We got a letter from Harley "Buddy" Ray, who signed himself "an old guitar man." He wrote:
My name is Harley (Buddy) Ray. I live with my Wife Linda in Mt Morris Michigan. I am the musician that is on the records "Here Comes Rain"/"Lucky Eleven Rock" which is on the Lucky Eleven Label [Lucky Eleven 1111]. I am 65 years old [in May 2005] and have been here in Michigan for 50 years.
I was only 19 years old when I my 2nd cousin Chuck Slaughter and myself got into the music business,
back in 1959. Some of your information is not quite correct, but it really does not matter to me. It won't
hurt anything. My cousin Chuck and I formed our own nightclub band, and we called it "Buddy Ray and
the Shamrocks", because it was fitting to match the "Lucky Eleven " Club and record label. There were a
few other folks involved. There was Roxie Williams, Troy Goss and others. Chuck now lives near
McKenzie Tennessee, and is 71 years old. Mr Jack Ripley wrote the song "Here Comes Rain". He died
just about 4 years ago.
I myself have been on over 400 other recordings on the Ranger label owned by a fellow by the name of William Forrest Green. Mr Green and I have been in the music business for over 40 years. He is a member of the Michigan Country Music Hall of Fame, and I also was inducted to this organization in July of 2003. We have some Great musical talent still around from the old days in the State of Michigan!
It is most amazing to me that those old Lucky Eleven records are of value to anyone. I have a few myself somewhere in the house. A few others have them also. You can bet your boots that I will keep my eyes open for both Lucky Eleven and Ranger records from long ago. I have some wonderful memories of those years.
I myself have a pinched nerve in my cervical spine, which has left me with numb fingers, and makes it difficult to play the guitar, but I intend to try. I am a lot better than last year. Fishing has taken the place of music in my life, along with gardening and other things that I missed out on during my years as a musician. I have enjoyed your website, and will be back at times.
After doing some recordings on the new label, Slaughter relocated to Tennessee until the mid-1960s, when he returned to run the label as General Manager. Although it had been a country label to this point, Lucky Eleven started recording some of the local rock bands, including Terry Knight and the Pack, Dick Wagner and the Bossmen, and the Jayhawkers, as well as doing bookings for other rock acts such as Question Mark and the Mysterians. They also continued with recording and booking country acts.
The label's most successful artists were Terry Knight and the Pack. Terry Knight (neé Richard Terrance Knapp) was a disc jockey with CKLW, a Windsor, Ontario, based station just across the border from Detroit. He talked a local group, the Jazz Masters, into letting him be their lead singer. At the time, the group was made up of Don Brewer on drums, Bob Caldwell on keyboards, Al Pippins on guitar, and Herm Jackson on bass. They changed the name of the group to "Terry Knight and the Pack" to sound more British. Jackson was drafted shortly thereafter and replaced by a local bassist, Mark Farner. Farner and Brewer later joined with the bassist from Question Mark & the Mysterians, Mel Schacher, to form Grand Funk Railroad, with Terry Knight as their manager.
Although Lucky Eleven put out many singles, including before and after the Cameo-Parkway distribution
period, they put out few albums. The first Terry Knight and the Pack album was supervised by Otis Ellis.
The label was green and yellow with a horseshoe design.
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Lucky Eleven Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2003, 2005 by Mike Callahan; all rights reserved.
AB 4217 - Mark, Don
& Terry 1966-67 - Terry Knight & Pack [1972] (2-LP set) Also know as Funk-Off.
Satisfaction/Dimestore Debutante/The Shut In/I've Been Told/Numbers//Got Love/Lady Jane/Sleep
Talking/Love Goddess Of Sunset Strip/Dirty Lady//I (Who Have Nothing)/Lizabeth Peach/Forever And A
Day/He's A Bad Boy/Mister You're A Better Man Than I//Love Love Love/This Precious Time/Lovin
Kind/Come With Me/A Change On The Way/One Monkey Don't Stop No Show
