The Bojax
| The Bojax | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Greenville, South Carolina, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1964-1969 |
| Labels | Panther |
| Associated acts | The Wyld, William Goat |
| Past members |
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The Bojax, later known as William Goat, were an American garage rock and band from Greenville, South Carolina who were active from 1964 through 1971. They are best known for the hard-driving protopunk sound exemplified in songs such as "Go Ahead and Go" and "Hippie Times." Although they briefly enjoyed popularity in their own region, they did not gain wider recognition at the until a number of years later when their material would be re-issued on various compilations and anthologies.
The Bojax formed in Greenville, South Carolina in 1964 and were initially known as the Knights. The original lineup consisted students from Berea High (and Junior High) in Greenville. According to vocalist and guitarist Bobby Holliday, who was then fourteen years old, watching the Beatles' February 9 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show convinced him to co-found this, his first group, with drummer Lyn Cook, who was the same age. They soon added Mack Sanders, who only twelve, on bass and Roy Wood on lead guitar, and recruited Edwin Bayne, who was older (sixteen) and playing with a more established band in the area called the Shags, leaving them to join the Knights on lead and rhythm guitar. According to Holliday, the Shags were instrumental in helping the Knights learn songs and land gigs. Typically the band rehearsed in a building with a large room located behind Baynes' family house, which according to Holliday, gave the band the feeling of being on stage. At other times they would play in the living rooms of other band members' houses. Their first live show was played at Union Bleachery Gymnasium in Greenville. Each of the members were paid six dollars and the band was given a case of" Pepsi after the show. They played at high school dances, teen clubs, and, in spite of their young age, nightspots, which Holliday notes "...always seemed to look the other way regarding our being underage..." The band often played at Club Jamarta, which was owned by James Posey, who Holliday has indicated was "a great friend to musicians." Club Jamarta featured all of the top bands in the area such as the Wyld, the Tombstones, Moses Dillard & the Dynamic Showmen, the Nomads, the Shaggs, the Knights of the Road, the Tangents, and the Rants, who later became the Toy Factory, and eventually the Marshall Tucker Band. The band developed a hard-driving sound which Holliday describes as energetic and "reckless," which was influenced by British Invasion acts such as the Animals, Manfred Mann, and the Rolling Stones, as well as blues. Holliday also has mentioned Bob Dylan as an influence on the group.
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