Dr. Hook Singer/Guitarist Ray Sawyer Dies At 81

Co-founder of Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show, aka simply Dr. Hook, guitarist and singer Ray Sawyer has died at the age of 81. With a string of 20 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 between 1972 and 1982, Sawyer and his Dr. Hook bandmates kept their country rock fun, making a name for themselves performing songs composed by Shel Silverstein such as "The Cover Of 'Rolling Stone,'" which peaked at No. 6 in 1973.

Sawyer's signature eye patch was the result of an unfortunate car accident in 1967 during a period when Sawyer was ready to pack his music away and turn to logging for a living. Instead, Sawyer's returned to touring clubs and the 1969 formation of Dr. Hook. The band's name was inspired by the association between Sawyer's eye patch and the famed Peter Pan pirate character Captain Hook.

Sawyer's bandmate Dennis Locorriere retained rights to the "Dr. Hook" band name after Sawyer's 1983 departure. From 1988 to 2015 Locorriere licensed its use to Sawyer as he continued to tour, for example as "Ray Sawyer of Dr. Hook" or "Dr. Hook featuring Ray Sawyer." While Sawyer and his blend of cowboy and pirate swagger branded the band visually, the novelty and humor of their songs made them unforgettable — whether on better-known classics such as "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman" or lesser-known treasures such as "Roland The Roadie And Gertrude The Groupie."

Sawyer was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and continued to tour up until 2015, when he was forced to give up touring for health reasons. He is survived by his wife, Linda, and son, Cayse, and his memory lives on in the music he made.

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Dr. Hook Singer/Guitarist Ray Sawyer Dies At 81

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