We are pleased and honored to provide our readers with an excerpt of Barry Stoller's fascinating e-book bio of record producer, impresario, musician, raconteur Terry Knight, who was tragically murdered at the age of 61 last November. (Knight scored the film linked above, The Incident).
I (Who Have Nothing): The Terry Knight Story by Barry Stoller features original interviews with Don Brewer, Bobby Caldwell, Tom Baker, Craig Braun, Roger Force, Carl Storie, Ed Grundy and Dave Knapp;, is illustrated with rare vintage newsclippings and photos; and includes bonus mp3s of rare Knight recordings: "Colour of Our Love," Come On (Children)," "Find Me," "One Little Acre," "Theme to The Incident," "Lullaby."
"Terry Knight’s Brown Bag Years"
Everyone who remembers early ‘70s rock music is familiar with the name Terry Knight – bombastic, confrontational producer-manager for proletarian noisemakers Grand Funk Railroad. Indelibly associated with the birth of arena rock, heavy metal and the first string of platinum albums ever made, Knight was indifferent to hard rock, favoring instead the soul-flavored pop that recalled his formative years as a minor-league crooner on the terminal Cameo-Parkway label.
The final, and little-known, phase of Knight’s meteoric career as impresario was the creation of his own label Brown Bag Records (distributed by United Artists) in April 1972 – a mere 30 days after the last Knight-supervised GFR album was released.
The “gimmick” with Brown Bag Records is, essentially, the grocery bag sleeves (for LPs and 45s): using heavy brown stock with the characteristic ridged top, the label logo was printed in the quintessential red ink found on Kroger’s bags. Craig Braun (designer of such iconographic album covers as Sticky Fingers, School’s Out and E Pluribus Funk) was Knight’s Brown Bag graphic man.
He recalled: “We were becoming ecology-minded, so the biodegradable aspect was a part of the overall concept but, primarily, it was the grocery motif – brown bagging it.”
The negative posturing over the Knight-GFR break and ensuing lawsuits sponged up most of Knight’s marquee value, however, and notices in the press for his new label were scant. Undaunted, Knight figured a furor over an “obscene” album cover would be the perfect calling card.
Mom’s Apple Pie was Brown Bag Records’ debut. Released the same month as GFR’s first post-Knight album, the cover of Mom’s Apple Pie featured a parody of all-American family values. A young mom standing proudly in her colonial kitchen offers up a freshly-baked apple pie, one piece already removed. In the slice’s space – a dripping vagina.
Roger Force, saxophonist for Mom’s Apple Pie, told me about the cover:
That album cover! I remember thinking, “what the heck did I get myself into?”
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - sonny
cool! thanks, eric.
is the Amazon link to the movie 'the incident' an error?
2 - sonny
did you see the recent bob johnston interview in the austin chronicle?
here
3 - Eric Olsen
thanks Sonny, Knight scored The Incident, hence it's inclusion. Barry didn't want to emphasize the more obvious work like GFR this time around
4 - larry patterson
wanted to say hi! to Roger Force. He was The
Force!!!! behind Moms Apple Pie.. The kid who bugged me at National Record Mart. Remember??
if you could download me some of the MAP tunes...
would appreciate it. maybe we could get #3 out of the can........and re issue it, hope you get this message... larry patterson. former manager.the guy who put the $200.00 up for the demo in Cleveland Recording Company but I did get $10,000 from Terry Knight
5 - larry patterson
Roger Force contact me larry patterson
6 - Marlene Weinberg
THis is a very interesting article about Mom's Apple Pie. I remember the music, the album cover and the guys in the band. Just to mention, my brother, Larry Patterson managed this group and had Mom's Apple Pie put on the map. I remember all the stories he had to tell and he remembers those days very well. We talk about it all the time. Thanks for mentioning him as he did work very hard with the group. They all were very young at that time and headed in the right direction.
It is good to see that LArry and the Mom's Apple Pie group are still remembered for what they brought to the music industry.
Thanks again for a great article.
Marlene Weinberg
Tierra Verde, FL
7 - MArlene Weinberg
Hi, again.
I have one of the original posters hanging on my wall. How can I get the albums that were published. Mine somehow got lost over the years.
Thank you.
Marlene Weinberg
8 - larry patterson
MAR Aunt K or Mary Miller send this to them
and add comments for me thanks Larry Patterson
9 - larry patterson
Rodger! Fred! Dave ! contact me want to re-issue MAP inc. on the Mom's Apple Pie Record Label will send copy of design. but need downloads of albums (3) and any publishing rights you signed over to Knight or Storybook Publishing a Grand Funk Company Take care all
10 or more of you Larry in Treasure Island, FL
10 - annethe voice) Bartee
I know John Hambrick and the album he did with Terry Knight is brillant,, it should be re-issued again,,, John was looking for Terry Knight but couldn't find him,,, put johns name in Google and get his email address that way.. I have recorded johns tunes and love the material he gave me too.. is Terry knight dead? anne bartee
11 - larry
Terry is gone John Hambrick was very good Larry
12 - Larry Patterson Jr.
Hi, this is Larry Patterson Jr. Sharpsville PA.
I can remember the whole Mom's Apple Pie cover controversy from when I was just a kid. I just didn't uderstand what it was about until I was a little older. I still have a poster and album covers from Apple Pie #1 and #2. I would really like to see my dad Larry Sr. do something with Mom's Apple Pie #3.I didn't realize how big a deal this thing was until I found this web page while searching for details on Mom's Apple Pie. I was very impressed when I found my father's name and comments made by him on this web site. I haven't seen my father in years but it's nice to know that I still have a reason to be proud of his accomplishments. Rock n' roll was something he passed on to me. -------Larry P Jr.
13 - larry patterson
Larry Patterson Jr. contact me. DAD!!
14 - Tom Roos / Sweden
Anyonne happends to know what happend to Pia Knight or what her sirname was or is today , It would be intressting to ask her a couple of question then I in fact is Swedish myself. (på ren svenska)
VBR & TACK [Personal contact info deleted]
15 - larry
I would like everybody to read this The Band MOM'S APPLE PIE were more than the Album Cover, even though it is famous, they were and are still GREAT musicians including Roger Force
from Larry
former manager of MOM'S APPLE PIE!!!
16 - Elizabeth D.
I can't find these albums anywhere. Are they still available . . . somewhere . . . maybe??? I don't care what format, though I would prefer the vinyl.
17 - Karyn L.
I have the MAP albums 1 & 2. I bought them because I loved the sound, but mainly because I knew Tony & the organist from former Warren band, "The Shaddows," who played in Cleveland a lot. Larry, I hope you find Roger or vice-versa. Would love to hear #3. MAP, no matter what the critics say, your sound was the sound of that time when we were all young and "Happy to Be." Tony/Pepe, thanks for Utopia, the songs, and the memories.
18 - Karyn L.
PS I have photos of Terry Knight & the Pack that I took in April 1966 when TK&P opened for Peter & Gordon at the Hippodrome in Cleveland, OH at a WHK "Good Guys" concert. Photos are not the best and individuals only identifiable because I wrote captions beneath them all. Who ever knew that they would be part of a legacy of sorts.
19 - Kathryn
Pia Knight's maiden name was Cedric. She was originally from Sweden. I was TK executive secretary during Brown Bag. I, too, have often wondered what happened to Pia. TK dictated every thing that poor girl did....
20 - Larry Patterson
this is the official MOM'S APPLE PIE page.
feel free to join and send comments.
Thanks,...Larry former manager of MAP