THUNDERROAD MAGAZINE – BY KEN VIOLA – 1979
We’d been hearing the roumors for some time now. “Epic has dropped the Jukes,” one CBS employee had told us at the Jukes / Gordon Capitol Theater shows. “They’re finished with us.”
When all the smoke of confusion had finally cleared, it apeared that the Jukes and Epic, through the negotiations of manager Miami Steve Van Zandt, had amicably split. What followed next, however surprised everyone. Supposedly wooed by Warner Bros. (a solid company, similar to Columbia / Epic) and A&M (fresh from a four year distribution deal wit RCA), Southside signed with Mercury Records in early February. Mercury has had its share of problems the past few years. Lawsuits involving Graham Parker (who has recorded a scathing indictment of the company titled “Mercury Poisoning”) and trouble with Bruce sound-alikes, the Boomtown Rats (who are enjoying succes after purchasing their contract.