The Knack

There have been several bands with this name: 1. The Knack was a Los Angeles-based rock band, via Detroit, that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international hit in 1979. The power pop of "My Sharona", coupled with the band's retro 60s look, earned the band comparisons to The Beatles (although the band themselves thought the 'New Beatles' label was tongue-in-cheek humor). Music critics hated disco, which dominated the music industry at the time, and were, at best, coolly receptive to other developing trends like punk rock, hip hop and heavy metal music.

1. The Knack was a Los Angeles-based rock band, via Detroit, that rose to fame with their first single, "My Sharona", an international hit in 1979.

The power pop of "My Sharona", coupled with the band's retro 60s look, earned the band comparisons to The Beatles (although the band themselves thought the 'New Beatles' label was tongue-in-cheek humor). Music critics hated disco, which dominated the music industry at the time, and were, at best, coolly receptive to other developing trends like punk rock, hip hop and heavy metal music. The Knack's power pop and hard rock influences earned them some critical credibility with their debut 'Get The Knack'.

After subsequent albums, though, the social backlash against The Knack (similar to that of The Monkees a generation earlier) was strong. A 'Knuke the Knack' campaign emerged based on the perceived misogynist lyrics and corporate based over-hype. With their later releases receiving less commercial success, the band broke up mid-tour on New Year's Day 1982. shortly after their third album ('Round Trip').

They re-united sporadically several years later and released a new album in 1991. They continued playing through the 90s and into the new millennium with 2003's 'Re-Zoom' (or 'Zoom') as their last studio album. Commercial airplay mostly eluded the group, but a generation of new fans who loved the 80s new wave sound provided a devoted cult following. Lead singer and main songwriter Doug Fieger was diagnosed with cancer in 2005. Fieger successfully battled the disease until his death on Valentine's Day 2010.

Fieger, a native of Detroit, Michigan, had previously played in a country rock band called Sky. Of the three other original members of the Knack (Berton Averre - Guitar, Prescott Niles - Bass, and Bruce Gary - Drums), Averre and Niles remained with the group as it ended. Gary died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2006. Several drummers had played for the group over the years, 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). Pat Torpey (Mr. Big) played the drums for the group right before they ended.

2. The Knack were originally known as The Londoners, a moniker they adopted whilst paying their beat group dues in the clubs of Germany in the early 60s. Upon returning to the UK in 1965 and changing their name to the rather hipper The Knack (after the recently released Richard Lester film), they recorded half a dozen singles for Decca and Piccadilly including the mod R&B ravers "She Ain't No Good", "Time Time Time" and "Stop!". Their final single, "(Man From The) Marriage Guidance And Advice Bureau", featured a more mature acoustic sound, which nodded towards both The Kinks and the impending psychedelic explosion. They broke up in 1967 and leader Paul Gurvitz formed the band Gun.