B.B., Les
‘B’-Girls
B-Sides
b4-4
Bach, Sebastian
Bacheliers, Les
Bachman-Cummings
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman & Turner
Bachman, Randy
Bachman, Tal
Bachots, Les
Back Street Journal
Backroads
Bad
BAD CHILD
Bad Rabitz
Bailey, Jack
Baladins, Les
Balazar
Baldry, Long John
Ballantyne, Jon
Baloue, Lewis
Bambi
Bambi Slam, The
Bamboo
Band, The
Band Of Armagh
Band Of Rascals
Banda Cruise
Bangkok!
Banlieue Rouge
Banshee
Barber, Jill
Barachois
Barclay, Denis
Barde
Barenaked Ladies
Barker, Bev
BarKing BOYS & Yes GIRLS
Barncats, The
Barnes, Micah
Baron, Natalie
Baron Longfellow
Baronets, Les
Barra MacNeils
Barry Band, Stephen
Barry, Claudja
Barstool Prophets
Bartholomew Plus 3
Basement Revolver
Basic English
Basics, The
Bass Is Base
Basso, Guido
Batah, Peter
Bates, Smiley
Batman
Battered Wives
Battery, The
Bauer, Stefan
BBC
Beach Mutants
Bearfoot
Beatlettes, Les
Beattie, Doran
Beau Dommage
Beau Geste
Beau-Marks, The
Beautiful 2000
Beautiful Things
Bed Time Story, The
Bedouin Soundclash
Bee, Martine
Beethovens, Les
Before_The_Flood
Bel Air, Les
Bel Canto, Les
Bel-Vistas, The
Belairs, The
Belanger, Rick
Belges, Les
Béliveau, Véronique
Bell, Jimmy
Bell, Richard
Bell, Steve
Bells, The
Bendeth, David
Beneath Augusta
Bennett, Doug
Bennett, Willie P.
Bent Wind
Bentall & the Legendary Hearts, Barney
Bentwood Rocker
Benzene Jag
Bergmann, Art
Berries
Bertucci, Jimi
Besnard Lakes
Between The Lines
Beverly Sisters
Beyond Possession
Biagini, Laurie
Bickert, Ed
Bidiniband
Bieber, Justin
Biffs, The
Big Bang
Big Black Puppets
Big Blue Bus
Big Bob & The Dollars
Big Dirty Band
Big Dog
Big Faith
Big House
Big Picture, The
Big Red
Big Rude Jake
Big Sugar
Big Town Boys
Bihanki, Les
Bill And The Bills
Bill Of Rights
Billy Butt & The Brats
Billy Et Ses Copains
Billy Talent
BIM (aka Roy Forbes)
Binder Brothers
Bird Sisters, The
Birthelmer, Michael J.
Bises, Les
Bishop, Arlene
Bishop, Heather
Bitter Reality
BKS
Black Creek
Black Knight
Black Labelled
Black Magic
Black Pool
Black, Jully
Black, Paris
Black, Terry
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings
Blackstone
Blakewood Castle
Blank Generation
Blanks
Bleeker
Bley, Paul
Blibber & The Rat Crushers
Blimkie And The Reason, Steve
Blind Ravage
Blind Vengeance
Blinker the Star
Bliss
Blondahl, Omar
Bloodstone
Bloodwurm
Blouin, Serge
Blue Diamonds, The
Blue Dog Pict
Blue Grass “4”
Blue Marks, Les
Blue Max
Blue Northern
Blue Oil
Blue Peter
Blue Rodeo
Blue Shadows, The (1)
Blue Shadows, The (2)
Blue Sisters, Les
Blue Valley Boys, The
Blues Train, The
Bluesmen Revue, The
Blurtonia
Blushing Brides, The
BLVD.
Bob Et Les Damik’s
Bob’s Your Uncle
Bobnoxious
Bocan, Joe
Body Electric
Bogard, Steve
Bohemians, The
Boinks, The
Boivin, Jay
Bokononists, The
Bolero Lava
Boliska, Al
Bolt Upright
Bombers, The
Bond
Boneyard Devils
Bonfire, Mars
Bongo Fury
Bonneville, Yvon
Bonus Boys, The
Bookmen, The
Boomers, The
Bootleg
Bootsauce
Bop’s, The
Bopcats, The
Boreal
Borealis
Born Wrong
Born Yesterday
Boswell, John
Bote Peeple
Bottomley, Chris
Bottomley, John
Boulevard
Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
Bourgeois, Les
Bourgeois, Ludovick
Bourgeois, Patrick
Bourne & MacLeod
Bouvette, Don
Bowser & Blue
Box, The
Boy
Boy From Nowhere
Boyd, Barry
Boys Brigade
Boys Next Door
Bradburn, Bob
Bradley, Joe
Bradstreet, David
Brady, Liz
BRAIDS
Brains., The
Brain Toy
Braineaters
Bran Van 3000
Brandon Wolf
Brandt, Paul
Brass Bikini
Brass Union
Bratty & The Babysitters
Brave Belt
Breathless
Breau, Edgar
Breau, Lenny
Breeding Ground
Breen, Michael
Breit Bros.
Brian’s Children
Bribosia, Gerry
Brighton Rock
Brilliant Orange
British Modbeats, The
British North American Act
Britt, Tommy
Britten, Dave
Brock & Friends
Broken Silence
Broken Social Scene
Brontocrushrock
Brooks, Danny
Brooks, Dianne
Broomer & Mars
Brother
Brothers And One
Brothers-In-Law
Broughm, Ross
Brousseau, Real
Brown, Carol
Brown, Charity
Brown, Divine
Brown, Linda
Brule, E.J.
Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion
Brunswick Playboys
Brussel Sprout
Brutus
Bryant, Wiz
Bryden, Bob
Bryk, Dan
Bublé, Michael
Buck 65
Buck, Gary
Buckstone Hardware
Bullrush
Bully
Bum
Bunchofuckingoofs
Bündock
Bunny & The Lakers
Burchill, Bob
Bureaucrats, The
Burke, Johnny
Burn, Malcolm
Bush
Busker
Butler
Butler, Edith
Butler, Marty
Butterfingers
Buttless Chaps
Buxton-Kastle
Buzz Band
Buzz Neurolick
By Divine Right
Byrne, Brian
Byrnes, Jim
Bytown Bluegrass

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B.B., Les [aka Les Beaux Blonds]
Alain Lapointe (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals) / François Jean (drums) / Patrick Bourgeois (lead vocals)
From Montréal, Québec. Jean and Bourgeois had been backing musicians for Montréal humorists Rock Et Belles Oreilles from 1986 to 1987 before leaving to form their own group Les Beau Blonds in 1987 with Alain Lapointe. Their first splash of recognition was when they appeared as Les Beaux Blonds on the Marc Drouin song ‘Crache Ton Cash’ the same year. They were signed to La Maison de Disques Isba in 1988 and they released their self-titled debut album as Les B.B. (a name they would keep) the following year. 1991’s ‘Snob’ would be their breakthrough album which spawned six hits in Quebec and France including “Donne-Moi Ma Chance,” “Comme Un Loup,” and the title track. They advanced the single “Seul Au Combat” for a follow-up albumin 1993, but the group and the label soon parted ways. Les B.B. moved to Les Disques Tox next and released a live album entitled ‘Une Nuit Avec Les B.B.’ which was followed by their third studio album ‘3’ in 1994. The only single, “Tu Ne Sauras Jamais,” failed to do well on the charts and the group called it a day; François Jean and Patrick Bourgeois both released solo albums but could not match the success of their Les B.B. days. They reunited in 2004 for the album ‘Bonheur Facile’ and again in 2011 for ‘Univers.’ In 2015 they released ‘Les BB 25’ featuring the group and guest artists such as Roch Voisine, Jean-Marc Couture, Mara Tremblay, and Damien Robitaille among others recreating the group’s greatest hits; Patrick Bourgeois passed away November 26, 2017; François Jean passed away November 16, 2020. [also see PATRICK BOURGEOIS, FRANCOIS JEAN]

Singles
1989 Twist De Nuit/[same (isba/Sony) IS-45-559
1989 Fais Attention/Fais Attention (Instrumental) (isba/CBS) 7-CDN-93
1989 Parfums Du Passé/Parfums Du Passé (Instrumental) (isba/CBS) 7-CDN-103
1989 Loulou/Loulou (Instrumental) (isba/CBS) IS-45-550
1990 T’es Dans La Lune/[same] (isba/CBS) IS-45-557
1991 Donne-Moi Ma Chance [CD] (isba/Sony) CDNK-659
1991 Donne-Moi Ma Chance/Seul Au Combat (isba/Sony) IS-45-560
1991 Donne-Moi Ma Chance/Comme Un Loup [7″] (RCA/BMG – France) PB-45245
1991 Donne-Moi Ma Chance/Comme Un Loup/Fais Attention [CD] (RCA/BMG – France) PB-45246
1991 Fais Gaffe Mon Jack [CD (isba/Sony) CDNK-3173
1991 Comme Un Loup/Le Coeur À Côté Du Lit (isba/Sony) IS-45-561
1991 La Sirène/Cavalière (isba/Sony) IS-45-562
1991 Voyou/Sans Un Mot (isba/Sony) IS-45-563
1991 Snob/Soir De Septembre (isba/Sony) IS-45-564
1993 Rose Café (Je Suis En Amour)/Parfums Du Passé (RCA/BMG – France) 74321151992
1993 Seul Au Combat (Edit Radio)/Seul Au Combat (Version Album)/ La Cavalière [CD (RCA/BMG – France) 74321132992
1993 Seul Au Combat/La Cavalière [7″] (RCA/BMG – France) 74321132997
1993 Seul Au Combat (isba/Sony) CDNK-727
1994 Tu Ne Sauras Jamais (Tox) TOXCDS-307
2004 Autre Chose (Phaneuf Musique/Select) PMCD-1038-DJ
2004 Je m’ennuie comme je t’aime (Phaneuf Musique/Select) PMCD-1038-1
2004 Arrivé De La Lune (Phaneuf Musique/Select) PMCD-1038-1-DJ
2011 Je Suis À Toi (Musicor/Select) MQMCD-2431-1DJ

Albums
1989 Les B.B. (isba/CBS) IS-2020
1991 Snob (isba/Sony) ISCD-2030
1993 Une Nuit Avec Les B.B. (Tox) TOXK-3005
1994 3 (Tox) TOXCD-3008
1996 La Collection [14 songs] (Tox) TOXCD-3019
1997 La Collection [15 songs re-issue] (Unidisc) SPLK-7304
2004 Bonheur Facile (Phaneuf Musique/Select) PMCD-1038
2006 Tous Les Succès (Unidisc) SPLK-7376
2011 Univers (Musicor/Select) MQMCD-2431
2015 Les BB 25 (Bleu Cayenne/DEP) 619061-44882-1
2017 Les Grands Succès [re-issue of ‘La Collection’] (Unidisc) SPLK-7304

Collaboration Tracks
with MARC DROUIN ET LES BEAUX BLONDS
1987 Crache Ton Cash (Disques Laser) L-8002

Compilation Tracks
1992 “Snob,” “Loulou,” “Fais Attention,” “Rose Cafe ’93,” “T’es Dans La Lune,” and “Parfums Du Passe” on ‘Demande Spéciale’ (isba/Sony) WISCD 100

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‘B’-GIRLS, The
Xenia Holiday [aka Xenia Splawinski] (rhythm guitar) / Cynthia Ross (bass) / Lucasta Rochas [aka Lucasta Ross] (vocals) / Reneé Chetsky [aka Reneé Schilhab] (lead guitar/vocals) / Marcy Saddy (drums)
Formed in 1977 after the main members met in a washroom after a Thin Lizzy concert. Toronto’s B-Girls were a cross between pre-Riot Grrrls punk and 50’s/60’s style girl group pop a la the Shangri-Las. The group was a fixture on both the Toronto Queen Street and the New York CBGB/Max’s Kansas City punk scenes. They slit up in 1981. The re-issued CD ‘Who Said Girls Can’t Rock’ contains live material and remixed 7″ versions of many of the songs previously unreleased; Lucasta would go on to join Minutes From Downtown; Saddy is an esoteric visual artist and plays percussion often working in London, Ontario’s Wortley Village; Cynthia Ross lives in New York City and has remained a performer there with several bands; With a full-blown reunion of the band in 2017, the B-Girls released a new album, ‘Bad Not Evil’, and toured Japan in October 2018; Renee Schilhab died on June 14, 2020 with notes from Greg Shaw, Marcy Saddy, Greg Simpson, Bob Segarini and Cynthia Ross.

Singles
1979 Fun at the Beach/’B’-Side (Bomp!) 123

Albums
1980 B-Day (GNP/Bomp!)
1997 Who Says Girls Can’t Rock? (Other People’s Music) OPC-2111
2017 Bad Not Evil (Bomp!) BLP-4105

Collaborations
with STIV BATORS
1979 Stiv Bators & The Dead Boys (Bomp!)
1981 Disconnected (Bomp!) BLP-4015 [B-Girls supply backing vocals & hand clapping]

with BLONDIE
1980 Autoamerican (Chrysalis) CHR-1290 [B-Girls supply backing vocals]

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B-SIDES, The
Bobby B. Herron (vocals, percussion) / Danno 5-0 [aka Dano Fifo] (guitar, vocals, organ) / Scott B. Martin (bass) / Chris Taylor (drums) / Tony Bea [aka Tony Fernandes] (guitar, vocals, percussion) / Ryszard Ozimek [aka Richard B. Reverb] (organ, piano, trombone) / Bob “B-Tone” Walker (saxophone, flute, keyboards) / Bruce Fernandes (bass; replaced Martin) / Russell deVert (drums, percussion; replaced Taylor)
Reggae Ska act from Vancouver, British Columbia; Chris Taylor would go on to join The Payola$.

Singles
1981 Invasion of the Money Snatchers/Much Too Serious (Radioactive) U-25S
1981 Bedtime For Ronald//Underground Radio Stars/She’s A Raver (Radioactive) EP-6904

Albums
1981 Red To Black (Radioactive) LP-102
1982 Live E.P. [2-song cassette] (independent)

Compilation Tracks
1981 “Spy Vs. Spy” and “Underground Radio Stars” on ‘Vancouver Independence’ (Friends) FR-009
1982 “Rock Steady,”Crisis Time,” and “Take Me To the L.A.” on ‘This One’s For the Kids’ (101 CFMI) CFMI-101.1
1985 “Walk Like We Do” on ‘Open Your Heart – West Coast Musicians Aid For Africa’ (Oxfam) 002

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b4-4
Dan Kowarsky (vocals) / Ryan Kowarsky (vocals) / Ohad Einbinder (vocals)
Formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1998, this vocal pop group featured identical twin brothers Ryan and Dan Kowarsky. Following an audition for Sony Records’ Mike Roth, the trio was signed to the Toronto label. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2000, and found quick Canadian success with the single and video hit “Get Down” and was followed by the second single “Go Go”. With singles three and four (“Everyday” and “Ball and Chain”), the album reached Platinum sales status in Canada. b4-4 joined Snow, soulDecision, and Wave, on YTV’s ‘PsykoBlast Tour’ in 2001 as well as opening for Destiny’s Child on MTV’s ‘Total Request Live Tour’ the same year. Also in 2001, the trio were nominated for the ‘Best New Group’ JUNO Award. During the same period, b4-4 starred in an episode of ‘Eddy The Eco-Dog Unleashed’ TV series. Famed boy-band manager Louis Pearlman (Backstreet Boys,*NSYNC) took the group on, and they headed to Germany to sign an international record deal with Universal Music/Polydor under the name ‘before four.’ Their sophomore album in 2003, ‘In Your Face,’ spawned three more singles with “Player (You’re My Ecstasy)”, “I’ll Be There,” and “Feel Free (To Say No)”. b4-4 disbanded in 2004 leaving the Kowarskys to form the duo RyanDan while Ohad Einbinder went solo and has pursued a modeling career. In 2021, the b4-4 song “Get Down” was used on the TV show ‘Canada’s Drag Race.’ [also see RYANDAN]

Singles
2000 Get Down/Get Down (Callout Hook) (Columbia/Sony) CDNK-1482
2000 Go Go (Columbia/Sony)
2000 Everyday (Columbia/Sony)
2001 Ball And Chain (Columbia/Sony)
2001 Endlessly (Columbia/Sony)

as BEFORE FOUR
2003 Player (You’re My Ecstasy) [4 mixes] (Universal/Polydor – Europe) 9807923
2003 I’ll Be There (Video Edit)/I’ll Be There (Radio Remix)/Baby You’re The One (Album Version) (Universal/Polydor – Germany) 9812088
2003 Feel Free (To Say No) [4 mixes] (Universal/Polydor – Germany) 065-777-2

Albums
2000 b4-4 (Columbia/Sony) CK-80486

as BEFORE FOUR
2003 In Your Face (Universal/Polydor – Germany) 980-864-0

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BACH, Sebastian
Born:  Sebastian Philip Bierk on April 3, 1968 in Freeport, Bahamas
Bach grew up in Peterborough, Ontario and attended the private boarding school Lakefield College High. In his teenage years he formed the band Kidd Wikkid and performed for many years at most of the hard rock clubs like The Gasworks and Rock And Roll Heaven in Toronto, Ontario. The band managed to get their demo track “Take a Look at Me” on Attic Records’ ‘Maple Metal’ compilation. However, they were never able to parlay that exposure into a record deal. When lead singer Mike Fallon quit New Jersey metal band Skid Row in 1987, Bach was asked to join after they saw him at the wedding for rock photographer Matt Weiss. Bach turned them down until hearing their demo tape and soon was flown to New Jersey to start performing live with Skid Row. With the help of Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, who signed the band to a publishing deal, Skid Row managed to land a record deal with Atlantic Records. They would have international success with their albums ‘Skid Row’ (1989) and ‘Slave to the Grind’ (1991) on the back of the radio hit “18 and Life”, “I Remember You” and “Youth Gone Wild”. The band would play North America and Europe with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and Mötley Crüe among others. As the hair-metal era gave way to grunge in the mid-90s, Skid Row was left struggling to stay relevant and following Bach’s negotiation with KISS for Skid Row to open for them on a tour, Bach was fired in 1996 for undermining the band’s headlining potential (imagined or otherwise). In 1996, Bach formed a new band called The Last Hard Men, with guitarist Jimmy Flemion (Frogs), lead guitarist Kelley Deal (Breeders), and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin (Smashing Pumpkins). The group recorded a full-length, self-titled album for Atlantic Records but wasn’t release. Deal managed to issue it on her own Nice Records in 1998. In 2000, Bach made his Broadway debut in ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ from April 2000 through September 2000. Because of critical raves his run was extended until October that year. He also appeared as Riff Raff in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ in 2001 and at the ‘New York Steel’ benefit concert for victims of 9/11 on November 28, 2001. In October 2002 Bach performed in the national touring production of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ playing the title role. He also reprised a brief revival of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ in 2004. After auditioning for Velvet Revolver (and losing out to Scott Weiland), Bach started a recurring role in the TV show Gilmore Girls as as lead guitarist in the fictitious band Hep Alien. In 2004 Bach was featured in the VH1 series ‘I Married…’ for the episodes ‘I Married Sebastian Bach’ where he also had a new act – Bach Tight Five – live with him and his family. The band was short-lived. Bach then appeared as lead singer on Henning Pauly’s Frameshift band LP entitled ‘An Absence of Empathy’ in 2005. In 2006 Bach was invited by Axl Rose to appear as a guest vocalist on several dates of Guns ‘N Roses’ tour stops that year. That same year Bach, Ted Nugent, Evan Seinfeld, Jason Bonham and Scott Ian starred in the VH1 reality TV show ‘Supergroup’ where the members had to live together as a band in a mansion in Las Vegas. They had 12 days to write and record music in a band called Damnocracy. Bach created his own record label in a deal with EMI Music which allowed him to record and release the solo album ‘Angel Down’ which was released in November 2007. The album just scraped the bottom of the Billboard Top200 album chart. He would also sing on the Guns ‘N Roses song “Sorry” for the 2008 GNR comeback album ‘Chinese Democracy’. Bach toured solo in the summer of 2008 opening for the likes of Poison and Dokken. He also did a solo tour of Australia. Bach also appeared in the 2nd season of the CMT Network’s reality competition show ‘Gone Country’ which he subsequently won. Bach was the opening act on Guns ‘N Roses’ 2009/2010 sporadic ‘Chinese Democracy’ Tour. In 2011 Sebastian Bach released the album ‘Kicking and Screaming’. [also see WINTER ROSE]

Singles
2007 (Love Is) A Bitchslap (Caroline)
2011 Kicking & Screaming

with SKID ROW
1989 18 & Life/Midnight (Atlantic) 7-88883
1989 I Remember You/Makin’ a Mess (Live) (Atlantic) 7-88886
1990 Youth Gone Wild/Sweet Little Sister (Atlantic)  7-88935
1991 C’mon and Love Me (Atlantic) SAM-880
1991 Get the Fuck Out (Atlantic)
1991 Slave to the Grind (Atlantic) A-7603
1991 Wasted Time/Holidays In the Sun (Atlantic) A-7570
1991 In a Darkened Room/Beggar’s Day (Atlantic) A-7612
1991 Monkey Business/Slave to the Grind (Atlantic)  A-7673
1992 Little Wing (Atlantic) PRCD-4777
1992 Quicksand Jesus (Atlantic) PRCD-4444
1993 Riot Act (Atlantic)
1995 My Enemy (Atlantic) PRCD-6113
1995 Breakin’ Down (Atlantic) PRCD-6210
1995 Into Another (Atlantic) AMCY-826

Albums
1999 Bring ‘Em Bach Alive! (Atlantic) 80978
2001 Bach: 2 Basics
2005 Finding My Way [EP]
2007 Angel Down (Caroline)
2011 Kicking & Screaming (Frontiers – EU)

with SKID ROW
1988 Basement Tapes [cassette]
1989 Skid Row (Atlantic) 81936
1991 Slave to the Grind (Atlantic) 82278
1992 B-side Ourselves [EP] (Atlantic) 82431
1995 Subhuman Race (Atlantic) 82730
1995 Subhuman Beings On Tour – Live [EP] AMCY-865
1998 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row (Atlantic) 83103

with THE LAST HARD MEN
1998 The Last Hard Men (unreleased)
2001 The Last Hard Men (Nice)

with FRAMESHIFT
2005 An Absence of Empathy (ProgRock) PRR-131

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BACHELIERS, Les
M. Poliquin / G. Tremblay / M. Sévigny

Singles
1967 Jolie demoiselle/Tant pis (Chance) CH-605

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BACHMAN – CUMMINGS
When Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings finally ironed out their differences related to their old band The Guess Who, they toured again from 1999 through 2003 under their old band’s name. When the license to use the name reverted back to former band member John Kale they decided to carry on as Bachman-Cummings. With long-time cover band The Carpet Frogs backing them, the duo decided to release two CDs – ‘Bachman-Cummings Songbook’ (2006) featuring remakes of their hits, and ‘Jukebox’ (2007) featuring cover versions of their favourite songs by other artists. With Bachman working regularly on his radio show ‘Vinyl Tap’, writing a second book and reuniting with C.F. Turner to relive their BTO days, Burton Cummings carried on with The Carpet Frogs touring solo and recording a new solo album in 2010; plans are under way for a reunion between the two artists for a 2020 tour. [also see RANDY BACHMAN, CARPET FROGS, BURTON CUMMINGS, GUESS WHO]

Singles
2006 American Woman (BCSP)

Albums
2006 Bachman-Cummings Songbook (Sony/BMG)
2006 The Thunderbird Trax (BCSP) BC-001
2007 Jukebox (Saifer/Paquin/Sony/BMG) 709756

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BACHMAN – TURNER OVERDRIVE [aka BTO]
Randy Bachman (guitar, vocals)  / C.F. (“Fred”) Turner (lead vocals, bass, switched to guitar 1978 ) / Robin “Robbie” Bachman (drums) / Tim Bachman (guitar, vocals) / Blair Thornton (guitar; replaced Tim Bachman 1974)  / Jim Clench (bass; replaced Turner 1978) / Garry Peterson (drums; Robbie Bachman 1984) / Randy Murray (guitar, vocals; replaced Rany Bachman)  / Billy Chapman (keyboards; 1986) / John Cody (drums; replaced Peterson)
1988 Line-up: Tim Bachman (guitar, vocals) / Mike Kelly (guitar, vocals) / Jim Robinson (bass) / Rick Fedyk (drums; May 1988) / Vince Ditrich (drums; June 1988 – Autumn 1988)
1988–1991 Line-up: Randy Bachman (lead vocals, lead guitar) / C. Fred Turner (lead vocals, bass) / Blair Thornton (lead guitar, backing vocals) / Robbie Bachman (drums, percussion, backing vocals)
1991–2005 Line-up: Randy Murray (guitar, lead and backing vocals) / C. Fred Turner (lead vocals, bass) / Blair Thornton (guitar, backing vocals) / Robbie Bachman (drums, percussion, backing vocals)
During the 1960’s Randy Bachman was a founding member of Chad Allan & The Expressions who would go on to fame and fortune as the Guess Who. Bachman had been slugging it out for 10 years by the time the band struck gold with No.1 hits like “These Eyes”, “Laughing” and “American Woman” and decided to leave the group while they were on top. Upon leaving the band, he released a solo album called ‘Axe’ for RCA in 1970. The album did little and Bachman found himself yearning for the creativity of a collaborative atmosphere. He called his old Guess Who cohort Chad Allen and they decided to put a new band together. Allen would supply vocals, keyboard and rhythm guitar while Bachman’s younger brother, Robin, would handle drums. The trio became Brave Belt and headed into the studio to record their debut album with Bachman doing double duty on bass guitar. As fate would have it, they landed Fred Turner as bassist just as Brave Belt’ was completed (Turner doesn’t appear on the album despite his picture on the jacket). The album was released Brave Belt in 1971 on Reprise Records. By 1972’s ‘Brave Belt II’, the band was starting to show its heavier side particularly with the new addition of C.F. Turner’s songwriting and gritty truck driver vocals which appeared to conflict with Chad Allen’s vision of the band. Allen’s contributions to the record were minimal and he quit before the record was released. (‘Brave Belt II’ would eventually be re-issued following the success of B.T.O under the auspicious handle of Bachman-Turner-Bachman as Brave Belt’) . With the limited success of the first two albums Randy Bachman began hunting for a better record deal which he found with Mercury/Polydor. By then, Chad Allen had been replaced by another Bachman brother, Tim, on guitar and the direction of the band slid into an even heavier mode. By this time, Brave Belt III’, was the intended next record but with a new label and band direction the group changed gears, literally, and became Bachman Turner Overdrive (or B.T.O. for short). ‘Bachman Turner Overdrive’ was released in 1973 on Mercury Records and stayed in the charts for 68 weeks. After four tries, the only successful single from the record was “Blue Collar” which managed a reasonable position of #68 on Billboard’s Hot 100. By year end they managed to pull out another album from their creative rebirth with ‘Bachman Tuner Overdrive II. The album was pushed all the way to Top10 by the driving force of the bubbling under “Let It Ride” and the monster hit “Takin’ Care of Business”. With the departure of Tim Bachman and addition of Blair Thornton on guitar, BTO’s 1974 album ‘Not Fragile’ gave the band the type of success that Randy Bachman had not scene since the Guess Who’s’ ‘American Woman’ in 1969. The album rode the charts at No.1 from the success of the worldwide number one single “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and its seminal follow-up “Roll on Down the Highway”. Subsequently, the world took a backward glance at BTO and their first two albums became certified gold in 1974. By the fourth album, ‘Four Wheel Drive’ BTO were international superstars and this album too proved to be a monster, peaking at #5 on Billboard, becoming certified platinum, and providing another catchy radio anthem in “Hey You”. Tired of the same old chugging rhythms, BTO diversified for their 5th album and revisited their jazzy blues roots a la “Blue Collar” on ‘Head On’ in December 1975. The album produced the mellow and intricate “Looking Out For #1” and other tunes on the record flexed BTO’s stylistic muscle like the Little Richard assisted piano rocker “Take It Like a Man”. It became apparent that now the band was in the spotlight a power struggle over song representation was bubbling to the surface. While nagging personal conflicts plagued the ranks, Mercury rush released ‘The Best of BTO (So Far)’ during the summer of 1976 in anticipation of a new studio album. When the smoke cleared, Randy Bachman had wrestled controlling interest in the song writing duties from C.F. Turner on 1977’s ‘Freeways’. The internal conflicts showed as the first single, “My Wheels Won’t Turn”, died at radio. Mercury panicked while the album sank and rebounded with 1977’s ‘BTO Japan Tour – Live’ but the bloom was off the rose – Randy Bachman left BTO due to the typical ‘musical differences’ ploy and recorded his second solo album, ‘Survivor’ (1978) . BTO carried on with new recruit Jim Clench (April Wine) on bass. This freed Turner up to switch to guitar and resume lead vocals duties. The first release from the new LINE-UP was ‘Street Action’ in February 1978 but failed to do anything to stem the tide of their lagging popularity. With the old college try and an attempted career make over manager Bruce Allen brought in some young songwriters who had a modicum of success with Prism — Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance. BTO pushed out one more release, ‘Rock’n’Roll Nights’, before calling it a day in 1979. Turner would later pop up as vocalist for Bachman’s 1981 project, Union, for one album ‘On Strike’ before that too disbanded. By 1983 the original line up met to discuss a BTO reunion. Randy Bachman wanted to include Tim Bachman as part of the reformation, while other brother Robbie had pushed for Thornton who was considered a better musician. Randy Bachman made the final choice of adding brother Tim and Robbie bowed out of the reunion citing irreconcilable differences. Instead Gary Peterson from the Guess Who joined BTO as their new drummer. 1984’s ‘BTO’ was the result of this reunion and inspired one lack lustre single “For the Weekend”. This line up managed to survive a tour, recording shows as they went along, and the album ‘Live Live Live’ materialized in 1986. The cards fell apart again and Tim Bachman carried on with a new set of musicians as BTO including second guitarist Randy Murray. But, BTO would never rest as the classic version of the band reunited yet again as CF Turner, Randy Bachman, Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman made a comeback in 1988. They were able to hold the band together to tour for three years before Randy Bachman decided he’d finally had enough and bailed out in 1991. Randy Murray who had been part of Tim Bachman’s BTO replaced Randy Bachman. A LINE-UP consisting of Rob Bachman, CF Turner, Blair Thornton and Randy Murray still plays live, mostly in festival situations and the band finally made it back into the studio to record another album with 1996’s ‘Trial By Fire’, consisting of 5 new tracks and a handful of re-recorded BTO classics. The first single was a cover of the Animals’ “House of the Rising Sun”. Both Randy Bachman and Fred Turner reunited briefly for a February 2000 appearance on the animated TV show ‘The Simpsons’.  In 2010 they released a new album and toured under the name Bachman-Turner; Jim Clench died on November 3, 2010 after a battle with cancer; Robbie Bachman died January 12, 2023; Tim Bachman passed away April 29, 2023. with notes from Randy Bachman, and John Einarson. [also see BACHMAN & TURNER, RANDY BACHMAN, BRAVE BELT]

Singles
1973 Gimme Your Money Please/Little Candy Dancer (Mercury) M-73383
1973 Blue Collar/Hold Back The Water (Mercury) M-73417
1974 Let It Ride/Tramp (Mercury) M-73457
1974 Takin’ Care Of Business/Stonegates (Mercury) M-73487
1974 You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet/Free Wheelin’ (Mercury) M-73622
1975 Roll On Down The Highway/Sledgehammer (Mercury) M-73656
1975 Hey You/Flat Broke Love (Mercury) M-73686
1975 Quick Change Artist/She’s Keepin’ Time (Mercury) M-73710
1976 Down To The Line/She’s A Devil (Mercury) M-73724
1976 Four Wheel Drive/Gimme Your Money Please (Mercury)
1976 Take It Like A Man/Wontcha Take Me For Awhile (Mercury) M-73766
1976 Lookin’ Out For #1/Find Out About Love (Mercury) M-73784
1977 My Wheels Won’t Turn/Freeway (Mercury) M-73903
1977 Shotgun Rider/Down Down (Mercury) M-73926
1977 Life Still Goes On (I’m Lonely)/Just For You (Mercury) M-73951
1978 Down The Road/A Long Time For A Little While (Mercury) M-73987
1979 Heartaches/Heaven Tonight (Mercury) M-74046
1979 Jamaica/End of the Line (Mercury) M-74062
1984 For The Weekend/Just Look At Me Now (Curb) 127
1984 My Sugaree/Service With A Smile (Curb) 133
1986 Mississippi Queen (Curb)
1989 Woolly Bully (Curb)
1996 House Of The Rising Sun (Curb)

Albums
1973 Bachman Turner Overdrive (Mercury) SRM-1-673
1973 Bachman Turner Overdrive II (Mercury) SRM-1-696
1974 Not Fragile (Mercury) SRM-1-1004
1975 Four Wheel Drive (Mercury) SRM-1-1027
1976 Head On (Mercury) SRM-1-1067
1976 The Best of BTO (So Far) (Mercury) SRM-1-1101
1977 Freeways (Mercury) SRM-1-3700
1977 BTO Japan Tour Live (Mercury) SRM-1-3703
1978 Street Action (Mercury) SRM-1-3713
1979 Rock and Roll Nights (Mercury) SRM-1-3748
1984 BTO (CEC) CPL1-1010
1986 Live – Live – Live!!! (Curb/MCA) MCA-5760
1991 Hard And Fast
1993 The Anthology (Mercury) 514902
1994 Best of Bachman Turner Overdrive Live (Curb/MCA) D2-77653
1994 Drive On (PolyTel) 830091
1996 Trial By Fire – Greatest & Latest (CMC) 5216112
1998 King Biscuit Presents BTO (King Biscuit) 88039
2000 20^th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Universal) 548096
2001 The Universal Masters Collection: Classic Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Universal) 548436
2005 Bachman-Turner Overdrive: Gold (Mercury/Universal) 547542
2008 Bachman-Turner Overdrive: The Definitive Collection (Mercury/Universal)
2008 Star-Club Präsentiert: Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Universal – EUR) 60075312805
2009 Green Series: The Best of Bachman-Turner Overdrive (Mercury/Universal)
2010 Icon (Mercury/Universal)  B001484702
2012 40^th Anniversary – Deluxe Edition (Universal) 534-018
2016 Classic Album Set (Caroline – EUR) CAROLR036CD
2021 Collected [2LP] (Music On Vinyl – EUR) MOVLP-2909

