Lawson and Four More
| Lawson and Four More | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Memphis, Tennessee, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1965-1967 |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | Jim Dickinson |
| Past members |
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Lawson and Four More (sometimes referred to as Lawson & four More) were an American garage rock/psychedelic rock band from Memphis, Tennessee who were active in the 1960s. The group was led by Bobby Lawson and was known for their hard, blues-based sound which, as they evolved, increasingly incorporated esoteric psychedelic elements. The group regularly worked with musician, songwriter, and producer Jim Dickinson and was cut the first rock release for Memphis label, Ardent Records. As a side-project, they briefly recorded under the name The Avengers, as a Batman-themed takeoff group in 1966.
Lawson and Four More began were formed by Bobby Lawson in Memphis Tennessee in 1965. The group's original name was Bobby and the Originals, and their membership consisted of Lawson on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Joe Lee on lead guitar, Joe Gaston on bass, Bernie on keyboards, and Bill Donati on drums. Eventually keyboardist Bernie left and was replaced by Terry Manning, who was from El Paso, Texas. Manning had played in an El Paso Group called the Wild Ones and had played with Bobby Fuller there. Lawson played regularly at Skateland Frayser. They made an appearance on the local TV show, Talent Party.
A high school friend of the band arranged for them to cut demos at the home recording studio of John Fry. After hearing the band, Fry liked what he heard and called his friend Jim Dickinson, a well-known songwriter and session player in Memphis, and Dickinson wrote two songs for the band to record, "If You Want Me, You Can Find Me" and "Back for More". At the sessions Dickinson played keyboards and brought in Jimmy Crosthwait to play maracas onto a cardboard box, and Charlie Hull to handle the lead guitar parts. Dickinson also took on the role of producer and the two songs were released as a single on the local Ardent label in 1966, with "If You Want Me, You Can Find Me" as the A-side. The song is has an intense, bluesy edge and is set to a rubbery beat. "Back for More" was also in a similar blues-based vein. The record was the first rock record to be released by Ardent. While making the single, the group changed its name to Lawson & More, and their new name appeared both the record's label and on the specially printed outer sleeve for the record, which featured a photograph of the group on its front cover.
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