The Shadows sprang at Arlington Heights in suburban Northwest Chicago from the High School
Surf Band, an outfit from neighbouring Mount Prospect. By the fall of '65, when bassist
Wayne Pursell was replaced by Joe Kelley (ex Vectors), who joined guitarists Warren Rogers
and Norm Gotsch, singer Jim Sohns (pitcher of local team) and drummer Tom Schiffour, the
band managed to be on at Paul Sampson's Cellar Club firmly. Bill Traut and George Badonsky
gave them the chance to sign for their newborn Dunwich Records. In December guitarist Jerry
McGeorge (ex Blackstones) took the place of Gotsch, just in time to enter the recording
studio.
On the 31st of January they made their debut as Shadows of Night with a powerful
rendition of Van Morrison's Gloria, which succeeded in climbing to #10
in May; in the meanwhile Rogers and Kelley swapped the roles. Two extraordinary albums came
out at a distance of six months from one to the other. In November Dave The Hawk
Wolinski
(former keyboard sessionman with the band) substituted for Rogers on bass, who was banished.
At the end of spring McGeorge left the group and in September joined in H.P. Lovecraft; soon
after Kelley and Schiffour left they too reappearing the next year with Joe Kelley Blues
Band, while Wolinski turned up with Bangor Flying Circus later on. As for Sohns, in July he
called other musicians and kept the original name. Dunwich got rid of them releasing a last
single and giving Gloria's masters to Atlantic just for $1.
The group moved to New York and became the backing band of notorious Kasenetz & Katz duo,
recording the instrumental tracks of songs credited to the various Ohio Express, 1910
Fruitgum Company… nevertheless finding a gleam of success again with a single in their
own name. The relation with infamous exploiters was over owing to non-payment of royalties.
Kasenetz & Katz issued the third album without group's agreement, assembling rejected
pieces originally written for other bands; Atco in its turn released a new version of Gloria
with Jim Dolinger's overdubs (Aorta's vocalist).
After a swan song single Sohns recruited new mates and went on gigging at local spheres.
SoK feat. lead
singer Jimy Sohns and bassist Lee Brovitz are still on the road with a new album on the
stocks.
