In recent years the band's mellower '70s hits such as "Sharing the Night Together" (1978) and "When You're in Love with a Beautiful Woman" (1979) have also received regular airplay on Yacht Rock Radio on SiriusXM.

[1][2] Cummings, Sawyer and Francis started a new band up in Union City, New Jersey in 1968 and included primary vocalist Dennis Locorriere, who initially joined as a bass player.

The name, thought up by Cummings, was inspired by Sawyer's eyepatch and a reference to Captain Hook of the Peter Pan fairy tale.

Popeye Phillips, who had been the drummer in Chocolate Papers, left the band to become a session musician, contributing to the first album by the Flying Burrito Brothers.

David used a wastebasket in the meeting to keep the beat, and Francis danced on the mogul's desk while Sawyer, Locorriere, and Cummings played and sang.

Doctor Hook featured lead vocals, guitar, bass and harmonica by Locorriere, steel guitarist Cummings and singer Sawyer, plus drummer David and keyboard player Billy Francis.

The single "Sylvia's Mother", a subtle parody of teen-heartbreak weepers, flopped on first release, but with some more promotional muscle, became the band's first million-seller and hit the top five in the summer of 1972.

Wenner then sent Cameron Crowe (who later wrote and directed Almost Famous about his time as a music journalist), then 16 years old, to interview the band for issue 131 (March 1973).

In the United Kingdom, the BBC Radio network refused to play "The Cover of 'Rolling Stone'", because it considered doing so would be advertising a trademark name.

The BBC found itself able to play the song only after some of its DJs edited themselves shouting the words "Radio Times" (a BBC-owned magazine) over "Rolling Stone".

Dr. Hook was just as famed for their crazed stage antics, ranging from surreal banter to impersonating their opening acts; the group's disregard for business matters led to bankruptcy.

The hit from the project was a reworked version of Sam Cooke's "Only Sixteen" (US number 6), revitalizing their career and charted in the top ten in 1976.

Haffkine discovered a song titled "A Little Bit More" written and originally performed by Bobby Gosh and released on his 1973 album Sitting in the Quiet, on a record he purchased for 35 cents at a flea market in San Francisco.

Guitarist Rod Smarr replaced Henke on guitar in 1980, Walter Hartman subbed for Wolters on drums from 1982–1983 and Leonard Wolfe played keyboards alongside Francis in 1983–1985.

[11][12] The band resumed their 50th Anniversary Tour on September 3, 2021, with a show at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall and with performances scheduled for Scandinavia, the UK and Ireland in 2022.

[13] Currently Locorriere's version of Dr Hook is made up of John Maher, Michelle Cordelli, Damien Cooper, Tim Bye, Jon Poole and Ryan Farmery.