Compilation Tracks
1973 “Blue Collar” on ‘Sound Explosion’ (K-Tel) TC-213
1973 “Let It Ride” on ‘Canadian Mint’ (K-Tel) TC-215
1973 “Let It Ride” on ‘Don Kirshner Presents Rock Power’ (Ronco/Columbia Special Products) CSPS-838
1974 “Let It Ride” on ‘Superstars Greatest Hits’ (K-Tel) TC-218
1974 “Takin’ Care of Business” on ‘Dynamite’ (K-Tel) TC-219
1974 “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” on ‘Sound Explosion’ (K-Tel) TC-222
1975 “Roll On Down the Highway” on ‘Power Pak’ (K-Tel) TC-223
1975 “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” on ‘Canada Gold – 22 Karat Hits’ (K-Tel) TC-225
1975 “Hey You” on ‘Disco Rock’ (K-Tel) TC-226
1975 “Gimme Your Money Please” and “Four Wheel Drive” on ‘Heavy Canada’ (Mercury – Denmark) 9299-807
1976 “Takin’ Care of Business” on ‘Superstars’ (K-Tel) TC-227
1976 “Hey You” on ‘Canada’s Finest’ (K-Tel) TC-232
1981 “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” on ‘Superstars Salute New Massey Hall’ (CBS/CRIA) CRIA-1
1994 “Takin’ Care of Business” on Contact! The All-Star Collection / Contact! La Collection Des Étoiles (Attic) ACD-1395
1996 “Takin’ Care of Business” on ‘Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music’ (MCA) JUNO-25

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BACHMAN & TURNER
Randy Bachman(guitar, vocals) / C.F. “Fred” Turner (bass, vocals) / Brent Howard (bass, guitar) / Marc LaFrance (guitar) / Mick Dalla-Vee (drums)
Over the course of a four-year run, Randy Bachman and Fred Turner’s band Bachman-Turner Overdrive sold in excess of 30 million records, earning a staggering 120 platinum, gold and silver discs, and notching up hits in more than 20 countries. The band reached No.1 on Billboard’s singles chart with “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and album chart with ‘Not Fragile’, as well as scoring another handful of hits including “Taking Care of Business,” “Hey You,” “Let It Ride”, “Blue Collar” and “Looking Out for #1.” When the two stars went their separate ways in 1977, Randy Bachman continued to pursue a solo career, as well as being part of the four year Guess Who reunion (1999-2003), then a continuation with Burton Cummings as Bachman-Cummings, and subsequently establishing himself as a jazz artist and host of the CBC/Sirius radio show ‘Vinyl Tap’. Meanwhile, Fred Turner carried on with the other members of Bachman-Turner Overdrive before retiring from music at the end of the ’90s to indulge his passion for cars. Then, in 2009, while Bachman was working on a solo album he asked Turner to guest vocal on a track called “Rock ‘n’ Roll is the Only Way Out.” It worked out so well that Turner ended up singing on a few more. This led to an exchange of new ideas with Turner sending Bachman his most recent writing and Bachman’s solo album morphed into the Bachman & Turner project. In 2010 they released their first single, “Rollin’ Along”, and debuted their new live act (featuring Brent Howard, Marc LaFrance and Mick Dalla-vee) in June 2010 at the Sweden Rock Festival alongside Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses and Billy Idol. The full length CD ‘Bachman & Turner’ followed along with select North American and European dates. The highlight of these performances was the PBS broadcast ‘Live at the Roseland Ballroom’ in New York where fellow Canadian Paul Shaffer sat in on keyboards. The show was released on DVD/Blu-Ray in 2011. They also appeared at the 2010 Grey Cup half-time show. Bachman & Turner would also team up for shows with Paul Rodgers (Bad Company). [also see RANDY BACHMAN, BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE]

Singles
2010 Rollin’ Along (eONE)
2010 Slave To the Rhythm (Cadiz – Europe)

Albums
2010 Bachman & Turner (eONE) B0S-CD-002
2010 Forged In Rock (Future/Classic Rock – UK) ROC148-08-10
2011 Live At The Roseland Ballroom, NYC [CD/DVD] (Paquin/eONE)

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BACHMAN, Randy
Born: September 27, 1943 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Guitarist Randy Bachman was born and raised in Winnipeg and played with Chad Allan And The Silvertones in the late 1950’s with Garry Peterson (drums) and Jim Kale (bass). They played Top 40 material by American rock and roll acts. In 1962 they changed their name to Chad Allan And The Reflections and later as Chad Allan And The Expressions. It was this incarnation that landed a recording contract with Quality Records. Soon they released several singles, but it was difficult getting Canadian music onto Canadian radio. Quality, on the advice of Walt Grealis at RPM Magazine suggested they release the band’s next single, “Shakin’ All Over”, with a plain label that said ‘Guess Who?’. The single became a hit in 1965 and the band name stuck. Eventually members Bob Ashley and Chad Allan left the group and by 1966 a new hot-shot keyboardist/vocalist joined by the name of Burton Cummings. The band released many more singles for Quality between 1966 and 1967. After four poor selling albums for Quality Records, they sold the Guess Who’s contract to studio owner and producer Jack Richardson’s newly formed Nimbus 9 label for $1,000. In early 1968, after recording 2 singles and half of a special Coca-Cola promotional LP (with The Staccatos on the flipside) called ‘A Wild Pair’, Nimbus 9 decided to release a full length album containing eight Bachman/Cummings originals called ‘Wheatfield Soul’. This tenacity by both Nimbus and RCA paid off as the first single, “These Eyes”, broke new ground in the US eventually reaching No.3 on the charts and selling 1,000,000 copies. Embarrassed Canadian broadcasters, who had followed American music trends to the letter, were soon forced to playlist the song. The doors were now open for a string of hits including the double-A sided “Laughing/Undun” and their biggest selling record of all time – “American Woman”. Bachman had been slugging it out for 10 years by this point and decided to leave the group while they were on top. Upon leaving the band, he released a solo album called ‘Axe’ for RCA in 1970. The album did little and Bachman found himself yearning for the creativity of a collaborative atmosphere. He called his old Guess Who cohort Chad Allan and they decided to put a new band together. Allan would supply vocals, keyboard and rhythm guitar while Bachman’s younger brother, Robin, would handle drums. The trio became Brave Belt and headed into the studio to record their debut album with Bachman doing double duty on bass guitar. As fate would have it, they landed Fred Turner as bassist just as ‘Brave Belt’ was completed . By 1972’s ‘Brave Belt II’, the band was starting to show its heavier side particularly with Turner’s songwriting and gritty truck driver vocals which appeared to conflict with Chad Allan’s vision of the band. Allan’s contributions to the record were minimal and he quit before the record was released. With the limited success of the first two albums Randy Bachman began hunting for a better record deal which he found with Mercury/Polydor. At this point another Bachman brother, Tim, was added on guitar and the musical direction of the band became even heavier. By this time ‘Brave Belt III’ was the intended next record but with a new label and band direction the group changed gears, literally, and became ‘Bachman-Turner Overdrive’. ‘Bachman- Turner Overdrive’ was released in 1973 on Mercury Records and stayed in the charts for 68 weeks. After four tries, the only successful single from the record was “Blue Collar” which managed a reasonable position of No.68 on Billboard’s Hot 100. By year end they managed to pull out another album from their creative rebirth with ‘Bachman Tuner Overdrive II. The album was pushed all the way to Top10 by the driving force of the bubbling under “Let It Ride” and the monster hit “Takin’ Care of Business”. 1974’s album ‘Not Fragile’ gave the band the type of success that Randy Bachman had not scene since the Guess Who’s’ ‘American Woman’ in 1969. The album rode the charts at #1 from the success of the worldwide number one single “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” and its seminal follow-up “Roll on Down the Highway”. Subsequently, the world took a backward glance at BTO and their first two albums became certified gold in 1974. Bachman recorded seven studio albums, a ‘best of’, and fifteen charting singles. His final release with BTO was 1977’s ‘BTO Japan Tour – Live’ at which time Bachman quit the band due to the typical ‘musical differences’ and recorded his second solo album, ‘Survivor’ (1978) . Internal upheavals at the record label caused Bachman to beg out of his deal and he instead approached friends of his, the Scotti Brothers, who had just formed their own label. They were interested more in rock bands than solo performers and Bachman made one to order called Ironhorse. He brought in guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Tom Sparks from Washington State and added Chris Leighton on drums. They released two singles from their debut album including “Sweet Lui Louise”, before the band saw the departure of Sparks and the addition of former Trooper keyboardist/vocalist Frank Ludwig. With the change in direction and failure of the 1980 follow-up album ‘Everything Is Grey’, the band parted ways with Scotti Brothers. Bachman called up his old BTO and Brave Belt buddy Fred Turner to augment the existing three piece of Bachman, Leighton and Ludwig under the new name Union. The band released one album, ‘On Strike’, which spawned two singles for the US-based Portrait label (Heart, Burton Cummings). The album sank like a stone and the band dissolved. By 1983 the original line up of BTO met to discuss a reunion. Randy Bachman wanted to include Tim Bachman as part of the reformation, while other brother Robbie had pushed for Blair Thornton who was considered a better musician. Randy Bachman made the final choice to include his brother Tim Bachman causing Robbie Bachman to bow out of the reunion citing irreconcilable differences. Instead, Garry Peterson from the Guess Who joined BTO as their new drummer. In between these events the Guess Who also reunited for a live outing and album. But, BTO would never rest as the classic version of the band reunited yet again as CF Turner, Randy Bachman, Blair Thornton and Robbie Bachman made a comeback in 1988. They were able to hold the band together to tour for three years before Randy Bachman decided he’d finally had enough and bailed out in 1991. Bachman returned to running his own Ranbach label where he has released rare material by the original Guess Who, Lenny Breau and other guitarists in the Guitarchives series. He has also written two books, hosts the ‘Vinyl Tap’ radio show, released several solo CDs, put the Guess Who back together again from 1999-2003, toured and recorded with Cummings under the name Bachman-Cummings, and again in 2010 with CF Turner as Bachman & Turner. With notes from Randy Bachman and John Einarson. with notes from Randy Bachman and John Einarson. [also see BACHMAN-CUMMINGS, BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE, BACHMAN & TURNER, BRAVE BELT, THE GUESS WHO, IRONHORSE, UNION]

Singles
1971 Tally’s Tune/La Jolla (RCA/Victor) 75-1055
1978 Is the Night Too Cold For Dancin’?/Maybe Again (Polydor)  PD-14478
1978 Just a Kid/Survivor (Polydor – UK) 2066-954
1978 Survivor/Is the Night Too Cold For Dancing? (Polydor – MEXICO) 2066-955
1992 Prairie Town (Fast)/Prairie Town (Slow) (Ranbach) RBSK-1001
1996 Made In Canada (Single Edit)/Made In Canada (Album Version)/Takin’ Care Of Business (From Live in Bob’s Garage) (True North) PTN-002
1993 Overworked and Underpaid/It’s Only Money/American Woman (Guitar Recordings)  [no cat #]

Albums
1970 Axe (RCA) LSP-4348
1975 Solo Album (RCA) ANL1-1130
1978 Survivor (Mercury/Polygram) PD-1-6141
1993 Any Road (Ranbach/BMG)
1993 Bob’s Garage – Live [5 song EP] (Ranbach)
1996 Merge (True North) TNSD-0117
1998 Song Book (Ranbach)
2002 Every Song Tells a Story (Ranbach/True North) TNSD-0291
2004 Jazz Thing (Maximum Jazz) MAX-14792
2006 Anthology (1965-2006) (Friday) FRM-1048
2007 Jazz Thing II: New Guitar Summit (Ranbach) RBFN-003
2008 Takin’ Care of Christmas (Avalon) 41516
2015 Heavy Blues (Linus) 270204
2018 By George – By Bachman: The Songs of George Harrison (Universal) 40959

Compilation Tracks
1993 “Prairie Town” on ‘New Stuff Two’ (MMS) NSCD-002
1993 “Tailspin” on ‘New Stuff Three’ (MMS) NSCD-003
1994 “The Loner” on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199
2001 “Takin’ Care of Christmas” on ‘Takin’ Care of Christmas’ (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4019

with THE RANDY BACHMAN BAND
1996 “Roll On Down the Highway” on ‘Contact 2! The Second Period / Contact 2! La Deuxième Période’ (Attic) ACD-1438

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BACHMAN, Tal
Born: Talmage Charles Robert Bachman on August 13, 1968 in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Tal Bachman is the son of legendary Guess Who/BTO guitarist Randy Bachman, who learned to play drums, piano and guitar at an early age, and rebelled against music after graduating high school, fled his home in the Vancouver suburb of White Rock and took up Philosophy at a University in Utah near his mother’s home. After graduating he left to to be a missionary and study Spanish in Argentina for two years. After returning to British Columbia he spent the next three years writing songs and trying to land a record deal with help from his father. Randy Bachman pushed some record label connections and soon, Tal was signed to the US Columbia label. Vancouver ite Bob Rock was enlisted to co-produce Tal’s debut album. Bachman’s self-titled debut was released in 1999 and the lead-off single, “She’s So High”, became a monster smash hit for him globally. Soon Bachman’s songs began appearing on such television shows as ‘NYPD Blue’ and ‘Dawson’s Creek’. But the failure for the album’s second single to chart significantly left Bachman at the mercy of the industry declaring him a one-hit wonder. Troubles with management and A & R direction from Columbia Records found Tal switching management and labels. His sophomore CD, ‘Staring Down the Sun’, was released in August 2004 on the Sextent label and he made the Top20 on Canadian charts with the song “Aeroplane.”

Singles
1999 She’s So High/Angeline (Columbia) CSK-41393
1999 B-sides [3-song EP] (Columbia/SONY) CSK-42117
1999 If You Sleep (Radio Edit)/If You Sleep (Album Version) (Columbia) CSK-46467
2000 Romanticide (Columbia)
2004 Aeroplane (Sextent)

Albums
1999 Tal Bachman (Columbia) CK-67956
1999 B-Sides [3-song EP] (Columbia – US) CSK-42117
2000 If You Sleep [EP] (Columbia) SAMPCS-8175
2004 Staring Down The Sun (Sextent) 70037-2
2007 Don’t Let Your Friends Name Your Album

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BACHOTS, Les
Pierre Archambault (acoustic guitar, vocals) / Pierre Martin (acoustic guitar, vocals) / Gilles Thérien (acoustic guitar, vocals)

Albums
1965 Les Bachots, Vol. 1 (Select) M.298-102

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BACK STREET JOURNAL
Marvin Carlson (bass, vocals) / Larry Johnson (drums) / Al Shirley (vocals, keyboards) / Steve Lehr (lead guitar) / Jack Sundrud (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)

Singles
1967 I’m Not With You/Ain’t Too Proud To Beg (Franklin) FR-104

Compilation Tracks
2008 “I’m Not With You” and “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” (Super Oldies) SOCD-6

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BACKROADS
Bruce Frazer (lead vocals) / Neil Doherty (lead guitar, backing vocals)
Lead vocalist Bruce Frazer and guitarist Doherty were originally part of a previous group called Summerhill, which included Rob Fraser (guitar), Mario Mekis (drums) and Vic Unsworth (bass, keyboards). Summerhill changed its lineup and featured several new musicians. Doherty and Frazer were the only original members so they changed their name to Backroads. The song “Streetcar Rider” in the 1981 annual Q107-FM Homegrown contest landed them a spot on the station’s ‘Homegrown Volume 3’. With notes from Matt Doherty and Robert Fraser (Morritt).

Compilations Tracks
1981 “Streetcar Rider” on ‘Q107 Homegrown Volume 3’ (Basement/Attic) BASE-6007

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BAD
Kevin Carlisle(vocals) / John Escapa (guitars) / Craig Vasiloff (bass) / Garry Flint (drums)
After being fired from Bob Sylum’s band Sylum, Escapa and Flint formed BAD. “She Overheats” was the debut for this popular Toronto white funk/synth pop band with a hard dance oriented edge. Garry Flint went on to play in National Velvet. with notes from Craig Knight.

Singles
1984 She Overheats/Funkattack (KGB) CCR-9176

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BAD CHILD
Born: Isaiah Steinberg
BAD CHILD is a Canadian singer, writer, and producer born to a Canadian father and French mother. A traumatic childhood of losing his mother would launch his creative exploration in Toronto. [also see ArtistsCAN]

Singles
2018 Bad Child [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2019 Payback (Bok Bok Remix) (Universal – Sweden)
2019 Desert Island (Alice Ivy Remix) (Universal – Sweden)
2019 Picking Cherries (Dieselike Remix) (Universal – Sweden)
2020 I [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2020 Candy (Mute Choir Remix) [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2020 You Look Good Like That (BAD CHILD Remix) [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2020 II [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2021 $1,000,000 [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2021 Royalty (Royalty Remix) [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2021 Paranoia [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2022 Spirals [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2022 CRYSTAL CLEAR! [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)

Albums
2019 Sign Up [DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2020 COVERS [4-song EP DigiFile] (21 Entertainment Group/Universal)
2021 Free Trial (Universal) 0243551502

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BAD RABITZ
as BAD HABITS: Jim Merrill (bass) / Todd Collison (drums) / Rob Thomas [aka Bear] (guitar) / David Hines (guitar, vocals) / Danny Collison (guitar; replaced Bear)
as BAD RABITZ: Todd Collison (drums) / Danny Collison (guitar) / Keith Cameron (vocals)
Bad Rabitz started life as Siren featuring Thomas, Robb, and Merrill. They did some successful road work before deciding to bring in a fourth member, Dave Hines and new drummer Todd Collison. With Cam Atkinson as manager they changed their name to Bad Habits and began playing in the snow-belt of Northern Toronto. Several more LINE-UPs changes followed before the band entered their tape into the annual Q107 Homegrown contest and won a spot on the contest album. Unfortunately for the band, former manager Atkinson owned the name and the group were forced to come up with an alternate moniker before the album went to press – thus Bad Rabitz was born. Jim Merrill still plays around the Bracebridge, Ontario area using the original band name, Bad Habits, given back to him by Atkinson. With notes from Cam Atkinson and Rob Thomas.

Compilations Tracks
1981 “River” on ‘Homegrown Volume 3’ (Basement/Attic) BASE-6007

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BAILEY, Jack
Born: April 26, 1938 in Peterborough, ON
Died: September 2, 1987
Jack Bailey was one of Canada’s premiere Rockabilly pioneers. His first record was “The Bad Apple” on Rodeo Records in February 1959 followed by one single with Mala, one with Chateau including “Oh, What Love Is” which led to a deal with Ford Records in New York where the song was re-issued and several others followed. By the early ’70s, Bailey re-invented himself as a middle of the road entertainer with many more singles on GRT Records; Bailey died from a heart attack on September 2, 1987.

Singles
1971 (The Whole World’s) Down On You/Here Comes The Rain (GRT) 1230-07
1972 On Your Way Out/Search With No Ease (GRT) 1230-12
1972 Charlie’s Picture/My Woman, My Woman, My Wife (GRT) 1230-24
1972 Darlin’/I’m Looking Through You (GRT) 1230-34
1972 Here’s To Lovin’ You (GRT) 1230-37
1972 I Can’t Look Sunday In The Eye/Molly Brown (GRT) 1230-44
1973 Aaron Brown/The Key to My Happiness (GRT) 1230-59

with JACK BAILEY AND THE DAN PENNY ORCHESTRA
1959 The Bad Apple/What’s the Matter With Me (Rodeo) RO-206

with JACK BAILEY AND THE NATURALS
1961 Life’s Like The River/Memories Of You (Mala) 432
1961 Oh What Love Is/Beneath The Moonlight (Chateau) C-125
1962 Tiger Lil/Your Magic Touch (Ford – US) 113
1962 I Cried/I Was A Fool To Care (Ford – US) 121
1963 Let’s Live A Little/With This Ring I Thee Wed (Ford – US) 12

Albums
196-  Jack Bailey Breaks Out (Dominion) LPS-21029
1971 Jack Bailey (GRT) 9230-1003
1972 Here’s To Lovin’ You (GRT) 9230-1017
1973 Keep Me (GRT) 9230-1038

Compilation Tracks
1999 “Oh What Love Is” on ‘Shakin’ Up North – Canadian Rockabilly Vol. 1′ (Bear Family) B-16289

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BALADINS, Les
Jean-Yves Leclerc / Yves Campeau
A duo from Montréal, Québec formed by Jean-Yves Leclerc and Yves Campeau, Les Baladins performed in nightclubs around Québec. They released their first single “Je confie” on the Aladin label in 1959. Following this, they worked under the direction of Pierre Nolès and were signed to London Records in 1962. They released two singles for the label – “Pardon pour notre amour” and “Gordie Howe” – the latter becoming a minor hit for the group. A full album followed in 1963 on Idéal Records entitled “Les Baladins chantent” containing covers of the day’s most popular songs. Later that year they followed up with a cover of Sylvie Vartan’s hit “Chance” for Apex Records. With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1959 Je confie/Dansons gaiement (Aladin) ALA-5001
1962 Pardon pour notre amour/Le séparatwist (London) FC-556
1962 Gordie Howe/Cher Lucien (London) FC-598
1963 Chance/Neuf filles sur dix (Apex) 13308

Albums
1963 Les Baladins chantent (Idéal) ID-7005

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BALAZAR

Singles
1971 Love Have Mercy/The Lover (Yorkville) YV-45029

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BALDRY, Long John
Born: John William Baldry in Haddon, Derbyshire, UK on January 12, 1941
Died: July 21, 2005 in British Columbia
Long John Baldry is credited with being one of the fathers of the British blues scene of the 1960s.  At 20 years old he joined Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated as their lead singer in 1962 and appeared on one album entitled ‘R & B at the Marquee’ that year before moving on. The album is considered to be the first of its kind in England and is said to have inspired everyone from Mick Jagger to Keith Richards to Rod Stewart to Eric Clapton. Baldry would soon be signed to United Artists in 1964 and released the ‘Long John’s Blues’ album. He was then invited by the Beatles to perform “I Got My Mojo Workin’” on their world television debut broadcast ‘Around the World with The Beatles’ that year. He then joined Bluesology in Middlesex, England featuring a young piano player named Reginald Dwight (the future Sir Elton John) in 1965 where he recorded one single with them for Fontana called “Come Back, Baby” b/w “Time’s Getting Tougher than Tough”. From there he left to form his own group called Steampacket with Brian Auger later in 1965. The group also featured vocalists Rod Stewart and Julie Driscoll. But the group split up by 1966 with Baldry recording his second solo album for United Artists. Soon he would head to Pye Records for two albums and his first charting hit “Let the Heartaches Begin”. In early 1970 he tried his hand with another band called The Hoochie Coo Men who released one album for the Hallmark label before Baldry was scooped up by Warner Bros. The label was determined to break him internationally especially stateside and they released a new recording of “Let the Heartache Begin” in late 1970. But it was 1971’s “Don’t Try to Lay No Boogie-Woogie On the King of Rock and Roll” that give him his first real taste of international success and his biggest selling album ‘It Ain’t Easy’ – an album produced by Elton John and Rod Stewart. The trio would re-team for 1972’s ‘Everything Stops For Tea’ and featured a Baldry/Rod Stewart duet on the single “Mother Ain’t Dead.” He moved to Graff Management’s GM Record label in England bu they were unable to continue the push into North America. This led to signing on with Neil Bogart’s fledgling Casablanca Records where Baldry finally found popularity in North America on his successful ‘Good To Be Alive’ album – which GM had initially released in 1973 – but re-released on the back of  his Casablanca debut in 1975 entitled ‘Welcome to Club Casablanca’. However, the label’s direction changed to disco and Baldry found his blues being watered down by dance grooves. By the mid-70’s Baldry had moved to Vancouver, British Columbia teaming up with Kathi McDonald (former member of The Unusuals), performing as a middle of the road music duo. A move to Capitol in 1979 led to three successful albums with hit versions of “Come and Get Your Love” and “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” with McDonald. A new west coast label Music Line took Baldry on next and his ‘Silent Treatment’ album in 1986 spawned a minor radio hit revival of the Walker Brothers’ “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore”. Eager to get back to his traditional blues roots Stony Plain Records chief Holger Peterson encouraged Baldry to come over to the label in the ‘90s and follow his muse. Half a dozen albums followed including a live set as The Long John Baldry Trio in 2000 recorded at the Downtown Blues Club in Hamburg, Germany and the Tom Lavin (Powder Blues) produced solo disc ‘It Still Ain’t Easy’. Baldry died on July 21, 2005. with notes from Paul Myers.

Singles
1966 I’m On To You Baby/Goodbye Baby (United Artists) 1078
1967 Cuckoo [4 song EP] (United Artists – France) 36-108
1967 Cuckoo/Bring My Baby Back To Me (Ascot – UK) 2229
1967 It’s Too Late Now/The Long and Lonely Night (Pye – France) PV-15039
1967 Let the Heartaches Begin/ Annabella (Who Flies To Me When She’s Lonely) (Pye – UK) 7N-17385
1968 Underneath The Sun In Mexico/We’re Together (Pye – UK) 7N-17563
1968 Wise To Know The Ways Of The World/When The Sun Comes Shining Through (Pye – UK) 7N-17593
1969 Wait For Me/Don’t Pity Me (Pye – UK) 7N-17815
1969 Setting Fire To The Tail of a Fox/Well I Did (Pye – UK) 7N-17921
1970 Let the Heartaches Begin/Hey Lord You Made The Night Too Long (Warner Bros.) 7098
1970 Since I Lost You Baby/Holdback the Daybreak (Warner Bros.) 7184
1971 Don’t Try To Lay No Boogie-Woogie On The King Of Rock And Roll/Mr. Rubin (Warner Bros.) 7506
1972 Mother Ain’t Dead/You Can’t Judge A Book By The Cover (Warner Bros.) 7617
1973 She/Song for Martin Luthor King (GM – UK) GM-5005
1973 Let Me Pass/Let’s Go (GM – UK) GM-5018
1975 Let Me Pass/High & Low (Casablanca) NB-600X
1977 This Boy’s In Love/Song for Martin Luther King (GM – UK) GMS-9043
1977 On Broadway/(Instrumental)  (GM – UK) GMS-9045
1979 Come And Get Your Love/[same] (Capitol) 72808
1979 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling/Baldry’s Out (Capitol) 72805
1979 A Thrill’s a Thrill/Find You (Capitol) 72815
1979 Any Day Now/Work For Me (Capitol) 72841
1980 I Want You, I Love You/Walk Me Out In the Morning Dew (EMI America – US) 686329
1982 Too Late For Crying/25 Years Of Pain (Capitol) 72874
1982 Stay The Way You Are/Midnight Show (Capitol) 72878
1986 Silent Treatment/Our Love Is In Limbo (Music Line) MLS-002
1986 Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore/Carnival (Music Line) MLS-003
1986 This Is Japan/When The World Doesn’t Love You (Music Line) MLS-005

with BLUESOLOGY
1965 Come Back, Baby/Time’s Getting Tougher Than Tough (Fontana) TF-594

Albums
1964 Long John’s Blues (United Artists) ULP-1081
1966 Looking At Long John (United Artists) UAS-9013
1968 Let The Heartaches Begin (Pye) NPL-18208
1969 Wait For Me (Pye) NSPL-18366
1971 It Ain’t Easy (Warner Bros.) WS-1921
1972 Everything Stops For Tea (Warner Bros.) WBS-2614
1973 Heartaches (Golden Hour) GH-572
1973 Good to Be Alive (Casablanca)  NBLP-7012
1976 Welcome to Club Casablanca (Casablanca)  NBLP-7035-V
1979 Baldry’s Out! (Capitol) ST-6459
1980 Long John Baldry (EMI America) SW-17038
1982 Rock With the Best (Capitol) ST-6490
1982 The Best of Long John Baldry (Capitol) SN-66124
1986 Silent Treatment (Music Line) MLP-0001
1988 The Best of Long John Baldry: Let The Heartaches Begin (PRT – Greece) 11015
1991 It Still Ain’t Easy (Stony Plain) SPCD-1163
1993 Long John Baldry – On Stage Tonight (Stony Plain) SPCD-1192
1995 A Thrill’s a Thrill: The Canadian Years (EMI Music) Z-2960
1996 Right To Sing The Blues (Stony Plain) SPCD-1232
1997 The Very Best of Long John Baldry: 20 of His Finest (Music Club – UK)
2001 Remembering Leadbelly (Stony Plain) SPCD-1275
2006 Boogie Woogie: The Warner Bros. Recordings (Rhino Handmade – US) RHM2-7896
2006 Let the Heartaches Begin: The Pye Anthology (Sequel) NEE-CD-298
2006 Looking At Long John Baldry: The UA Years 1964-1966 (EMI Music) 50899
2007 Midnight In New Orleans (Black Box – EU)
2009 Live – Iowa State University 1987 (Angel Air) SJP-CD310

with ALEXIS KORNER’S BLUES INCORPORATED
1962 R & B at the Marquee (Ace of Clubs) ACL-1130
1981 Profile (Decca) 6-24476-AL

with STEAMPACKET
1971 Places & Faces
1972 Rod Stewart & Steampacket (Springboard International) SPB-4063
1974 Early (Music Metronome – Germany)  201.026
1977 The First Supergroup (Charly – UK) CR-300-020
1990 The Steampacket (Charly – UK) CDCD-1031

with LONG JOHN BALDRY & THE HOOCHIE COOCHIE MEN
1970 Long John Baldry & The Hoochie Coochie Men (Hallmark) 560

with LONG JOHN BALDRY TRIO
2000 Long John Baldry Trio – Live (Stony Plain) SPCD-1268

Compilation Tracks
2006 “It Ain’t Easy” on ‘Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years’ (CBC)

with LONG JOHN BALDRY & KATHI McDONALD
1980 “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” on ‘Expressions’ (K-Tel) NC-520

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BALLANTYNE, Jon
Born: 1963 in Saskatchewan
The success of this record led to tours with Joe Henderson in Japan, Finland, New York and Canada. Ballantyne would then team up with pianist Paul Bley for 1991’s live recording from Montreal – ‘A Musing’. 1994 ‘s ‘The Loose’, features Drew Gress and Billy Hart and was at Sear Sound, in New York City and includes five Jon Ballantyne originals plus covers from just greats like Joe Henderson and Thelonious Monk. In the 21st century, Ballantyne has been very active, leading a Manhattan-based and critically-acclaimed quartet featuring bassist Boris Kozlov, drummer Jeff Hirshfield and saxophonist/bass clarinetist Douglas Yates. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle stated in a recent review that the quartet’s performance at the Rochester Jazz Festival was “the best concert of the day”. Ballantyne now resides in Brooklyn, New York. With additional notes from Anne Pinomaki.

Albums
as JON BALLANTYNE TRIO with TERRY CLARK & JIN VIVIAN
1987 Trio Jon Ballantyne (Jazz Image) JZ-111

as JON BALLANTYNE TRIO featuring JOE HENDERSON
1989 Skydance (Justin Time) JUST 39-2

as JON BALLANTYNE with PAUL BLEY
1991 A Musing (Justin Time)

as JON BALLANTYNE with DREW GRESS and BILLY HART
1994 The Loose (Justin Time) JUST 65-2
1997 Trio Live (NYJAM)

as JON BALLANTYNE TRIO with DREW GRESS and GENE JACKSON
1999 Known Unknown (NYJAM) NYJAM-1197

as JON BALLANTYNE 4TETS with DEWEY REDMAN
2001 Round Again (NYJAM)

with BILL GOODWIN, JON BALLANTYNE, EVAN GREGOR
2019 Trio (Vectordis) 46

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BALOUE, Lewis
Born: Randall Aldon Wulff in Calgary, Alberta
Discovery of an independent pressing of the 1983 Lewis album ‘L’Amour’ at an Edmonton Flea Market in the 2000s led to a detective search for the true identity of this unknown artist by record label Light In the Attic who hired a private detective to track down Wulff in an effort to get permission to re-release the album. Identified as Randall AldonWulff, the musician’s relatives were estranged but have revealed that Wulff was a stockbroker from Calgary who made enough money to dabble in his musical passion. He relocated in the 1980s to Hollywood where he recorded his debut. The photographer who took the cover photo, Ed Colver, was conned out of his $250 fee for the photos while Wulff ran to Las Vegas and later Hawaii never to be seen again. With the internet abuzz about this mystery artist a search by collectors has unearthed a second album, ‘Romantic Times’ under the name Lewis Baloue, recorded at Thunder Studios back in Calgary and released in 1985. Light In the Attic has also traced a studio where material was recorded under the name R.J. Duke in the 1990s. It is suspected that there maybe more albums under unrelated pseudonyms. Wulff has not come forward to clear up this mystery. with notes from Mike Bell.

