ABOUT
Jackdawg was born from the remnants of the 1980s country rock band, Southern Pacific. In 1983, John McFee and Keith Knudsen were looking for new opportunities after the Doobie Brothers had gone on hiatus. Alongside singer Tim Goodman, keyboardist Glen Hardin, and bassist Jerry Scheff, the duo formed Southern Pacific and signed to Warner Bros. Records. They released a well-received debut album in 1985. Stu Cook of Creedence Clearwater Revival replaced Scheff in 1986, just as the band was recording their second album, Killbilly Hill, which featured one of their best-loved songs, “Any Way the Wind Blows.”
By 1990, Southern Pacific was winding down. Having enjoyed their time working together, McFee, Knudsen and Cook decided to form a new trio, Jackdawg. McFee had built Lizard Rock Studio in Solvang, California, and Cook and Knudsen commuted from the San Fernando Valley for session work on Monday mornings. Cook recalls that they’d stay all week, write, record and then come home on the weekends. The songs they were writing had none of the country flavor of their earlier Southern Pacific collaboration. The nascent project was largely a blank musical canvas: “Let’s not have guidelines, barriers or rules about this,” they decided. Reflecting the combined and shared musical sensibilities of its creators, Jackdawg ended up being a pop-rock album.
Fourteen of the album’s 15 tracks are band originals. “Bayou Rebel” has a feel reminiscent of Creedence Clearwater Revival, but with production values that root it firmly in the early ‘90s. The modern sounding “When the Sun Don’t Shine” has a kinetic, rocking character. “Hunger” is reminiscent of Bryan Adams, and the thundering, programmed beats of “Ghost Dance” have a radio-friendly vibe. Complementing Jackdawg’s original material, a pair of inspired covers round out the album, Roky Erickson’s “Cold Night for Alligators” and Van Morrison’s “Wild Night.”
In October 2025, Liberation Hall, in close collaboration with McFee and Cook (Knudsen died in 2005), issued the Jackdawg album for the first time on time, alongside newly-remastered CD and digital options.
MEDIA BREAKS
American Songwriter (Jackdawg reissue announcement)
Music Life Magazine (Jackdawg reissue announcement)
Skylight Webzine / Greece (Jackdawg reissue announcement)