![]() ![]() My mom loved folk music – the Weavers, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie. Old framus guitars plus#Later, I loved Elvis, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard – the originals – plus the doo-wop groups and soul music when it started. Apart from the fact that drums weren’t prominent in his music, it was proto-rock marry it to R&B, and you have rock and roll. The first music I remember hearing was country, and Hank was my first hero – he was the first guy with a rock star attitude. So we not only had what was called “race music” stations back then, we had great country stations. He was the first singer I remember hearing, and people don’t realize that around Detroit, there were a lot of Southerners – black and white – who came up to work in the auto factories. (chuckles) Well, everybody was! But the first music I ever loved was by Hank Williams. You grew up in the Detroit area, but maybe more than being a fan of Motown, you were a pretty serious Beatlemaniac, weren’t you? ![]() And he still uses them in-studio and onstage. ![]() I’m not infirm in any way.”Ī knowledgeable guitar collector, Fieger’s instruments reflect heavily his musical influences, and are outstanding not only for their personal history, but for their condition. Old framus guitars full#“And although I’m still being treated for lung cancer – and chemotherapy is pretty horrible – I live a full life. “I’ve been doing a lot of shows with the Knack – we just got back from Rome, did a month in Australia, and we’re about to go back to Italy and Spain, with a little stop in Houston in between! We just did a charity show for breast cancer research in California. When discussing his tribulations, Fieger is a veritable poster boy for positive thinking, speaking with a vigor that belies his age, experience, status, and condition. Fieger used it in on many live dates in the ’70s and still uses it in the studio. Rosewood-board versions were too expensive at the time. “I really just wanted one that looked like Buddy Holly’s – sunburst with a maple neck. “Every good guitar player who picks it up flips over it,” he adds. When looking for a Strat in late ’72/early ’73, Doug Fieger played “every Strat in every store in L.A. ’72 Fender Stratocaster used to record The Knack’s mega-hit “My Sharona” It also appeared in the video, which saw very heavy play on MTV in its early days. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always mean a patient is in the clear, and in October, he underwent a fourth procedure to remove brain tumors (the last three using a gammonite laser). The procedure was successful, and in June, 2007, scans showed the cancer was in remission. The tumors were removed surgically, but were not discovered in time before the cancer had begun to spread, and on August 3, 2006, Fieger underwent a craniotomy to remove two tumors in his brain. Plus, he’d been a longtime vegetarian and hadn’t smoked a cigarette in more than 20 years. He was rightfully surprised though he admits to having briefly lived the rock star lifestyle, at the time it had been nearly a quarter century since he’d taken any sort of drugs or consumed any alcohol. In 2004, doctors discovered a small cancerous tumor in one of Fieger’s lungs. 3) ’55 Gibson J-160E with ”adjustable” bridge. A Knack For Axesġ) ’65 Gibson SG with original vibrato tailpiece. The years since have seen the band release a handful of albums, and they continue to play live. ![]() The Knack quickly followed Get The Knack (released in 1979) with …But The Little Girls Understand (also ’79) and the markedly mature Round Trip (’81). But Doug Fieger, who co-founded the band, sang lead vocals, and played guitar, has never thought the comparisons – or criticism – were valid. And as with all things so readily exposed, labels were attached to the band, including “new wave” and “power pop.” Some critics went so far as to accuse them of ripping off the early Beatles’ sound and appearance. The single’s success elevated the Knack’s status and helped its first album ( Get The Knack) sell 500,000 copies in its first 13 days of release on its way to selling a total of five million, making it one of the most successful debuts in history. A straightforward pop-rock tune, its infectious beat and mountainous hook all but guaranteed it would be a hit. As the 1970s drew to a close, the Knack’s “My Sharona” was one of the songs that heralded the beginning of the end of the disco era. Fieger with his ’65 Rickenbacker 360/12 in Mapleglo with Rick-0-Sound tailpiece. ![]()
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