Albums
as LEWIS
1983 L’Amour (R.A.W. – US) RAW-1001

as LEWIS BALOUE
1985 Romantic Times (R.A.W. – US) RAW-1002

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BAMBI
Margaret Elizabeth (vocals) / Angel Lopez (mini-moog)
Born to a musical family in Toronto, Margaret Elizabeth was in her teens when she was discovered by the Judy Welch Modeling Agency and International Top Models. She played piano and was enrolled in a Royal Academy of Dance program until popular music caught her ear and she formed her first band. Following high school she went to George Brown College and earned a diploma in Theatre Arts. Next, Elizabeth auditioned and was accepted into the Humber College jazz music program. It was at this point she connected with moog player Angel Lopez and together they formed minimalist punk duo Bambi. A cover version of David Essex’s “Rock On” became the title track to their 1986 seven song independent debut. The act made a big splash on CFNY-FM and MuchMusic which propelled off stage sales (and the few local retail outlets such as Sam the Record Man who supported indie product) to the neighbourhood of 5,000 units. The sales figures alone attracted the attention of A & M Records who offered her a record deal. It was a new venture for her and a new name was chosen to represent the next chapter in her career. Margaret Elizabeth soon became hard rock artist Betty Moon. She now resides in California. [also see BETTY MOON]

Albums
1986 Rock On [7-song 12”] (Azumuve)

Compilation Tracks
1989 “Master of Love” on ‘Indie-Can ‘89’ (Intrepid) CD-2

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BAMBI SLAM, The
Roy Fielden (guitar, vocals) / Nick Maynard (drums) / Linda Miller (cello, bass)
Roy Fielden was a struggling Canadian musician from Pickering, Ontario who did roadie work with Nasty Habitz and occasionally jammed with Moving Targetz in the early ‘80s. Tired of getting nowhere in the Canadian music scene he headed to England and began networking and shopping his tunes. Through a series of 7” and 12” singles on the label Product Inc. in the UK, he eventually caught the attention of Blanco Y Negro Records who signed him in 1987 to a distribution deal with Warner Music. The self-titled debut album received rave reviews with its quirky Love & Rockets – meets – T.Rex minimalism. The album led to the 12” EP “Is…” on Rough Trade Records stateside. Some success with song placement on shows used by MTV has kept Fielden busy – including a 2007 CD shout out to fans called ‘I’m Alive’. Fielden has lived in South Central Los Angeles for the better part of a decade. Many Bambi Slam songs were used as replacement incidental music when the TV show ‘Meet the Osbournes’ was put into syndication as the cost of Ozzy Osbourne’s original material was too expensive.

Singles
1987 Bamp-Bamp/Hit Me With Your Hairbrush [7” & 12”] (Product Inc. – UK)
PROD-2.7/PROD-2.12
1987 Happy Birthday (Yet Another)/Fun & Roses (Product Inc. – UK) 7PROD-13
1988 Don’t It Make You Feel… (Product Inc. – UK) 12PROD-08

Albums
1987 The Bambi Slam (Blanco Y Negro/Warner UK) 25852
1987 Is.. [5-song EP]  (Rough Trade – US) ROUGH-US-29
2007 I’m Alive (Corporate Risk) CORP-083

Compilation Tracks
1987 “Don’t It Make You Feel…” on ‘Indie Top 20 Volume 2’ (Beechwood) TT-02

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BAMBOO
ORIGINAL LINE-UP: Mike Langford (vocals) / Alex Stangl (guitar) / Mike Ali (bass) / Kira Payne (saxophone)  / Gord Quakenbush (drums)
LINE-UP II:  Mike Langford (vocals) / Alex Stangl (guitar) / JC Smith (keyboards, bass) / Greg Heard (drums)
LINE-UP III:  Mike Langford (vocals) / Alex Stangl (guitar) / Matthew Gerrard (bass) / Phil Poppa (saxophone) / Max E. Drachenberg [aka Max Styles] (drums)
Bamboo was formed in late 1982. Songwriter Alex Stangl teamed up with singer Mike Langford (Heat Exchange, Wireless), another Peterborough native. The goal was to create a band, with a focus on “dancable pop & rock”, so that they would have an easy time getting gigs around the Peterborough area in the local taverns. They did play a lot of cover songs initially, but soon their repetoire included several original songs. In mid-1983, Bamboo recorded a three song demo at Quest Studio in Oshawa, Ontario. After much consideration, Mike and Alex disbanded the original lineup of the band, though oddly enough, they released an independent 45 rpm single, “Come Day O’ Night Eh!” b/w “In Your Plans”. The b-side from the single charted in the Top 10 on CKPT Radio thanks, in great part, to the efforts of music director Dan Gall. This created a lot of buzz and interest from the major record labels in Toronto. Mike and Alex decided to resurrect the band with a new lineup, which included JC Smith (keyboards, bass) and Greg Heard (drums). After playing a series of showcase dates and recording a 4 song demo with producer Brian Ainsworth, they signed a production/publishing deal with ATV Music and eventually landed a recording contract with Capitol/EMI of Canada in 1984. The album ‘Stop All Distractions’ was recorded between the fall of 1984 and early 1985 and was released in June 1985 on Capitol/EMI Canada. The album’s line-up consisted of Mike Langford, Alex Stangle, Phil Poppa (saxophone), Robert Steele (keyboards), Max E. Drachenberg aka Max Styles of The Kings (drums), and bassist Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve (Streetheart, Tom Cochrane). The single from the album was “Come Day O’ Night Eh!” featuring the non-album B-side “Laughing When We’re Young”. It had a short shelf life on the Top 100 Chart in Canada, peaking at No.91. The video for the single received a bit of airplay on Canada’s music video channel MuchMusic, but the album stiffed after generally receiving poor reviews. A second single, “Miles In My Hand” — featuring the non-album B-side “Nothing Left To Say” — was released in the summer of 1985, but there was very little excitement or enthusiasm for the band. One of the major problems was the turnover rate of their membership making it extremely difficult to maintain any kind of momentum. After Bamboo played their last gig in September 1985 at The Diamond Club in Toronto, Ontario, (which included at jam session with Supertramp) they recorded another two-song demo in January 1986 but these songs were rejected by Capitol Records. Mike and Alex folded the project and headed back to Peterborough. Mike and Alex still record together occasionally. “Come Day O’ Night Eh!” was released again in 1999 as part of a compilation CD series by Capitol/EMI Canada titled ‘Pure Canadian – Retro 80s’. with notes from Alex Stangl.

Singles
1983 Come Day O’ Night Eh!/In Your Plans (independent)  BAM-01
1985 Come Day O’ Night Eh!/Laughing When We’re Young (Capitol/EMI) 72967
1985 Come Day O’ Night Eh! [12″] (Capitol/EMI) 75101
1985 Miles In My Hand/Nothing Left To Say (Capitol/EMI) B-72984

Albums
1985 Stop All Distractions (Capitol/EMI) ST-6519

Compilation Tracks
1999 “Come Day O’ Night Eh!” on “Retro: 80’s – Pure Canadian” (EMI)

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BAND, The
ORIGINAL LINE-UP: Robbie Robertson (guitar, vocals)  / Rick Danko (bass, vocals) / Levon Helm (drums, vocals)  / Garth Hudson (organ) / Richard Manuel (piano);
1990’s LINE-UP: Garth Hudson (organ) / Rick Danko (bass, vocals) / Levon Helm (drums, vocals) / Jim Weider (guitar) / Randy Ciarlante (guitar) / Richard Bell (keyboards)
Danko, Manuel and Hudson hailed from small Ontario towns while Robertson was born in Toronto. Levon Helm was raised in Marvell, Arkansas. All five had started playing young and were influenced by the sounds of the American south. Helm had been guitarist in the Jungle Bush Beaters before hooking up with Ronnie Hawkins, Jimmy Ray, “Luke” Paulman and Willard “Pop” Jones. It was during this period that Helm began playing drums. Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks worked their way up to Canada a few times before Hawkins decided to make their home in 1958. As various members of The Hawks left due to homesickness, the individuals who would one day become The Band began to join. Robbie Robertson (Robbie And The Robots, Little Caesar And The Consuls) joined early in 1960, initially on bass but was groomed for Fred Carter Jr.’s guitar spot as Carter had decided he too was going to leave. Rick Danko, on the other hand, had been playing guitar in various Simcoe area acts since the age of 12 and saw Hawkins and band in 1960. Danko begged himself an opening slot during Hawkins’ return the following spring. This led to his enrolment as rhythm guitarist and then moving to bass after the departure of Rebel Paine. Richard Manuel (ex-Rockin’ Revols) joined later in the summer of 1961 as pianist and vocalist. The final recruit was Garth Hudson, during Christmas 1961, on piano and sax whose main claim to fame prior to joining the Hawks was as leader of Paul London And The Kapers. The members of The Hawks considered Hudson a career professional and the single most important addition to the group – he joined under the condition that he be paid for his performance time and as teacher for the other members of The Hawks. Ronnie Hawkins released 9 singles and several LPs from 1959 to 1963. Helm is on all of them while Robertson and Danko play on the last three singles, Manuel on the last two, and Hudson on the last. The five future members of The Band and Jerry Penfound (saxophone) plus singer Bruce Bruno left Hawkins early in 1964 because they were dissatisfied with the money being paid. They started out as the Levon Helm Sextet but soon switched to Levon And The Hawks and for a year and a half made their way through the American mid-West and Mississippi regions playing frat houses, college gigs and redneck bars. As the Canadian Squires they recorded “Leave Me Alone” and “Uh-Uh-Uh”, produced by Henry Glover for the New York-based Ware label in 1964. A second single, under the Levon And The Hawks banner was “The Stones I Throw” and “He Don’t Love You (And He’ll Break Your Heart)” for Atco, in the summer of 1965. By this time both Bruno and Penfound had left the fold. During this period, a secretary from Toronto named Mary Martin, who was working for Bob Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman, suggested to Dylan that the Hawks should be is backing band on his coming controversial ‘electric’ tour (Dylan had been playing only acoustic folk up to that point). Martin also worked for the Hawks’ and could introduce the two talents. While playing a four-month stand in Somers Point, New Jersey, Dylan saw them and hired Robertson first for two gigs, in late August at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in New York and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Robertson was unimpressed with Dylan’s choice of drummer and suggested his old team mate Helm whom Dylan hired for the second show. So Robertson, Helm, bassist Harvey Brooks and keyboardist Al Kooper gritted their teeth and accompanied Dylan on his next set of gigs to a wall of boos and jeering from folk purists who considered Dylan a sell-out. Dylan wanted Robertson and Helm to stay on for the remainder of an American tour and possibly Australia and Europe. The duo felt it would only work if they were a cohesive unit…and to do this they needed The Hawks. Following rehearsal in Toronto in September 1965, Bob Dylan and The Band took to the road. The quintet relocated to New York, where they could fly out on Dylan’s private plane, play several gigs a week to booing audiences (Dylan wasn’t winning any friends with his conversion to electric folk). Helm soon became discouraged and returned to his native south. Meanwhile, the Dylan experience was captured in a final show at London’s Royal Albert Hall for a future live LP by Columbia Records in May 1966. Following the tour Dylan ensconced himself in Woodstock, New York, to edit the film footage from the European leg of the tour. The documentary, ‘Eat the Document’ needed plenty of work and The Band was put on a weekly retainer where they began commuting regularly to Woodstock to help Dylan on the film. On the property there was a large pink house (affectionately called ‘Big Pink’) which gave The Band a place to retreat, write songs and jam with Dylan and as a band. By 1967 they were recording some of the sessions in the basement eventually resulting in Dylan’s ‘Basement Tapes’ album which was officially released in 1975 (thought bootlegs of the remaining unreleased material still make the rounds today). Before recording an official release could commence two elements needed to be in place. Levon Helm needed to be brought back which Danko managed to do by cutting him for a share of a record label advance. Secondly, they needed management and Dylan’s manager Albert Grossman fit the bill. He shopped some mediocre demos to Warner Bros but president Mo Ostin was unavailable and Grossman wanted The Band signed immediately so he went to Capitol Records who signed the act, as The Crackers, to a record deal. The same week Helm returned, the Band met producer John Simon through filmmaker Howard Alk. ‘Music From Big Pink’ was recorded in two separate locations — New York for the initial bedtracks and then in Los Angeles for completion. Upon release in 1968 ‘Music from Big Pink’ was a slow mover and the ambiguity of the name The Band only added to the confusion of the Dylan painting on the cover in place of an official band photo. The mystery of the band was exploited in the press and a devastating car accident for Danko made interviews with the band impossible until 1969. By this time they were already in California recording their eponymous follow-up. “Up On Cripple Creek” was their first and only Top 30 single, peaking at No.25 in late 1969. The album also featured FM radio staples such as “Rag Mama Rag” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” which went to No.3 on the Billboard charts for Joan Baez in 1971. ‘The Band’ LP was very successful, peaking at No.9 on Billboard’s LP charts, and they had started gigging regularly for the first time since 1966, playing both Woodstock and the Isle of Wight festivals (the latter with Dylan). The press hailed them as nothing short of the Second Coming. The group found that people started treating them differently and as result it had some slow, long reaching effect on each of the members. With Robbie Robertson doing the lion’s share of the writing and having all the praise heaped upon him, Richard Manuel retreated into his keyboards and all but stopped writing. For their next LP, ‘Stage Fright’, The Band returned to Woodstock with the hopes of recording live at the Woodstock Playhouse. The Woodstock Town Council was afraid the town would be overrun by hippies from New York as had happened at Max Yeager’s farm in the Summer of Love for The Woodstock Festival in 1969. Instead, the band brought in producer and Woodstock resident Todd Rundgren for a live-off-the-floor recording. The sessions were completed in two weeks having done pre-production ahead of time in anticipation of a live recording. Producer Glyn Johns also helped in the remixing stage and both Rundgren and John mixes appeared on the final release. The album was launched in September 1970 and featured perennial favourites such as “The Shape I’m In” and “Stage Fright” which would become staples in The Band’s live set until their demise. With “Stage Fright” put to bed, The Band spent the next year on road after which they returned once more to Woodstock to begin working on their fourth album, ‘Cahoots’, which was recorded at Albert Grossman’ Bearsville Studios, and released in October 1971. The album featured another Band favourite, “Life Is a Carnival”, which was given the New Orleans sleaze via Allan Toussaint. “4% Pantomime” also saw the guest appearance by co-writer Van Morrison. With Toussaint on board for “Life Is A Carnival”, they asked him to write arrangements for much of their repertoire, for three performances at the Academy of Music in New York, culminating New Year’s eve 1971 with a rare guest appearance by Bob Dylan. The three shows were recorded for the live double album ‘Rock of Ages’ in 1972. The album produced The Band’s second hit single, “Don’t Do It”, which went to No.34 on Billboard in 1972. Both ‘Stage Fright’ and ‘Cahoots’ were not critically well received and the Band was worn down. Following the final show on New Years Eve the band stopped playing live until their re-emergence 18 months later at the Watkins Glen Festival with the Allman Brothers and The Grateful Dead. The time between saw The Band coasting with ‘Rock Of Ages’ in the fall of 1972, an album of oldies, ‘Moondog Matinee’, in 1973, and the Bob Dylan/Band tour album from shows in early 1974 called ‘Before The Flood’ following their appearance on his studio album that same year called ‘Planet Waves’. In 1975 they picked up their boot heals and decided to record a new studio album of original material, ‘Northern Lights – Southern Cross’. Throughout 1976 Capitol released singles from the album getting major airplay for the first time in the Band’s history. An outtake from the album, “Twilight”, would appear on the year-end compilation ‘The Best of The Band’.  Unhappy with Capitol Records and hanging on a multi-million dollar deal from Warner Brothers, the group had a contractual obligation to deliver one more record to Capitol before they could leave the label. They had also decided to stop touring and following their 1976 summer they announced one last blow-out gig to be held Thanksgiving day at Winterland in San Francisco, the (home of their earliest gigs in 1969). The guest list would include a who’s who of the music world: Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Paul Butterfield, Bobby Charles, Dr. John, Ringo Starr, Ronnie Hawkins and Neil Diamond. A film, directed by Martin Scorsese, and a triple album called ‘The Last Waltz’ which was eventually released by Warner Brothers in April 1978. However, this was not The Band’s contractual obligation to Capitol. The 1977 album ‘Islands’ filled that bill instead. Merely a patch-work of leftover song pieces, the Band distanced itself from the album and did not promote it. Capitol tried to salvage the release by issuing the old chestnut “Georgia on My Mind”. The Band’s promise of renewed recording efforts on Warner Brothers went unanswered as the members drifted from months to years and eventually disbanded. The members all went on to release solo albums: Rick Danko released a self-titled LP on in 1977; Levon Helm, teamed up with the RCO All-Stars (featuring such luminaries as Paul Butterfield and Booker T.). Their only album was released in 1977. Helm released three more solo albums none of which charted. The Band reunited briefly in 1978 (without Robbie Robertson) at the Roxy in LA. It began as a Danko gig and ended with 4 of the 5 original members on stage. Interim gatherings of several members at a time led to the 1983 reformation of The Band – once again without Robertson. Robertson has maintained a path as a solo artist recording soundtracks for such movies as ‘The King of Comedy’ and ‘The Colour of Money’ plus his own solo albums. To augment the talent gap left by Robertson, The Band recruited members of the Cate Brothers Band. Later guitarist Jim Weider joined after the departure of the Cates. Following touring with the reunited Band for three years, Manuel was found hanged in a Florida motel room on March 4, 1986. The remaining members of The Band (Danko, Helm and Hudson) still performed together including prominent shows like Woodstock II, the Bob Dylan jubilee, and a European tour in 1994. They also returned to their old label and released the critically acclaimed ‘Jericho’ in 1993. The Band was the first Canadian act nominated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994; Levon Helm died from an extended battle with throat cancer on April 19, 2012. with notes from Jan Høiberg and Rob Bowman. [also see RICK DANKO, RONNIE HAWKINS, ROBBIE ROBERTSON, RICHARD BELL]

Singles
as THE CANADIAN SQUIRES
1965  Leave Me Alone/Uh-Uh-Uh (Apex) 76794

as LEVON AND THE HAWKS
1965 The Stones I Throw/He Don’t Love You (And He’ll Break Your Heart) (Atco) 6383
1968 Go-Go Liza Jane/He Don’t Love You (And He’ll Break Your Heart) (Atco) 6625

as JAIME ROBERT ROBERTSON, RICK DANKO, RICHARD MANUEL, GARTH HUDSON, LEVON HELM
1968 The Weight/I Shall Be Released (Capitol) 2269

as THE BAND
1969 Up On Cripple Creek/The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Capitol)  2635
1970 Rag Mama Rag/The Unfaithful Servant (Capitol)  2705
1970 Time To Kill/The Shape I’m In (Capitol) 2870
1971 The Shape I’m In/The Rumour (Capitol – UK) CL-15675 
1971 Life Is A Carnival/The Moon Struck One (Capitol) 3199
1971 When I Paint My Masterpiece/Where Do We Go From Here? (Capitol) 3249
1972 Don’t Do It (Live)/Rag Mama Rag (Live) (Capitol) 3433
1972 (I Don’t Want To) Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes (Live)/Caledonia Mission (Live) (Capitol) 3500
1973 Ain’t Got No Home/Get Up Jake (Live) (Capitol)  3758
1974 Third Man Theme/W.S. Walcott Medicine Show (Capitol) 3828
1976 Ophelia/Hobo Jungle (Capitol) 4230
1976 Acadian Driftwood/Twilight (Capitol) 4316
1976 Georgia On My Mind/The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Capitol) 4361
1976 Ring Your Bell/Forbidden Fruit (Capitol – UK) CL-15861
1977 Right As Rain/Georgia On My Mind (Capitol – UK) CL-15921
1978 Out Of The Blue/The Well (Warner Bros.) WBS-8592
1978 Theme From ‘The Last Waltz’/Out of the Blue (Live) (Warner Bros.) 17187
1993 Remedy/Caves of Jericho/Atlantic City (Pyramid)  BAND-CD-1
1993 Atlantic City (Pyramid) PR-7048
1994 Remedy (Live)/Blind Willie McTell (Live) (Rhino/Warner – US)
1996 Stand Up (Pyramid) PR-7172
1996 Free Your Mind (Pyramid) PR-7187

with BOB DYLAN [as THE HAWKS]
1965  Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window/Highway 61 Revisited (Columbia) 
4-43477
1966  One of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)/Queen Jane Approximately (Columbia)
4-43541
1966  I Want You/ Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues (Columbia) 4-43683

with BOB DYLAN [as THE BAND]
1974 On a Night Like This/You Angel You (Asylum) 11033
1974 Something There is About You/Tough Mama (Asylum) 11035
1974 Most Likely You Go Your Way And I’ll Go Mine/Stage Fright (Asylum) 11043
1974 All Along the Watchtower/It Ain’t Me Babe (Asylum) 45212
1975 Million Dollar Bash/ Tears of Rage (CBS) 3665

Albums
1968 Music From Big Pink (Capitol) SKAO-2955
1969 The Band (Capitol)  STAO-132
1970 Stage Fright (Capitol)  SW-425
1971 Cahoots (Capitol)  SMAS-651
1972 Rock of Ages (Capitol)  SABB-11045
1973 Moondog Matinee (Capitol)  SW-11214
1976 Northern Lights – Southern Cross (Capitol)  ST-11440
1976 The Best Of The Band (Capitol)  ST-11553
1977 Islands (Capitol) SW-11602
1978 The Last Waltz (Warner Brothers) WBS-3146
1978 Anthology: Volume 1 (Capitol) SN-66099
1978 Anthology: Volume 2 (Capitol) SN-66100
1980 Rock of Ages Volume 2 (Capitol) SN-16009
1989 To Kingdom Come: The Definitive Collection (Capitol) CDP-592169
1993 Jericho (Pyramid) R2-71564
1994 Across The Great Divide (EMI Canada)  895692
1994 The Best of Across The Great Divide (EMI Canada)  831461
1996 High On The Hog (Pyramid/EMI Canada) 837382
1997 The Collection (EMI Canada)  855078
1998 Jubilation (River North) 416142
1998 The Band Live At Watkin’s Glen (EMI Canada)
1998 The Very Best of The Band: The Shape I’m In (EMI Canada)
1999 The Best of the Band – Volume II (EMI Canada)
2000 Greatest Hits (EMI Canada) 524941
2002 The Moon Struck One
2002 The Very Best The Band Album Ever
2005 A Musical History [6 CD Box Set] (EMI Canada) 577409
2007 The Best of A Musical History (EMI Canada)  388713
2008 Platinum (EMI Canada) 213484
2009 Ten Great Songs (EMI Gold)
2010 The Band with the Cate Brothers Band Live In Tokyo 1983

with BOB DYLAN [as THE HAWKS]
1966 Blonde On Blonde (Columbia) C2S-841

with BOB DYLAN [as THE BAND]
1970 Self Portrait (Columbia) C2X-30050
1974 Planet Waves (Asylum) 7E-1003
1974 Before The Flood (Asylum) AB-201
1975 The Basement Tapes [2LP] (Columbia) 33682

Compilation Tracks
1996 “The Weight” on ‘Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music’ (MCA) JUNO-25
2005 “The Weight” on ‘ Steeler Lager Presents Q107 Classic Rock 6 Pack: Volume 1’ (EMI) 09463-1172021

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BAND OF ARMAGH, The
Jim Rafferty (vocals, mandolin, guitar) / George Major (bass) / Dave Walker (vocals, piano, bass, strings) / Glenn Burrell (guitar) / Roy Sydhia (drums)  
Long before the Celtic/Irish folk revival became popular in the ’90’s these Irish musicians were already knee deep in tradition sandwiching Irish songs between sets of British rock and roll songs. The trio moved from their home town of Armagh, the spiritual centre of Ireland, to Saskatoon where they enjoyed some minimal success with the traditional Irish tune “Black Velvet Band” from their self-titled debut album which which had been recorded at Century 21 Studios in Winnipeg. with notes from Glenn Burrell and Jim Wadsworth.

Singles
1981 Black Velvet Band/Whiskey In The Jar (Sunshine) SS-77

Albums
1981 The Band of Armagh (Sunshine) SSLP-4018

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BAND OF RASCALS
Sam Trainor (lead vocals) / Malcolm Owen-Flood (lead guitar) / Sean ‘The Noche’ Marcy (bass) / Marcus Manhas (drums)
A 4-piece hailing from the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia who arrived on the music scene with their self titled debut EP in November 2014. The EP ‘Tempest’ followed in 2017.

Singles
2016 Held In Thought [DigiFile] (Band Of Rascals)
2017 Holler [DigiFile] (Band Of Rascals)

Albums
2014 Band Of Rascals [7-song EP] (Band Of Rascals)
2017 Tempest [7-song EP] (Band Of Rascals)

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BANDA CRUISE
David Lodge

Singles
1972 I Don’t Wanna Love You/Take That (Scorpio) SR001-S

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BANGKOK!
Mickey Skin (vocals) / P.C. Cohen (electric guitar) / Peter Lye (bass) / Mark Prinsloo (drums)
Toronto act featuring Mickey Skin from The Curse and Peter Lye from The Ginger Group. Their only single – a remake of the Barry McGuire classic “Eve of Destruction” b/w Cohen’s original song “Planet Of My Own” – was produced by the late B.B. Gabor; Prinsloo went on to produce/engineer acts like Kurt Swinghammer and Picture Comes To Life;

Singles
1981 Eve of Destruction/Planet Of My Own (Thai Fi) TF-001

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BANLIEUE ROUGE
Safwan Hamdi (vocals, guitar) / Sylvain David (guitar) / Xavier Pétermann (bass) / Jean-François [aka Jef] (drums) / Daniel Rey (guitar) / Bastou (bass) / Francis (guitar) / Fish (drums) / Arthur E. (saxophone)
Punk act formed in Montréal, Québec in 1989. Disbanded in 1998.

Albums
1990 En attendant demain (NADA – France) NADA-002
1992 Que tombent les masques (Tir Groupé) TGCD-06
1993 Engrenages (Tir Groupé) TGCD-09
1994 Banlieue Rouge (Mad Butcher – Germany) MBR-011
1994 Au coeur de la tempête (Tir Groupé) TGCD-13
1996 Sous un ciel écarlate (Tir Groupé) TGCD-19
2015 Sans reddition (Banlieue Rouge)

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BANSHEE
Jamie Cooper (vocals) / Michael Farron (guitar) / Chad Temple (bass) / Dean Rawlings (drums)
Toronto hard rock/heavy metal band.

Singles
1983 Breakdown/I Am The Night [7”] (Crossbow) JM-83179

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BARACHOIS
Albert Arsenault (vocals, bass, fiddle, drums, percussion) / Chuck Arsenault (vocals, guitar, french horn, sousaphone, brass) / Louise Arsenault (fiddle, guitar) / Grady Poe (bass, guitar) / Hélène Arsenault-Bergeron (organ, piano, vocals)
From Prince Edward Island.

Albums
1996 Musique Acadienne De L’Île-Du-Prince-Édouard/Acadian Music From Prince Edward Island (House Party) HPP3
1999 Encore! (House Party) HPP4
2002 Naturel (House Party) HPP5

Compilation Tracks
1999 “Pot Pourri” on ‘Over Canada – An Aerial Adventure (The Original Soundtrack) (Royal Bank/WEA) 2-89523
1999 “J’aurais Quelque Chose A Dire” on ‘Ceilidh Collection’ (NOJO)
2000 “Mon Marie Est Bien Malade” on ‘Canadian Roots 2000’ (Vogue) VRI-002
2000 “Mon Marie Est Bien Malade” on ‘Songlines Presents World Music – The #1 Tracks From The #1 World Music Albums Of The Year’ (Manteca – US) MANTDCD202
2001 “La Marmotteuse” on ‘World Playground 2’ (Putumayo World Music – US) PUT-193-2
2003 “Reel À Delphine / Par Derriére Chez Mon Pére” on ‘From The Parlour…A Prince Edward Island Collection’ (Guernsey Cove Parlour) GCP049
2004 “La Marmotteuse” on ‘Putumayo Kids – Pesmi Za Otroke’ (Mladinska Knjiga Založba – Slovenia) P976-Slovenia

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BARBER, Jill
Barber was born in Port Credit, Ontario and raised in Toronto with brother (and future singer-songwriter) Matthew Barber. She Queen’s University before pursuing her musical career on a full-time basis after relocation to Halifax, Nova Scotia. She won ‘Female Artist Recording of the Year’ at the 2005 Music Nova Scotia Awards on the success of her independent debut EP ‘Oh Heart’ in 2004. In 2007 Barber earned her fourth win as ‘Best Local Solo Artist (Female)’ in “The Coast” annual “Best of Music Reader’s Poll”, and her first win as ‘Best Canadian Solo Artist (Female).’ Her debut full length album, ‘For All Time’, was released in 2006. From February through March 2007 she toured with Dan Hill in the Maritimes as part of Stuart McLean’s CBC Radio show The Vinyl Cafe. In 2008 Barber released the orchestral torch singer CD ‘Chances’ which was co-written with producer Les Cooper and Ron Sexsmith. The album earned Barber two JUNO Award nominations including ‘New Artist of the Year’. She returned to the Vinyl Cafe Tour in 2009 performing across Canada with Matt Anderson. A performance in Montréal was recorded and released as an exclusive download with iTunes. With a new distribution deal in Canada through Outside Music her fourth album, 2011’s ‘Mischievous Moon’, debuted at No.31 on the Canadian Albums Chart. Barber now lives in Vancouver with her husband, CBC 3 radio host Grant Lawrence.

Singles
2006 Hard Line (Dependent/Baudelaire)
2014 Broken For Good (Outside – UK)

Albums
2002 A Note to Follow So [EP] (Dependent) JB-010
2004 Oh Heart [6-song EP] (Dependent) DP-018
2006 For All Time (Dependent/Baudelaire) DP-028
2008 Chances (Dependent) 39042
2009 iTunes Live From Montréal [DigiFile]
2011 Mischievous Moon (Outside) 399067
2013 Chanson (Outside) 399083
2014 Fool’s Gold (Outside) OUT-9092
2018 Metaphora (Outside) OUT-9120
2023 Homemaker (Outside) OUT-9189CD

with JILL BARBER, ROSE COUSINS, MEAGHAN SMITH
2007 A New Kind of Light (CBC Radio) CBC-0701

with MATTHEW BARBER & JILL BARBER
2016 Family Album (Outside) OUT-9101

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BARCLAY, Denis
Born: Denis Therrien
Barclay’s 1968 B-side “Mon Rêve” was a French version of The Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better.”

Singles
1968 Diane/Mon Rêve (Franco-Élite/Trans-Canada) FE-9364
1968 Paroles/Ma Priere (Trans-Canada) TC-3283

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BARDE
Richard Chapman (vocals, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, guitar) / Toby Cinnsealac (aka Kinsella) (tin flute, tin whistle, recorders, clarinet, tambourine) / Pierre Guerin (vocals, acoustic guitar, accordion, concertina, flute, recorder) / Chris  MacRaghallaigh [aka Chris Crilly] (vocals, violin, keyboards, bodhran, tambourine) / Elliot Selick (violin, tin flute, tin whistle, banjo) / Ed Moore (bodhran, tambourine, concertina, tin flute, tin whistle, glockenspiel) / Jacques Joubert (violin; 1983) / Richard Paquette (keyboards; 1983) / Jocelyn Therrien (bass; 1983)
This sextet from Montréal was formed in 1973 and found their brand of Acadian & Celtic reels and jigs popular around the Maritimes, Québec and overseas in Europe. The group was known for its utilization of a twin Celtic fiddle sound courtesy of Crilly and Selick. They signed to Polygram then to Direction Records, then to Flying Fish, and finally to Porte Parole. Their eponymous debut, Barde, was released in 1977. By their second album, ‘Images’, in 1978 Chris Crilly had introduced keyboards in the form of synths and pianos. By 1983’s ‘Voyage’ Selick had also left and the remaining members changed musical direction by incorporating keyboards bass and violin courtesy of studio musicians Jacques Joubert, Richard Paquette, and Jocelyn Therrien. Pierre Guerin led a revamped Barde at the 10th Annual Winnipeg Folk Festival. The band finally disbanded for good shortly thereafter with Guerin marrying and settling in the St. Boniface region of Winnipeg. He became a disc jockey before becoming Artistic Director of The Winnipeg Folk Festival; Crilly writes music scores for TV and film. with notes from Pierre Guerin, Chris MacRaghallaigh and Richard Chapman.

