Sporting denims and buckskin, Dr. Hook And The Medicine Show captured the countrified, laid-back vibe popular in the early 1970s. Although their songs carried a pronounced Dixie drawl and three members hailed from the South, the group actually formed in 1968 as a New Jersey bar band. Its original roster featured one-eyed Dr. Hook (b. Ray Sawyer, 1 February 1937, Chickasaw, Alabama, USA; vocals), Denis Locorriere (b. 13 June 1949, New Jersey, USA; guitar/vocals), George Cummings (b. Meridian, Mississippi, USA; lead/slide guitar), Billy Francis (b. William Francis, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA; keyboards) and Jay David (b. Bayonne, New Jersey, USA; drums).
One night the musicians caught the ear of a talent scout scouting for an ensemble to record Playboy cartoonist Shel Silverstein’s soundtrack for Who’s Harry Kellerman And Why Is He Saying These Terrible Things About Me? (1970). They subsequently supported Silverstein’s own vocal sessions, which led to a CBS Records contract. Immediate international acclaim arrived with “Sylvia’s Mother,” which climbed to US number 5 and UK number 2 from the debut album. After Rik Elswit (guitar) and Jance Garfat (bass) joined, the follow-up Sloppy Seconds again drew entirely on Silverstein material and yielded the US Top 10 single “The Cover Of ‘The Rolling Stone,’” a track denied UK airplay by the BBC yet still fulfilling the band’s stated ambition when they graced that magazine’s cover in March 1973.
A demanding touring regimen showcased their raucous stage show, laced with irreverent humour and an expanding catalogue of original songs. Several appeared on Belly Up! and the US-only Fried Face, the final LP before the switch to Capitol Records and the arrival of new drummer John Wolters (b. John Christian Wolters 28 April 1945, Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, USA, d. July 1997). Live popularity under the shortened name Dr. Hook masked their commercial standing, a reality reflected in the bluntly titled fifth album Bankrupt. A revival of Sam Cooke’s “Only Sixteen” nevertheless restored financial equilibrium by surging up the US Hot 100, a feat repeated worldwide a year later when the title track of A Little Bit More reached UK number 2. Cummings had already departed by then.
Early 1979 brought a UK number 1 with “When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman” from the million-selling Pleasure & Pain. Locorriere now handled most lead vocals, and the same year’s Sometimes You Win spawned further international hits “Better Love Next Time” and “Sexy Eyes.”
During the 1980s Dr. Hook’s chart entries stayed concentrated in North America, even though a 1981 live album was recorded in London, and became increasingly intermittent. Guitarists Bob Henke and Rod Smarr passed through the ranks, and Sawyer exited in 1982 to launch a solo career. Locorriere’s work as a Nashville songwriter effectively wound down the group by the mid-1980s. In the following decade Sawyer obtained permission from Locorriere to tour under the band name.
