debutantes - Love Is Strange/A New Love Today (1966)
  • The Rites Of Spring - Why (?)/Comin' On Back To Me (1966)
  • Dandy Dan - If Love Is/(I Don't Stand) A Ghost Of A Chance (1967)
  • The Jayhawkers - Come On (Children)/A Certain Girl (1967)
  • Sir Cedric Smith - Until It's Time For You To Go/To Sing For You (1967)
  • Barry Drake - Roll On River (1971)
  • Barry Drake - I Won't Be Reconstructed (1971)

Albums

  • Terry Knight & The Pack - Terry Knight and the Pack (1966)
  • Terry Knight & The Pack - Reflections (1967)
  • Grand Funk Railroad - On Time (1969)
  • Grand Funk Railroad - Grand Funk (1969)
  • Bloodrock - Bloodrock (1970)
  • Grand Funk Railroad - Closer to Home (1970)
  • Bloodrock - Bloodrock 2 (1970)
  • Grand Funk Railroad - Live Album (1970)
  • Grand Funk Railroad - Survival (1971)
  • Bloodrock - Bloodrock 3 (1971)
  • Grand Funk Railroad - E Pluribus Funk (1971)
  • John Hambrick - Windmill In A Jet Filled Sky (1972)

References

  • Terry Knight – R.I.P. by David K. Tedds for Creem Online.
  • Terry Knight's Killer Convicted.