Singles
1977 Sleepy Southern Town/L’Chanterelle d’or (Port Parole/Direction/Polydor) PTS-100
1979 Le Chevreau Sur La Falaise/Le Garcon Mariner (Port Parole/Direction/Polydor)
2065-408

Albums
1977 Barde (Port Parole/Direction/Polydor) 10006
1978 Images (Port Parole/Direction/Polydor) 2424-188
1983 Voyage (Tamanoir) WRC-12438

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BARENAKED LADIES
Steven Page (vocals, guitar) / Ed Robertson (vocals, guitar) / Jim Creeggan (bass) / Tyler Stewart (drums) / Andy Creeggan (congas, piano) / Kevin Hearn (keyboards; replaced Andy Creeggan)
Scarborough, Ontario’s The Barenaked Ladies started in 1988 as the duo of Page and Robertson who had previously played together in a Rush clone band. They released a cheap cassette called Buck Naked’ in 1989 followed by 1990’s ‘Barenaked Lunch’ which was the Creeggan brothers debut. By 1991 Tyler Stewart had joined the band and the group was stirring up publicity both with their savage wit and impromptu acoustic concerts (especially on live radio) but in the media by being banned by Toronto mayor June Rowlands who wouldn’t allow them to play in Nathan Phillips Square due to their ‘offensive’ name. The press that this incident generated put the 5 piece band under the microscope as they headed to New York for the annual New Music Seminar to try and sell itself. While there, they met Sean Lennon, son of John & Yoko, and got positive encouragement that his mother wasn’t the least bit offended by their now popular song “Be My Yoko Ono”. They were still unsigned and selling out concert halls, doing full radio concerts and effectively selling thousands of copies of their 3rd cassette – ‘The Yellow Tape’ based on such commercially catchy songs as “Be My Yoko Ono”, “If I Had A Million Dollars” and “Brian Wilson”. Due to the changes in record marketing and tracking through the newly developed Soundscan system, BNL’s indie tape was now being distributed by Steven Page’s father’s own business (Page Publishing) and being monitored and counted, statistically, like any major label released product. Before the band knew it, the cassette had gone gold – which had never happened in Canadian music history. The band managed to slip in a cover version of Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers in a Dangerous Time” onto Intrepid Records’ ‘Kick at the Darkness’ tribute album before a bidding war by major labels ensued and Sire Records out of the US won the coveted label honours. President Seymour Stein himself came to Toronto to oversee the public signing of the deal – held at the city hall of their suburban hometown of Scarborough as not only a publicity stunt, but as a huge public snubbing of Toronto mayor June Rowlands. The band finished up their independent commitments of gigs and cassettes in retail and retired to record their 1992 debut called ‘Gordon’. The album, riding the crest of the ensuing media frenzy, went on to sell 500,000 copies and BNL were unanimously hailed as geniuses. Since then, they’ve tread cautiously with their biting sarcasm and novelty tunes to build a steady cult following that got an unexpected boost from the video for the band’s “The Old Apartment”, directed by “Beverley Hills 90210” actor Jason Priestley, and the Stateside success of the 1997 live “Rock Spectacle” album. BNL finally exploded in the U.S. in 1998 with the release of the album “Stunt” and the single “One Week”. The pay-off for years of gruelling touring, “Stunt” was certified double-platinum (2 million copies) in America in November 1998. The album’s second single and video, “It’s All Been Done”, pushed sales even higher. Tom Jones invited them to appear on his duets album ‘Reload’ in 1999 where they teamed up on the George Baker Selection psychedelic hit ‘Little Green Bag’. They returned in August 2000 with the upbeat single “Pinch Me”, which featured some of the same rapid-fire singing that made “One Week” so memorable. A full album, ‘Maroon’, produced by music veteran Don Was (Bonnie Raitt, Rolling Stones), followed in September 2000. With the release of ‘Everything To Everyone’ in 2003, the band hit a commercial dry patch releasing several live albums, a Christmas album, a children’s album and a theatre soundtrack. Much of this was precipitated by some personal issues with Steven Page that included a drug bust in the United States. With his departure to pursue a solo career, BNL released a new studio album in 2010 called ‘All In Good Time’ in an attempt to reconstitute their image with more adult themed material. Recently Barenaked Ladies renewed their popularity with their theme song to the hit TV show ‘Big Bang Theory’ which appears on their 2011 ‘best of’ package ‘Hits from Yesterday & the Day Before’. Kevin Hearn also released his 5th solo album in 2011. With notes from Paul Myers and Nigel Best. [also see ANDY CREEGGAN]

Singles
1991 Lovers In A Dangerous Time (Sire/Reprise)
1992 If I Had A Million Dollars (Sire/Reprise)
1992 Enid/If I Had $1,000,000 (live) (Sire/Reprise)
1992 Enid [4-song EP] (Sire/Reprise – UK)
1992 Grade Nine (Sire/Reprise)
1993 What A Good Boy (Sire/Reprise)
1993 Brian Wilson/Box Set (karaoke version)(Sire/Reprise – UK)
1993 Brian Wilson/Trouble With Tracy (live) (Sire/Reprise)
1993 Brian Wilson [3-song EP] (Sire/Reprise – UK)
1993 If I Had $1,000,000/Grade 9 (live) (Sire/Reprise – UK)
1993 If I Had $1,000,000 [3-song EP] (Sire/Reprise – UK)
1993 Be My Yoko Ono/The King Of Bedside Manor (Sire/Reprise)
1994 Jane/What A Good Boy (live) (Sire/Reprise)
1994 Jane/What A Good Boy (live) (Sire/Reprise – UK)
1995 Alternative Girlfriend/Great Provider (Reprise/Warner)
1995 Life, In A Nutshell (Reprise/Warner)
1997 The Old Apartment (Reprise/Warner)
1998 One Week (Reprise/Warner)
1998 It’s All Been Done (Reprise/Warner)
1999 Get In Line (Reprise/Warner)
1999 Call And Answer (Reprise/Warner)
1999 Alcohol (Reprise/Warner) PRO-CD-9618
2000 Pinch Me (Reprise/Warner)
2001 Falling For the First Time (Reprise/Warner)
2001 Too Little Too Late (Reprise/Warner)
2003 For You (Reprise/Warner)
2003 Another Postcard (Reprise/Warner)
2004 Celebrity (Reprise/Warner)
2005 One Little Slip (Reprise/Warner)
2006 Sound of Your Voice
2006 Wind It Up
2006 Easy
2007 Big Bang Theory
2008 7 8 9
2010 You Run Away

Albums
1988 Buck Naked [5-song cassette] (independent)
1990 Barenaked Lunch [5-song cassette] (independent)
1991 Barenaked Ladies [CD] (Variety/CBC) VRCD- 1013
1991 Barenaked Ladies (aka The Yellow Tape) [cassette] (independent)
1992 Gordon (Sire/Reprise/Warner Music) W2-26956
1994 Maybe You Should Drive (Sire/Reprise/Warner Music) W2-45709
1996 Born On A Pirate Ship (Reprise/Warner) W2-46128
1996 Shoe Box [4 song EP] (Sire/Reprise/Warner Music) W2-46183
1997 Rock Spectacle [w/CDRom tracks] W2-46393
1997 The Ladies Room: Volume 1 [EP] (Reprise/Warner)
1998 Stunt (Reprise/Warner) W2-46963
1998 The Ladies Room: Volume 2 [EP] (Reprise/Warner)
1999 The Ladies Room: Volume 3 [EP] (Reprise/Warner)
2000 Maroon (Reprise/Warner) W2-47814
2000 The Ladies Room: Volume 4 [EP] (Reprise/Warner)
2001 The Ladies Room: Volume 5 [EP] (Reprise/Warner)
2002 Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits (1991-2001) (Reprise/Warner) CDW-48075
2003 Everything To Everyone (Reprise/Warner) CDW-48209
2004 Barenaked For The Holidays (Reprise/Warner) CDW-40015
2005 As You Like It: The Stratford Festival of Canada (Reprise/Warner)
2005 Barenaked On A Stick [USB w/bonus content] (Nettwerk)
2006 Barenaked Ladies Are Me (Nettwerk)
2006 All New Revue: Live at the Glenn Gould Studio (Nettwerk)
2007 Talk To The Hand – Live In Michigan [CD + DVD] (Desperation) GRP-1940
2008 Snack Time! (Nettwerk)
2009 Live At Universal Studios 03/07/2009 [DigiFile] (Nettwerk)
2010 All In Good Time
2011 Hits from Yesterday & The Day Before (Rhino) R2-528614
2012 Stop Us If You’ve Heard This One Before (Rhino) R2-528908
2013 Grinning Streak (Vanguard) 78294
2015 Silverball (Raisin’/Warner) 2-104239
2016 BNL Rocks Red Rocks (Warner) 2-999383
2017 Fake Nudes (Raisin’/Warner) 2-944970
2021 Detour De Force (Raisin’/Warner) 2685965

Compilation Tracks
1990 “Be My Yoko Ono” on ‘CFNY-FM 102.1 Modern Music Search’ (CFNY)
1991 “Be My Yoko Ono” on ‘Indie-Can ’91’ (Intrepid) CD-4
1991 “Lovers In A Dangerous Time” on ‘Kick At The Darkness: The Songs Of Bruce Cockburn (Intrepid)
1992 “If I Had $1,000,000″ on ‘Free Thoughts’ [7”] (Cheree – UK)
1992 “Lovers In A Dangerous Time” on ‘The Power of Love ’92’ (Quality)
1992 “Be My Yoko Ono” on ‘Get Out’ (Out Magazine/Sire/Warner/Reprise – US)
1993 “Brian Wilson” on ‘Sire’s Lucky 13 For ’93’ (Spin Magazine/Sire)
1993 “Fight The Power” on ‘Coneheads – Soundtrack’ (Warner Bros.)
1993 “What A Good Boy” on ‘Boys United'(Genre Magazine/Warner Bros – US)
1994 “What A Good Boy” on ‘The Best Of Mountain Stage Volume 6′(Blue Plate Music – US)
1994 “What A Good Boy” on ‘Upfront! Canadians Live From Mountain Stage’ (Blue Plate/BMG)
1995 “Brian Wilson” on ‘Page One’ (Page) PP-005
1995 “Shoe Box” on ‘Friends – Soundtrack’ (Reprise)
1995 “5:12” on ‘The Kumbaya Album 1995’ (Warner) CD-11719
1995 “Shoe Box” on ‘huH’ (huH Magazine)
1995 “It’s Christmas Time (Oh Yeah) on ‘Cool Christmas’ (Warner)
1996 “If I Had $1,000,000” on ‘Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music’ (MCA) JUNO-25
1996 “Alternative Girlfriend” on ‘Now!’ (EMI)

with BARENAKED LADIES & JANE SIBERRY
1995 “My Mother Is Not The White Dove” on ‘The Kumbaya Album 1995’ (Warner) CD-11719

with BARENAKED LADIES & THE PERSUASIONS
2017 Ladies and Gentlemen: Barenaked Ladies & The Persuasions (Raisin’/Warner) 2-10021

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BARKER, Bev
Born: Beverley Williamson Barker in Toronto, Ontario

Singles
1969 Just a Good Time Girl/Wouldn’t I (Sound Canada) SC-703

Albums
1966 Stand By Your Man (hi-lite) HI-2203

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BarKing BOYS & THE Yes GIRLS
Mark Sutherland (vocals) / Bill King (all instruments)
One-off project for poet Mark Sutherland featuring soundscapes created by Bill King. with notes from Bill King.

Albums
1985 Pop Pulp (BarKing Music) WRC1-5444

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BARNCATS, The
Christine Saunders (lead vocals, backing vocals) / Dennis Gaumond (bass, harmonica, slide guitar) / Terry Bramhall (bass) / Robert Varro (drums, percussion, backing vocals) / David Cross (lead guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar) / Domenic DiGravio (organ, backing vocals)

Albums
1995 The Barncats (Drog) DROG-006

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BARNES, Micah
Born: Vienna, Austria
Barnes was born in Europe but grew up in Canada cutting his teeth in the cabarets and jazz clubs in Toronto during his teens. He joined the Nylons in 1989 and since his days with the group, he has been an active solo artist. In 2003 he toured the USA for the international club hit “Welcome To My Head” in collaboration with Thunderpuss which hit #1 on the Billboard dance charts. Barnes is a JUNO Award nominated Canadian jazz vocalist and is currently a vocal coach whose International clients include GRAMMY nominated J.P. Saxe and Emmy Award-winning Tatiana Maslany. with notes from Bill C. Smith and Micah Barnes.

Singles
2016 New York Story [w/Jackie Richardson]
2016 Harlem Moon
2019 That’s Life (Loudboy – US)
2020 When In Rome (I Do As The Romans Do) (Loudboy – US)
2020 The End Of A Love Affair (Loudboy – US)
2022 Welcome To The Club (Micah Barnes)

with THUNDERPUSS & BARNES
2003 Welcome To My Head

Albums
2007 Micah Barnes (Loudboy – US) LBR-002
2010 Domesticated [6-song EP] (Loudboy – US)
2016 New York Stories (e-One Music)
2020 Vegas Breeze (Loudboy – US)

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BARON, Natalie
Born: 1948 in Quebec City
Natalie Baron is a singer and an 8-year classically trained pianist from Quebec City who sang in both official languages. She was discovered in a small Montreal club by Paul White at Capitol Records. Baron was signed to Capitol Records in February 1969. Her first two releases – the French “C’est fini va t’en” and the English “Take Me Away” – were targeted to two different markets at the same time March 10, 1969. “Take Me Away” would manage a Top 40 run on RPM Magazine’s charts in 1969. The next single, “(Somebody Somewhere) Needs You” was released in November 1969 to positive response at radio.

Singles
1969 C’est Fini Va T’en/Trois Mots (Capitol) 85038
1969 Take Me Away/Leave Me In Peace (Capitol) 72571
1969 (Somebody Somewhere) Needs You/Window-Wishing (Capitol) 72600
1970 The Next Sound You Hear/Jamie (Capitol) 72610

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BARON LONGFELLOW [see ANDY KIM]

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BARONETS, Les
René Angelil (vocals) / Jean Beaulne (vocals) / Pierre Labelle (vocals) / Jean-Guy Chapados (vocals; replaced Beaulne 1966-1967)
Les Baronets formed in 1959. They were a trio from Montréal, Québec who performed at cabarets and nightclubs across the province. In 1962 they were signed to Fleur de Lys records and released their first hit “Johanne.” They made a name for themselves due to their French interpretations of Beatles hits. Many of these were released on Les Disques Franco in 1963/1964. This brought them to the attention of American label Vee Jay Records who flew the group to New York to record an album of English language songs. Alas, the label went bankrupt before the album could be released though they did manage to release a single of original songs in 1965 entitled “That’s The Way Love Happens” b/w “Mine All Mine.” From 1966 through 1967 Beaulne was replaced by Jean-Guy Chapados and the trio changed its name to Les Nouveaux Baronets. In 1970, Jean Beaulne left permanently and the trio became a duo. The group finally broke up in 1972. In 2015 American blogger Gordon Skeene discovered the group’s Vee Jay Records recordings and broadcast them for the first time during an interview with Beaulne for the show “Mondo PQ – L’Envers du retro Québécois” on CIBL 101.5 FM. Beaulne released the eleven Vee Jay recordings and several solo tracks on disc 2017 under the title “La Vie en rose”; Angélil would become an important manager impresario in Québec and was instrumental in helping Celine Dion become an international superstar (as well as her husband); Labelle died January 18, 2000; Angélil died January 14, 2016. With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1962 Johanne/Arrêtez le mariage (Franco) F-9303
1963 Mon beau rêve/Lise chérie (Franco) F-9306
1963 Dans tous les pays/On se trouvera (Franco) F-9315
1963 Bon Bon Bon/Les filles sont si belles (Franco) F-9326
1964 C’est fou, mais c’est tout/Oh je veux être à toi (Franco) F-9335
1964 Est-ce que tu m’aimes/Ça recommence (Franco) F-9347
1964 Joyeux Noël/Le père Noël s’en vient (Trans-Canada) OR-739
1965 C’est Fou Mais C’est Tout/Est-Ce Que Tu M’aimes (Trans-Canada) OR-743
1965 Laisse-moi me reposer/Je n’aurais jamais cru (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4022
1965 Twist et chante/L’amour ça fait pleurer (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4023
1965 Je suis fou/C’est le Freddy (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4031
1965 That’s The Way Love Happens/Mine All Mine (Vee Jay) VJ-701
1965 Comment/Seul sans toi (Trans-Canada) TC-3142
1965 Vive le temps des fêtes/Cet hiver je n’aurai plus froid (Trans-Canada) OR-752
1967 Je suis seul/Ce monde plein d’histoires (Trans-Canada) TC-3205
1967 L’hymne à l’amour/Avec cette bague (Canusa) C-330
1967 Secrètement/Mr. Lee (Canusa) C-335
1968 La même chanson/Ça m’fait quelque chose (canusa) C-347
1968 Lady Madonna/Même si tu revenais (Canusa) C-358
1968 Hello je t’aime/Amour et liberté (Canusa) C-366
1970 Sympathie/Bon Matin Ma Rose (Nobel) NL-5612
1974 C’est fou mais c’est tout/Est-ce que tu m’aimes (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100103
1974 Est-ce que tu m’aimes/Twist et chante (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100104

as LES NOUVEAUX BARONETS
1966 Demain/Non, non, non (Trans-Canada) TC-3162
1966 C’est bon pour la publicité/Ce n’est qu’un au revoir (Trans-Canada) TC-3175
1966 Un petit sous-marin jaune/C’est triste (Trans-Canada) TC-3186

Albums
1963 En spectacle (Trans-Canada) TF-314
1964 Ça recommence (Trans-Canada) TF-332
1965 A la Comédie Canadienne (Jeunesse-Franco) JF-343
1968 En personne (Canusa) CLJ-33-106
1969 Les Baronets 15 Succès (Trans Canada Maximum) TCM-906
1969 Le Palmarès des Baronets (Trans Canada Maximum) TCM-915
1988 Une Soirée Au Cabaret Avec Les Baronets (Madacy) CC4-6305
1991 Les Baronets (Disques Mérite) 22.921
1996 Les titres d’or (Disques Mérite) 22.1506
1997 Noel Avec [w/Cesar et les Romains] (Disques Mérite) 22.2528
2000 16 grands succès (Disques Mérite) 22.949
2010 Le Top 30 (Disques Mérite) 22.8511
2017 Le Vie en rose (Spectrum) SPR-42323

Compilation tracks
as LES NOUVEAUX BARONETS
1966 “Non, Non, Non” on ‘Vedettes a Gogo’ (Franco Disque Inc.) CT-34239

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BARRA MacNEILS, The
Sheumas MacNeil (piano, keyboard, vocals) / Kyle MacNeil (violin, guitar, mandolin, vocals) / Stewart MacNeil (vocals, accordion, keys, whistle, flute, electric guitar) / Lucy MacNeil (vocals, bodhran, celtic harp, viola, violin) / Ryan MacNeil (uillean pipes) / Boyd MacNeil (violin) / James Gatti (bass)
Growing up in Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, the MacNeils were exposed to Cape Breton traditional music at a young age. There was often the setting where musicians of every walk of life would drop in for a session. They added the prefix Barra in honour of their family’s ancestral homeland – the Scottish Isle of Barra. They supplemented their musical background in the aural tradition with formal music training at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick with touring between summer holidays and school breaks. They began playing professionally in the early 1980’s and recorded three independent albums. 1986’s ‘Rock in the Stream’ featured the song “The Island” that became quite popular from the CBC-TV movie ‘Island Love Song’, in which the Barra MacNeils sang and acted. They also played themselves in the Disney film ‘The Little Kidnappers’ filmed in Nova Scotia. Soon the major labels began paying attention in the early ’90’s especially with the success of the Rankin Family in popularizing Celtic/maritime music, it was only a matter of time before Polygram scooped them up. ‘Closer To Paradise’ was the public’s big exposure to the act with the remake of John Sebastian’s “Darling Be Home Soon”. In August 1995 The Canadian Recording Industry Association certified ‘Closer to Paradise’ gold (50,000 copies). The band also became winners of the Roots/ Traditional Artist Category at the East Coast Music Awards. Their follow-up, ‘The Question’, featured a duet with Bruce Cockburn on his own “Goin’ Down the Road” and a cover version of Marianne Faithful’s “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”. In 1996 the Barra MacNeils won Pop-Rock Artists of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards (!?!). And in 1997 they are nominated for Group of the Year at the East Coast Music Awards as well as Entertainer of the year. They returned in April 2000 withthe Danny Greenspoon-produced “Racket in the Attic”, released on their own Barratone label.

Singles
1989 The Island/Glenpark Medley [7”] (Barra Music) WRC3-6100
1993 Row Row Row (Radio Edit) (Polydor/Polygram) PCD-307
1993 Darling Be Home Soon (Polydor/Polygram) PCD-340
1994 In the Blink of An Eye (Radio Mix)/In The Blink of An Eye (Album Version) (Polydor/Polygram) PCD-350
1994 Caledonia (Edit)/Caledonia (Album Version) (Polydor/Polygram) PCD-364
1995 Myopic (Mercury/Polydor) PCD-413

Albums
1986 The Barra MacNeils (Barra Music) WRC1-4689
1989 Rock In The Stream (Barra Music) WRC1-6100
1992 Timeframe [cassette] (Barra Music) BM3T
1993 Closer to Paradise (Polydor/Polygram) P2-21106
1993 Timespan (Polydor/Polygram) PCD-308
1994 Moosetracks [3-song EP] (Moosehead Beer) MPI02BM
1994 The Traditional Album (Polydor/Polygram) P2-23251
1995 The Question (Mercury/Polydor) 529077
1996 The Barra MacNeils (Polydor/Polygram)
1997 Until Now (Celtic Aire)  02-50731
1999 The Christmas Album (Polygram/Universal) 509672B
2000 Racket In The Attic (Barratone/Oasis) CDTRAX-225
2005 All At Once (Shoreline) 400332
2006 The Christmas Album II (BMC) 20061
2007 20th Anniversary Collection [2CD] (BMC) BMC-2007-2
2008 In Concert
2009 In Session
2011 Live In Concert with Symphony Nova Scotia (BMC) BMC-2011-1
2018 On The Brightside (BMC) BMC-2018-1

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BARRY BAND, Stephen
Stephen Barry (vocals, bass) / Michael Brown (guitar) / Andrew Cowan (guitar, vocals) / John McColgan (drums) / Martin Boodman (harmonica) / Robert David (saxophone; 1990) / Jody Golick (saxophone)  / Ken Pearson (keys) / Paul Paquette (drums) / Jorn Reissner (guitar)
Bluesman Stephen Barry was born and raised in Lachine, Québec. He started his professional career in the mid-’70’s. Barry has performed over the last twenty years on almost every blues stage in Québec, Ontario and the Maritimes gaining him and the Stephen Barry Band a fine reputation that has led to performances with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Pinetop Perkins, Big Mama Thornton and Johnnie Johnson. In November 1995 the band released its fourth album “Happy Man” and sold almost 5,000 copies in six months. By 1996 the band had received two Jazz Report Magazine Awards for ‘Album of the Year’ (‘happy Man’) and ‘Blues Group of the Year’. The band’s “Blues Anthology” show traces the history of the blues from its acoustic turn-of-the-century roots, to its electric re-invention in the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Albums
1979 Live (Fix It In the Mix) FM-001
1990 Blues Under A Full Moon (Justin Time) JTR-8419
1994 Here On the Highway (Les Disques Bros) BROS-4001
1995 Happy Man (Les Disques Bros) BROS-5001
1998 The Gold Record (Les Disques Bros) BROS-7001
2004 Bluesville (Les Disques Bros) BROS-14003
2015 Treat Her Right (Les Disques Bros) BROS-11502

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BARRY, Claudja
Born: 1952 in Jamaica
After emigrating with her family to Canada at the age of six years old, Claudja Barry grew up in Scarborough, Ontario. Following graduation from high school she recorded for the Yorkville label after being noticed in the Toronto version of the musical ‘Hair’. Producers of the show recommended her for a run in the show’s New York Broadway production which she took. This was followed by performances in Broadway’s ‘Catch My Soul’. The play toured in Europe including West Germany where she was spotted by producer Frank Farian who added her to Euro-dance ensemble Boney M. She was in the band from 1975 through 1976 but grew tired of lip-synching performances of the group’s hits and decided to pursue a solo career. 1976’s single “Love For The Sake Of Love” was released from her debut album ‘Sweet Dynamite’ on the independent Lollipop label where it received modest airplay. She would eventually earn two Billboard Hot 100 charting singles – 1977’s “Dancin’ Fever” which peaked at No.72 from the album ‘The Girl Most Likely’ album and “(Boogie Woogie) Dancin’ Shoes” from the album ‘I Wanna Be Loved by You’ which charted on the pop and the dance charts in 1979. Both tracks topped the Canadian charts as well with “(Boogie Woogie) Dancin’ Shoes” peaking at No.7 on the RPM Top 100 singles national chart in April 1979 where it remained for 23 weeks. The follow-up single, “Boogie Tonight”, reached No.42 on the RPM Top100 in June 1979. She recorded two more albums for Lollipop – ‘Feel the Fire’ (1979) and ‘Made In Hong Kong’ (1981) – where her dance material embraced the new wave of synthesizer accompaniment. The 1981 track “Radio Action” became a dance club hit. In 1985 she made her acting debut in the Mario Van Peebles film ‘Rappin’’ and the song “Born To Love” became a Top20 hit peaking at No.14 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. It received limited exposure in the US because the track was from the UK-only release ‘If I Do It to You’. With a move to Epic Records in 1986, she scored three back-to-back dance club charting hits with “Down and Counting”, “Can’t You Feel My Heartbeat” and “Secret Affair” all from her album ‘I, Claudja’. In the 1990s songs like “Love Is An Island” and “Summer of Love” were highly regarded underground club tracks. Then she became the lead vocalist for a studio project out of Germany called General Base. The single “Poison” was quite successful overseas. In 1996 she had another successful Euro hit with “Brand New Day” and put out two albums for  German label Radikal Records – ‘Disco ‘Round The Christmas Tree’ and ‘Disco Mixes’ – before taking time off to spend with family back in Canada. In 1999, US R & B singer Montell Jordan sampled the rhythm track from Barry’s single “Love For the Sake of Love,” for his hit “Get It on Tonite” which peaked at No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In May 2006, Claudja Barry returned after a decade to hit the Billboard charts once more with a single entitled “I Will Stand”. By July 2006 the track reached the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart’s Top10 and ultimately peaked at No.4.

Singles
1972 We Got A Lovin’ To Do/Any Way That You Want Me (Yorkville)YVM-45058
1975 Nobody Loves Me Like You Do (Hotfoot/Philips – Germany) 6003-514
1975 Reggae Bump/How Could You Do It Again (Hotfoot/Philips – Germany) 6003-757
1976 Sweet Dynamite/Love For The Sake of Love [12”] (Lollipop/London) L-04 
1976 Love For the Sake of Love/Why Must A Girl Lie (Lollipop/Philips/London)
6198-094
1977 Dancin’ Fever/Summertime (Lollipop/Philips) 6004-607
1977 Sweet Dynamite/This Taste of Love (Salsoul – US) 2023
1977 Dance, Dance, Dance/Why Must A Girl Like Me [7” & 12”] (Salsoul – US) 2046
1977 Johnny, Johnny, Please Come Home/Dancin’ Fever [12”] (Salsoul – US) 2050
1977 Take It Easy/Johnny, Johnny, Please Come Home (Salsoul – US) 2065
1977 Take Me in Your Arms/Wanna Win Your Love Back (Lollipop/London)
1978 Down By The Water/Forget About You (Lollipop/London)
1979 (Boogie Woogie) Dancin’ Shoes/Forget About You  (Lollipop/London) LG-2
1979 You Make Me Feel The Fire (Chrysalis) 2391
1979 Boogie Tonight (Lollipop)
1980 Banana Boat (Day-O)/Girl Crazy (Lollipop)
1980 Radio Action/I Got You (Lollipop/Polydor)
1980 Stop He’s A Love/Sweet Sensation (Lollipop/Polydor)
1981 Radio Action/Banana Boat (Day-O) [12”] (Lollipop/Polydor) PDS-2158
1982 Work Me Over/I Will Follow Him (Polydor)
1982 If I Do It To You/Up All Night (Mirage) 4050
1983 For Your Love/Beat My Drum
1984 Born To Love/Your Sweet Touch (Power) PXD-024
1984 Trippin’ On The Moon (F Beats)/Trippin’ On The Moon (T Beats)  [12”] (Unidisc) 12UNI-1118
1986 Down And Counting/Down And Counting (Emulator Dub) (Epic) 34-06308
1987 Can’t You Feel My Heartbeat/Can’t You Feel My Heartbeat (Percupella) (Epic) 34-06669
1987 Secret Affair/Dance For Your Life (Epic) 34-07198
1988 Dead Or Alive (I Don’t Know If You Are) [12”] (Blue Moon – UK) BLUM-1
1991 Love Is An Island (Hot Productions)
1991 Good Time [with S.I.N.] (Hot Productions)
1992 Summer of Love (Hot Productions)
1996 Brand New Day
2006 I Will Stand (Donna Jean)
2008 Down And Counting ’08 [DigiFile]
2009 Good Heart [DigiFile]

with BONEY M
1975 Baby, Do You Wanna Bump (Part 1)/Baby, Do You Wanna Bump (Part 2) (Hansa – Germany) 13-834AT
1976 Daddy Cool/No Woman No Cry (Hansa – Germany) 16-959AT
1976 Sunny/New York City (Hansa – Germany) 17-459AT

with CLAUDJA BARRY AND RONNIE JONES
1981 The Two of Us/Take Me To the River (Polydor) PDS-2178

with GENERAL BASE
1993 Poison

Albums
1976 Sweet Dynamite (Lollipop/Philips/London) 9286-364
1977 The Girl Most Likely (Lollipop/London) 6306-201
1978 I Wanna Be Loved By You (Lollipop) LGR-1003
1979 Feel The Fire (Lollipop) LG-1006
1980 Greatest Hits (Lollipop) LOL-1-1001
1981 Made In Hong Kong (Lollipop/Polydor) PDS-1-6306
1983 No La De Da Part 2 [12” EP] (Personal) 59801
1985 If I Do It To You (Ensign – UK)
1987 I, Claudja (Epic) PEC-451045
1987 Hot To The Touch [5-song EP] 49-07496
1991 The Best of Claudja Barry (Hot Productions)
1995 Disco ‘Round The Christmas Tree (Radikal – Germany)
1996 Disco Mixes
2015 Come On Stand Up [DigiFile] (Paradax)

with BONEY M
1976 Take The Heat Off Me (Hansa – Germany) 27-563OT

Compilation Tracks
1976 “Sweet Dynamite” on ‘Disco Boogie’ (K-Tel) TC-241
1976 “Johnny, Johnny Please Come Home”, “Dancin’” and “Love Machine” on ‘Disco Boogie Vol. 2’ (Salsoul – US) 2SS-0102
1979 “(Boogie Woogie) Dancin’ Shoes” on ‘Circuit Breaker’ (K-Tel) TC-252
1979 “(Boogie Woogie) Dancin’ Shoes” on ‘Hot Nights & City Lights’ (K-Tel) TC-257

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BARSTOOL PROPHETS
Glenn Forrester (bass) / Graham Greer (vocals, rhythm guitar) / Bobby Tamas (drums) / Phil Inouye (guitar) / Al Morier (guitar; replaced Inouye 1992)
At age 14 Forrester and Tamas were living in Cornwall, Ontario, playing in The Edsels. By high school they recruited Greer and wanted to get into bars, so they started a little band called the Wallflowers in 1988. The original line-up consisted of Graham Greer (vox, guitar), Glenn Forrester (bass), Bobby Tamas (drums) and Phil Inouye (guitar). However, in 1992, Jakob Dylan’s band of the same name made their first appearance on the charts, and so as to avoid confusion, they chose Barstool Prophets from a line in an original song called “Short And Curlies” from their indie cassette ‘Birdman’.At the time of the name change in 1992, the band also moved to Ottawa, Ontario and replaced Inouye with guitarist Al Morier. As the newly christened Barstool Prophets they released an indie CD in 1993 called, appropriately, ‘Deflowered’ which sold over 8000 copies thanks largely to their inaugural cross-Canada jaunt opening of the Odds ‘Bedbugs’ tour and incessant solo-touring through 1993-1994. They also opened the first-ever Canadian appearance of the Dave Matthews Band at Lee’s Palace in Toronto on October 6, 1994. News of the band’s exploits got around to Mercury/Polydor A & R rep Bryan Potvin who was solely impressed by any band that could sell out an Ottawa club in the middle of the season’s worst snowstorm. The band was signed in 1994. Produced by Marty Jones (Furnaceface) in Ottawa and mixed by Mr. Colson in Wisconsin, the Mercury/Polydor debut album ‘Crank’ in August 1995 put the Barstool Prophets favourites and new songs together in a fresh collection. “Paranoia” was the first radio single from the release and hit Top-10 at Rock Radio in Canada, played in heavy rotation on Muchmusic and was featured in the Alliance/Atlantis major motion picture ‘Never Talk to Strangers’ starring Antonio Banderas and Rebecca De Mornay. The band’s catchy songs, head-turning videos, and energetic live shows ensured the Prophets a strong fan-base in Canada and so ‘Crank’ was subsequently released in the USA in July 1996. In 1997, they enlisted the help of veteran producer Joe Hardy (ZZ Top, Tom Cochrane, Steve Earle, Colin James) and the band drove to Memphis to record what would become the ‘Last Of The Big Game Hunters’ album. “Upsidedown” and the title track were Top20 radio songs in Canada while a third, “Friend of Mine”, became a Top10 Rock Radio hit. Throughout those years Barstool Prophets tirelessly toured with 54-40, The Waltons, The Headstones, Junkhouse, Moist, Tea Party, Our Lady Peace, and Big Sugar. Barstool Prophets disbanded in 1999 but have since reformed every few years for one-off concerts benefiting the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and various cancer charities. Greer continued on with a post-BP solo indie career recording with Joe Hardy. With notes from Graham Greer and Ruth Greer. [also see GRAHAM GREER]

Singles
1995 Mankind Man (Radio Edit)/Tell Me It’s A Dream (Mercury/Polydor) 858898
1995 Paranoia (Mercury/Polydor)
1995 Little Death (Oh Mary Mary) (Mercury/Polydor)
1997 Last of The Big Game Hunters (Mercury/Polydor) PCD-511
1997 Upsidedown (Mercury/Polydor)
1997 Friend Of Mine (Mercury/Polydor)

Albums
1993 Deflowered (independent) BPCD-001
1995 Crank (Mercury/Polydor) 528263
1997 Last of The Big Game Hunters (Mercury/Polydor) 518970

as THE WALLFLOWERS
1992 Birdman (independent)

