J.D. Lobue and Leland Russell wrote “I’m Gonna Make It”. Jim Weatherly wrote the B-side, the Elvis-sounding “Wise Men Never Speak”, which he copyrighted in April, 1964.
Lobue and Russell had a band with Jim since their days at the University of Mississippi, where Jim Weatherly was a star quarterback. After college they moved to Los Angeles to try to succeed in the music business.
On March 5, 1965, Cash Box announced “The grid star kicks off his disk career with a driving rocker”. It would be three years before any further releases, or any press would mention Jim Weatherly or his group, who would eventually be named the Gordion Knot.
In February, 1968, Cash Box reported the Gordian Knot had signed to Verve for four singles and an album. A short article in Record World in April listed the Gordian Knot’s members as: Pat Kincade, guitar; J.D. Lobue, organ; Leland Russell, bass; Dulin Lancaster, drums; and Jim Weatherly, piano. I am not sure if Pat Kincade and Dulin Lancaster also played on the 20th Century Fox single, but the article notes notes the band “have been working together for five years” and that John Babcock was their manager.
There were a number of songs copyrighted that do not seem to have been recorded and/or released:
Weatherly and Pat Kincade published “Just Another Day” in March, 1964.
In June of 1966, Jim Weatherly registered eight songs with a solo writing credit, none of which were on the Gordion Knot album, Tones: “I Can’t Be Hurt Any More”, “Mama, Your Daddy’s Come Home”, “The Morning After Rain”, “She Belongs to Yesterday”, “Sorrow’s Child”, “Turn Him Away”, “Waiting For the Day”, and “You Were Never Mine”, all published by Vivace Music.
The only song registered in June of 1966 that would show up on the Gordian Knot LP was “It’s Gonna Take a Lot” by Weatherly and Pat Kincade.
The Gordian Knot pursued a lighter pop direction on their two singles and album; “The Year of the Sun” (written by Leon Russell) is a good example of their sound. The flip, Jim Weatherly’s “If Only I Could Fly” is one of their more rocking songs.
In retrospect, “I’m Gonna Make It” is a very good single, and it’s surprising how little known it is. The single also seems to be rare now. I wonder if there are other recordings from the early days of the band that would show their development or directions they didn’t pursue.
Jim Weatherly of course would go on to have a long career as a hit songwriter and performer, but that is covered in depth elsewhere.
This is not the same Jim Weatherly who recorded with the Mozark Music Makers on the Mozark label of Springfield, Missouri.
Anyone have a photo of the group before they became the Gordion Knot?
