LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Dr Hook: New Jersey
built 492 days ago
When Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show materialized in 1971, people figured Dr. Hook was Ray Sawyer, who with his sinister eye patch dominated the band visually. But the name really suited Shel Silverstein, the Playboy cartoonist who has proved the sharpest formula songwriter of the post-Brill Building era. With his eye for detail and ear for diction, his did-he-mean-that? humor, and his willingness to go for the aorta with a snatch of musical/emotional blackmail, Silverstein was a natural hit machine not in New York but in Nashville. Marvin Hamlisch will never get within winking distance of the sophistication of "One's on the Way," in which Silverstein transformed himself (and Loretta Lynn) into a Topeka housewife who didn't "march for women's lib" but had a line on her oppression anyway. And Mann & Weil's songs for Wild in the Streets--still the most credible specially composed rock filmscore--sound like soap ads compared to those Silverstein wrote for Payday, a much better movie about country music.
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Dr. Hook moved to Augusta in 1832. He built his home, Richmond Hill, six miles south of the town. Shortly afterwards he rejoiced upon learning that Captain Edward Campfield, a Baptist, was attracted by the plea for New Testament Christianity. The Campfields had been expelled from the Baptist church in Savannah after their involvement with the church of Christ in that city. In 1835 the Campfields, along with Dr. Hook, worked together to organize the church after the ancient order. They met on a regular basis in their homes for prayer, reading of the Bible, singing, and the observance of the Lord’s Supper.
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Formed in Union City, New Jersey in 1968, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show consisted of four friends from the south. Before spending studio time, they sold tickets for many live performances throughout the "Transfer Station", an area conspicuous with its bars and restaurants. Their music sounds like CCR and other bands with some folk tale quality to it.
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Over the years, the band--now called just Dr. Hook--has changed labels and lost Silverstein while moving toward the country market. They have ... scored more hits--most notably on Sam Cooke's "Only Sixteen"--and managed to retain six out of seven members while touring constantly. At the Bottom Line last week they were cornier and more hilarious than ever. Dennis Locorriere, a sexier if less flexible (and funny) singer than Sawyer, became the first mainstream performer ever to induce me to laugh at a punk joke, fit reward for a band that once dressed up in glitter and got booed off the stage as its own opening act. By way of introducing Sawyer's triple and quadruple yodels, he pointed out that New Yorkers have seen almost everything else: "You see people spit up on each other. You see people safety-pinned together."
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As a result of his sacrificial service, the citizens of Augusta expressed their gratitude by electing Dr. Hook mayor, first in 1840 for a one-year term, and then re-electing him in 1842. His name was first proposed for the honor by a local newspaperman.
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Accumulating 60 gold and platinum records worldwide with DR HOOK, Ray has gained the confidence of a seasoned entertainer. With an abundance of stage energy, a prankish sense of humour, and an unmistakable voice and image, Ray Sawyer is giving long-time and new fans the exact show that they’ve been looking for.
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