Jimy Sohns was the lead singer in the band Shadows of Knight. The band hit it big with the song “Gloria” which was actually written and originally recorded by Van Morrison with the band Them.

Sohns has died at the age of 75. He was in hospice care at the time after suffering from a stroke. His daughter, Raechel Sohns-Stebbins, says as recently as a month ago her dad was still performing and shouting out “G-L-O-R-I-A.”

It may seem strange that “Gloria” was a bigger hit for Shadows of Knight than it was for Them, but it all had to do with one lyric that Sohns changed. The original lyrics were, “And then she comes in my room and she make me feel alright.” Sohns-Stebbins explained that her dad changed the line to “And then she call out my name, that made me feel alright” which was less controversial for the radio at the time.

Watch a live performance of “Gloria” from May 6, 1966, in the video below. This video was taken just one month after “Gloria” became a big hit. Sohns posted this video back in 2017 explaining, “My favorite part about this video is that I am singing into a fire extinguisher.”

Many musicians loved Sohns. Peterik and Ronnie Rice of New Colony Six explained, “Everybody dug him. He was made to rock.”

Apparently, he was also really loud when he was singing. According to Jim Peterik of the Ides of March, “He was a born rocker, an amazing singer, the loudest voice of any human being I have ever heard.” Peterik added, “Don’t stand next to Jimy Sohns when he’s singing – you’re going to lose your hearing.”

Sohns was born in Chicago. He attended Prospect High School and was on the school’s baseball team. The team’s name was the Knights, which, according to Sohns daughter, was inspiration for the band name Shadows of Knight.

His daughter remembers her dad putting her on stage when she was about 5 years old. She explained, “He had this little silver suit he’d put on me, and he’d put me on stage and give me a tambourine.”

Besides his daughter, survivors include his ex-wife Susan Stone, his girlfriend Kathy Strahan, and his grandsons Jimy and Justin.

Back in 2016, Sohns talked to Vintage Rock’s Junkman before performing on stage in Anaheim, California. Watch the video below to hear Sohns describe his life and his career in his own words.