#207. "Ever Heard of Dr. Hook?"
Maybe...
Bonita’s husband / manager David was on the phone. Out of the blue, he asked if I’d ever heard of one of my all-time favourite bands: Dr. Hook.
From my spot on the futon, I could see a good two inches of my record collection devoted to Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show… (below the left cassette bay).
In 1975, I bought the Dr. Hook album ‘Bankrupt’ just for the track ‘Only Sixteen’. However, that song, though a huge hit, turned out to be the weakest tune on the record. From the opening track ‘Levitate’, I was hooked.
'Levitate' by Dr. Hook from 'Bankrupt', 1975.
In 1976, they followed up that album with ‘A Little Bit More’. (Why this song isn’t used to sell little blue pills is a mystery to me...) This album includes one of my all-time favourite love songs: ‘If Not You’. (It has some pretty bass riffs- which I’ve totally stolen.)
All through college, Dr. Hook posters adorned my apartment, while their records kept us giggling late into the evening. And by 1982, I was a card-carrying Dr. Hook FAN.
In September of ‘82, one of the best times I’ve had at a concert was at Ontario Place with Dr. Hook. I took my camera.
So…
“Sure, I’ve heard of Dr. Hook. Why?”
“Ray Sawyer needs a back-up band for a tour. Want to do it?”
And just like that, I was booked to tour with one of my all-time heroes.
NEXT: #208. Funny How Things Go