Sugarcreek - sugarcreek MFN 55 1985

LINE UP

Tim Clark (vocals), Michael Hough (guitar), Jerry West (guitar), Rick Lee (keyboards), Lynn Samples (drums)


A revered name in AOR circles, SUGARCREEK date back as far as the 60s, during which early time frame the group operated as THE RIVIERAS. 1971 proved a pivotal year with the veteran members of the band opting out and recent younger recruits, including keyboard player Rick Lee, taking on a fresh musical direction under the new title of SUGARCREEK. The band title came courtesy of a local Charlotte, North Carolina river of the same name that had been making the headlines by overflowing.

The group toured hard and ploughed through a plethora of musicians before some stability was afforded with the incorporation of vocalist / bassist Mike Barber and drummer Lynn Samples during 1979. That same year radio station WROQ put a big push behing the track 'Lovely Little Lady' lending SUGARCREEK valuable exposure. By December of 1980 Jerry West had taken on the dual role of lead vocalist and guitarist. Tim Clark, a native of Frankfurt, Kentucky, later took on the role of frontman.

The Roxy club invited SUGARCREEK to record a live album at their venue and this event was recorded in February of 1981 in front of an over capacity crowd of 1200. They made their recording debut in June of 1981 with the live package 'Live At The Roxy' on the Beaver label. A record as infamous for the inclusion of a sterling cover of LE ROUX's 'Let Me Be Your Fantasy' as it is for being a prized rarity. 1982's 'Fortune' album, much of which was recorded before the 'Live At The Roxy' sessions, was the first opportunity to find out what SUGARCREEK were made of in the studio, despite the band possessing very little recording experience. The record contained the epic 'Conquest', soon to be regarded as an AOR cult classic. Guitarist Michael Hough joined the line-up in time to record the 'Rock The Night Away' album.

The British independent label Music For Nations signed the band after picking up on the buzz created by media interest in SUGARCREEK in Europe, quickly issuing a compilation album consisting of tracks culled from 'Fortune' and 'Rock The Night Away' titled simply 'Sugarcreek'.

The group became 'Sugar free' in 1986 by changing the band name to THE CREEK. They felt the name change was necessary due to many people assuming they were a Country or Folk outfit, the band getting the impression that this was harming potential record sales.

Music For Nations thus issued 'The Creek' album in late 1986 and would later also release the superior 'Storm The Gates' album in 1988.

Samples and Barber quit in 1987, to be replaced by John Harwell and Robbie Heglar. In 2002 continued interest in SUGARCREEK prompted the British Escape label to issue the 'Triple Pack' set comprising 'Live At The Roxy', 'Fortune' and 'Rock The Night Away', all with bonus tracks.