FOUR JACKS AND A JILL: "Master Jack"

Original released on LP RCA Victor LSP 4019

(US, May 1968)

Four Jacks & a Jill is one of few South African groups to score a Stateside hit. Their folksy tale "Master Jack," made the Top 20, nesting at #18, June 8, 1968. The members were Glenys Lynne "Jill" (vocals), Clive Harding (bass), Till Hanamann (guitar), Bruce Barks (guitar), and Tony Hughes (drums). Glenys sung lead and had a voice that was undeniably folksy, rather she tried to sing that style or not, everything came out that way. Their second single "Mr. Nico" made the States chart too, but barely, entering the Pop 100 and immediately stalling at #98. The four guys sans Jill originally formed in 1964 and went through two name changes before adding Glenys and becoming Four Jacks & a Jill. Out-the-box they scored a South African hit entitled "Timothy." Unfortunately, they never graced the charts in the States after "Mr. Nico," but remained viable and quite popular in South Africa. Four Jacks and a Jill were South Africa's entry into the late-'60s folk-rock scene, and their American debut contains three international hits: "Timothy," "Master Jack," and "Mister Nico." "Timothy" wasn't even released in the U.S. when it became the group's first international hit in 1967, but the enigmatic folk-rock gem "Master Jack" - written, vaguely, from the standpoint of a miner addressing his boss - gave the group a Top 20 hit in the States and became the song most closely associated with the group. "Mister Nico" is an obvious attempt to repeat the formula of "Master Jack" (all of the group's U.S. hits, in fact, have the words "mister" or "master" in their titles), and "I Looked Back" is derived from the mid-'50s country hit "Looking Back to See." Although the harmony-laden folk-rock is the most appealing of several styles they attempt on "Master Jack", their first American album, there is also a little Africana ("Hamba Liliwam") and outright rock ("Penny Paper"). Their childlike aura sometimes resulted in excessively cute songs like "Fifi the Flea" and "La La Song," but when they got it right - as they did on their major hits - Four Jacks and a Jill made a unique contribution to the musical kaleidoscope of the late '60s. (in AllMusic)