Known for the classics "Knock on Wood," "634-5789," "Raise Your Hand,"
"Big Bird," and "I've Never Found a Girl (To Love Me Like You Do),"
among others, Eddie Floyd's career as a soul legend spans over sixty
years. His professional singing career began in Detroit in the 1950s as
a founding member of the Falcons, considered "The First Soul Group." A
solo artist and songwriter for Memphis's famed Stax Records from 1966
until 1975, Floyd has subsequently been the singer for the Blues
Brothers Band and for Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, while continuing to
perform and record solo.
In Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood, Floyd recounts how a three-year stint
in an Alabama reform school shaped his young life; recalls the early
years of R&B in Detroit alongside future Motown and Stax legends;
discusses the songwriting sessions with Steve Cropper and Booker T.
Jones that produced his biggest hits; addresses his complicated
life-long relationship with the often-unpredictable Wilson Pickett;
shares his memories of friend Otis Redding; reveals his unlikely
involvement in the rise of southern rock darlings Lynyrd Skynyrd; and
offers an insider perspective on the tragic downfall of Stax Records.
With input from Bruce Springsteen, Bill Wyman, Paul Young, William Bell,
Steve Cropper, and others, Knock! Knock! Knock! On Wood captures
Eddie's tireless work ethic and warm personality for an engrossing
first-hand account of one of the last true soul survivors.
