Sailcat was an Americanrock band that was signed withElektra Records in the early 1970s, and best known for the hit song "Motorcycle Mama".
The band, an early Southern pop/rock setup, was the innovation ofJohn D. Wyker (March 14, 1945 – December 8, 2013)[1] andCourt Pickett, who formed the group in 1971 nearDecatur, Alabama.[2] Wyker was a veteran of theMuscle Shoals, Alabama, rock music scene who had been in The Rubber Band withJohn Townsend (later of theSanford-Townsend Band). Pickett was the vocalist and bass player fromTuscaloosa,Alabama, who had just moved fromMacon,Georgia, where he had been playing and singing for Sundown, a band that also hadChuck Leavell (formerly of theRolling Stones and theAllman Brothers),Charlie Hayward (of theCharlie Daniels Band), and Lou Mullenix (from the Alex Taylor Band andDr. John). Court was also the brother of Ed Pickett of The Rubber Band. In the 1960s, Ed played with other musicians in Granny's Gremlins in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; that included Hal Holbrook, Marvin Rust, and Bruce Stewart.
An early demo tape of an album, cut by the duo (and including the song "Motorcycle Mama"), was initially discarded by the band but, after it was presented toElektra Records, led to a recording contract and 1972 album release also titledMotorcycle Mama.[2] The resulting album, produced byPete Carr, was aconcept album with abiker theme. The cover art and drawings inside the gatefold cover were drawn byJack Davis, featuring aTriumph Tiger Trailmotorcycle (although thelyrics ofMotorcycle Mama mention aHarley-Davidson). There is one drawing for each song on the album, plus an extra one at the end. Theconcept album's songs loosely tell the story of a motorcycle vagrant who apparently bums for a living, meeting a woman and settling down to start a family. However, he apparently keeps some of his selfish lazy behavior, as the last drawing shows him reclining on his porch, while his wife hangs the laundry and his child hoes the garden.
In 1972, the single "Motorcycle Mama" hit number 12 on theBillboard singles chart,[3] and the album went to number 38 and led them to appearances onAmerican Bandstand and atCarnegie Hall. In Canada, the single reached number 14.[4] John D. Wyker and Sailcat performed both "Motorcycle Mama" and "Walking Together Backwards" on their first televised appearance on August 26, 1972.[5] Sailcat toured to promote the album and released two more non-LP singles, "Baby Ruth" and "She Showed Me" / "Sweet Little Jenny". However, soon after releasing the album, the band broke up.[2] (The album was officiallyre-released onCD in 2004.)
Sailcat leader Wyker, who had been a member of the Rubber Band who recorded the original version of "Let Love Come Between Us" (later a hit forJames & Bobby Purify), went on to play with many of the great Southern rock musicians likeEddie Hinton,Dan Penn,Delaney Bramlett, among others.
Wyker was married to Margaret Young Wyker from Decatur,Al. in 1988. They have two children, John Daniel Wyker IV and Ella Lela Wyker ,both live in Decatur,Al.
Wyker worked on a benefit project called The Mighty Field of Vision, a group dedicated to raising funds for musicians who have fallen on hard times. Wyker died at his home on December 8, 2013, at the age of 68.[1][6]
As for Pickett, he later issued a solo album,Fancy Dancer, on theElektra label in 1973.[7]
On the 1990 Elektra compilation albumRubáiyát, the song "Motorcycle Mama" is covered by the bandThe Sugarcubes featuringBjörk.
Motorcycle Mama (1972)
| Motorcycle Mama | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by Sailcat | |
| Released | May 1972 (1972-05) |
| Recorded | Between October 1971 and February 1972 Widget Recordings Muscle Shoals, Alabama |
| Genre | Southern rock,country blues |
| Length | 33:22 |
| Label | Elektra |
| Producer | Pete Carr |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Billboard | favorable[8] |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Top 200 [9] | US CB Top 100 [10] | Can Top 100 | |||
| 1972 | Motorcycle Mama | 38 | 48 | 46 | Elektra |
| Year | Title (A-Side) | US Billboard Hot 100 [11][12] | AUS [13] | Canada [14] | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | "Motorcycle Mama" | 12 | 64 | 14 | Elektra |
| "Baby Ruth" | — | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "She Showed Me" | 115 | — | — |
(The latter two singles were non-album cuts.)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
