Jack Hoffer

*Under construction and consideration*

**Jack Hoffer** (born **Morgan Raphael Sampson**) (1946 - undetermined) was a rock and roll musician. He was singer and keyboardist with the folk rock musical group The Strawberries aka Wild Strawberries (later known as Strawberry Sunday). When he wanted to play a "heavier" sound than the band wanted, he left the band to form a new group which became one of the first metal groups, Plutonium Sledgehammer. (Jack is intended to be used in *GURPS* as a PC by Alden Loveshade.)

## Personal Life

Named Morgan Sampson, he was the third of four children born to Lawrence "Larry" and Vera Sampson of Springfield, Calasota. He had an older brother named Lawrence "Larry Jr.," an older sister named Patricia (nicknamed "Patty," later known as Sledgehammer Sampson of Plutonium Sledgehammer), and a younger sister named Yvette (later of Strawberry Sunday).

At Springfield Junior High School at about age 12 or 13, he started getting teased about his first name being a "girl's name." This became even worse because his initials were "MRS," similar to "Mrs.," and he was called "Mrs. Morgan" and asked who his husband was. The more he insisted it was a boy's name too, the more he got teased. To avoid the taunts, he retreated into his music.

## Career

He sang with his sisters Patricia and Yvette in a local singing trio called The Sampson Trio. They sang at a few local events.

At Springfield High School, he found other music students that accepted him, and when he was age 15 in 1962 they decided to form a band. Having grown tired of being told he had a girl's name, he adopted the stage name "Jack Hoffer" in imitation of the names of two of his favorite musicians, Jumping Jack and Mian Hoffer. "Nobody will make fun of 'Jack Hoffer,'" he said at the time.

One of the musicians had a girlfriend nicknamed Strawberry, and they started the group The Strawberries. When they learned there was another band with the same name, they changed it to Wild Strawberries, and began to have some success.

However, the band members found the "wild" part of their name was misinterpreted as meaning a "wild" band which didn't fit their folk rock image. However, Jack felt they should be more "wild" in their music. This led to a dispute among band members, and on a Sunday Jack left. The band immediately changed its name to Strawberry Sundae (which changed about a month and half later to Strawberry Sunday), which led to debate whether or not Jack ever was technically a member of Strawberry Sunday; the general consensus is that he was.

Jack joined a new band with a "heavier" or "harder" sound. They struggled with finding a name that was "hard edged" but not so hard edged people would be afraid to book them. They decided on Pluto Nine. When one of the founders was removed from the band due to major drug problems in 1967, they looked for a replacement. They found a very talented musician whose family had come from overseas who was working as an assistant auto mechanic. They accepted the musician.

As there was dispute over which founder had the right to the band's original name, the new member who suggested the band name Plutonium Sledgehammer, which the band accepted.