Song:Knock On Wood
Album:Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration
The 1967 hit Knock On Wood was Eddie Floyd's biggest song and is one of Stax's most popular songs. But as you will soon see, Floyd still sounds great today.He was born June 25, 1937 in Montgomery, AL and grew up in Detroit. His uncle Robert West owned a couple of record labels. Floyd was a founding member of The Falcons and was lead singer after Joe Stubbs left and until Wilson Pickett joined. Floyd moved to Washington and became friends with DJ Al Bell. When Bell was hired as promotions director at Stax Records in Memphis, he brought Floyd with him. Floyd started out as a songwriter usually working with Booker T & The MGs guitarist Steve Cropper. His song 634-5789 was a #1 R & B hit for Wilson Pickett. Floyd started recording his own music. Knock On Wood was written for Otis Redding. Stax owner Jim Stewart didn't like the song because it sounded too much like Wilson Pickett's In The Midnight Hour. But distributor Atlantic liked it and Knock On Wood was a #1 R & B hit in 1967 and #28 on the pop charts. Floyd had several R & B hits and remained on Stax until they went bankrupt in 1975. This 2CD comp is an excellent intro to Stax for beginners. Knock On Wood was a big disco hit for Amii Stewart in 1979 and the song has been frequently sampled by hip hop guys. He's now recording on the revived Stax label and Eddie Loves You So was released on July 2008. Here's Eddie Floyd performing Knock On Wood on the Jools Holland New Year's Eve 2007 show. He still sounds great.
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