Category Archives: Lucky 11

The Jayhawkers and the Deltron label of Bay City

The Jayhawkers Delta Promotions Bay City Photo

The Jay Hawkers came out of Bay City, Michigan and were led by Jay Walker, who was later a DJ on WKNX (1210 AM) in Saginaw, Michigan and WGRD, eventually changing his name as Sonny Fox.

Discographies tend to list the Jayhawkers as the backing band for a single by Dwight Douglas and the Jayhawkers on Astra 3008 – “Interstate ’45′” (L. Drake, J. Stokes) / “Mr. Big” (Lenny Drake). This is a pseudonym for Lenny & the Thundertones, who were based out of Detroit. Certainly the songs were cut several years prior to the Deltron records, so I have to believe this is a different band.

I’ve sometimes seen them listed as a Grand Rapids band, but the promo photo above comes from Delta Promotions in Bay City, which also (I believe) ran Deltron records label. Bill Kehoe and Jim Atherton owned Delta Promotions, which managed Question Mark and the Mysterians, and was the company that created several fraudulent bands to tour the US, including a bogus Zombies featuring two future members of ZZ Top and a made-up Archies group that led to a devastating lawsuit from Don Kirshner.

Jayhawkers Deltron 45 Dawn of InstructionDeltron 21 (1227) – The Jayhawkers – “Dawn Of Instruction” (Trusdale Music, BMI) / “Searchin'”

As I wrote in an article about certain topical songs of the mid-60s, the Jayhawkers’ “Dawn of Instruction” is a straightforward inversion of P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction”. With over-the-top lyrics like “even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’ … my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin”, “Eve of Destruction” was an easy target. The Jayhawkers made the most of the hyperbole in their answer song, singing lines like “step aside, Mister Doom Peddler” and “[we’re] not old enough to vote, but ain’t young enough for runnin”.

The Jayhawkers version came out in October 1965, just a month after Barry McGuire’s recording hit #1 in Billboard. Interestingly there’s no song writing credit for this side, only Trusdale Music publishing, which, as Max Waller pointed out, is probably a dig at “Eve of Destruction” publisher Trousdale.

The Jayhawkers opened for Simon and Garfunkel on Wednesday, December 29, 1965 at the Saginaw YMCA.

The Jay Hawkers Deltron 45 To Have A Love (As Sweet As You) Deltron 1228 – The Jay Hawkers – “To Have A Love (As Sweet As You)” (T. Saputo, B. Kirener) / “Send Her Back” (Walker, Huntleigh)

Their second single came out in April, 1966, this time Jay Hawkers listed as two separate words. Both sides show a very different side to the band, and for me this is the best of their singles. “To Have A Love (As Sweet As You)” is catchy and very commercial. The song seems to be original to the band, though I don’t think the writers were members of the group.

The Jay Hawkers Deltron 45 Send Her Back “Send Her Back” is a slow and very affecting ballad. It may be the only song they recorded that was written by people in the band, namely Walker and Huntleigh.

The Jay Hawkers continued with two more singles, all cover songs in different styles:

Lucky Eleven 232 – “Come On (Children)” / “A Certain Girl” (produced by “Terry Nnight” aka Terry Knight, October 1966)

Lyke Til 4147 – “Love Have Mercy” / “Baby Blue” (Produced by Jay Walker, June, 1967)

The Deltron label

I can find three, maybe four, additional releases on this Deltron label out of Bay City:

Deltron 812 – The One Way Pedestrians – “I’d Like to Say (I Love You)” (Rod Clowthier) / “Hey Miss Sally” (I haven’t heard either side yet)
Deltron 813 – The Bed of Roses – “Hate” / “I Don’t Believe You” (August 1967)

Deltron AR895 – Dick Rabbit “Take Me to L.A.” / “You Come on Like a Train” (both by The Thayber Brothers, produced by James Atherton, Package Music BMI)

Dick Rabbit also had “Love” (Phil Gordon, Rich Thayer) / “Trip” (Donavan) on Great Lakes GL-103, both published by Rabbit Music Co.

See my follow-up post for more detail on the Bed of Roses.

Deltron SS-6518 – The Deltrons (Craig, Bob, Dan, Greg) – “I Found My Baby in Bad Axe” / “Tonya” (Dan Richards, Greg Young) from April 1966

The Deltrons single is crude and great garage single on “Tonya”. I doubted it was related to the Deltron label from Bay City but the group recorded in nearby Sebewaing, so it likely is. I cover the Deltrons in more depth here.

Photo at top from the West Michigan Music Hysterical Society.

Thank you to Gary Rappaport for providing detailed background on the Simon and Garfunkel appearance with the Jayhawkers.

Terry Knight and the Pack

There was a lot more to Terry Knight’s life than one 45, but for garage punks “How Much More (Have I Got to Give)” is the one that counts.

Born on April 9, 1943, Knight became a popular dj on CKLW, beaming British Invasion records into Detroit and other northern cities from Windsor, Ontario, Canada during 1964. He supposedly became good friends with the Rolling Stones, acquiring a ‘Sixth Stone’ moniker as he hung out with them over the next year.

In fact, most of this association seems to be largely mythical. After either being fired from CKLW for ‘controversial views’ (or more likely just quitting) Knight hid out in Buffalo as a second rate folk singer. Returning to his hometown of Flint, Michigan, he assembled a backing band, releasing numerous 45s and two lps as Terry Knight and the Pack with occasional chart success.

His real fame came as the primary force behind Grand Funk Railroad, a band comprised of members of the Pack. Knight hyped the band into a major label contract and prime festival concert appearances that soon put them atop the hard rock heap of the early 70’s. After financial disputes led to a break as manager of Grand Funk, Terry descended into cocaine addiction. Weird stories would crop up from time to time, like his having entered the federal witness protection program. Lawsuits and legal troubles dogged his later years. He was stabbed to death by his daughter’s boyfriend on Nov. 1, 2004 while interceding in a fight between the couple.

Lucky 11 was started in Flint, Michigan in 1959 to release country records, and was not Knight’s own label, as has been written.

“How Much More (Have I Got to Give)” / “I’ve Been Told” is Terry Knight and the Pack’s second 45 (the first was as the Pack: “The Color of Our Love” / “The Tears Come Rollin'” on Wingate 007).

To my ears this single has his best garage song backed by his best ballad, though other people have their own favorites. There’s a complete discussion of Knight’s early years here.

Knight also did production work for the Rites of Spring who I discuss in depth this site.

Anyone have a photo of Terry Knight with the Pack, or by himself from this time period?