The Knack is a Los Angeles-based rock quartet that became famous with their first single, "My Sharona", an international success during the second half of 1979.
The "power pop" of "My Sharona", coupled with the band's "retro" 1960s style, earned the band comparisons to the early Beatles. Many music critics of the era disliked disco, which dominated the music industry at the time, and were, at best, only slightly receptive to other developing genres like punk rock, new wave and heavy metal music. The Knack's power pop and hard rock influences earned them some critical credibility. They were also vilified by some critics for their misogynistic lyrics. After subsequent albums, there was a critical reaction against the band and they terminated amidst internal squabbles. They have re-united periodically over the years and are currently still active.
Singer Doug Fieger, a native of Detroit, Michigan, had previously played in an eclectic rock band called Sky as well as The Sunset Bombers. Fieger is the brother of Detroit-area attorney Geoffrey Fieger, best known for representing Dr. Jack Kevorkian in a series of assisted suicide cases. Of the three other original members of The Knack (Berton Averre - Guitar, Prescott Niles - Bass, and Bruce Gary - Drums), Fieger, Averre and Niles still currently play with The Knack. Bruce Gary died from lymphoma on August 22, 2006. He was 55 years old.
Bruce Gary left the band well before his death, becoming a respected producer (archive recordings of Jimi Hendrix and new recordings of The Ventures) and a very successful sideman performing live and on studio sessions with artists such as Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Cherie Currie, Robby Krieger, Spencer Davis, Stephen Stills, Rod Stewart, and Sheryl Crow - and he did not join the more recent Knack reunions.
Several drummers have played for the group since Gary's departure including Billy Ward (Serious Fun album), Terry Bozzio (Zoom album), and David Henderson as 'Holmes Jones' (Normal as the Next Guy and Live at the Rock N Roll Funhouse albums). Currently Pat Torpey (Mr. Big) is playing the drums for the group.
All four original band members, including Bruce Gary, reunited in a studio on one occasion during recent years to record a track for a multi-artist compilation album saluting the British band Badfinger. In 2005, The Knack made an appearance on the TV program "Hit Me Baby One More Time".
In 2006, during a performance in Las Vegas, Doug Fieger became disoriented, developed a dull headache and grasped for the words to songs that he had written and performed for years. Diagnosed with two brain tumors, Fieger underwent surgery and radiosurgery and returned to performing.
Doug Fieger appeared in the Countdown Spectacular 2 concert series in Australia between late-August and early-September 2007. He sang The Knack favourite "My Sharona" only.
Members of The Knack have filed a lawsuit against popular rap music group Run DMC for copyright infringement. The lawsuit alleges that the defining guitar riff from "My Sharona" was used without permission in the Run DMC track "It's Tricky" from their 1986 album Raising Hell. The amount of damages sought is currently unspecified.
Frustrated
Rocket O'Love
Good Girls Don't
I Want Ya
My Sharona - The Knack Official Video (External Embedding Disabled)
My Sharona