BARTHOLOMEW PLUS 3
Gary Ship (vocals, hammond organ) / George Gardos (bass) / Barry Albert (guitars) / Lawrence ‘Corky’ Laing (drums)
A pop/rock outfit from Montréal, Québec signed to Quality and Can-Am in Canada and eventually Atlantic Records in New York where Felix Pappalardi produced their single 1967 “When I Fall In Love”. Prior to the summer of 1968, Barry Albert left to continue working at a high paying job with Cyanamid of Canada. He would also finish a University degree in Business Management and Taxation. A few months later Albert joined a group called LIFE and made the RPM Magazine Top40 across Canada in 1969 with a single called “Hands of the Clock” – which also made the Top100 in Billboard USA. The remaining trio carried on under the name Energy. Following Energy’s demise, Corky Laing replaced Norman Smart in Leslie West’s band Mountain; Both Ship and Gardos co-wrote songs for Mountain’s ‘Climbing’ album; Gardos went on to join Charlee; Albert became the business manager for a top session singer in Québec and still continues to perform as well. with notes from Barry Albert and George Gardos. [also see CORKY LAING]

Singles
1965 She’s Mine/You’re Not There (Quality) 1728X
1966 ‘Cause I’m Alone/On A Wintery Night (Quality) 1802X
1966 Taboo/Why, Oh Why (Can-Am) CA-200
1966 My Babe Before/Delilah (Can-Am) CA-205
1967 When I Fall In Love/I Can’t Go Back (Atlantic) 2439

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BASEMENT REVOLVER
Nimal Agalawatte (bass, synth) / Chrisy Hurn-Morrison (guitar, vocals) / Jonathan Malström (guitar) / Brandon Munro (drums) / Levi Kertesz (drums; replaced Munro)
From Hamilton, Ontario

Singles
2017 Johnny Pt. 2 (Fear Of Missing Out – UK) FOMO-005CDP
2017 Bread & Wine (Fear Of Missing Out – UK) FOMO-005CDP
2018 Baby (Fear Of Missing Out – UK) FOMO-008CDP
2018 Heavy Eyes (Fear Of Missing Out – UK) FOMO-011CDP
2019 Romantic At Heart (Sonic Unyon)
2019 Wax And Digital (Sonic Unyon)

Albums
2016 Basement Revolver EP [4-song cassette EP] (Fear Of Missing Out – UK) FOMO-002
2017 Agatha EP [4-song 10″ EP] (Fear Of Missing Out – UK) FOMO-004T
2018 Basement Revolver EP [5-song 12″ EP reissue] (Label Obscura) LAB018-1
2018 Heavy Eyes (Sonic Unyon) SUNCD-1752
2019 Wax And Digital [6-song EP] (Sonic Unyon) SUNCD-1762
2022 Embody (Sonic Unyon) SUNCD-1832

Compilation Tracks
2015 “Mountains” on ‘EDN 10: Everybody Dance Now. Songs From Hamilton Vol 10’ [2CD] (93.3 CFMU)
2017 “Family” on ‘The Planets Collection – Mercury’ [DigiFile] (The Blog That Celebrates Itself) TBTCI-100
2019 “Heavy Eyes” on ‘Sonic Unyon: Now We Are 25’ [3LP] (Sonic Unyon) SUNLP-1781

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BASIC ENGLISH
Tim Armour (vocals, guitar) / Sean Ryan (bass, vocals) / Roger Whyte [aka Roger LeBlanc] (drums) / John Davis (guitar, vocal)
In 1986 Armour, Davis and Whyte formed a pick-up band in Moncton, New Brunswick before relocating to Halifax, Nova Scotia to play to bigger audiences. They decided if they were to make it big they needed to be where the action is and headed to Toronto. They picked up bassist Ryan (a London, Ontario native) and they went into the recording studio to prepare a song for the annual Q107 Homegrown competition. The band won the 1987 Homegrown contest and on the same weekend they won they found out they had also been awarded a CFNY-FM CASBY Award for ‘Best Non-Recording Act’. The Q107 contest brought them $12,000 in equipment, $5000 cash, a video shoot, and a single courtesy of Metalworks studio. They were signed to Blue Rodeo’s Risque Disque label in 1988 and Blue Rodeo keyboardist Bobby Wiseman produced a single, “Images of Love” at Metalworks using their lucrative Q107 prize to pay for the sessions. They toured the country several times and did an opening slot for Australia’s Weddings, Parties, Anything. The follow-up album in 1990 was ‘Sweet Panic’ also on Risque Disque and produced by Terry Brown. Ironically, the band couldn’t get Q107 or many other radio stations to play the record and it languished just long enough to get trapped in the Risque Disque bankruptcy that followed. Basic English broke up in 1991 but reformed as Messiah Inc. with Dino Naccarato on drums, focusing on a Goth sound. With the same LINE-UP they then became Gran Torino during the late 90’s as a Hard Rock act. THEN they became Train Wreck, focusing on a country/roots sound. Tim Armour and John Davis revived Basic English for a reunion that occurred in 2010 as part of an ’80s retro night held by Sugar Moon Music to promote it’s compilation disc ‘Into The ’80’s: Great Toronto Bands’. Currently, the band is working on a new recording, with producer Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea). with additional notes from Margaret Dinsdale.

Singles
1988 Images of Love/Outside the Law (Risque Disque/WEA)  7CDN-55

Albums
as BASIC ENGLISH
1990 Sweet Panic (Risque Disque/WEA) 25-71031

as MESSIAH INC.
1995 Welcome To Messiah Inc.

as GRAN TORINO
1996 Transmission

as TRAIN WRECK
2001 Big Smoke Saloon
2005 Emanation

Compilation Tracks
1986 “Love Won’t Wait” ‘Out of the Fog:The Halifax Undergound’ (Flamingo)
1987 “Don’t Have To Dance” on ‘Q107 Homegrown – Volume 9’ (Columbia) WPCC-80124
1993 “Love Won’t Wait” on ‘Out of the Fog Too’ (Flamingo)
2010 “Things Are Done” on ‘Into the 80s: Great Toronto Bands’ (Sugar Moon) SM10-001

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BASICS, The
Fergus Hambleton (guitar, vocals) / Bruce Mack (bass) / Ronnie Wiseman (keyboards) / Dave Norris (drums) / Gary Steed (drums; replaced Norris)
Following a long stint as a solo artist through the first half of the 1970s, Fergus Hambleton and Bruce Mack had a pick-up reggae, Meters-styled funk and instrumental rock act called Moonfood who played at Toronto clubs like the Beverly Tavern, and The Black Bull between 1974 and 1976. When the punk scene exploded on Queen Street the two formed The Basics in 1977 with Ronnie Wiseman (brother of Blue Rodeo’s Bob Wiseman) and Dave Norris. Norris left to join Tony Malone’s Drastic Measures and was replaced by the more funk-oriented Gary Steed which took the band away from a punk sound into a different musical direction. The band became part of the scene at a place called the Global Village on St. Nicholas Street in Toronto run by Roy Fleming who later managed The Dishes. The Basics also frequented The Edge, The Cabana Room, The El Mocambo and other clubs around Toronto performing with The Diodes and Drastic Measures among others. The Basics recorded one single entitled “I Can’t Help” in 1980. The band split up in 1981. Hambleton and Mack went on to form The Sattalites. with notes from Fergus Hambleton. [also see FERGUS HAMBLETON]

Singles
1980 I Can’t Help/Danger Zone (Axe) AX-58

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BASS IS BASE
Roger “MC Mystic” Mooking (rapper, percussion) / Chin Injeti (bass, vocals) / Ivana Santilli (keyboards, trumpet, vocals)
Toronto’s Bass Is Base was formed in early 1991 in the North York suburbs of Toronto. After less than a year, they had already opened shows for the likes of Jamiroquai, The Pharcyde, Rheostatics, Crash Test Dummies, Barenaked Ladies and Me’Shell Ndege’Ocello. In 1994, they had an underground hit with “Funkmobile” from their first album ‘First Impressions for the Bottom Jigglers’ released independently on their own Soul Shack label. The album sold 30,000 copies and earned them a JUNO Award for ‘Best R & B/Soul Recording’ in 1994. They were quickly scooped up by A & M Records as a means to boost their new Urban Music roster and by late in 1995, Bass Is Base retooled the material from their indie release and launched the CD ‘Memories of the Soulshack Survivors’ which received critical acclaim for his positive messages in an era of gangsta rap hatred and rhetoric. In 1996 the album’s single, “I Cry”, went Top 20 hit on both the Pop and Adult Contemporary charts (and is still heavily rotated on CHFI in Toronto in 1998). The group spent 1996/1997 opening shows for Cypress Hill, Busta Rhymes and TLC; Roger Mooking occasionally moonlights with his former Edmonton hip-hop act The Maximum Definitive but is best known as a chef. He was the head chef at Toronto’s Barrion in the 2000s, and has been hosting a show on the Food Network for nearly a decade; Santilli went on to a solo career. [also see IVANA SANTILLI]

Singles
1991 The Spirit/I Promise [featuring Syndicate 305] [6-song 12” EP] (Hi-Bias) HB-005
1991 The Spirit [featuring Syndicate 305] (4 mixes) (Hi-Bias) HB-006
1994 Funkmobile (Soul Shack)
1995 Straw Six & Brix (Soul Shack)
1995 Westside Funk (Soul Shack)
1995 Diamond Dreams [6 mixes] (A & M) AMCD-091895
1996 I Cry [4 mixes] (A & M) AMCD- 010896

Albums
1994 First Impressions: For the Bottom Jigglers (Soul Shack) CDBIB-0594
1995 Memories Of The Soulshack Survivors (A & M) CD- 500398

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BASSO, Guido
Born: September 27, 1937 in Montreal, Quebec
Died: February 12, 2023
Guido Basso was an accomplished trumpet and flugelhorn player who worked in some of Canada’s greatest jazz combos such as All Star Swing Band, Diana Panton Trio + 1, Guido Basso Orchestra, Guido Basso’s Brazilian Band, Rob McConnell & The Boss Brass, Rob McConnell Tentet, The Johnny Burt Society, The Rob McConnell Sextet, and The Ron Collier Tentet among others. He was also an in-demand session player and released a number of solo records. He died February 12, 2023.

Albums
1967 It’s Happening With Guido Basso (CTL) S-5088
1967 The Fabulous Trumpet Of Guido Basso [re-issue of ‘It’s Happening’] (RCA Victor) CTL-1088
1968 Christmas Today (RCA Camden) CAS-2289
1969 It’s Happening With Guido Basso [re-issue] (Birchmount) BM-527
1970 Love Talk (Canadian Talent Library) S-6002
1971 Love Talk [re-issue] (Kanata) LM-116
1973 Jazz Canadiana: All Star Jazz In Concert ‎(CBC Radio Canada) LM-300
1978 And All That Latin Jazz! (Canadian Talent Library) CTL-5216 1987 Guido Basso ‎(Innovation) JCCD-0014
2003 Lost In The Stars ‎(CBC) TRCD-3007

with GUIDO BASSO & DAVE TURNER
1998 Midnight Martini ‎(Justin Time) JTR-8471-2
2002 Dedications ‎(Justin Time) JTR-8487-2

with GUIDO BASSO AND THE CHOIRS OF GRACE CHURCH ON-THE-HILL
2000 The Holy Jazz Concert (Rhythm Tracks) RTCD-0002

with JOEY DEFRANCESCO / GUIDO BASSO / VITO REZZA / LORNE LOFSKY
2004 One Take (Alma) ACD-14282

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BATAH, Peter
Born: April 18, 1957 in Montréal, Québec
With notes from Peter Batah.

Singles
1977 Crazy Love Affair/Crazy Love Affair (instrumental) (London) L-2627
1980 Rock Me Now/Rock Me Now (instrumental) (Unidisc) UN-124
1981 Nobody’s Stopping You/(instrumental) (Unidisc) UN-149
1984 Relax/Relax (Instrumental) (Musart) TI-70798
1987 Medley: Menergy/Technological World/Megatron Man//[split w/KAT MANDU] [12″] (Unidisc) SPEC-1213

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BATES, Smiley
Born: Harvey Edgar Bates on October 16, 1937
Died: January 8, 1997

Singles
1966 My Nova Scotia Home/The Gal Who Invented Kissing (Smiley Bates Productions)
ST-31
1970 Bottle Please Let Go Of Me/The Hour The Night Spots Died (Paragon) PA-1018
1972 Don’t Tell Jenny I’m Blind/I’m The Mail She’s Waiting For (Marathon) 45-1069
1974 The Eternal Flame/Continuous Machine (Marathon) 45-1110
1975 My Daddy’s Eyes/A Little Toy (Marathon) 45-1138
1981 Johnny Picked The Flat Top/It Can’t Be Called A Home (Condor) 1201

Albums
1968 5-String Banjo Bluegrass (Marathon) ALS-182
1968 Golden Guitar (Marathon) ALS-191
1969 Flat Top Guitar Instrumentals (Paragon) ALS-221
1969 Fiddler’s Dream (Marathon) ALS-224
1969 Songs Of The Heart (Paragon) ALS-226
1971 Songs Of Life (Marathon) ALS-286
1971 My Mother (Paragon) ALS-297
1972 Best Of Bluegrass (Paragon) MMS-76002
1973 In The Mood For Pickin’ (Marathon) MMS-76004
1973 Path Of Memories (Marathon) ALS-353
1973 Country Tears (Marathon) MMS-76018
1974 True Stories From Life’s Other Side (Marathon) MMS-76034
1975 The History Of Sadness (Marathon) MMS-76068
1976 House Of Shame (Condor) 977-1445
1976 The Best Of Smiley Bates (Tee Vee International) TA-1061
1978 Lullabyes & Legends (Cheyenne) 89018
1979 Path Of Memories (Condor/Marathon) ALS-353
1980 20 Great Country Hits (The Great Canadian Music Co.) WEE-80-003
1981 An All New Recording (Banner) BTR-2450
1982 Smiley’s Country (Pearl) PC-0007
1982 Country From The Heart (Diamond) DR3-0005
1983 Smiley Bates Sings Hank Snow (Diamond) PC-0017
1983 Instrumentally Yours…Flat Top Guitar Instrumentals (Condor) 977-1465
1983 A Million Miles Of Country (Condor) 977-1485
1983 A Proud Canadian (Diamond) DR3-0009
1984 Nova Scotia Queen (Condor) 977-1503
1984 Portrait Of Stone (Condor) 977-1511
1985 The Soul Of Country (Condor) 977-1517
1986 Strictly Country (Trillium) TR-111
1986 All My Best (Quality) RSP-132
1987 Pickin’ In The Pines (Flat Top Guitar Instrumentals) (Smile) SR12-247
1987 Sing Me A Sad Song (Melrose/Heritage) M-15501
1988 Country Tears (Condor/Heritage) HCD-4401
1989 Pickin’ On The Flat Top (Heritage) HCD-4406
1989 More Country Tears (Heritage) HCD-4416
1990 Ridin’ Outta Town (More Pickin’ On The Flat Top) (Heritage) HCD-4433
1995 Bent River Boogie: Pickin’ The Flat Top Guitar (Condor) HCD-4500
199? Book Of Memories
199? Dust On The Bible
199? Good & Country

as HENRI ROY
1968 Henri Roy et Son Banjo (Paragon) FALS-605
1969 Rêves De Violoneux (Paragon) FALS-621

with EDDY POIRIER & SMILEY BATES
1970 Hey Mr. Banjo, Play A Tune For Me (Paragon) ALS-277
1973 Dueling Banjos (Marathon) ALS-371
1981 Banjo (Condor) 20-002
199? Bluegrass Banjo
199? Finger Lickin’ Good Pickin’

with SMILEY BATES, ROSE POIRIER, EDDY POIRIER
1972 The Best Of Bluegrass (Marathon) MMS-76002

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BATMAN
Gilles Labrie [aka Robin] (guitar) / Jean De Sève [aka The Joker] (drums) / André Jean Moissan [aka Batman] (vocals) / Denis Coté [aka The Penguin] (bass) / Pierre Boismenu [aka The Riddler] (guitar)
Novelty act from Montréal, Québec capitalizing on the success of the American TV show sensation ‘Batman.’ With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1966 L’invincible Batman/Un mauvais farceur (Choc!) C-0055

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BATTERED WIVES [aka THE WIVES]
Toby Swann (vocals, guitar) / John Gibb (vocals, guitar) / Cleave Anderson (drums) / Larry ‘Jasper’ Klassen (bass)  / Patrick Mooney (drums)
True to the punk rock ethos, Toronto’s The Battered Wives, like the Viletones and The Forgotten Rebels, were born into controversy. Formed in 1977 by British-born Toby Swann and Toronto natives Larry “Jasper” Klassen (formerly of the band Flight 505 with Rick Perreault and Warren Maracle) and Cleave Anderson, The Battered Wives gained a reputation on Queen Street as aggressive rabble rousers. Fellow Brit, John Gibb, a clothing boutique owner on Queen Street, had heard about the band through their reputation and managed to convince the members they needed him. Within a year they had signed with fledgling Bomb Records out of Toronto who released their first album, simply titled ‘The Battered Wives’, and they headed out on tour with Elvis Costello. But, it wasn’t long before women’s groups were down their backs for not only the name, but for their logo — a fist with lipstick smeared across the knuckles. The women’s groups began to picket every venue the band played and doing a set list featuring such tunes as “Uganda Stomp” (about Idi Amin) and “Lover’s Balls” didn’t sit well with the pre-PMRC parents groups either. Despite the controversy, or maybe because of it, the Battered Wives built up a huge following which managed to push the sales of the self-titled debut to gold status (50,000 copies) — an unprecedented event for a debut by a Canadian ‘New Wave’ group at the time. The continual upheaval and media spectacle was too much for Cleave Anderson and soon departed to beat the skins for The Sharks (with Sherry Kean). He was quickly replaced by Patrick Mooney. A second album was recorded, but Bomb Records had run out of money and the album sat for almost a year before they licensed it to Epic. However, Epic refused to release the disc unless the band changed their name to ‘The Wives’. Controversy or not, the album only sold 5,500 copies but still managed to win the band a JUNO Award (a Canadian version of The Grammy) for ‘Best Album Graphics’. The Wives had seen no promotion on the western leg of their 1979 tour and asked to be released from their deal with Epic Records citing breach of contract. Ready Records were quick to pick up the newsworthy band and let them return the ‘Battered’ to their names for their 1980 album ‘Live on Mothers’ Day’. Larry Klassen is currently holed-up in America as a successful songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee but his inability to leave the United States is a major crimp in any future Wives reunion; John Gibb is a formidable businessman in the metals industry north of Toronto; Cleave Anderson would go on to form Blue Rodeo until leaving it as well to maintain a day job working for Canada Post (a job he has since retired from) and drumming for the reformed Screaming Sam & The Problems, The Skrewed, The Beverley Brothers and Swindled among others; Patrick Mooney has been living in Guelph, Ontario since 1990 and works as a sound tech; he has also been seen still playing drums with groups like Benji and ex-Johnny & The G-Rays member Harri Palm around the Toronto area; Toby Swann moved on to both a solo career (he would have a seminal underground hit with ‘Lullabyes In Razorland’ and its slash-and-burn remake of the Judy Garland classic “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”) and as founder of Gamma Gamma. He currently lives in Antigua; in 2012 the movie ‘Tiny Plastic Men’ featured songs by The Battered Wives and the set decorated with memorabilia as the characters are Battered Wives fans. with notes from Larry Klassen, Patrick Mooney, Cleave Anderson, Rick Perreault, Toby Swann, Peter Burnside, and Matt Alden. [also see TOBY SWANN]

Singles
1978 Uganda Stomp/Giddy (Bomb) B-5016
1979 Daredevil/You Better Be Right (Line – Germany) LS-1006
1980 Keep A Knockin’/Daredevil (Ready) SGRR-007.5

as THE WIVES
1979 Pass Out/Sex & Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll [promo 7” w/’Cigarettes’ LP] (Bomb/Epic) 
PE4-8363

Albums
1978 Battered Wives (Bomb) B-7028
1980 Live On Mothers’ Day (Ready) RR-007

as THE WIVES
1979 Cigarettes (Bomb/Epic) B-7031
1980 Live On Mother’s Day (Line – Germany) OLLP-5077HS

Compilation Tracks
1981 “Daredevil” on ‘Bomb Catalogue No.1’ (Bomb) BOMB-1

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BATTERY, The
Colonel Xavier Jessome (drums, vocals) / Ian Aker (saxophone, flute, vocals) / Jimmy Amason (guitar, vocals) / Ross Billard (keyboards, guitar) / Owen Hann (bass)
From Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, initially known as The 36^th Street Battery was formed in the late ‘70s and recruited to be Sam Moon’s back-up band. In 1980 they left Sam Moon and struck out on their own as The Battery. They recorded one album, ‘Tomorrow,’ which was produced by Brian Ferriman. The band broke up in 1982; Owen Hann passed away December 2022. with notes from Stephen Marsh.

Singles
1981 Tomorrow/Thoughts of Yesterday (Rio) RIO-727

Albums
1981 Tomorrow (Rio) RIO-1019

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BAUER, Stefan
Stefan Bauer moved to Canada in 1990, and now splits his time between Winnipeg, New York City, and Germany where he was born in 1956 in Recklinghausen. Jazz was his first love, and piano was his first instrument, followed by the trombone. At the age of 19, after brief flings on guitar, saxophone and bassoon, Bauer completed his Masters studies at Musik-hochschule Dortmund and discovered the vibraphone. His first exposure to Double Image, the double vibes of David Friedman and David Samuels left him speechless, but led him to approach Friedman for lessons, and then to further studies at Berklee in Boston. His first influence was Lionel Hampton – “he’s a wild man.” – followed by the impressionism of Gary Burton, the funk of Bobby Hutcherson, Mike Mainieri, and of course Friedman whom he considers his major influence and mentor. Bauer spent time with Palais Schaumberg, a German rock band, but his jazz interests held sway, and by 1985 he had formed his first quartet with Mathias Nadolny on tenor, Tim Wells on bass and drummer Thomas Alkier. This group can be heard on Bauer’s first recording ‘Coming Home’ (1992 – ZYX). Bauer also spent time with Drummele Maa, a percussion group from Germany led by percussionist Christoph Haberer, touring Africa and Europe often. South Indian percussionist Ramesh Shotham was featured in that band, and he and Bauer maintain a working relationship yet today. Drummele Maa can be heard on Villa Rhododendron and Bauer plays on Haberer’s Pulsation 1994 CD release. With the move to Canada in 1990, Bauer has associated himself with some of the finest Canadian jazz players, and from this has developed the Stefan Bauer Quartet: Bernie Senensky – piano, Jim Vivian – bass, and Barry Romberg – drums. They have played together in Toronto clubs frequently since 1993 and had a successful Canadian tour in 1996 that culminated with the highly acclaimed CD, ‘Coast To Coast’, which featured the great trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. Josef Woodard of Jazziz called this “music that is both cerebral and sensuous” and Bauer “a player of no uncertain gifts, strong in the technique and introspective feeling.” The 1998 JUNO-nominated ‘Best of Two Worlds’ featureD drummer Adam Nussbaum, guitar great Mick Goodrick, trumpeter Tim Hagans and Jim Vivian in a program of highly evolved originals and standards. This recording was completed in Montréal, and is beginning to garner the plaudits of Bauer’s earlier releases. His latest recording featuring Ramesh Shotham, saxophonist Charlie Mariano and other German players is called Silent Witness and is just being released by UP/Page in Canada. Bauer is also highly regarded in the jazz world as a composer with over 40 compositions on various recordings by other artists. As well, he can be heard on other Canadian recordings by Daniel Koulack (Life On A String), Greg Lowe (Thrilled Against My Will), Roy/Lerner (Quarter To Three), Walle Larsson, and the upcoming Jennifer Hanson release. He has also recorded and/or played with countless musicians in Europe and North America: among others, Christof Lauer, Vienna Art Orchestra, Klaus Konig Ensemble, Vinnie Golia, Don Thompson, Norma Winstone, Alex Dean, the NDR big bands, Attila Zoller, and Larry Coryell.

Albums
1992 Coming Home (Village/ZYX)
1996 Coast To Coast (Igmod/Page)
1997 Best Of Two Worlds (Jazzline/Allegro) JL-11147-2
1998 Silent Witness (UP/Page) UTY-164
2001 Lingo (Jazz Haus Music – Germany) JHM-116
2008 Voyage (Jazz Haus Music – Germany) JHM-167
2020 Voyage West (Dot Time – US) DT-9080

with LARRY ROY, STEFAN BAUER
1999 Summer’s Embrace (Joint Adventure) 9901

with STEFAN BAUER & MICHAEL HEUPEL
2022 Tête-À-Tête (Jazz Haus Music – Germany) JHM-286

with DAVID BINDMAN, MICHAEL SARIN, STEFAN BAUER
2022 Relative Motion [DigiFile]

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BBC
Billy Cooper (drums) / Charly Sorrell (guitars, vocals) / Bob Easton (bass, synth, vocals)
3-piece from Kitchener, Ontario who released one album on the fledgling Freedom label in 1980.

Singles
1980 Life-Size American Heroes/Rest My Case (Freedom/RCA) FR-45-001
1981 Bobby Soxer/No One’s Man (Freedom/RCA) FR-45-014

Albums
1980 BBC (Freedom/RCA) FR-001

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BEACH MUTANTS
Pete McCormick (vocals, guitar) / Paul Williamson (vocals) / Brad Johnston (guitar) / Mike Stevens (drums) / Garth Johnson (drums; substitute) / Bennie (bass) / Wycliff Hartwig (bass; replaced Bennie)
Played many punk gigs in Winnipeg area in the mid-80s. Covered The Who’s “My Generation”, re-written as “My Masturbation.” Their ‘Polka Dot Pajamas’ EP sold over 200 copies. The band also made a movie called ‘The Pizza Guy’ starring Jason Cherepak and Paul Williamson. The Beach Mutants opened for Grapes Of Wrath on their Canadian tour in 1985. The group disbanded in late 1986/early 1987. with notes from Paul Williamson.

Singles
1986 Polka Dot Pyjamas [4-song EP] (Snippy Guy) [no. cat.#]

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BEARFOOT
Dwayne Ford (keyboards, flute, guitar, vocals) / Hugh Brockie (lead and rhythm guitar, banjo) / Terry Danko (bass; later switched to guitar) / Jim Atkinson (vocals, guitar) / Brian Hilton (drums) / Mal Turner (drums; replaced Hilton) / Malcolm Tomlinson (percussion, guitar, vocals) / Penti ‘Whitey’ Glan (percussion) / Chris Vickery (bass; replaced Danko) / Marty Coudrey (drums; replaced Mal Turner)
Hugh Brockie (guitar) and Dwayne Ford (piano), from Edmonton, were originally part of Ronnie Hawkins’ Rock And Roll Revival And Travelling Medicine Show. One night while playing the upstairs lounge of the Graham Bell Hotel in Brantford, Ontario Hawkins spotted two other hotshot musicians in the group Tin Pan Alley downstairs – Terry Danko (brother of The Band’s Rick Danko) and Jim Atkinson – and a new band was born. Hawkins, like he had done with so many versions of The Hawks, who would become The Band and Crowbar before them, taught the guys the ropes about professional showmanship and playing abilities. And like The Hawks, this group of musicians decided that Hawkins’ straight-ahead rock and roll was creatively stifling. Danko left first, then Atkinson and briefly became a duo before forming Atkinson, Danko, and Ford (with the addition of Brockie & Hilton). The act soon signed to Columbia Records and their 1972 debut LP spawned the single “Right On”. Hilton would leave as drummer and they added Mal Turner but felt their moniker sounded more like a law firm than a musical group and changed it to Bearfoot. In June of 1973, under the new Bearfoot name Columbia Records resigned the group by offering them a $15,000 cash advance. The label then spent $60,000 recording the album ‘Friends With Bearfoot’, mixed it twice, packaged it twice, distributed it, recalled it and re-distributed it. Atkinson and Danko left for Hollywood and were replaced by Malcolm Tomlinson and Chris Vickery at which time a second album – ‘Passing Time’ was released under the name Dwayne Ford and Bearfoot; Danko played in Gary Busey’s “Buddy Holly Story” in 1978 and later returned to Canada in 1985 to reform Bearfoot with Jim Atkinson and Gerry Baird; Ford was married to Patsy Gallant for many years and has had a successful solo career as well; Chris Vickery is now a solo artist as is Terry Danko. with notes from Hugh Brockie, Terry Danko, Dwayne Ford and L.Danko. [also see ATKINSON DANKO & FORD, TERRY DANKO, DWAYNE FORD, MALCOLM TOMLINSON]

Singles
1973 Only A Soldier/Life Goes Too Fast (Columbia) C4-3106
1973 Molly/St. Augustine (Columbia) C4-4027

as DWAYNE FORD AND BEARFOOT
1974 Passing Time/She Comes To Me (CBS/Columbia) C4-4065
1975 Cable To Carol/Lecher’s Reign (CBS/Columbia) C4-4081

Albums
1973 Friends With Bearfoot (Columbia) KE-32653

as DWAYNE FORD AND BEARFOOT
1975 Passing Time (CBS/Columbia) KE-33530

Compilation Tracks
as DWAYNE FORD AND BEARFOOT
1976 “Passing Time” on ‘Canada’s Finest’ (K-Tel) TC-232

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BEATLETTES, Les
Hélène Duguay (bass) / Mimi Jourdan (drums) / Claire Fugère (guitar) / Claudette Faubert (lead guitar) / Denise Payette (vocals) / Micheline Desanre (drums; replaced Jourdan)
Formed in Montréal in 1964, The Beatlettes began their career doing French versions of Beatles songs at the Café de l’Est cabaret in Montréal, which led to performances across Québec. Later that year they opened for British Invasion act The Dave Clark Five. In 1964, Les Beatlettes recorded Les Classels’ song “Ton amour a changé ma vie” for the Succès Du Jour label compilation ‘Edition 250,000 Vol. 7.’ In 1965 the group signed a contract with producer Denis Pantis’ Jeunesse Franco label and released their singled “Ce n’est plus qu’un rêve” b/w “Reste encore” that year. Les Beatlettes toured Ontario and then returned to promote the single on the TV show ‘Jeunesse d’aujourd’hui.’ Then the group hit the road for other commitments in Québec and Ontario. Faubert and Desanre died in a car accident while the band was heading to the Brass Rail in London, Ontario for a show in May 1965. The tragedy ended the band. With notes from William Cole, Michel Charbonneau, and Claire Fugère.

Singles
1965 Ce n’est plus qu’un reve/Reste encore (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4024
1968 C’est grace a toi/Une fille sans un garçon (Première) PR-90

Compilation Tracks
1964 “Ton amour a changé ma vie” on ‘Edition 250,000 Vol. 7’ (Succès Du Jour) S-507

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BEATTIE, Doran
In the band 49th Parallel, Danny Lowe saw the band he founded with Dennis Abbott lose momentum after Abbott’s departure following the release of its one and only album in 1969. Doran Beattie replaced Abbott and with a new line-up of Beattie, Lowe, Jack Velker, Dave Downey and Terry Bare, they began working on another album which was never completed but the single “I Need You” did surface in 1970. Eventually the band changed its name to Painter and signed on with Randy Bachman’s Molten Records. Painter managed an LP and at least one successful single “West Coast Woman” on Elektra in 1973 after which Beattie and Lowe renamed the group Hammersmith.  Hammersmith managed two albums for Mercury – ‘Hammersmith’ (1974) and ‘It’s For You’ (1976). Those claiming to have been members of Hammersmith include Mike Reno (nee Rynoski), Jim Clench, Hal Whitford, Craig Blair, Jeff Boyne, Brian Ojay, Dale Buchner, Randy McCann, Bobby Vice, Jim Lewellyn, Al Gibson, and Bill Kempster.  Mercury dropped the band in 1977 and Beattie quit and joined the band All The Rage In Paris (1978), but that too faltered when co-founding keyboardist Doug Johnson quit to join Loverboy. After taking a few years off from touring the stadiums of North America (opening for acts like Jethro Tull and Kiss) he decided to raise a family, mellow and go country. Beattie knocked audiences out in 1992 and 1993 at the Merritt Mountain Music Festival with his eight piece band. 1994 saw the release of ‘Second Chance’, produced by Rolf Henneman, and featuring a number of songs co-written by Susan Jacks. Canadian country radio heavy rotated the 2nd single, “Fear of Flying”, and Country Music News listed the tune as No.46 for 1994 on the Top 100 Canadian country singles chart. with notes from Bill Munson. [also see 49th PARALLEL, HAMMERSMITH, PAINTER]

Singles
1994 Fear of Flying (Q-West)

Albums
1994 Second Chance (Q-West)

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BEAU DOMMAGE
Pierre Bertrand (vocals, bass) / Marie-Michele Desrosiers (vocals, piano) / Real Desrosiers (drums) / Robert Leger (keyboards) / Michel Rivard (vocals, guitar) / Michael Hinton (keyboards; replaced Leger 1976)  / Pierre Huet (songwriter)
Beau Dommage had its earliest roots as Quenouille Bleue, in 1970, when Michel Rivard and Pierre Huet attended the University Of Québec. The duo played at small intimate setting and with the addition of Robert Leger, they changed their name to Theatre Sainfoin to reflect their new chosen venue. With the addition of Marie-Michele Desrosiers in 1973, Beau Dommage was formed. They were at once part of a new generation (or ‘La Releve’) of Québec groups who tried to spread the word about the life and times of Québec’s people. The band’s first, self-titled album in 1974 made them an instant success with 250,000 copies sold and their second would ship platinum (100,000) – a first for any Canadian act at that time. 1977 saw some disharmony among the members which led Rivard to record a solo album which led to a mutiny of sorts and the act dissolved in the late ’70’s. Marie-Michele Desrosiers would also go solo around 1981 as would Robert Leger who had great success on a side project in 1982 with a punk rock musical entitled ‘Pied de Poule’ (Chicken Foot), with the play continually selling out and the title track selling 75,000 copies in Québec. In the summer of 1984 the group reunited for the 450th anniversary celebration of Jacques Cartier’s discovery of Québec and the year was capped by two live performances in October at the Forum de Montréal. A double live album resulted in 1985 and EMI Canada re-issued a live album/concert video called ‘Live-ism’ in 1992. with notes from Glen Bourgeois.

