“It was such a foundational thing. It helped me start my record collection. I’d really love to hear the original jam”: Drive-By Truckers’ Patterson Hood hails The Edgar Winter Group’s Frankenstein

Patterson Hood, lead singer and guitarist of the Drive-By Truckers, tells Prog how The Edgar Winter Group helped him start collecting records via their influential 1973 hit single Frankenstein.

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“The first time I heard The Edgar Winter Group was when I was probably eight years old. I was at my older cousin’s house and Frankenstein was a new single – he’d just bought the 45.

He put it on his record player, and the next day I went out and bought it for myself. It was one of the first records that I ever bought and I’ve still got it – I loved it.

I wear a lot of influences on my sleeve, for sure, but Frankenstein was such a foundational thing and it helped me start my record collection. It didn’t sound like anything else. They Only Come Out At Night was one of my first LPs when I started buying albums.

Around that time, The Edgar Winter Group were on the Midnight Special TV show, and that performance just blew my mind! Edgar has albinism; when the lights hit him, it was kind of trippy. And he had that ARP synthesiser on a strap around his neck so he could walk around while he was playing.

I’m sure it opened the door for Focus’s Hocus Pocus, which I also bought

Ronnie Montrose and Rick Derringer were up onstage with him rocking out – God, what a great band! In those days you couldn’t record the show to watch it over so I had to wait for the re-run.

The Edgar Winter Group has had an effect on the music I make. If you think of our more riff-heavy stuff like Lookout Mountain, it’s a different thing, but it has the same kind of visceral impact.

I’d really love to hear the original jam from which Frankenstein was made. Not a lot of our stuff comes out of jams. Someone might play something while they’re warming up and I’ll think, ‘I’ve got some lyrics that could go with that,’ so I’ll say, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing!’ That kind of shit is fun and I’d like to do more of it.

Frankenstein is probably the only prog or prog-adjacent US No.1 – I’m sure it opened the door for Focus’s Hocus Pocus, which I also bought. I’m sure Focus’ record company looked at the success of Frankenstein and figured they could do the same.

I still have that single and I absolutely loved it too!”