The Mauds

The year is 1965 and by now every music-minded kid in Chicago and its mighty suburbs has seen the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Guitar sales have skyrocketed, harmonicas have made a comeback and barbers are complaining that their business has fallen off…just a hair. Every suburb, every neighborhood, every block has a band. What teenage boy with music running through his testosterone clogged veins could turn down the opportunity to strap on a guitar and make the girls scream? Certainly not a group of friends from the North Shore who dubbed themselves The Mauds^®. Like their peers from all over Chicagoland, they honed their craft at parties, sock hops and eventually the local club circuit. But unlike their peers, The Mauds^® weren’t busy trying to write the next She Loves You. Instead their interests were directed towards the burgeoning mid 60’s soul scene. And why not? Lead singer Jimy Rogers possessed the beginnings of a truly legitimate set of blue-eyed soul pipes. Under the cover of night, these 5 teenage, suburban white boys were sneaking into the various South side soul emporiums to bear witness to their heroes…Sam and Dave, Redding and Mayfield.

Let’s face it, you’ve either got it or you don’t. Jimy Rogers had it and he knew it. So did everyone who saw him and The Mauds^® perform. By late ’66 Jimmy Sohns of the Shadows of Knight was a fan, and he did what fans do, helped the band get a recording contract. They were introduced to legendary Chicago producer Bill Traut. Under his guidance the band recorded their Hold On album for Mercury Records in 1967. Now it was radio’s turn to take notice. And they did. The Maud’s screamin’ cover of Hold On roared up the charts in the summer of ’67 on both WLS and WCFL.

Now The Mauds^® are packin’ ‘em in and knockin’ ‘em dead all over Chicago and the Midwest, picking up new fans at every stop. Some of those new fans were local musicians who would watch them from the audience at clubs like Mothers on Division. Members of a new band in town who were going by the name of Chicago Transit Authority, later shorted to Chicago, couldn’t get enough of The Mauds^® and actually played on a couple of their singles including the band’s 1968 hit, Soul Drippin’. It was the kind of chemistry that left fans beggin’, screamin’, and shoutin’ for more. But not a whole lot more followed for The Mauds^®. Although they scored another hit with Knock On Wood, the all too familiar trappings of the industry eventually got the better of the band and by 1971, The Mauds^® called it a day.

JUMP AHEAD TO THE 21ST CENTURY. At the urging of friends and fans alike, Rogers is encouraged to get the band back together, not unlike Jake and Elwood Blues. So with renewed vigor, Jimy Rogers once again hits the stage with a flurry of musicians and reminds Chicagoland why The Mauds^®, under his guidance, were and are a musical force to be reckoned with. This is the lineup that Rogers has always envisioned for The Mauds^®. With an ear to the past and an eye to the future, The Mauds^®, shimmy, shake and simmer within a boiling cauldron of sweet soul stew, the likes of which hasn’t been heard since afros and bellbottoms gave way to sterile, computer driven loops of phony soul grooves. The heartbeat of the band is the rhythm section that’s just plain in your face. Guitar and keyboards salt and pepper the grooves to taste. Bluesy harp adds a shot of hot sauce to the blend. And in the middle of this good thing is the man himself, Jimy Rogers. Like a fine wine….well, you know the rest.