George H. Cummings Jr. (July 28, 1938 – December 14, 2024) was an American guitarist and songwriter based in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a City (New Jersey), city in Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, in the Gateway Region on Bergen Neck, a peninsula between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York ...

, and in later years,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Background

Cummings was born in

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the List of municipalities in Mississippi, eighth most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 35,052 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, ...

, on July 28, 1938. He attended Meridian High School, before graduating from Livingston State College. Cummings also served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

. Cummings died at home on December 14, 2024, at the age of 86. He was survived by his wife, Patricia, and sons Justin and Brad.

The Chocolate Papers

Darryl Vincent and the Flares was formed in Meridian, Mississippi in 1956, and Cummings joined the group in 1959. In the 1960s, Cummings was a member of the Chocolate Papers, along with Ray Sawyer, Bill Francis, Bobby Dominguez, Popeye Phillips, and Jimmy "Wolf Cub" Allen. The Chocolate Papers toured clubs in Mississippi, Alabama, and South Carolina, before settling in Biloxi as the house band at the popular 800-seat

Gus Stevens Restaurant Gus Stevens Seafood Restaurant & Buccaneer Lounge was a restaurant and supper club on US Highway 90 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Gus Stevens, the Greek-American owner, came to the Gulf Coast in 1946. History The restaurant building was constructed ...

, the first Gulf Coast supper club to offer upscale entertainment with such headliners as

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, and

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. The Chocolate Papers moved to Chicago, but Cummings soon decided to form his own band in the New York area.

Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show

Cummings found fame with Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, the group he named and founded in

Union City, New Jersey Union City is a City (New Jersey), city in the North Hudson, New Jersey, northern part of Hudson County, New Jersey, Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city was List of municipalities in Ne ...

in 1968. He invited former Chocolate Papers bandmates Ray Sawyer, Billy Francis, and Popeye Phillips to join his new band (Phillips left to join

The Flying Burrito Brothers The Flying Burrito Brothers are an American country rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1968, best known for their influential 1969 debut album, ''The Gilded Palace of Sin''. Although the group is known for its connection to band f ...

before the band achieved success, and Francis rejoined Cummings shortly after Locorriere joined.) Cummings brought the nineteen-year-old Dennis Locorriere into the band as a bass player. While playing the Bandbox club in Union City, the owner asked George what the name of his band was, and on the spur of the moment, he wrote down "Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, Straight from the South, serving up Soul Music". They recorded their debut album for CBS/Columbia in 1970, and sold a million copies of their single, "Sylvia's Mother," when it was re-released in July, 1972. The group was caricatured on the cover of ''Rolling Stone''. Cummings sang the bass-register lead vocal on the second verse of " The Cover of the Rolling Stone", as well as playing the comical lead guitar on the instrumental break in concerts (Locorriere actually played it on the recording). He also sang "Makin' It Natural", "Penicillin Penny" (both written by

Shel Silverstein Sheldon Allan Silverstein (; September 25, 1930 – May 10, 1999) was an American writer, cartoonist, songwriter, and musician. Born and raised in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Silverstein briefly attended university before being drafted into ...

), and "I Got Stoned and I Missed It" (co-written by Cummings with Silverstein).

Collaborations

In 1978, at the

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio Muscle Shoals Sound Studio is an American recording studio in Sheffield, Alabama, formed in 1969 by four session musicians known as The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. They had left nearby FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to create their own record ...

, he collaborated with the legendary Delta bluesman

Big Joe Williams Joseph Lee Williams (October 16, 1903 – December 17, 1982) was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar. Performing over five decades, he recorded the songs "Baby, Pl ...

on one of the singer's last albums, ''The Final Years: Big Joe Williams''. Co-produced by Cummings, Joe B. Stewart, and Ken Hatley, this album was released in 1993 by Gitanes Jazz/Verve. In 2003, Cummings worked with Ken Hatley on the soundtrack for ''Florida City'', a film drama about advance knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack. In the spring of 2004, the Flares were reborn in

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon ( ) is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metro ...

when Cummings joined original members Jim Pasquale (guitar) and Norman "Knobby" Lowell (drums), along with Nashville singer-songwriters Scotty Cothran, Harold Hutchcraft, Jack Bond, and Forest Borders, to cut the comeback album, ''It Is What It Is''. In September 2005, Cummings began recording a solo CD, working with Pasquale and Hutchcraft.

References

External links

Online chat with George Cummings (28 July 2001)

Reverbnation.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cummings, George 1938 births 2024 deaths American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock songwriters American rock singers American male singer-songwriters Musicians from Meridian, Mississippi Singer-songwriters from Mississippi Blues musicians from Mississippi Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show members Singers from Nashville, Tennessee Musicians from Bayonne, New Jersey Singer-songwriters from New Jersey Singer-songwriters from Tennessee Guitarists from Mississippi Guitarists from Tennessee Guitarists from New Jersey 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Singer-songwriters from New York (state)