Eddie Floyd--Knock On Wood (1966)

     Floyd was born in  Birmingham, AL and raised in Detroit. The founded the Falcons which included Mack Rice and later Wilson Pickett on lead vocals. After the group disbanded he was signed by Stax Records as a songwriter in 1965 and soon was teamed up with guitarist Steve Cropper to write some songs for Wilson Pickett. It was this collaboration that put him on the map as a writer. "Knock On Wood" was written the pair for Otis Redding, with Floyd providing the vocals on the demo. However, the result was so good that Stax released it as Floyd's first single with the label.
     He spent much of the rest of the decade writing for others and releasing his own material. His biggest hits on the charts was in 1968. "I've Never Found A Girl" (#2, r&b) and "Bring It On Home To Me" (#4, r&b, #17 pop). He continued to make r&b chart action into the mid-70's.
     "Knock On Wood" was successfully covered by several such as Otis Redding, David Bowie, and probably best known in a disco version by Amii Stewart.