The Timeless Charisma of Eddie Floyd

    There are few songwriters in the 1960s and 1970s who worked outside of Motown’s sphere of influence and penned as many pop hits as Eddie Floyd. The 75-year-old Floyd has worked with a myriad of artists ranging from Steve Cropper and Wilson Pickett to Otis Redding and Sam & Dave.

     Aside from the song, “I Never Found A Girl,” Floyd is best known for his pair of hits “Knock on Wood” and “Raise Your Hand.” Both tracks came from his 1967 debut album, Knock On Wood, which was recorded with Floyd, the MG’s, and Isaac Hayes as the backing band. Here are two clips to dazzle your Labor Day Weekend, one which shows Floyd as he electrifies Jools Holland’s 2007 New Year’s Eve party with “Knock On Wood” and another from an unknown television appearance from what is likely the late 1960s. The clip is rare in that there is no lip-syncing (making it a legitimate live clip that was not always present in television at the time) as Floyd’s killer Stax band amazes a semi-out-of-rhythm audience.