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BACK JACK – S/T TEST PRESS
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Back Jack History
Over the course of a couple of years in the mid-1970s, several musicians from the St. Louis, Missouri area gave notice to club and festival crowds that they were there to rock the house down. Their cover and original songs were accentuated by a bedrock rhythm section, heavy guitar riffs and tasty solos, topped off with powerful vocals. Rockers that witnessed them agree – Back Jack created solid songs and high-energy performances.
Back Jack 1974
Left to Right: Kim McKinney (bass guitar, vocals), Hans Myers (drums, RIP), Mike Collier (guitar, lead vocals)
Beginning in 1971 as Trellis, the band members changed their name to Back Jack when they saw the bumper sticker that Kim McKinney’s Dad, Jack McKinney, distributed during his election bid for the Mayor of Pacific, Missouri, home of the core 3-piece band: Kim McKinney, Mike Collier, and Hans Myers (RIP).
The 1974 version of Back Jack was active from very early 1974 to late-fall of 1974. The core 3-piece band, Collier, McKinney, and Myers, recorded several tracks during their tenure and four of those tracks are included on this LP. Temporary band members not on the LP recordings were Gary Reed (piano, RIP), Greg Witt (guitar, keyboards), Paul Cockrum (guitar), and Bill Niehoff (drums). Some of Back Jack’s most notable gigs were as an opening act for the following artists:
- Blue Oyster Cult in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on August 29, 1974
- Trapeze in Tulsa, Oklahoma on October 31, 1974
Back Jack 1975
Left to Right: Mike Collier (guitar, lead vocals), Jeff Ballew (guitar, vocals), Mike Lusher (drums, vocals), Kim McKinney (bass guitar, vocals)
The 4-piece, 1975 version of Back Jack was a merging of members of Back Jack 1974 (Mike Collier and Kim McKinney) and another local band, Osage Lute (Jeff Ballew and Mike Lusher). They were active from late-fall of 1974 to late-summer of 1975. Four of the tracks on the Back Jack LP were recorded by these four musicians. Some of their most notable gigs were as an opening act for the following artists:
- James Gang (w/Domenic Troiano), and Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids at the Omaha Civic Arena in February of 1975
- Charlie Daniels and Rush at the KSHE Kite Fly in St. Louis, Missouri on April 13, 1975
- Flock at the Youth Expo in St. Louis, Missouri, also on April 13, 1975
- Ted Nugent & Canned Heat at the Arnold, Missouri, Ice Rink on April 26, 1975
- D. Blackfoot at the Sullivan, Missouri Raceway on June 29, 1975
- D. Blackfoot at the Stonehenge club in Lebanon, Illinois in late summer, 1975. NOTE: This was Back Jack’s last gig and they disbanded afterwards.