Singles
1975 Une amie d’enfance/Fin de soirée
1975 Le picbois/A toutes les fois (Capitol-EMI) 85102
1975 Tous les palmiers/Le geant Beaupre (Capitol-EMI) 85105
1975 Harmonies du soir à Châteauguay/La Complainte du phoque en Alaska (Capitol-EMI) 85109
1975 Le blues d’la metropole/Assis dans cuisine (Capitol-EMI) 85113
1976 Motel Man repos/J’ai oublié le jour (Capitol-EMI) 85118
1976 Heureusement qu’il y a la nuit/Bon débarras (Capitol-EMI) 85122
1976 Montréal/Amene pas ta gang (Capitol-EMI) 85124
1977 Gisèle en automne (du film: Le soleil se lève en retard) /Générique; Son ancien chum (du film: Le soleil se lève en retard) (Capitol-EMI) 85131
1977 Seize ans en ‘76/Contre lui (Capitol-EMI) 85134
1977 Tour va bein/ Marie-Chantale (Capitol-EMI) 85136
1977 Rouler la nuit/Le passager de l’heure de pointe (Capitol-EMI) 85140
1978 Le coeur endormi/Le hockey (Capitol-EMI) 85144
1978 C’est samedi soir/La complainte du phoque en Alaska (Capitol-EMI) 85151
1984 Tellement on s’aimait (Polydor)
1985 Le Rapide-blanc (Polydor)
1994 Echappee Belle (Audiogram)
1995 Rive-Sud (Audiogram)
1996 Tout Simplement Jaloux (Audiogram)

Albums
1974 Beau Dommage (Capitol-EMI) ST-70.034
1975 Où est passée la noce? (Capitol-EMI) ST-70.037
1976 Un autre jour arrive en ville… (Capitol-EMI) ST-70.048
1977 Passagers (Capitol-EMI) ST-70.055
1978 Les Grands Succès de Beau Dommage (Capitol-EMI)
1985 au Forum de Montréal (Polydor) 2424-250
1985 au Forum de Montréal, Vol. 2 (Polydor) 2424-253
1985 26 et 27 Octobre 1984 au Forum de Montréal (Capitol-EMI)
1987 Plus de 60 Minutes avec Beau Dommage (Capitol-EMI) 48843
1988 Leurs plus grands succès en spectacle – Au Forum (Polydor) 835-126-2
1991 L’integrale [3CD] (EMI)
1991 La complainte du phoque en Alaska (EMI)
1992 Live-ism [re-issue of 26 Et 27 Octobre 1984 Au Forum De Montréal] (EMI)
1994 Beau Dommage (Audiogram) ADCD-10081
1995 Rideau (Audiogram) ADCD-10089
1999 Anthologie (EMI Canada) 523940
2009 L’album de famille [5CD + 2DVD] (EMI Canada)  265811

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BEAU GESTE
Asher Fisher (drums) / Bryan Hughes (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards) / Nicky Prigeno (bass) / Rick Rice (guitar) / Rod McManus (keyboards) / Ciro Devito (drums) / Dave Edmead (keyboards)
From Montreal, Québec. Besides their own recording for TGO Records, Beau Geste would back up Cindy Valentine on her ‘Rock And Roll Heart Attack’ album; Hughes would form The Bryan Hughes Group with Edmead. Hughes would also do session work for Christoph Spendel, Ten Seconds Over Tokyo, and George Hills. He would also work with Devay and Shayle under the pseudonym Chris West; Prigeno and McManus would co-write “If Looks Could Kill” on Aldo Nova’s ‘Twitch’ album. [also see BRYAN HUGHES GROUP]

Singles
1982 Oh! Milady (C’est Presque Le Temps)/Ma Chance Va Tourner (TGO/CBS) C5-4321
1982 Si Tu L’aimes/Reviens (TGO/CBS) C5-4330
1982 Je T’aime/C’est Comme Ca (Qu’on Joue Du Rock-N-Roll) (TGO/CBS) C5-4341
1982 Money Money/Attends-Moi (TGO/CBS) C5-4346
1984 J’pense À Elle/Toute La Nuit (TGO/CBS) C5-7034
1986 Take These Chains (CHR/AOR Mix)/Take These Chains (AC Mix) (TGO/RCA) TGDJ-1023
1986 Take These Chains/Strong Tonight (TGO/RCA) TGS-1023
1986 Catch The Fire/Heartbreak City (TGO/RCA) TGS-1027

Albums
1982 Beau Geste (TGO/CBS) NPFC-80072
1986 Another Night In The City (TGO) TGLP-004

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BEAU-MARKS, The
Joey Frechette (piano) / Mike Robitaille (bass) / Ray Hutchinson (lead guitar, vocals) / Gilles Tailleur (drums)
Formed in 1958, this Montréal based quartet financed their own recordings and used local studios – a very rare occurrence in the early ’60’s. They were fairly restricted at the time to playing American standards under the name The Del Tones, but they would make forays into recording studios to try out their original material as often as possible. A copyright hassle from a US act forced the band to change their name to Beau-Marks which came from, of all things, the BOMARC missile. One of their first efforts was the 1959 hit “Moonlight Party” which started getting airplay in Ontario and Québec from on-air requests. The band headed back into the studio and cut their next side – “Clap Your Hands” which got national airplay and sold well. The band began taking performance offers across the country and Shad Records in the US released the single to rave response. The single made the Billboard Top100 and stayed there for 14 weeks with a peak position of No. 45 leading to appearances at The Peppermint Lounge, Carnegie Hall and on Dick Clark’s ‘American Bandstand’. “Clap Your Hands” eventually made No.1 in the Commonwealth and had top charting success in Europe. Follow-up records like “Classmate” (1961) and “Little Miss Lady” (1962) were released but none seemed to live up to the immediate hit potential of “Clap Your Hands” which was re-released in 1968 by Quality Records and became a hit all over again. The Beau-marks split up in 1963 at which time Ray Hutchinson joined Dave Nicholl And The Coins before settling in as a North American lounge act (including nightly appearances at his own Montréal restaurant Le Sentiment) but had to retire from music after sustaining serious injuries in a 1988 car accident; Mike Robitaille became successful in video production; Gilles Tailleur died of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 35; and Joey Frechette was the head of April Blackwood publishing, a program director at CHOO radio, and re-recorded his own version of “Clap Your Hands” in 1987 as Joey Conrad; Hutchinson died from complications of COPD on October 31, 2021 in Peterborough, Ontario.

Singles
1960 Clap Your Hands/Daddy Said (Quality) K-1966
1960 Billy, Billy, Went A Walking/’Cause We’re In Love (Quality) 1219X
1961 Oh Joan/Baby Face (Quality) 1259X
1961 Classmate/School Is Out (Quality) 1315X
1961 I Used To Love You/Yours (Quality) 1337X
1961 Little Miss Twist/Lovely Little Lady (Quality) 1361X
1962 Clap Your Hands Once Again/Summertime (Quality) 1404X
1962 The Tender Years/I’ll Never Be The Same (Quality) 1423X
1962 Dark Is The Night/Stay With Me (Quality) 1493X
1963 Give Me One More Chance/Now She’s Gone (Quality) 1532X
1965 Be Bop A Lula/So Fine (Quality) 1766X
1968 Daddy Said/’Cause We’re In Love (Quality) 1926X
1968 Clap Your Hands/Billy, Billy Went A Walking [re-issue] (Quality) QGT-014X

as THE DEL TONES
1959 Moonlight Party/Rockin’ Blues (Quality) 1881X

Albums
1960 The High Flying Beau-Marks (Quality) V-1656
1961 n Person! Recorded On Location At Le Coq D’or (Quality) V-1683
1961 One by One! Rock and Roll Has Got a Beat [re-issue of In Person!]  (Quality) V-1683
1962 The Beau-Marks (Quality) V-1711
1994 Hits & Rarities (Sparkletone – GERMANY) SPCD-99019
2001 The Tender Years (Unidisc)
2001 The Best of (Unidisc) AGEK-2023
2002 The Quality Years – By Special Request (Unidisc) AGEK-2100

Compilation Tracks
1973 “Clap Your Hands” on ‘Juke Box Jive’ (K-Tel) TC-216
1990 “Clap Your Hands” on ‘Made In Canada – Volume One: The Early Years’ (BMG)
KCD1-7156

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BEAUTIFUL 2000
Dan Stapleford / Marc Stapleford / Michael Dilauro
[also see MICHAEL DILAURO]

Albums
1999 What It Is… What It Was… What It Could Be… (Beautiful 2000)
2002 Hi-Five [5-Song EP] (Beautiful 2000) B2000-005
2003 Midnight Sons (Popguru Sound & Vision) POPCD-05063

Compilation Tracks
1998 “She Is The World” on ‘The 1998 New Rock Search’ (102.1 The Edge) 1998-EDGE3
1999 “I’ve Always Wanted You” on ‘The World According To Popguru’ (Popguru/Page) 6-27915-07882-7
2005 “Go Anywhere With You” on ‘The World According To Popguru (2005) (Popguru)

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BEAUTIFUL NOTHING
Anthony Ludgate (vocals, keyboards) / Luke Ludgate (guitar, keyboards) / Shane Ludgate (drums, piano) / James Featherstone (bass) / Sven Petrovic (guitar)
From Toronto, Ontario.

Singles
2014 Come Color Me (BKCi/Universal)

Albums
2014 Beautiful Nothing (BKCi/Universal) BKCI-010

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BED TIME STORY, The
Bob Kendall (organ) / Doug Dixon (vocals) / Jeff Hewitson (vocals; replaced Dixon) / John Kubko (bass) / Jim Pernokis (lead guitar) / Chuck Slater (drums)
From Toronto, Ontario. Following the implosion of The Ardels, members Dixon and Pernokis co-founded The Bed Time Story. They were signed to Columbia and released two singles for the label. Dixon would be replaced by Hewitson (ex-Fugitives). By 1969 they would change their name to Backbone. Unable to parlay that change into another record deal, the band split up; Dixon and Pernokis would reconnect with their former Ardels bandmates in 1988 to become Passtime; Kendall would go on to join Edward Bear; Chuck Slater would join Ocean.

Singles
1967 Raise Your Hand/Careless Life (Columbia) C4-2779
1968 Got To Find Someone (A Day In The Life Of Steven Truscott)/Feel The Sun (Columbia) C4-2814

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BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH
Jay Malinowski (vocals, guitar) / Eon Sinclair (bass) / Pat Pengelly (drums) / Sekou Lumumba (drums; replaced Pengelly) / Brendan Rossi (keyboards)
This ska/reggae trio formed in Kingston, Ontario in 2000 choosing the name Bedouin Soundclash from a 1996 ROIR Records dub cassette mix by artist Badawi. The band recorded the ‘Root Fire’ album for its own B-Unique imprint in 2001. The album’s only single, “Santa Monica”, gained them fans on College radio across Canada. It was the release of their 2005 sophomore release, ‘Sound a Mozaic’, that launched the band’s career into over-night sensations on the heels of the single “When the Night Feels My Song” which had been used as pre-recorded music for passengers on Air Canada international flights. The tune was soon adopted by the airline for its TV and radio commercials making it a highly sought after song. The song went on to be a monster radio hit reaching No.1 at many Canadian radio stations including 102.1 The Edge in Toronto in the summer of 2005. It soon became the No.2 most played song on Canadian radio behind competing Nickelback and Green Day releases. The band has released several more albums and toured internationally playing the Vans Warped Tour, the Leeds Festival in the UK, and Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival alongside Coldplay. The 2007’Street Gospels’ album offered up the hits “St.Andrews” (another No.1 on 102.1 The Edge) and “Walls Fall Down” with a video reaching No.1 on MuchMusic TV. The album garnered them a 2008 JUNO Award nomination for ‘Pop Album of the Year’. In 2009 they toured Australia and shared opening slot duties with Paramore on a North America tour with No Doubt. They also released a rarities and B-sides digital download album called ‘Where Have All the Songs Played Gone To?’. Sekou Lumumba joined the band officially for their gig at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler, British Columbia following the departure of Pengelly who left to go to Law School. They would release their most current album ‘Light the Horizon’ as well which spawned two singles. Jay Malinowski would release a solo disc in 2010 on the group’s label Pirates Blend Records entitled ‘Bright Lights and Bruises’; the original LINE-UP of the band reunited for a show at the Horseshoe Tavernin May 2014 to raise funds for cystic fibrosis fundraiser held in memory of the band’s friend and agent, Paul Gourlie.

Singles
2001 Santa Monica (B-Unique)
2004 When the Night Feels My Song (B-Unique – Europe) BEDOUIN-1
2005 New Year’s Day (B-Unique) BEDOUIN-2
2005 Shelter (B-Unique)
2006 Gyasi Went Home (B-Unique)
2007 St. Andrews (Side One Dummy)
2007 Walls Fall Down [7”] (Dine Alone) SD-1340
2006 12:59 Lullaby/One Way/Jeb Rand Is Sailin’ On (Side One Dummy – UK) SK-1314-2
2009 Hearts In the Night [DigiFile] (Side One Dummy)
2009 Until We Burn In the Sun (the Kids Just Want a Love Song) [DigiFile] (Side One Dummy)
2010 Mountain Top (Pirates Blend/Sony)
2011 Elongo (Album Version)/Elongo (Carranza Mix Version) (Rude – Germany)
2011 Here I Am [featuring Saint James Music Academy] (Root Fire/Sony)
2011 A Chance of Rain (Pirates Blend/Sony)
2013 Brutal Hearts (Dr. Dru Radio Version)/Brutal Hearts (Dr. Dru Remix) (Warner Dance – Sweden)
2014 Brutal Hearts (FlicFlac Radio Edit)/(Dr. Dru Radio Version) [DigiFile] (Bitclap!/Warner – Europe)
2017 Clock Work [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)
2018 They Gutted This City [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)
2018 Saltwater [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)
2018 When We’re Gone [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)
2018 Born Into Bad Times [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)
2018 Drive [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)
2018 Holy [DigiFile] (Bedouin Soundclash/Sony)

Albums
2001 Root Fire (B-Unique)
2004 Sounding a Mosaic (B-Unique) BUN-099
2005 Sounding a Mosaic [re-issue] (Stomp) STMP-043
2007 Street Gospels (Dine Alone) DA-010
2009 Where Have All the Songs Played Gone To? (Dine Alone) DA-021
2010 iTunes Live From Montréal [DigiFile] (Pirates Blend)
2010 Light the Horizon (Pirates Blend/Sony) SG-28217
2019 Mass (Sony) 19075992122

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BEE, Martine
Born: Martine Gauthier
Bee began her singing career in the duo Les Mitoufle (1963-1964) with Suzy, then created the duo Les Scarabées with Liz Brady (1968-1973). She wrote lyrics under her real name Martine Gauthier, then used the alias Martine Bee for her solo career. [also see LES MITOUFLE, LES SCARABEES]

Singles
1981 La Fille Du Soleil/Je Voulais (Polydor) 2065-447
1982 En Femme Libre/Tete De Bois (Chau-Bee’zz/Trans-Canada) 45CB-500
1982 Je Voulais/Un Autre Amour (Chau-Bee’zz/Trans-Canada) 45CB-501
1983 Anima Mia/Anima Mia (Instrumental) (Coda) PS-358

as MARTINE DES SCARABÉS
1973 Québec/un tout petit peu d’amour (MIF) 5002

with MARTINE BEE ET JEAN-CLAUDE BRIALY
1980 La Confiance/Chanson (Polydor) 2065-435

with PIERRE LAWRENCE ET MARTINE BEE
1984 Heureux Quand Tu Es La/Heureux Quand Tu Es La (Version Instrumentale) (PSOL/Trans-Canada) PS-854

Albums
1982 En Femme Libre (Chau-Bee’zz) LPCB-4900

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BEETHOVEN(S), Les
Pierre Perpall (vocals) / Rémi Gagnon (lead guitar) / Réal Saint-Maurice (guitar) / Robert Leblanc (bass) / Jean Yves Thériault (organ) / Pierre Savard (drums)
Les Beethovens were an R & B/soul group from Québec. In 1966, signed a deal with Jean Beaulne (of Les Baronets) to recorded their first single “Toi ma chance” for the Première label. Gagnon left soon after. Their second single, “Pour moi ça va,” followed in 1966 which led to radio play and television appearances on ‘Jeunesse d’aujourd’hui’ (CFTM-10), ‘Jeunesse oblige’ (CBFT-2), and ‘Surboum’ (CFCM-4). The band split up that summer and Perpall pursued a solo career. With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
as LES BEETHOVEN
1965 Toi ma chance / Danse le poney (Première) PRE-822

as LES BEETHOVENS
1966 Pour moi ça va / Tourner et rouler (Miracle) MIR-1305

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BEFORE THE FLOOD
Aaron Christie (guitar, vocals) / Jason LaCrosse (bass, percussion) / Jeff Boulton (drums, percussion) / Steve Davis (guitar, vocals, lap steel, bass, banjo, harmonica) / Mike Harvey (violin) / Rachel Boulton (keyboards) / Jason McGibbon
From Toronto, Ontario. Formed in 2005.

Singles
2020 Glad Tidings [2-songs] (Before The Flood)

Albums
2006 Lie/Love EP [5-song EP] (Before The Flood)
2007 We Were The Halls [3-song EP] (Before The Flood)
2008 Bars Wire And Wood (Quarry) QR-001
2015 Hole In The Sky (Panic) PAN-001

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BEL AIR, Les
André “Eddy” Roy (vocals, guitar) / André Rhéaume (guitars, vocals) / Jean Allen (drums) / Benoît Guimonds (drums; replaced Allen 1968) / Bernard Valleé (bass)
Formed in 1964, Les Bel-Air hailed from Québec City. In 1965 Les Bel-Air came to the attention of Les Baronets’ member Jean Beaulne after an appearance on the TV show ‘Jeunesse d’aujourd’hui’ (CFTM-10). Beaulne signs them to Premiere records where they released “Tant de chose à dire” (a French version of the Rolling Stones’ “Time Is On My Side”) in 1965. It became an instant hit. Les Bel-Air toured continuously and released their second single that year, “Ils parlaient dans mon dos”, which became another successful record. By 1966 Les Bel-Air began moving away from the British Invasion and began to add country elements to some of their songs. style with songs like “Maman et Restons comme”. 1967 saw the release of the Citation Records single “Marchant dans la plaine” and made the group a household name throughout Québec. In 1968, they created their own record company, Disco Bel-Air. Their 1969 single release on the label, the song “Cupidon” (a French version of Leapy Lee’s “Little Arrows”), would sell more than 100,000 copies. Subsequently, the group opened for Johnny Hallyday show, and also took part in the Musicorama summer tour. In 1970, they returned to the YéYé styled garage single “Caroline” and managed another successful chart hit. They changed their name to Canadian Pea Soup shortly after before splitting up in 1971. Eddy Roy would release two solo singles before Les Bel-Air reunited for a new version of the band in 1973 as Les Bel-Air Edition ’73. They released the single “Je Dois Partir” (a French version of The Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen A Face”). With notes from Michel Charbonneau, Serge Gingras, and Johanne Lepage. [also see ANDRÉ “EDDY” ROY]

Singles
1965 Tant de chose à dire/Quand le jour viendra (Première) PR-808
1965 Betty/Ils Parlaient Dans Mon Dos (Première) PRE-813
1966 Cheveux longs/Je pleure encore (Première) PRE-821
1966 Restons Ainsi/Maman (Télédisc) TD-27
1966 Mille Danses/L’école (Télédisc) TD-42
1966 Morgen/Blanc sur noir (Télédisc) TD-50
1967 Marchant dans la plaine/Merveilleuse nuit d’amour (Citation) CN-9027
1967 Visage de Noël/Sainte nuit (par les Gendarmes) (Citation) CN-9029
1968 Suzie Darling/Le Coin de Amours (Citation) CN-9038
1968 Mary Lou/Tout Ca/ Ma guitare pour un cheval blanc (Citation) CN-9051
1968 Fa Fa Fa/Je pleure encore (Citation) CN-9062
1968 Bon vivant/N’essayez pas les filles (DSP) DSP-8633
1968 Marchant Dans La Plaine/Merveilleuse Nuit D’Amour// Maman/Mille Danses (Super4/DSP) S4-139-22
1968 Le Coin Des Amours/Tant De Choses A Dire//Suzie Darling/Blanc Sur Noir (Super4/DSP) S4-139-29
1969 N’essayez Pas Les Filles Avec Vos Chansons/Ma Guitare Pour Un Cheval Blanc//Bon Vivant/Mary Lou (Super4/DSP) S4-139-40
1969 Cupidon/Quand le jour Viendra (Disco Bel-Air) BA-101
1969 Je n’entrerai pas ces soir/La legende de Xanadu (Disco Bel-Air) BA-104
1969 Plus fort chaque jour/Tant de choses a dire (Disco Bel-Air) BA-105
1970 Caroline/Dong Dong Diki Di Ki Dong (Disco Bel-Air) BA-111
1970 Les Dégonflés/[split w/unknown] (Disco Bel-Air) BA-112
1970 Galaxie/[split w/Kyrie Eleison] (Disco Bel-Air) BA-113
1974 Marchant dans la plaine/Maman (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100105
1974 Ils parlaient dans mon dos/Tant de choses à dire (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG- 100106
1974 Cupidon/Le coins des amours (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100107

as LES BEL-AIR EDITION ‘73
1973 Je Dois Partir / Sur Un Nuage (BACQ/Trans-Canada) AC-1501

Albums
1967 Les Bel Air (Télédisc)TD-362
1968 Marchant dans la plaine (le Group le plus recherché) (Citation) CN-16017
1968 Histoire Des Bel Air [2LP re-issue] (DSP) HIS-2-503
1968 Disque or Western (DSP Idole) ID-308
1969 Ouest-Ern (DSP) TR-259-29
1969 Les 16 Super Succès Des Bel Air (DSP International) INT-406
1969 Pour faire changement (Disco Bel-Air) DBA-10001
1970 Jouent Les Bel-Air (Musique Instrumentale)( (Disco Bel-Air) BAB-1002
1971 Les Bel Air (Trans-World) TWF-9015
1974 21 Disques D’or (Les Archives Du Disque Québécois) AQ-21018
1991 Les Bel Air (Les groupes des années ’60’) (Disques Mérite) 22-905
1998 Les Titres D’Or [cassette] (Disques Mérite) 44-15017
2000 Les grand succès Country (Disques Mérite) 22-945
2000 Les grand succès Volume 2 (Disques Mérite) 22-946
2010 Le Top 30 (Disques Mérite/Unidisc) 22-8510

Compilation Tracks
1969 “Bon Vivant,” “Ils Parlaient Dans Mon Dos,” “Marchant Dans La Plaine,” “N’essayez Pas Les Filles,” “Restons Ainsi” on ‘Western’ (Citation) C-298-3

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BEL CANTO, Les
René d’Antoine Letarte (bass, vocals) / Aurèle “Dany” Bolduc (guitar, vocals) / Guy Bolduc (guitar, vocals) / André Fortin (guitar, vocals; replaced Guy Buldoc) / Claude Falardeau (guitar, harmonica, vocals) / Marcel Lebel (drums, vocals) / Pierre “Moustique” Package (drums, vocals; replaced Lebel)
Formed in Québec in the early 1960s, Les Bel Canto performed their instrumental repertoire at dance halls around the province. Following the arrival of the Beatles and the British Invasion in 1964, Les Bel Canto added vocals to their music. Jean Beaulne of Les Baronets signed them to Première Records and following their first single in 1964 entitled “Tu vas danser,” he booked them for shows in Montréal nightclubs. At the beginning of 1965, the group knows its greatest success with the double A-sided “Découragé” and “Feuille de gui” (a Jean-Pierre Ferland song). In 1969, they were voted Group of the Year. They performed on the biggest stages in Québec at the time namely Comédie canadienne, Place des Arts, and the province’s biggest nightclubs. In 1970, they were invited to perform Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. During this period the group had changed its name to Les Kanto. They split up in 1971. A reunion was held in 1985 at at the Saint-Jérôme Arena in Québec. With notes from Michel Charbonneau, Jocelyne Berthiaume, and Denis Pantis.

Singles
1964 Tu vas danser/Je ne pense qu’à ça (Première) PRE-804
1965 Découragé/Feuille de gui (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4026
1965 Je ne te crois plus/À toi pour toi (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4035
1965 C’est peut-être toi/Possèder ton coeur (Jeunesse Franco) JF-4043
1966 Seul/Les filles d’Ève (Miracle) MIR-1303
1966 Je t’aime hum hum/C’est toi (Télédisc) TD-29
1966 Nous marcherons dans la neige/Le Père Noël a pris un coup (Télédisc) TD-44
1967 Quand reviendras-tu/Va je ne veux rien savoir (Télédisc) TD-52
1967 Bonsoir à demain/Que c’est étrange (Télédisc) TD-59
1968 Je t’aime hum hum/Seul (Télédisc) OR-784
1968 Un nouveau chapeau/Si tu n’existais pas (Barclay) 100
1968 Quand vient le matin/Y’a tant de temps (Barclay) B-60027
1968 Coui Coui/Olé le matador (Barclay) B-60034
1969 Mon petit doigt/Achète un billet (Barclay) B-60057
1969 Une croix sur mon nom/Maria My Love (Barclay) B-60076
1969 Faut que je sois saoul/Man, man, man (Barclay) B-60094
1969 Coui Coui/Un nouveau chapeau (Barclay) OR-890
1969 Faut que je sois saoul/Man, man, man (Barclay – FRA) B-61214
1969 Bonsoir à demain/Que c’est érange//Seul/Feuille de gui (DSP) S4-139-20
1969 Quand reviendras-tu/Va, je ne veux rien savoir//Je t’aime hum hum/C’est peut-être toi (DSP) S4-139-28
1970 Claudia/Dors (Barclay) B-60111
1972 Love Me Por Favor/ Petite Fille Je T’aime (Odeon/Toshiba – JAP) OR-2542
1974 Une Croix Sur Mon Nom/Bonsoir À Demain (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100108
1974 Seul/Je T’aime Hum Hum (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100109
1974 Découragé/Quand reviendras-tu (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100110
1974 Coui Coui/Feuille de gui (Les Disques Millionnaires) MG-100111

as LES (BEL) KANTO
1969 A Kind of Break Down/Dors (Barclay) B-30003

as LES BEL KANTO
1970 Si chopin/On fera l’amour (Élite) EL-7007
1970 Bon matin ma rose/En avion (Élite) EL-7010
1970 Serais-tu un de mes amis/J’aime la vie (Élite) EL-7020

Albums
1965 Découragé (Jeunesse Franco/Trans-World) JF-342
1966 Seul (Télédisc) TD-363
1967 15 disques d’or (DSP) DSP-16013
1969 18 grands succès (DSP Idole) ID-305
1969 Coui Coui (Barclay/Trans-Canada) 80036
1970 Plein Coeur sur Les Bel Canto (Barclay) 80060
1991 Les Bel-Canto (Disques Mérite) 22-902
2000 Nos préférées (Disques Mérite) 22-947
2000 Un nouveau chapeau (Disques Mérite) 22-948
2010 Le Top 30 (Disques Mérite) 22-8509

as LES KANTO
1970 Serais-Tu Un De Mes Amis? (Trans-Canada) TC-774

as BEL KANTO
1973 Bel Kanto [2LP] (Nobel) NBL-2

as LES (BEL) KANTO
1973 15 Succes (Bel) Kanto (Profil/Trans-Canada) PRO-103

as LES BEL CANTOS
1974 21 Disques D’or (Les Archives Du Disque Québécois) AQ-21019

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BEL-VISTAS, The
Mark Ripp (lead vocals, guitar) / Bob Hamlyn (lead guitar, backing vocals) / John Toffoli (drums) / Michael Baxter (bass)
The Game was a three piece outfit from the Toronto suburbs of Scarborough featuring Ripp (bass), Hamlyn (guitar) and Toffoli (drums). In 1987, Ripp switched to second guitar and Baxter was added as bassist at which time they changed their name to The Bel-Vistas. A self-titled cassette of original songs was issued around Toronto at their gigs and the tape came to the attention of Eureka Records’ Joel Wertman who signed the quartet. The label released 1992’s ‘Somewhere Along the Line’ which resulted in three successful singles on local radio. A publishing deal for songwriting privileges was also inked with Sony. The band soon quit their day jobs and did cross-Canada tours with Blue Rodeo and Jack deKeyzer. With the dissolving of Eureka the band found itself without a label but have plugged away ever since, gradually changing from a traditional roots-rock approach to New Country with the independent ‘Pretty Ugly’ CD. The group has managed to place tracks on the European Blue Rose country compilations in recent years.

Singles
1995 Don’t Make Me Beg You

Albums
1990 The Bel-Vistas [cassette] (Bel Vista) BEL-20
1992 Somewhere Along the Line (Eureka) U2-70008
1995 Pretty Ugly (Blue Rose) BV-34100-2

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BELAIRS, The
David Hoerl (vocals, harp) / Dave Webb (keyboards) / Scott Matheson (guitar) / Marv Walker (drums) / Larry Smith (bass, vocals) / John Witmer (vocals/harp; replaced Hoerl 1989) / Dave Vidal (guitar, vocals; replaced Matheson)
The Belairs were formed in Vancouver in 1985 by Hoerl, Webb, Matheson, Walker, and Smith. In 1987, Witmer – formerly of Downchild and Whiskey Howl – and Vidal would replace Hoerl and Matheson respectively.This unit went on to record the first Belairs cassette tape in 1990 – a collection of songs written by John Witmer (five songs) and Larry Smith (four songs) at Snug Studio in Vancouver with Willie MacCalder of Powder Blues behind the board at his own studio. In 1992, the band returned to the studio (Grantham Studio) in Burnaby, British Columbia and would release eight new tunes on the cassette ‘It’s Your Round’ (featuring two Witmer tunes, three Smith tunes, and three vintage blues tunes).The Belairs would change their name to The Fabricators in 1995 and released the CD ‘Now Appearing.’ The band had one track placed on K-Tel’s ‘Canadian Blues Masters’ CD, and also a track on ‘Vancouver’s Best Blues – Vol.1’ compilation through Raw Records (David Vidal would also showcase a solo track on the disc).The band broke up in 2002 after a long run in the western Canadian blues scene; John Witmer passed on July 3, 2004. A live video of The Belairs playing on CKUV-TV is posted on Youtube. with notes from Larry Smith.

Albums
1990 The Belairs [9-song cassette] (independent)
1992 It’s Your Round [8-song cassette] (independent)
2008 Belairs Live 85 – 95 (independent)

as THE FABRICATORS
1999 Now Appearing (independent)

Compilation Tracks
as THE BELAIRS
1992 “Try Me” on ‘Canadian Blues Masters’ (K-Tel – US) 60552

as THE FABRICATORS
2002 “Heaven Bound” on ‘Vancouver’s Best Blues, Vol.1’ (Raw – US) 673843040320

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BELANGER, Rick
Percussionist and vocalist from Ottawa, Ontario. Started as a member of The Checkers before joining the Staccatos/Smart Set/Five Man Electrical Band (as Rick Bell). He is the brother of fellow Five Man member Mike Belanger. [also see CHECKERS, STACCATOS, FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND]

Singles
1973 My New Old Lady/Baby Brother (Lion) Lion-165

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BELGES, Les
A Québec group from the 1960s YéYé movement. The released one single for Télédisc which included “J’irai pleurer sous la pluie” (a French version of the Everly Brothers’ “Crying In the Rain”) and “As-tu déjà aimé quelqu’un” (a French version of The Hollies’ “Have You Ever Loved Somebody”). With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1967 As-tu déjà aimé quelqu’un/ J’irai pleurer sous la pluie (Télédisc/Trans-Canada) TD-54

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BÉLIVEAU, Véronique
Véronique Béliveau is a Québec recording star long before her splash into English Canada in 1987. She started with the dream of becoming a ballerina, but rheumatic fever at a young age made her too weak to endure the rigorous exercises. Instead she too up singing and began performing professionally at age 16 doing the soft-chanteuse lounge approach only to be discovered by Francois Bernard, a well connected man in the music industry who took her into a recording studio for the first time. Several independent singles were produced for the Laureat and Nobel labels. As she matured and began moving towards pop music, she landed a deal with RCA in 1977 and released two French language albums with them before moving to A & M for 1983’s ‘Transit’ album. This record was named Pop Album Of The Year at the l’ADISQ Awards and led to a 1984 Most Promising Female Vocalist JUNO nomination and a performance, in a gossip inducing black rubber dress, on the nation wide telecast of the awards show. English Canada got their first taste of the singer. With 1985’s ‘Cover Girl’, Véronique was still singing in French, and had won a coveted place on the “Tears Are Not Enough” Ethiopian Famine Relief record singing alongside Richard Séguin. She would perform for the Prince and Princess of Wales at EXPO ’86 and appear on a Frank Mills TV special. 1987’s ‘Borderline’ finally broke Beliveau in the English speaking market under her unique first name. The first single “Make a Move On Me” became a national hit and led to appearances on Canada’s most prestigious TV shows (and even the comic ‘Super Dave Osbourne Show’).

