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Shadows of Knight, The


Congratulations to The Shadows Of Night, who had their take on the Van Morrison penned “Gloria” inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame’s singles category! We’re so proud of them and honored to have them in our catalog. This take added more guts to rock helping to birth punk and helped young punks add another word to their list of spelling accomplishments.

Originally forming as The Shadows in 1964, this band of Chicago high schoolers became The Shadows of Knight after learning of the great UK band already named the Shadows. It was an interesting coincidence, as all four band members, then attending Prospect High School ("Home of the Knights!"), were major British invasion fans. While the English bands were busy crafting their interpretation of American blues, the Shadows of Knight, in their own words, "re-added a Chicago touch" to the Brit sound. The resulting music, dubbed "blues-punk," was a high-energy mix of Chess and Cheshire, Chicago meets London in a back alley garage. Lead singer Jim Sohns could snarl like Howlin' Wolf and move like Mick Jagger, a wicked combination guaranteed to generate pubescent pandemonium. It was clear that this was a band that was going places.

For much of 1965, the place they went was The Cellar, a teen club in nearby Arlington Heights. They served as the venue's house band for a six-month run, drawing hundreds of teenage fans every weekend. It was at one of these shows that Dunwich record executives saw the band performing a potent cover of Them's "Gloria" and subsequently offered the band a recording contract. To circumvent any potential AM radio censorship, the band slightly altered Van Morrison's original lyric, "She comes to my room" to "She called out my name." This minor change allowed the song to secure airplay on Chicago's AM powerhouse WLS, where it quickly hit the #1 spot and rapidly spread to other stations in the region. Ultimately, the single sold over a million copies and became an enduring garage classic.

Fortunately, their club apprenticeship served them well when they began their recording career. This was a band used to playing for intense live audiences where they received instant feedback from the dance floor. They knew what it took to move and groove a crowd and that skill transferred seamlessly in the studio. They evolved quickly, expanding beyond their blues-punk origins to incorporate raga-rock, folk-rock and other sounds into their own unique style. Sundazed has scoured the vaults to make these groundbreaking recordings available again. Sourced from the original analog tapes, It's 100% pure aural excitement!

Shadows of Knight, The

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Price: $24.98
Shadows Of Knight, The - Alive In '65! - LP
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Item #: BR 145 -

    UNHEARD LIVE GRIT FROM THE EARLY SHADOWS OF KNIGHT! Step back while we loudly ’n proudly chronicle the mighty Shadows’ pre-Dunwich days with a newly discovered reel from 1965! It’s a live set recorded at the legendary Cellar teen club in Arlington Heights IL, showcasing our boys’ obvious influences; Stones, Kinks, Link & more...Aggressive performances, unseen photos & detailed liner notes all aid in unraveling the early-edition history of the Shadows of Knight’s wild, R&B-injected ride! Until...

    Shadows of Knight, The - Back Door Men LP Blue vinyl!
    LTD Color!
    Price: $24.98
    Shadows of Knight, The - Back Door Men LP Blue vinyl!
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    Item #: LP 5035 -

      1966 was a busy year for the Shadows of Knight! Hot on heels of their hit '66 debut album and monster single "Gloria," they released their second long player, Back Door Men, before the year was out. It was another combustible collection of blazing blues covers and smoking originals. While there was still plenty of garage grit, they had already begun evolving stylistically. "The Behemoth" was a fine slice of raga rock while "Three for Love" jangled in a decidedly folk-rock style. Of particular...

      Shadows of Knight, The - Gloria! CD
      Price: $12.98
      Shadows of Knight, The - Gloria! CD
      Retail: $12.98
      Availability: Out of Stock
      Item #: SC 6155 -

        Originally forming as the Shadows in 1964, this band of Chicago high schoolers became the Shadows of Knight after learning of the great UK band already named the Shadows. It was an interesting coincidence, as all four band members, then attending Prospect High School ("Home of the Knights!"), were major British invasion fans. While the English bands were busy crafting their interpretation of American blues, The Shadows of Knight, in their own words, "re-added a Chicago touch" to the Brit...

        Shadows of Knight, The - Gloria! LP
        Price: $24.98
        Shadows of Knight, The - Gloria! LP
        Retail: $24.98
        Availability: In Stock
        Item #: LP 5034 -

          Originally forming as the Shadows in 1964, this band of Chicago high schoolers became the Shadows of Knight after learning of the great UK band already named the Shadows. It was an interesting coincidence, as all four band members, then attending Prospect High School ("Home of the Knights!"), were major British invasion fans. While the English bands were busy crafting their interpretation of American blues, The Shadows of Knight, in their own words, "re-added a Chicago touch" to the Brit...

          Shadows of Knight, The - I Got My Mojo Working / Potato Chip 7" Single
          Price: $8.98
          Shadows of Knight, The - I Got My Mojo Working / Potato Chip 7" Single
          Retail: $8.98
          Availability: In Stock
          Item #: S 123 -

            We've salvaged the rarest item in the SOK discography - a cardboard single written for a Chicago potato chip company - and put the music on vinyl, where the grease from the chips won't get on your hands! Dunwich Records arranged for a promotional cardboard interview disc to be included in bags of Fairmont Potato Chips in conjunction with the release of "Willie Jean" in March of '67. Opening to the strains of "Gloria" the interview that followed was suitably silly and yet informative. The...

            Shadows of Knight, The - LIVE 1966 - CD
            Price: $16.98
            Shadows of Knight, The - LIVE 1966 - CD
            Retail: $16.98
            Availability: In Stock
            Item #: SC 11234 -

              Besides releasing two classic longplayers and many more singles (including the smash, "Gloria"), touring/behaving badly all across America and appearing on TV shows like "Upbeat" and "Where The Action Is", the Shadows of Knight also ruled at suburban Chicago's hands-down hippest teen club, The Cellar. Over the decades, their Cellar performances have become the stuff of legend. Miraculously, two reels of tape of the Shadows of Knight live on stage at the Cellar (in 1966!) were eventually...

              Shadows of Knight, The - LIVE 1966 - Vinyl
              Price: $24.98
              Shadows of Knight, The - LIVE 1966 - Vinyl
              Retail: $24.98
              Availability: In Stock
              Item #: LP 5473 -

                Besides releasing two classic longplayers and many more singles (including the smash, "Gloria"), touring/behaving badly all across America and appearing on TV shows like "Upbeat" and 'Where The Action Is" the Shadows of Knight also ruled at suburban Chicago's hands-down hippest teen club, The Cellar. Over the decades, their Cellar performances have become the stuff of legend. Miraculously, two reels of tape of the Shadows of Knight live on stage at the Cellar (in 1966!) were eventually...