Press release –
On October 24, Liberation Hall will give music fans the opportunity to rediscover a pair of uniquely American bands, Jackdawg and The Blasters. Jackdawg was a pop-rock trio featuring three legendary members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: multi-instrumentalist John McFee, drummer Keith Knudsen (both veterans of The Doobie Brothers), and bassist Stu Cook (Creedence Clearwater Revival). The Blasters were formed in 1979 and the group’s fervent blend of rockabilly, early rock and roll, punk rock, mountain music, rhythm and blues, and country was delivered by the potent pairing of brothers Phil and Dave Alvin.
Jackdawg was born from the remnants of the 1980s country rock band, Southern Pacific. In 1983, McFee and Knudsen were looking for new opportunities after The Doobie Brothers had gone on hiatus. Alongside singer Tim Goodman, keyboardist Glen Hardin, and bassist Jerry Scheff, the duo formed Southern Pacific and signed to Warner Bros. Records. They released a well-received debut album in 1985. Cook replaced Scheff in 1986, just as the band was recording their second album, Killbilly Hill, which featured one of their best-loved songs, “Any Way the Wind Blows.”
By 1990, Southern Pacific was winding down. Having enjoyed their time working together, McFee, Knudsen and Cook decided to form a new trio, Jackdawg. McFee has built Lizard Rock Studio in Solvang, California, and Cook and Knudsen commuted from the San Fernando Valley for session work on Monday mornings. Cook recalls that they’d stay all week, write, record and then come home on the weekends. The songs they were writing had none of the country flavor of their earlier Southern Pacific collaboration. The nascent project was largely a blank musical canvas: “Let’s not have guidelines, barriers or rules about this,” they decided. Reflecting the combined and shared musical sensibilities of its creators, Jackdawg ended up being a pop-rock album.
Fourteen of the album’s 15 tracks are band originals. “Bayou Rebel” has a feel reminiscent of CCR, but with production values that root it firmly in the early ‘90s. The modern sounding “When the Sun Don’t Shine” has a kinetic, rocking character. “Hunger” is reminiscent of Bryan Adams, and the thundering, programmed beats of “Ghost Dance” have a radio-friendly vibe. Complementing Jackdawg’s original material, a pair of inspired covers round out the album, Roky Erickson’s “Cold Night for Alligators” and Van Morrison’s “Wild Night.”
The plan had been for the group’s manager, Joe Gottfried, to shop the completed album around to labels, but in 1992, Gottfried died suddenly. The completed album went on the shelf, where it would remain for many years. The three musicians moved on to other projects.
Nearly 20 years later, guitarist and archivist Joey Stec launched the record label Sonic Past Music, and a deal was struck in 2009 to release Jackdawg on CD and download. Well-received by critics, the release would nonetheless go out of print a few years later.
In 2025, Liberation Hall, in close collaboration with McFee and Cook (Knudsen died in 2005), will finally grant Jackdawg its official vinyl debut. Featuring new liner notes by music journalist and author Bill Kopp, Jackdawg’s original 15 tracks will be reissued on vinyl, CD and digital.
JACKDAWG – Jackdawg (LP: LIB-2168 | CD/DL: LIB-2167)
TRACKLIST: 1. Bayou Rebel | 2. When the Sun Don’t Shine | 3. The Men Who Would Be King | 4. Hunger | 5. Ghost Dance | 6. Take It Off | 7. Kisses in the Rain | 8. I Couldn’t Help Myself | 9. Quicksand | 10. Lookin’ for Trouble | 11. Relentless | 12. Young Ones | 13. The Girl from Oz | 14. Cold Night for Alligators (Roky Erickson) | 15. Wild Night (Van Morrison)
Produced by John McFee and Jackdawg.
Recorded and mixed by John McFee at Lizard Rock Studio.
All songs by Jackdawg except where noted.