Singles
1976 S’il y avait un jour des jeux/ On n’a pas parle d’amour (Tangerine) TAN-31
1976 J’ai vingt ans/J’ai vingt ans (Instrumental) (Tembo) STM-1004
1976 Prends-moi comme je suis/Nous partirons en univers (Tembo) KB-50296
1977 Qu’est-ce que tu me chantes de bon/J’ai besoin (Tembo) KB-50343
1977 J’t’aime bien quand même/J’savais pas (Tembo) KB-50395
1978 L’été/Il Me Reste (Tembo) KB-50456
1980 Si je m’ennuie de mon pays/Relaxe toi (RCA Victor) PB-50578
1980 Je vis beaucoup mieux/Jet Set (RCA Victor) PB-50629
1980 Aimer/[same] (RCA Victor) JB-50596
1982 Ordinateurs/De la musique (Paroles & Musique/Trans-Canada) PM-006
1983 Je suis fidèle/(instrumental) (A & M) AM-606
1983 Je suis fidèle/En transit (A & M – FRANCE) AMS-9780
1983 C’est un Reveur/(instrumental)  (A & M) AM-616
1983 That Boy/Nuit d’aout (A & M) AM-631
1984 Please (dis-moi)/Contact (A & M) AM-641
1984 Transit/Ah qu’ t’es doux (A & M) AM-658
1984 Le Rock/ Ah qu’ t’es doux (A & M) AM-673
1985 (Cache Ton Coeur) Cover Girl/Lady Illusion (A & M) AM-678
1985 Je suis comme je suis/ (A & M) AM-686
1985 Toujours l’amour/Camouflage (A & M) AM-691

as VÉRONIQUE
1973 Je voudrais/Oui, je chante (Lauréat) LT. 7
1973 Montre moi/ Rêve d’amour (Lauréat) LT.4
1974 Melancolie/L’amour au diapason (Nobel) NL-5686
1974 J’ai envie de toi/Ceux qui t’aiment (Nobel) NL-5699
1986 Make A Move On Me/Toute la nuit (A & M) AM-715
1987 I Can’t Help It/Make A Move On Me (A & M)  AM-729
1987 Ce Noir/Toute la nuit (A & M) AM-730
1987 Love You Like A Fire/I Can’t Hold Back (A & M) AM-735
1988 Borderline/Avec de la Tendresse (A & M) AM-754
1989 Jérusalem [duet with Marc Gabriel] /(instrumental) (A & M) STA-003
1989 House of Love/All Those Years Ago (A & M) AM-791
1989 I’m Gonna Make You Love Me [12”] (A & M) SP-23065

Albums
1977 Prends-moi comme je suis (Tembo) TMT-1014
1981 Véronique Béliveau (RCA Victor) KKL1-0387
1983 Transit (A & M) SP-9097
1985 Cover Girl (A & M) SP-9112
1986 I Can’t Help It (A & M) SP-9125

as VÉRONIQUE
1987 Borderline (A & M) SP-9135
1989 Véronique  (A & M) SP-9154

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BELL, Jimmy [see JIMMY SWEENEY]

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BELL, Richard
Born: Richard Leslie Bell on March 5, 1946 in Toronto, Ontario
Died: June 15, 2007 in Toronto, Ontario
Canadian piano player Richard Bell, the son of Dr. Leslie Bell, began playing the piano at the age of four years old and would continue his studies with the Royal Conservatory of Music. Bell became a member of Ronnie Hawkins’ band known as And Many Others in the late ’60s and was asked by Janis Joplin’s manager Albert Grossman to be part of Joplin’s Full Tilt Boogie Band who were eventually immortalized in the Festival Express movie that finally saw the light of day in 2003 based on the cross-Canada train tour in 1970. Following Joplin’s death, he moved to the bustling music community of Woodstock, New York where he did session work for Paul Butterfield and John Sebastian (Lovin’ Spoonful). Bell also appeared on Joplin’s post-humous album ‘Pearl’. Bell relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in the 80’s where he tinkered with various local acts and married Mary Deacon in 1979 (which ended in 1986). He then moved to Alabama where he played in a local working band, The Convertibles, before returning to Canada to join a revised version of The Band in 1991 as keyboardist. Bell replaced Stan Szelest (who had replaced the late Richard Manuel). Bell remained with The Band through their final three albums ‘Jericho’ (where he contributed the song “The Caves of Jericho”), ‘High on the Hog’, and ‘Jubilation’. Following the death of Rick Danko in 1999 The Band permanently retired. Richard Bell would play with many other artists including Jim Weider And The Honky Tonk Gurus, Bruce Cockburn, Bonnie Raitt, and Blackie & The Rodeo Kings. The latter association also allowed him to work with Colin Linden. Bell was a writer on the song “Out of the Wilderness” from Colin Linden’s ‘Through the Storm Through the Night’ album. The Toronto-based musician performed regularly as a keyboardist/songwriter/occasional vocalist with the Porkbelly Futures and Danny Brooks & the Rockin’ Revelators; Bell produced two of Brooks’ albums. Bell was also a member of the country-rock group, Burrito Deluxe, performing and contributing songs to their CD ‘Disciples Of The Truth’. Bell died after a long battle with multiple myeloma on June 15, 2007 in Toronto. [also see THE BAND]

Singles
with THE BAND
1993 Remedy (EMI Canada)

Albums
with JANIS JOPLIN
1971 Pearl (Columbia) KC-30322

with THE BAND
1994 Jericho (EMI Canada) E2-26599
1995 Live At Watkin’s Glen (Columbia House/EMI Canada) CDP-531742
1996 High On The Hog (EMI Canada) 72438-37382-2-9
1998 Jubilation (River North – US) 51416-1420-1
1999 The Best Of The Band Volume II (Pyramid/Rhino) R2-75947

with JIM WEIDER AND THE HONKY TONK GURUS
1997 Bigfoot (Moon Haw – US) MHR-01
2002 Remedy (Moon Haw – US) 7-86851-98452-1

with ROB LAMOTHE, CRAIG ERICKSON AND THE VOODOO BROTHERS
2003 Rob Lamothe, Craig Erickson And The Voodoo Brothers (Provogue) PRD-7142-2

Compilation Tracks
2002 “Winterbirds” on ‘Comes With A Smile Vol.6 (Des Vagues De Pierre) (Comes With A Smile) SMILE-006

with THE BAND
1995 “Remedy,” “The Weight,” “Rock And Roll Shoes,” and “Days Gone By” (w/Ronnie Hawkins) on ‘Let It Rock! The Rock And Roll Album Of The Decade’ (Quality) QCD-2104

with DENIS KELDIE, RICHARD BELL
1999 “King Harvest” on ‘2B3 – The Toronto Sessions’ (Calabogie Music)

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BELL, Steve
Born: 1960 in Calgary, Alberta
Steve Bell, the son of a prison chaplain, began his full-time music career in the bars of western Canada where he played in folk, rock, and country bands for almost a decade including Elias, Schritt & Bell. A renewal of faith saw him writing Christian oriented music and, beginning with his first solo album in 1989 called ‘Comfort My People’, he has built a loyal following in Canada and the United States. Tracks from his second album, 1992’s ‘Deep Calls to Deep’, still receive American airplay. His third album, ‘Burning Ember’ in 1994 garnered unanimous plaudits. This was followed by the Christmas concept album entitled ‘The Feast’ in 1995. His touring has taken him across the USA from Vermont to New Mexico, and he has played in Churches and theaters in every province of Canada from Charlottetown, PEI to Victoria BC. Off the continent, Bell has performed in India, Thailand, Philippines, Ireland, Poland, and the Caribbean. Such hectic activity convinced even a business beginner like Bell that he had to take control of his career. That meant combining forces in 1995 with Dave Zeglinski, owner of Mid-Ocean Recording Studios, to form Signpost Music. Their company now boasts a state-of-the-art Pro-Tools digital workstation as well as 24 tracks of 2″ analog recording, a mail order business with more than 7,000 customers across North America, 70 real-time cassette duplicating machines and their own CD writer. In 1997 he released his fifth album ‘Romantics & Mystics’. Also in ’97 Signpost Music signed Bell to Winnipeg’s PEG Music, the adult side of Oak Street Music which put Steve Bell’s music in all mainstream stores across Canada as well as all Christian bookstores for the first time. The album spawned several singles and videos. Billboard Magazine named Bell one of the Top 10 Canadian artists to break internationally in 1998. Bell has earned a Juno Award nomination for ‘Best Gospel Album’ for 1997’s ‘Romantics & Mystics’. Since releasing his first album in 1989, Bell has sold a combined total of over 70,000 copies of his entire album catalog; in January 2023, Bell was named to the Order of Canada.

Singles
198? Lullaby/Back On My Feet [7″] (independent) SB45-01

Albums
1989 Comfort My People (Signpost) SP1-102
1992 Deep Calls To Deep (Signpost) SP2-102
1994 Burning Ember (Signpost) SP3-102
1995 The Feast Of Seasons (Signpost) SP5-102
1997 Romantics & Mystics (Signpost/PEG) PEG-CD-072
1999 Beyond A Shadow (Rhythm House) RHD-4239
1999 In Concert (Signpost) SP7-102
2000 Each Rare Moment (Rhythm House) RHD-3810
2000 Simple Songs (Signpost) SPLR1-102
2001 Waiting For Aidan (Signpost) SP10-102
2005 Solace For Seasons Of Suffering [2CD] (Signpost) SP20-102
2006 My Dinner With Bruce: Songs Of Bruce Cockburn (Signpost) SP24-102
2006 Story And Song Volume One (Signpost) SP27-102
2007 Devotion (Signpost) SP29-102
2007 Symphony Sessions (Signpost) SP31-102
2011 Kindness (Signpost) SP50-102
2012 Keening For The Dawn (Signpost) SP51-102
2013 Pilgrimage [4CD] (Signpost) SP52-103
2015 I Will Not Be Shaken (Psalms Collection) (Signpost) SP57
2016 Where The Goodway Lies (Signpost)
2020 Wouldn’t You Love To Know? (Signpost Music) SP69

with THE ALF BELL FAMILY SINGERS
1973 Come Be My Happiness… (Stereocord) SC-175

with ELIAS, SCHRITT & BELL
1982 Awakening (Radio Canada International) RCI-534

with STEVE BELL & SARAH BELL
2004 Sons & Daughters (Signpost) SP18-102

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BELLS, The
Ann Ralph (lead vocals) / Jacki Ralph (lead vocals) / Cliff Edwards (guitar, vocals) / Doug Gravelle (drums, vocals) / Gordie McLeod (organ, vocals) / Charlie Clark (guitar, vocals) / Michael Waye (bass, vocals) / Frank Mills (keyboards; replaced McLeod 1968-1970) / Dennis Will (keyboards; replaced Mills) / Mickey Ottier (keyboards; replaced Will) / Skip Layton (drums; replaced Gravelle) / Will “Wayne” Cardinal (bass; replaced Waye)
As the Five Bells, this Montréal band formed in 1965 with sisters Ann and Jacki Ralph, Cliff Edwards, Doug Gravelle and Gordie McLeod. The band’s rock-of-all-ages appeal took them from dates in Canadian small towns to 11 weeks at New York City’s Copacabana night club, and then to multi-million dollar resort hotels throughout the US and world-famous vacation spots in Bermuda and the Bahamas. Adding keyboardist Mickey Ottier, they cut their first single in 1969, “Moody Manitoba Morning” written by Rick Neufeld. The song earned them two Moffatt Awards that year. This was followed by a full-blown album called ‘Dimensions’ on Polydor Records. With the departure of Ann Ralph (then married to Cliff Edwards) in 1970 to become a full-time Mom, the band adjusted its line-up and renamed themselves The Bells. The reconstituted line-up consisted of Jacki Ralphs, Cliff Edwards, Doug Gravelle and new members Charlie Clark, Michael Waye – both from The Maritimes – and Frank Mills who had been working with the Sirocco Sisters. While recording their true debut album, ‘Fly, Little White Dove’, Fly Frank Mills left to pursue a very successful solo career and was replaced by Montréal keyboardist Dennis Will though Mills was credited with all the keyboards on the record. The title track, written by Marty Butler and Bob Bilyk, landed the band in the Top10 on the Canadian charts in December 1970.  The 1971 follow-up single “Stay Awhile”, however, would proved to be a monster hit – going to No. 1 in Canada and No. 7 in the US on the Billboard Top100 in March 1971. This led to successful appearances in the US including TV shows like Johnny Carson’s ‘Tonight Show’, Merv Griffin, and Guy Lombardo’s annual New Years Eve telecast. The single would go on to sell four million copies worldwide. They rapidly climbed the ladder of success, touring Canada and the United States to great critical acclaim on the heels of 1972’s ‘Studio A’. A few years later, drummer Skip Layton and bassist Will “Wayne” Cardinal (ex-Satan And The D-Men, Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks) joined the group following the departure of Doug Gravelle, Cliff Edwards (who had a solo career to nurture) and Michael Waye for 1973’s ‘Pisces Rising’. Dennis Will eventually left to form his own showband leaving Jacki Ralph and The Bells to continue touring until the mid-80s. At this point Will Cardinal also left to join Mashmakhan’s Rayburn Blake in the Lisa Hartt Band. At the turn of the millennium, the entourage frequently re-united for one-off shows including three reunion concerts in 2003 (Port Hope, Brockville and Kingston). Interest has been so strong in the act that Universal Music finally fashioned a ‘best of’ package in 2005 under the supervision of the band. McLeod became a policeman in Westmount, Québec; Will has been performing in the Toronto area for over 20 years, including nightly at Hy’s Restaurant and Piano Bar in downtown Toronto; The band was managed from the very beginning by Montréaler Kevin Hunter who went on to manage Natalie Cole and Peter, Paul and Mary among others; Will Cardinal rejoined Skip Layton as a member of Ocean before settling in Nanaimo, British Columbia where he plays more casual gigs, repairs speakers and helps build PA systems for the pleasure of better sound; Layton would join Stingaree with Jeff Jones (Ocean), Bernie LaBarge and Brian “Too Loud” MacLeod in the 1970s. When MacLeod got a gig with Chilliwack and moved to Vancouver, Layton went with him. He enjoyed success in country band Ambush in the 1990s. notes from Ann Ralph-Edwards, Jacki Ralph Jamieson, Juleen Will, Diane Will, Bruce Cairns, Dave Normandale, Rick Neufeld, Kevin Hunter, Skip Layton, and Will Cardinal. [also see CLIFF EDWARDS]

Singles
1970 Fly, Little White Dove, Fly/Follow The Sun (Polydor) 2065-040
1971 Stay Awhile/Sing A Song of Freedom (Polydor) 2065-046
1971 Rain/Lady Dawn (Polydor) 2065-064
1971 Sweet Sounds Of Music/She’s a Lady (Polydor) 2065-077
1971 For Better or For Worse/Homeland Bound (Polydor) 2065-093
1972 Oh My Love/You You You (Polydor) 2065-107
1972 Lord Don’t You Think It’s Time/Easier Said Than Done (Polydor) 2065-124
1972 Maxwell’s Silver Hammer (Polydor) 2065-144
1973 He Was Me, He Was You/Child Of Mine (Polydor) 2065-188
1973 The Singer/Love Once Removed (Polydor) 2065-196
1973 Hey, My Love/Baby I Love You (Polydor) 2065-214

as THE FIVE BELLS
1969 Moody Manitoba Morning/Big City (Polydor) 540-007

Albums
1971 Fly, Little White Dove, Fly (Polydor) 2424-022
1971 Stay Awhile (Polydor/Columbia House) 2424-022
1971 Love, Luck ‘n Lollipops (Polydor) 2424-035
1972 Studio “A” (Polydor) 2424-049
1973 Pisces Rising (Polydor) 2424-080
1974 The Best of The Bells (Polydor) 2424-093
2004 The Best of The Bells (Universal) 0249815244

as THE FIVE BELLS
1969 Dimensions (Polydor) 542-004

Compilation Tracks
1971 “Stay Awhile” on ‘20 Power Hits – Volume 2’ (K-Tel – US) TU-222
1971 “Stay Awhile” on ’20 Solid Hits – Volume 2’ (K-Tel) TC-203
1971 “For Better, For Worse” on ’20 Power Hits – Volume 2’ (K-Tel) TC-204
1973 “Stay Awhile” on ‘Today’s Super Greats’ (K-Tel) TC-211
1973 “He Was Me, He Was You” on ‘Sound Explosion’ (K-Tel) TC-213
1974 “Stay Awhile” on ‘Today’s Super Greats Part 2’ (K-Tel) TU-231
1987 “Stay Awhile” on ‘Best Of The 60’s/70’s/80’s – The Yuppie Years’ (Technics/Polygram) CDP-001
1990 “Stay Awhile” on ‘Made In Canada – Volume Two: Into The ’70’s’ (BMG) KCD1-7157
1996 “Stay Awhile” on ‘Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music’ (MCA) JUNO-25

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BENDETH, David
Born: June 17, 1954 in Stoke Newington, Hackney, London, England
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer David Bendeth moved to Toronto when he was a teenager and found his way into Toronto area bands and appearing on recording sessions for Bob Segarini (‘Gotta Have Pop’) and B.B. Gabor (‘B.B. Gabor’). With his own material he managed to bridge the gap between jazz, rock and funk in the late ‘70s and was signed to Epic Records.  Bendeth released the album ‘Adrenalin’ in 1979 and had a No. 44 hit with “Feel the Real” on the UK Singles Chart and went to No.1 on the soul and dance charts. In the mid-80s Bendeth worked for CBS Records and either produced or performed on records by Teenage Head, Wrabit, Tu, Billy Newton-Davis, Harlequin, Platinum Blonde, Cats Can Fly, Erroll Starr, Eye Eye, Regatta, Sheree Jeacocke, Love & Sas. He also filled in as guitarist for Teenage Head briefly after a near fatal car accident involving the band’s Gord Lewis. In the late ’80s he was Vice-president of A & R at BMG Music Canada, where he signed hard rock bands Varga and Sven Gali, as well as the Crash Test Dummies. During this period he was a staff songwriter for Chrysalis Music Publishing and wrote songs for the likes of Jeff Beck and Joe Cocker. In 1994 Bendeth became the senior vice-president of A & R for RCA Records in the US. One of his first signings was Canada’s treble charger. He was instrumental in producing the 2002 chart topping Elvis Presley album ‘ELV1S 30 #1 Hits’ which featured the Junkie XL modern remix of Presley’s “A Little Less Conversation”. The album was the first Elvis album to debut at No.1 on the Billboard Top200 album chart and debuted in 17 other territories at No.1. It eventually sold five times platinum. In 2006 Bendeth produced hit records for Breaking Benjamin and Hawthorne Heights. He has also produced Hedley, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, SR-71, Vertical Horizon (2x platinum). Acts such as Kaiser Chiefs, Cavo, Paramore, Papa Roach, Bring Me The Horizon, and Asking Alexandria have also been given Bendeth’s magic touch as a mixer. David Bendeth won the SOCAN 2011 ‘Songwriting Award for Airplay’ in the rock/pop category for co-writing the Hedley song “Perfect”. with notes from David Bendeth.

Singles
1979 Feel the Real (Special Disco Remix)//Breakdown/Feel the Real [12”] (Inter-Global/Epic) 12E4-9326
1981 Love Collect/Goldmine (Ensign – UK) ENY-203
1981 Feel the Real Again/Make It Pop (Ensign – UK) ENY-210
1982 I Was There/Rollin’ (RCA) JD-13048
2000 Feel the Real [3 song 12” remix] (Audio Deluxe – UK) DELX-005

Albums
1979 Adrenalin (Inter-Global/Epic) PEC-90535
1981 Just Desserts (Envy – UK) ENY-502
1982 The David Bendeth Band (RCA) BXL1-4133

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BENEATH AUGUSTA [see MELLONOVA]

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BENNETT, Doug
Born:  Douglas Craig Bennett on October 31, 1951 in Toronto, Ontario
Died: October 16, 2004 in Calgary, Alberta
Actor/singer Doug Bennett was born in Toronto and  as a graphic designer moved to Vancouver in the mid-1970s. He co-founded Doug & The Slugs in 1977. As the band gained popularity on the British Columbia coast they added several members to make the act a light-hearted R & B revue (a style that Huey Lewis & The News would use to great success). Bennett’s own independent label, Ritdong, secured major label distribution through RCA so the band could finally release its own material. 1980’s ‘Cognac and Bologna’ provided their first hit and the album sold nearly 100,000 copies. But it wasn’t until 1983’s “Making It Work” single that Canada and the US really got to hear Doug & The Slugs. Their perennial good natural pursuit of good times and fun gigs lasted straight through the 80’s with distribution being handled by A & M. In 1986 Doug Bennett released his own solo album called ‘Animato!’ and he moonlighted in the stage play ‘Rock And Roll’ before returning for another handful of Slugs albums. Bennett was admitted to hospital in Calgary, Alberta on October 9th, 2004 suffering acute symptoms from what his former band member, Simon Kendall, called a long-standing illness. He lost consciousness soon after his arrival and died on Saturday, October 16, 2004. [also see DOUG & THE SLUGS]

Singles
1986 It’s Got To Be Monday/Love Another Day (Ritdong/A & M) AMS-108
1986 One Two Three/A Million Ways (Ritdong/A & M) AMS-109
1986 Turn Away/Wait For Me (Ritdong/A & M) AMS-110

Albums
1986 Animato! (Ritdong/A & M) AMD-1005

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BENNETT, Willie P.
Born: William Patrick Bennett on October 26, 1951 in Toronto, Ontario
Died: February 15, 2008 in Peterborough, Ontario
Peterborough-based folk guitarist Bennett started writing songs in 1966 but he didn’t play professionally until 1972. He cut his teeth professionally as a member of London, Ontario’s Dixie Flyers shortly after their inception in 1974. But his yearning to have his own quirky songs be heard led to a moonlighting job as a solo artist. His debut album was a collection of his coffee house favourites in 1975 called ‘Tryin’ to Start out Clean’. His 1977 follow-up, ‘Hobo’s Taunt’, was produced by David Essig and engineered by a young Daniel Lanois. By 1979 he’d found his calling as a solo act and decided to leave the Dixie Flyers having had his greatest artistic success with the solo LP ‘Blackie And The Rodeo King’. In 1989, after a ten year recording hiatus, Bennett released his major label debut — ‘The Lucky Ones’ – on Duke Street Records. Bennett was signed to Dark Light in 1991 and after receiving many requests for the revival of his old repertoire, decided to release a collection of the best of his back catalogue on ‘Collectibles’. In 1993 he released his first new album for Dark Light, ‘Take My Own Advice’, featuring musical contributions by Colleen Peterson and Colin Linden. In 1994, Bennett took time out from his solo career to become mandolin player for Fred Eaglesmith. In 1999 he returned to the solo front with his JUNO Award winning Dark Light CD called ‘Heartstrings’ which was produced by Tony Quarrington. His original songs have been recorded by the likes of Bill Hughes, Colleen Peterson, David Wiffen, Sneezy Waters, and Pure Prairie League. In the late ’90s the folk trio of Tom Wilson, Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing found great critical success using the name of one of Bennett’s most revered albums – Blackie & the Rodeo Kings. He was also a member of Fred Eaglesmith’s Flying Squirrels band. Bennet died of a heart attack at his home in Peterborough on February 15, 2008. with notes from Jeff Kinsella and Greg Simpson.

Singles
1988 The Lucky Ones/Ain’t Got No Notion (Duke Street) 71059
1989 Goodbye So Long Hello/Train Tracks (Duke Street) 81059

Albums
1975 Tryin’ To Start Out Clean (Woodshed) PWS-004
1977 Hobo’s Taunt (Woodshed)  WS-007
1979 Blackie And The Rodeo King (Woodshed) PWS-013
1989 The Lucky Ones (Duke Street) DSR-31059
1992 Collectibles (Dark Light/Denon)  DL-12001
1993 Take My Own Advice (Dark Light/Denon) DL-12003
1999 Heartstrings (independent) 0998

with THE DIXIE FLYERS
1975 Light – Medium – Heavy (Boot) BBG-6000
1976 Cheaper To Lease (Boot) BBG-6002
1977 Just Pickin’ (Boot) BBG-6004
1978 For Our Friends (Boot) BBG-6007
1979 Five By Five (Boot) BBG-6017

Compilation Tracks
1979 “White Line” on ‘Collage’ (Bytown) BFFTF-1

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BENT WIND
1969 LINE-UP: Gerry Gibas (guitar, vocals) / Marty Roth (rhythm guitar, vocals) / Sebastian Pelaia (bass) / Eddie Thomas (drums);
1996 LINE-UP: Marty Roth (lead vocals, acoustic guitar) / Bill Miller (bass guitar, lead vocals) / Michael George Jones (lead guitar) / Wilson Laurencin (drums)
Bent Wind was formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1969 and managed, in short order, to record and release the LP ‘Sussex’ that year on Merv Buchanan’s Trend label in Canada. With a limited pressing during its original run, the vinyl LP has since become a rarity in the Canadian music Collector’s market. In 1989 the band, under the control of Marty Roth, reformed with new members and recorded their sophomore follow-up – 20 years later – called ‘The Fourth Line Is…You Will’. The band moved to CD with the release of their third album in 1996 entitled ‘Shadows on the Wall’. Roth once again altered the band line-up and was also supported by a host of other musicians including Glen Jessamy, Stefan Janicki, Laura Dunn, Leslie Harwood-Jones, Chantal Legault, Cody Blacksky, Colleen Allen, Tortoise Blue, Mark Bajona, Robert Brockie, Roy Kenner and Maddie Willis. Roth has most recently uncovered live recordings of the original Bent Wind from Ryerson Polytechnical in 1969 and is currently restoring them for a future release. with notes from Marty Roth.

Singles
1969 Sacred Cows/Castles Made of Men (Trend) T-1008

Albums
1969 Sussex Drive (Trend) T-1015
1989 The Fourth Line Is…”You Will” (independent)
1996 Shadows On The Wall (independent)
2005 The Lost Ryerson Tapes (Psychedome) 160ZZINALB-A

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BENTALL & THE LEGENDARY HEARTS, Barney
Barney Bentall (vocals, guitar) / Doug McFetridge (lead guitar; BRANDON WOLF) / Brad Kilburn (bass; BRANDON WOLF) / Jack Guppy (drums) / Will Froese (keyboards) / Kevin Swain (bass) / Barry Muir (bass; replaced Swain) / Cam Bowman (keyboards; replaced Froese) / Colin Nairne (guitar)
Barney Bentall (aka Franklin) spent his teenage years holed up on Keat Island, British Columbia with songwriter Gary Fraser. By the late ’70’s Bentall was fronting a band under his new pseudonym Brandon Wolf doing slashing satire and throwing in healthy doses of the Fraser/Franklin originals. With quirky tunes like the Dylan send-up “Blonde on Blonde on Blonde” Brandon Wolf was signed to A & M Records. They issued a 4 song EP on A & M’s short-lived Debut Series which suffered at retail because retailers were charging full album prices for these mini albums. Bentall went back to the drawing board with Nairne and Guppy to form the trio The Legendary Hearts (a name taken from a Lou Reed album title) in 1983. As time passed the band added Bowman and Muir. Soon Bruce Allen’s management company was handling the case but they intended the Hearts material to go straight into the hands of slick production whizzes Bruce Fairbairn or Bob Rock. And despite caving into releasing a much ignored indie album with Bob Rock, Bentall wanted the material to mature and waited until Jehanne Languedoc at Finklestein Management approached with Finkelstein and CBS Records fully behind them before committing any more material to tape. In under a year the band’s eponymous debut was out and burning up the charts with the first hit “Something to Live For”. A succession of albums, tours and rave reviews finally landed Bentall some US exposure. Several albums followed, but as many acts in the early ’90s discovered, Grunge’s impact on the music world made home-spun singer-songwriter styled music nearly-extinct. The band struggled along during the mid-90s before finally calling it quits in 1998. After a quiet life of farming over the last decade, Bentall has returned to live performing and recording as a solo artist. with notes from Barb Kilburn.

Singles
1987 Something To Live For/Black Clouds (Epic/CBS) E4-3050
1988 Come Back To Me/Pale Blue Eyes (Epic/CBS) E4-3064
1988 The House Of Love (Is Haunted)/Josephine (Epic/CBS) E4-3075
1988 Something To Live For [re-issue] (Epic/CBS)
1989 She’s My Inspiration/Somewhere There’s An Angel (Epic/CBS)
1990 Crime Against Love (Epic/CBS)
1991 Life Could Be Worse (Sony)
1991 I Gotta Go (Sony)
1991 Nothing Hurts Like The Words (Sony)
1992 Livin’ In The ’90s (Sony)
1992 Doin’ Fine (Sony)
1993 If This Is Love (Sony)
1993 Belly Of The Sun (Sony)
1993 Family Man (Sony)
1995 Do Ya (Sony)
1995 I’m Shattered (Sony)

as BRANDON WOLF
1979 Excerpts From The Montmartre Letters [4 song EP] (Possible Worlds)  [no cat#]

Albums
1988 Barney Bentall And The Legendary Hearts (Epic/CBS) BEK-80131
1990 Lonely Avenue (Epic/CBS) EK-80148
1992 Ain’t Life Strange (Sony) CEK-80173
1995 Gin Palace (Sony) CEK-80224
1996 Greatest Hits 1986-1996 (Sony)
1997 Till Tomorrow (Sony) CK80292
2009 Unsung (Golden Cage) GCR-7410

as BRANDON WOLF
1979 Not Guilty (A & M) SP-23501
1980 Losing Control (independent) PWR-7862

as BARNEY BENTALL
2006 Gift Horse (True North/Universal) TN-0415
2009 The Inside Passage (True North) TND-0530
2010 The Grand Cariboo Opry (True North)
2015 The Drifter & The Preacher (True North) TND-615

Compilation Tracks
1994 “Like a Hurricane” on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199

with MURRAY McLAUCHLAN & BARNEY BENTALL
1995 “Disappearing” on ‘The Kumbaya Album 1995’ (Warner) CD-11719

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BENTWOOD ROCKER
Eric Baragar (guitar, keyboards, vocals) / Steve Smith (drums, vocals) / Mike Goettler (bass, vocals) / Dan Thompson (lead vocals, guitar) / Tim Campbell (lead guitar, vocals) / Barry Haggarty (lead guitar, vocals; replaced Campbell)
Originally from the Belleville, Ontario area, Bentwood Rocker began as The Sands Of Time 1966. They performed at Expo ’67 and were recognized for being the youngest act to ever tour the east coast. By 1969 they toured the west coast and even swung back through Toronto to play the Canadian National Exhibition. They released one single, “I’ve Got a Feeling”, which charted at No.2 before they abandoned ship in the early 1970’s; Eric Baragar briefly entertained a solo career but was a postal worker by day; Goettler, Baragar and Campbell ran a music retail store called Centre Stage Music; and Steve Smith was a social worker before the band reformed with musician-turned-lawyer Dan Thompson (Westbury Union, Boojum, Noah) in 1978 for some Belleville-area gigs. The reformation led to the building of a home recording studio where they re-christened themselves Bentwood Rocker and released an independent album – ‘Not Taken’. They sold several thousand copies from the stage which impressed Quality Records’ John Driscoll to the point of signing the band and giving them the opportunity to record in Florida. It was at this time that Barry Haggarty joined the band part way through the recording of the ‘Take Me to Heaven’ album. After the initial hype wore off the band was still clinging to their day jobs and they changed their name one more time to The Press. Ian Thomas would produce one single, “Second Wind”, and the group continued demoing and performing throughout the late ’80’s and continue to perform on the local concert circuit as Bentwood Rocker. In 1986 the band came full circle and renamed itself The Sands Of Time once more for the single “Danger of Remembering”. Currently the band still performs in the Belleville area and has released a retrospective CD package including all the band’s various incarnations. The ‘Take Me to Heaven’ album was re-issued on CD with a number of re-recorded bonus tracks in 2009. In 2017 the band reformed and released three albums simultaneously, each focusing on different music genres. with notes from Eric Baragar. [also see SANDS OF TIME]

Singles
1980 Forgive And Forget/Get It On The Run (Quality)  Q-2386X
1980 It Won’t Be Long/Eloise (Quality) Q-2387X
1982 Taken Me To Heaven/Best Man (Quality) Q-2408X
1982 Heart Says Go/Rock ‘N’ Roll Overload (Quality) Q-2419X
1983 Throw Away Love/Turning All Heads
1996 What Are We Doing Here? (Skyhawk)
1996 Moving Target (Skyhawk)

as THE PRESS
1984 Second Wind/Actions Speak Louder Than Words (Aquarius) AQ-6013

Albums
1979 Not Taken (Skyhawk) BW-1001
1982 Take Me To Heaven (Quality) SV-2094
1996 Bentwood Rocker (Skyhawk) CMDC-9563
2000 The Works [boxed set] (Skyhawk) BWCD2000-W
2017 Take One (Skyhawk) BWCD17T1
2017 Take Two (Skyhawk) BWCD17T2
2017 Take Three (Skyhawk) BWCD17T3

Compilation Tracks:
2004 “It Won’t Be Long” on ‘It Was 40 Years Ago Today: A Tribute to The Beatles (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4060

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BENZENE JAG
Bob Bryden (vocals, lead guitar) / Ken Blair (bass) / Dave Jones [aka Michael Allen Guild] (drums) / Rob Fisher (guitar, vocals) / Richard Keelan (1982 – 1983) / Rick Crowley (lead guitar; 1983)
After the destruction of the band Spirit Of Christmas (aka Christmas), Oshawa’s Bob Bryden took the opportunity to run a franchised store of record chain Star Records in Hamilton Ontario starting around 1978. After successfully releasing a solo album in 1981, Bryden decided to get back into the recording business and formed Benzene Jag in 1982 with Blair, Jones, Fisher and Perth County Conspiracy’s Richard Keelan. They demoed a lot of songs – releasing three indie cassettes that year – and several members fled. They finally released one highly controversial single, “Fuck Off 1984”. Due to the poor response to the single and despite incessant touring, a six-song EP called “Catch a Yes Horse” was scrapped. Around this time Bryden also handled the production chores for a number of Canada’s most outrageous and dynamic “punk” bands (most notably The Forgotten Rebels). Benzene Jag’s hybrid music was too progressive for the punks and too punk for the progressives and in 1985, Benzene Jag gave way to yet another band – the striking “progressive-Euro-pop” group, Age Of Mirrors. Under the pseudonym Simon De Beaupre, Bryden and former Jag’s drummer Michael Allen Guild released the ‘Mirage’ LP. with notes from Bob Bryden.

