Crafty Jack formed in Derry back in 1978. They featured John Flanagan on vocals, Jim Walker on guitar, John Cassidy on guitar, Chris Doherty on bass and John ‘Snowy’ McKnight on drums. Jim Walker and John Cassidy had previously played in Small Talk. John Flanagan had been playing in a rock covers band going by the name of Gentleman Tramp. Crafty Jack was essentially a covers band too, all be it of the New Wave variety! Their set included a few original compositions, however it mainly consisted of covers which included Joe Jackson’s ‘Sunday Papers’ and ‘One More Time’. They also covered a couple of Tom Robinson Band titles, namely ‘Up Against The Wall’ and ‘Power In The Darkness’. Crafy Jack played local venues such as Oscar’s (now long gone) and they regularly ran a bus from Derry to Buncrana where the band also played gigs at the Silver Dollar bar. Jim Walker “I can remember one night; we had to escape out the back door as the local bikers took exception to us having a protestant on drums!”

The bands short career was however brought to an abrupt end when their singer spent the band's wages on a ring to get engaged to his ex wife! He was never heard of again! Walker and Cassidy went on to bigger and better things with The Sect and drummer McKnight emigrated to the States (San Francisco) where it is believed that he still resides. Chris Doherty still plays around Derry in a “wedding covers band”.

If anyone has any further information or photographs of this band, then please DO get in contact via spit77to82@aol.com