Singles
1983 Fuck Off 1984/Love Recession (Star) SRS-002

Albums
1983 The January ’83 demo [cassette] (Open Heart)
1983 Live At Larry’s/Odds… [cassette] (Open Heart)
1983 Catch A Yes Horse [cassette] (Open Heart)

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BERGMANN, Art
Born: February 8, 1953  in Vancouver, British Columbia
A pioneer of Vancouver’s punk scene, songwriter/guitarist Bergmann has always walked on the edge and a volatile personality and drug addiction has kept him from reaping the benefits of his on-again off-again solo career. Growing up in Surrey, Bergmann, son of Mennonite parents, would sing along to Beatles songs with a broomstick for a guitar. He joined his first band, The Shmorgs, in 1977 and with a crudely made 1978 debut LP. Later, in 1978, he joined the K-Tels who would release two EPs – ‘Hawaii’ (1979) and ‘This Is Your Life’ (1980) before a well known record label threatened copyright infringement action against them and so they became the X-Tels and eventually The Young Canadians. In 1981 he joined Los Popularos where a drug addict with some extra cash invested $10,000 in the band’s recording efforts in an attempt to launder the money. When the band wasn’t able to repay the man immediately he grew impatient and threatened the members with a gun. The situation rectified itself when the investor went to jail for first degree murder. However, the record was finished – a four song EP called ‘Born Free’. In 1984 came Poisoned, whose material was produced by future stars Paul Hyde & Bob Rock, and the resulting two demo tapes and a full 6 song EP ‘Poisoned’ brought the band to the attention of Canada. But with the rising popularity of LA hairband Poison, they dropped the name and put Bergmann in the spotlight as frontman. The re-formatted band worked with Vancouver producer Bob Rock (Payolas, Metallica, Aerosmith) on a collection of songs. They went to Toronto on tour to work the new material. At the very moment that Duke Street’s Adrian Heaps was holding a pen and record contract, the band was getting ejected from Toronto’s Rivoli club for being drunk and disorderly. The Rock album was scrapped and all the songs would be re-recorded with a name producer. Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale, who had produced both Patti Smith’s and the Stooges’ debuts was brought in to smooth out Bergmann’s sound sans backing band. Bergmann hated the new version of the ‘Crawl with Me’ album. Still ‘Crawl With Me’ would go gold (50,000) without advantage of much radio airplay. Next, Bergmann received a 1989 JUNO Award nomination for ‘Most Promising Male Vocalist’ based on his ‘Sexual Roulette’ album . His touring band, The Showdogs, featured Poisoned’s Taylor Nelson Little (drums), Ray Fulber (bass), Susann Richter (keyboards) and Mick Joy (guitar). In 1990, he made a small appearance in director Bruce McDonald’s ‘Highway 61’. Despite critical acclaim and significant airplay of the single “Faithlessly Yours”, the ‘Art Bergmann’ album (produced by Chris Wardman) only managed to sell 7,500 albums and Bergmann was ditched by his label Polygram in May 1992. At issue was lack of funding to launch a national tour which Bergmann ended up not being able to do because the label offered him half of an estimated tour budget. Many trial shows cost Bergmann money out of pocket, but nevertheless, he was out pounding away, sans band, on the Lollapahoser Tour with the likes of Bootsauce, Pure and Sons Of Freedom. In 1993 he decided to finally kick his heroin addiction and that experience translated into his 1995 album ‘What Fresh Hell Is This?’ He has since maintained a live presence with a newer backing band featuring members of Stigmata and Dead Surf Kiss. He moved to Toronto and did a series of stand-up comedy/solo performance nights at The Generator before recording an ‘unplugged’ best-of called ‘Design Flaw’ with Chris Spedding before stepping out of music for nearly two years. With the help of Chris Houston (Forgotten Rebels), dusted off his first 10 solo demos recorded between February and April of 1984 and released them as digital downloads entitled ‘Vultura Freeway’ in 2000. Bergmann received the Order Of Canada on December 30, 2020. with notes from Joel Anderson, Gabe Sawhney, Bill Reynolds. [also see LOS POPULAROS, POISONED, K-TELS/YOUNG CANADIANS]

Singles
1988 Our Little Secret/Charity (Duke Street/MCA) 71046
1989 The Final Cliché/Don’t Be Late (Duke Street/MCA)  91046
1990 The Hospital Song/Dirge No.1 (Duke Street/MCA) DSRD-9040
1990 Bound For Vegas (Duke Street/MCA)
1991 Faithlessly Yours (Polygram) CDP-552
1991 If She Could Sing (Polygram)
1992 Message From Paul (Polygram) PCD-168
1995 Contract (Epic/Sony) CDNK-1038
1995 Buried Alive [Radio Edit]/Buried Alive [Album Version] (Epic/Sony) CDNK-1062

Albums
1988 Crawl With Me (Duke Street/MCA)  DSR-31046
1989 Sexual Roulette (Duke Street/MCA)  DSR-31062
1991 Art Bergmann (Polydor/Polygram) 511067
1995 What Fresh Hell Is This? (Epic/Sony) EK-80208
1998 Design Flaw (OPM) OPM-2121
2000 Vultura Freeway (AudioMonster) AM-0001
2009 Lost Art Bergmann (Bearwood) BM-0109
2014 Songs For the Underclass [EP] (weewerk) 045
2016 The Apostate (weewerk) 046
2017 Remember Her Name (Paper Bag)  PBV-005
2021 Late Stage Empire Dementia (weewerk)

with THE SHMORGS
1978 Shmorgs (Shmorgs) S-101

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BERRIES, The
Doug Brown (lead vocals, acoustic guitar) / Andy Krehm (lead guitar) / Billy Ross (bass, flute) / Myles Kennedy (drums)
From Toronto, Ontario who released one single REO in September 1965. The songs were recorded after the band return to Toronto from a stint at Frankie’s Surf Club in Port Carling, and shortly before an appearance at the Canadian National Exhibition Bandshell. With notes from Pete Csanky.

Singles
1965 Night Winds/Valley of Three Tears (REO) 8885X

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BERTUCCI, Jimi [aka JIMI B.]
Jimi Bertucci’s high school band was called Just Us with Ron Bartley. Bertucci’s first serious band was Manna with Bruce Palait (guitar) and Chet Paszkowski (drums) who were fortunate enough to play around Toronto’s Yorkville Village scene at the ripe old age of 16. Following Manna, he teamed up with Bartley (vocals, guitar) once more to form Captain Midnite’s Dirty Feet which also included Bob McPherson (keyboards) and Brian Cotterill (percussion). They landed a deal with GAS Records in 1971, and the single “Hot Love” was released prior to a concert on Toronto’s Centre Island, but gained much more attention after the concert where a picture sleeve was added that claimed “30,000 people on Toronto’s Centre Island can’t be wrong.” However, because Captain Midnight was the name of an American comic strip, the creators of the comic would not allow the band use of the name stateside. Not wanting to limit any future success across the border, the band went with a biblical subtext in Abraham’s Children and re-released “Hot Love” with “Goodbye Farewell” as the flip-side. “Goodbye Farewell” turned into a top ten hit across Canada and was released in Italian as “Bye Bye Bambina Occhi Blue” which also received plenty of attention on some of the ethnic stations across Canada. The band was able to parlay these and a handful of other singles into a full album, ‘Time’, which was released in 1973 and featured the addition of second guitarist Shawn O’Shea. The album spawned the band’s first successfully charting pop single, “Gypsy”, and legitimate international hit just narrowly missing the Canadian Top10. An outside track from the same album, “Goddess of Nature” was scooped up by United Artists which became one of their biggest singles. Abraham’s Children would enjoy more chart action through the end of 1974. Before the summer of 1974 Bertucci quit the band and signed a solo deal with United Artists. Abraham’s Children would continue without him, changing their name to The Children in 1975. Bertucci’s first project was a band called Angel (a production act unrelated to the Casablanca band by the same name). The first single for Angel was “Winning Side” which received heavy airplay in Toronto by only a couple of radio stations due to the controversial lyrics “Can’t understand why people call him queer”. Following Angel, Bertucci formed Space Patrol with Peter Verity, Glen Wilson and “Ruddy Fab” to continue his deal with United Artists. The members had very little recording experience but they managed to record four songs at Eastern Sound, Toronto. The single “Burning Love in My Heart” b/w “We Can Fly” was released and the band headed out on live dates around Ontario and Eastern Canada. However, Bertucci had other projects on the go and didn’t want to tour or travel. Space Patrol found a vocalist/bassist to replace him and they continued to tour. By the late ’70s, Bertucci had formed a band called The Police featuring Ron Bartley plus Laurie Del Grande (guitar, keyboards) and Danny Smith (drums) both formerly of Brutus. The group never recorded but did manage to confuse audiences as England’s soon-to-be famous Police played in Toronto on their first tour at the same time. Bertucci eventually ended his deal with United Artists when they moved their offices from Toronto back to New York. He was signed to A & M Records in 1981 and proceeded to record his first true solo album ‘JIMI B.’ which spawned two singles, including a remake of the Angel track “All American Boy”. In 1998 Jimi B. returned to the studio and released ‘Through the Eyes of Vincenzo’ in 1999. Abraham’s Children reunited several times in the the next decade and released a CD called ‘Abraham’s Children 30’. with notes from Jim Bertucci [also see ABRAHAM’S CHILDREN]

Singles
as JIMI B.
1982 Wickless Dynamite/Touch Me (A & M) AM-562
1982 All American Boy/Strange Feeling (A & M) AM-573

with ANGEL
1975 Winning Side/All American Boy (United Artists) UAXW-605X
1976 It’s Good It’s Funky But It’s White/(instrumental) (United Artists)  UAXW-664

with SPACE PATROL
1977 Burning Love In My Heart/We Can Fly (United Artists)  UAXW-755

Albums
as JIMI B.
1982 Jimi B. (A & M) SP-9069
1984 The Best of Jimi B. – Volume 1
1999 Through The Eyes of Vincenzo
2000 Xenophobia

as NATOPUS-VOTS
1985 Transition [US/Japan only]

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BESNARD LAKES, The
Jace Lasek (vocals, guitar) / Olga Goreas (bass, vocals) / Richard White (guitar) / Nicky Lizee (keys) / Steve Raegele (guitar) / Kevin Laing (drums)
Named after a chain of lakes in Northern Saskatchewan, The Besnard Lakes is actually from Montréal, Québec created around the songwriting of husband and wife team Lasek and Goreas. Their 2003 debut was recorded at Lasek’s Breakglass Studio as was 2007’s ‘The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse’ featuring musical input from The Dears, God Speed You! Black Emperor, and Stars. The album included the single “Casino Nanaimo” and was nominated for a 2007 Polaris Music prize. 2010’s ‘The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night’ featured the single “Albatross”. The album was short-listed for the 2010 Polaris Music prize. The band created the music score for the National Film Board of Canada’s interactive web project/documentary ‘Welcome to West Point’ and released the results on the 2011 EP ‘You Lived in the City’.

Singles
2004 Life Rarely Begins With Tungsten Film #2 ep/Aviation (Breakglass) BG-0020
2005 Would Anybody Come To Visit Me/Life Rarely Begins With Tungsten Film #2 [10”] (Static Caravan) VAN-90
2007 For Agent 13 (Jagjaguwar)
2007 Casino Nanaimo/Devastation (Alternate Version) (Jagjaguwar) JAG-116
2010 Albatross/Four Long Lines (Jagjaguwar) JAG-166
2010 Like the Ocean, Like the Innocent Pt. 2 (Jagjaguwar)
2010 And This Is What We Call Progress (Radio Edit) /Albatross (Radio Edit) (Jagjaguwar)
2013 People of the Sticks (Jagjaguwar)
2017 The Besnard Lakes Are the Divine Wind [2-song 12”] (Jagjaguwar) JAG-303

Albums
2003 Volume I (Breakglass) BG-001-2
2007 The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse (Jagjaguwar) JAG-106
2010 The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night (Jagjaguwar) JAG-126
2011 You Lived In the City [4-song EP] (Jagjaguwar) JAG-216
2013 Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO (Jagjaguwar) JAG-207
2015 The Golden Lion 12” [3-song EP] (Jagjaguwar) JAG-275
2016 A Coliseum Complex Museum (Jagjaguwar) JAG-27

Compilation Tracks
2010 “Love You” on ‘The Madcap Laughs Again: A Tribute to Syd Barrett’ (MOJO – UK)
2010 “Albatross” on ‘Heart And Soul: 15 Brilliant Tracks from the Jagjaguwar Label’ (Uncut – UK) 2010-03
2010 “I’ve Got a Feeling” on ‘Let It Be Revisited’ (MOJO – UK)

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BEVERLY SISTERS
Don Jones (bass, vocals) / Nick “Niko” Tatroff (harmonica, keyboards, vocals, drum programming ) / Dennis Newton (guitar) / Vince Clarke (drums) / Jackie (Fola) Duncan (percussion) / Kat Hendrikse (drum programming)
6-piece band from Vancouver, British Columbia. with notes from Don Jones

Albums
1984 The Beverly Sisters [12” EP] (Dada Dog) SRBS-1984-7

Compilation Tracks
1985 “The Wait” on ‘Open Your Heart – West Coast Musicians Aid for Africa (OXFAM) OXFAM-002

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BETWEEN THE LINES
From Toronto, Ontario

Albums
1988 Between The Lines [4-song 12″ EP] (Between The Lines)
1993 Assimilation (Spy/A & M/Polygram) SPYCD-1016

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BEYOND POSSESSION
Ron Hadley (vocals) / Jaime Kenney (bass) / Mike Davies (guitar) / Chris Banting (drums) / Ken Wall / James Yauk
From Calgary, Alberta featuring ex-White Noise members Ron Hadley and Jaime Kenney; Ken Wall died January 1, 2023.

Singles
1985 Tell Tale Heart [5-song EP] (Rooter) MR-01
1991 Tell Tale Heart [6-song EP re-issue] (Fango) FR-001

Albums
1985 Demo 1985 [4-song cassette]
1985 Is Beyond Possession (Metal Blade – US) 72168
1989 Demo 1989 [4-song cassette]
1996 Repossessed: 1985 – 1989 (Melodiya) MOD-0069

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BIAGINI, Laurie
Laurie Biagini is a singer/songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia. She began playing piano, by ear, at age 5 and would go on to take 10 years of Classical piano training. She was influenced by bands like The Beatles, The Byrds, The Monkees, The Turtles, and Jan & Dean among others. Biagini began writing her own music in August 2006. Since then, she has completed and released four albums: ‘Ridin’ the Wave’ (November 2008), ‘A Far-Out Place’ (March 2010), and ‘A Go-Go Girl in a Modern World’ (November 2011), and “Sanctuary of Sound” on May 8, 2013. With only a few exceptions Biagini writes, performs and records all her material herself. ‘A Far-Out Place’ and ‘A Go-Go Girl in a Modern World’ were chosen in the 10 Best CD’s of the year (2010 and 2011 respectively) in The Province News by rock journalist Tom Harrison; ‘A Go-Go Girl in a Modern World’ was chosen as one of the Top 25 albums of 2011 on CBC Radio One. She has performed at the International Pop Overthrow Festival 2008 in San Francisco, California, annually at IPO Vancouver, B.C. (2008-2013), and IPO Liverpool, UK (2010). She has also performed at the North Vancouver Festival of Lights and twice in Italy – Reggio Emilia (March 2011), and Rome (June 2010). Due to health reasons, Biagini took some time off from recording and performing but has promised new music soon.

Albums
2008 Ridin’ the Wave (Laurie Biagini) 93111
2010 A Far-Out Place (Laurie Biagini) 40112
2011 A Go-Go Girl In a Modern World (Laurie Biagini) 98471
2013 Sanctuary of Sound (Laurie Biagini) 58212
2022 Stranger in The Mirror

Singles
2011 Can’t Wait For Christmas (Laurie Biagini)

Compilation Tracks
2008 “That Feeling Inside” on ‘International Pop Overthrow – Vol. 11’ (Not Lame)
2009 “Another Old Lazy Layin’ On the Beach Afternoon” on ‘International Pop Overthrow – Vol. 12’ (Not Lame)
2010 “Not the Only Pretty Fish In the Sea” on ‘International Pop Overthrow – Vol. 13’ (Not Lame)
2010 “Christmas In the Air” on ‘Rockin’ the Mistletoe’ (SideB)
2011 “One Track Mind” on ‘International Pop Overthrow – Vol. 14’ (Not Lame)
2012 “Two of a Kind” on ‘International Pop Overthrow – Vol. 15’ (Not Lame)
2013 “On With the Show” on ‘International Pop Overthrow – Vol. 16’ (Not Lame)

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BICKERT, Ed
Born: Edward Isaac Bickert on November 29, 1932, in Hochfeld, Manitoba, Canada;
Died: February 28, 2019, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bickert was born in the Mennonite village of Hochfeld, Manitoba, but he grew up in Vernon, British Columbia. Bickert’s parents were semi-professional musicians, his father played fiddle while his mother played piano in a country dance group. They were chicken farmers by trade. Bickert started playing a guitar at age ten, and began performing with his parents at country dances. By his late teens, Bickert had secured a job as a sound engineer at a Vernon-area radio station. In 1952, Bickert headed to Toronto, and found a job as a sound engineer at radio station CFRB. He was initially intimidated by the musicians in Toronto and spend several years focusing on his radio job, rather than a music career. When he finally found the courage to play publicly, saxophonist Jimmy Amaro, Sr. hired Bickert to be in his band in 1955 allowing Bickert to quit his radio job. By 1957, Bickert joined two Toronto jazz ensembles – one with saxophonist Moe Koffman, and the other with clarinetist Phil Nimmons. Bickert played on Koffman’s surprising hit single “Swinging Shepherd Blues”, which climbed to #23 on Billboard’s Top 40 singles chart in the spring of 1958. Bickert would appear on a number of Koffman’s full-length LPs over the next six years as his guitarist. Through his work with Nimmons, Bickert began appearing regularly on CBC radio and recording on various internationally released albums. During this period, Bickert would also appear on CBC-TV’s ‘Showtime’ with the Howard Cable Orchestra. For the next two decades Bickert was frequently hired as a studio guitarist for an eclectic mix of artists such as pop singers, singer-songwriters, and easy listening performers. During this period he was a member of Rob McConnell’s Boss Brass big band, performing and recording with them for the next three decades. While in his early 40s, Bickert played on alto saxophonist Paul Desmond’s live albums and his final studio LP. Starting in 1975, Bickert began recording under his own name with various independent labels and then signing to Concord Records in 1982. Between 1983 and 1990 Bickert released five albums, and appeared as a backing musician on other Concord releases. Bickert also toured and recorded live albums with The Concord All-Stars (which included Ernestine Anderson, Scott Hamilton, Dave McKenna. and Warren Vache). By 1977, Bickert would record and perform with jazz artists such as Ruby Braff, Benny Carter, Milt Jackson, Rosemary Clooney, and Oscar Peterson among others. Ed Bickert and Rob McConnell recorded as a duo album in the mid-1980s, and again as a quintet album in 1990. Throughout the 1990s, Bickert was a co-leader in two trios – one was again with Rob McConnell, and the other was with saxophonist Mike Murley. Both acts released two albums each. Bickert stopped playing guitar in 2000 following the death of his wife which led to a long battle with alcohol – robbing him of the desire to pick up the guitar. On the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2012, a tribute concert in his honour was held in Toronto featuring the musicians he had either played with or influenced over the year. Bickert died of cancer in 2019.

Albums
1976 Ed Bickert (PM)
1977 I Like to Recognize the Tune (Canadian Talent Library/United Artists)
1996 The Guitar Mastery Of Ed Bickert (Unidisc)
2006 Out Of The Past (Sackville)

with ED BICKERT/DON THOMPSON
1978 Ed Bickert/Don Thompson (Sackville)
1980 Dance To The Lady (Sackville)

with ED BICKERT TRIO
1979 Jazz Canada Europe ’79 (LP)
1989 Third Floor Richard (Concord Jazz)
1994 Trio Sketches [with Rob McConnell, Neil Swainson] (Concord Jazz)
1997 Three for the Road [with Rob McConnell, Don Thompson] (Concord Jazz)
2000 Live at the Senator [with Mike Murley, Steve Wallace] (Cornerstone)
2012 Test of Time [with Mike Murley, Steve Wallace] (Cornerstone)

with THE ED BICKERT 5
1983 At Toronto’s Bourbon Street (Concord Jazz)

with ED BICKERT QUARTET
1984 Bye Bye Baby (Concord Jazz)
1985 I Wished On The Moon (Concord Jazz)

with ED BICKERT AND ROB McCONNELL
1984 Mutual Street (Innovation)

with LORNE LOFSKY AND ED BICKERT
1985 The Quartet Of Lorne Lofsky & Ed Bickert And Friends (Unisson)
1990 This is New (Concord Jazz)

with SONNY GREENWICH AND THE ED BICKERT QUARTET
2000 Days Gone By – Sonny Greenwich and Ed Bickert Quartet (Sackville)

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BIDINIBAND
Dave Bidini (vocals, guitar, piano) / Paul Linklater (guitar) / Doug Friesen (bass) / Don Kerr (drums)
Led by Rheostatics member, journalist, and author Dave Bidini; Kerr would also drum for Rheostatics. He and Linklater would also form the band Communism in 2014. Linklater would also back Ron Sexsmith on tour. He and Friesen also had their own side project called The Pinecones.

Albums
2009 The Land is Wild (Pheromone/Fontana/Universal) PHER-CD-1010
2012 In the Rock Hall (Pheromone/Fontana North/Universal) PHER-CD-1021
2014 The Motherland (Pheromone/Fontana North/Universal) PHER-CD-1031

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BIEBER, Justin
Born: Justin Drew Bieber on March 1, 1994 in London, Ontario
As the only child to a single mom growing up in Stratford, Ontario Justin Bieber cut his teeth in public for the first time at the age of 12 singing in a contest called ‘Stratford Idol’ where he placed second. After posting home video highlights from the contest of him singing cover versions of songs by Usher, Ne-You and Stevie Wonder on YouTube in 2007, Bieber’s videos tallied over 10,000,000 views after going viral. The self-taught musician – who plays the drums, guitar, piano and trumpet – was discovered by So So Def management executive Scooter Braun through those videos. Bieber was 13 when Braun took him to Atlanta, Georgia to meet other industry people who could take Bieber to the next level. His first meeting was with Usher who took a shine to the young singer. Justin Timberlake also showed interest but with Braun’s connections to Usher and producer/label president L.A. Reid, Bieber signed on with them. Justin Bieber signed to Island Records in October 2008 and in early 2009 he began work on his debut album, ‘My World’, with the production team of Tricky Stewart, Midi-Mafia and The Dream. By spring of 2009, the first single entitled “One Time” was released and peaked in the Top10 in Canada and made it to the Top30 in several international markets. The full album followed in November 2009, and was later certified platinum in the United States. The album yielded seven singles all of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 – a record for a debut album. A revamped/remixed version of the album, entitled ‘My World 2.0’, followed in March 2010 and landed Bieber a No.1 spot on the charts with Top10 placings in several countries. The instant success came on the heels of the advance single “Baby” which went Top10. Bieber launched a headlining tour then the remix albums ‘My Worlds Acoustic’ and ‘Never Say Never – The Remixes’ CDs and punctuated it all with a 3D biopic-concert film entitled ‘Justin Bieber: Never Say Never’. Bieber finally released a brand new studio album for Christmas in November 2011 entitled ‘Under the Mistletoe’ which debuted on the Billboard album charts at No.1. Bieber is now an international superstar whose life has become the subject of media scrutiny. After a long break in rehab he returned in 2020 with a documentary series about his life and the making of his new album ‘Changes.’

Singles
2009 One Time (Album Version)/One Time (Acoustic Version) (Island/Def Jam – Europe) 0602527190020
2009 Bigger (Island)
2009 Down To Earth (Island)
2009 Favourite Girl (Island)
2009 First Dance (Island)
2009 One Less Lonely Girl (Island/Def Jam)
2009 Love Me (Island)
2010 Never Let You Go (Island)
2010 Somebody To Love (Remix)/Somebody To Love (Album Version) [featuring USHER] (School Boy/Teen Island/Island – Europe) SLW-3992532
2010 Baby [featuring LUDACRIS]/One Time (My Heart Edition) (School Boy/Teen Island/Island – Europe) JBBABYCDP1
2010 U Smile (Radio)/U Smile (Instrumental) (School Boy/Teen Island/Island – US)
2010 Never Say Never [featuring JAYDEN SMITH] (Island – US)
2010 Pray/U Smile (Acoustic Version) (Island – Europe) ISLW40006-32
2010 Pray/ Never Say Never (Acoustic) [featuring JAYDEN SMITH] [10” picture disc] (School Boy/Island – US) B0015148-11
2011 Born To Be Somebody (Island)
2011 Mistletoe (Main Version)/All I Want For Christmas (Super Festive Version) [featuring Mariah Carey] (School Boy/Island)
2011 All I Want For Christmas (Super Festive Version) [featuring Mariah Carey] (Universal – Netherland) UMUSIC-1930
2011 The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire) (Island)
2012 Boyfriend (School Boy/Island) B001681732
2012 All Around the World [featuring LUDACRIS] (Universal – Netherlands)
2012 Right Here [featuring DRAKE] (Universal – Netherlands)  US-UM7-12-05295
2012 Turn To You (Def Jam/Island – Taiwan)
2013 Heartbreaker [DigiFile] (Island)
2013 Flatline [DigiFile] (Island)
2013 Confident [featuring CHANCE THE RAPPER] [DigiFile] (Island)
2015 Love Yourself (Def Jam/Virgin/EMI – UK)
2015 What Do You Mean? (Remix) [featuring KHARLLES] (ONErpm/Def Jam) 632103032901
2015 Sorry [DigiFile] (Def Jam – Europe)
2020 Yummy [DigiFile) (Def Jam/UMG)
2020 Get Me [featuring KEHLANI] (Def Jam/UMG)

Collaborations
as SEAN KINGSTON & JUSTIN BIEBER
2010 Eenie Meenie (Sony)

as CHRIS BROWN featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2011 Next To You (Radio Edit) (Sony)

as FAR EAST MOVEMENT featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2012 Live My Life (Interscope – US)

as will.i.am featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2013 #thatPower [DigiFile] (Interscope)

as SAGE THE GEMINI featuring JUSTIN BIEBER & IAmSu
2013 Gas Pedal (Remix) (Republic – Europe)

as MAEJOR ALI featuring JUICY J & JUSTIN BIEBER
2013 Lolly [DigiFile] (Island)

as JUSTIN BIEBER & CODY SIMPSON
2014 Home To Mama (Def Jam) 0060254706933

as JACK Ü with JUSTIN BIEBER
2016 Where Are Ü Now [4-song 12”] 553806-0 (Atlantic)

as MAJOR LAZER featuring JUSTIN BIEBER & MØ
2016 Cold Water (Mad Decent/Def Jam)

as POST MALONE featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2016 Déjà vu [DigiFile] (Republic)

as DJ SNAKE featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2016 Let Me Love You (Zedd Remix) (Interscope) CJKL-89932

as LUIS FONZI & DADDY YANKEE featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2016 Despacito (Remix) (Republic/Dej Jam/Universal Latin)

as DAVID GUETTA featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2017 2U (Parlophone France)

as DJ KHALED featuring JUSTIN BIEBER, QUAVO, CHANCE THE RAPPER, & LIL WAYNE
2017 I’m The One (Epic – US)

as JUSTIN BIEBER & BloodPop®
2017 Friends (GenPop/RBMG/School Boy/Def Jam/Republic – Europe)

as DJ KHALED featuring JUSTIN BIEBER, CHANCE THE RAPPER & QUAVO
2018 No Brainer (We the Best/Epic)

as DAN + SHAY JUSTIN BIEBER
2019 10,000 Hours (Def Jam/Universal/Warner Nashville)

as BILLIE EILISH with JUSTIN BIEBER
2019 Bad Guy/Bad Guy (Instrumental) (Darkroom/Interscope)

as ED SHEERAN & JUSTIN BIEBER
2019 I Don’t Care (Atlantic/Warner)

as GUCCI MANE featuring JUSTIN BIEBER
2019 Love Thru The Computer (Atlantic – US)

Albums
2009 My World (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) 0252727371
2010 My World 2.0 (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) 0252735526
2010 My Worlds Acoustic (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) B001508402
2011 Never Say Never: The Remixes (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) B001539702
2011 Under the Mistletoe (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) B001614302
2012 Believe (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) B001693402
2012 Beauty And A Beat [featuring NICKI MINAJ] [12 mixes] (School Boy/Dej Jam/Island)
2012 As Long As You Love Me [featuring BIG SEAN] [13 mixes]
2012 Live & Direct – Oslo [CD/DVD] (Universal – Norway) 602537191413
2013 Journals [2 LP] (Island – US) B0024395-01
2013 Believe Acoustic (School Boy/Teen Island/Island) B0018056-02
2015 Purpose (School Boy/Def Jam) B0024042-02
2020 Changes (Def Jam) B0031708-02

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BIFFS, The
Erik “Rik Wainer” Wainio (vocals) / Chris Langstroth (sax) / Scott “Lou” Lewis (guitar; later bass) / Marc Wonnacott (bass) / Norm Vandenberg (drums) / Geoff Stewart (drums; replaced Vandenberg) / Andy “Trendy” Zealley (keyboards) / Don Mercer (drums; replaced Stewart) / How’rd Pope (guitar)
The Biffs were formed in 1977 by four high school students in the wilds of suburban Scarborough as an antidote to fur lined vans, bands like Boston, Pink Floyd and The Eagles, Greb “Kodiaks” and Hockey hair. The founding members were Chris Langstroth (sax), Scott “Lou” Lewis (guitar), Erik “Rik Wainer” Wainio (vocals) and Marc Wonnacott (bass). Hugely unpopular amongst their suburban peers, they took every opportunity to escape to Queen St West, where in the summer of 1978 they debuted at The Horseshoe Tavern opening for The Mods and The Existers. A couple of weeks later they were opening for The Cads at The Beverley Tavern, and in the weeks following, Martha and the Muffins and The Scenics. They had begun to attract a following that included: General Idea, David Buchan, members of The Dishes, The Diodes, The Drastic Measures, The Government and a host of students and faculty from OCA. Around this time the first recruit on drums (Norm Vandenberg) got fed up with having to hide behind a welder’s mask while playing and Geoff Stewart took over, making his debut with the band as they opened for Martha and the Muffins at the OCA Halloween Party. By November Andy “Trendy” Zealley had joined as keyboard player and the band appeared on CFTO’s ‘Toronto Today’. The Biffs were headlining at The Beverley Tavern by January of 1979, and by the end of February were looking to replace drummers again. This time Don Mercer joined, and became the permanent fixture behind the drums for the duration of The Biffs. By this time they were establishing themselves as a fixture of the Queen West scene. Late that summer Marc Wonnacott left to pursue new musical directions and Scott Lewis moved to bass and How’rd Pope (formally of Drastic Measures) took over duties on guitar. In the winter of 1980 The Biffs appeared in a film entitled ‘Exposure’. At the same time The Biffs were making a foray into the recording studio and there was talk of a single release featuring a song called “You Kill Me”. Unfortunately before this could happen, the band self-destructed in April of 1980. The Biffs spawned other musical entities however; Langstroth, Lewis and Wainio formed Overacting and released an independent cassette; Mercer and Zealley joined TBA; and Wonnacott went on to form Land Of Giants who released a 12″ electro-pop dance single in 1982 called “Cannibal Dolls/Seven Men” on their own label, AV Records; How’rd Pope went on to play guitar with Bunny & The Lakers, and then released a dance-hit remake of “Le Freak” with NYC based Zette And The Zettettes in the late ‘80s; Don Mercer died in the mid ’80s, and How’rd Pope died in 1996. with notes from Marc Wonnacott. [also see LAND OF GIANTS, T.B.A. (2)]

Albums
[no commercial releases]

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BIG BANG
Paul McCann (guitar, vocals) / Marc Lindeman (bass)  / Steve Turner (drums)
Big Bang formed in Scarborough, Ontario in 1983 when Turner met songwriting team McCann and Lindeman (who had met in 1980) at a Bill Bruford drum clinic. McCann and Lindeman would run their own industrial painting company by day and record demos at night with engineer Mark Stafford. McCann took their demo around to the record companies and offered each recipient the chance to make millions off of Big Bang . A brash statement, but former Current Records owner Gerry Young took the bait. He traveled to the band’s rehearsal spot, heard them live and suggested a meeting with his new record company partners. The band was the first signing for S.P.Y. Records (Jim Skarratt, Steve Propas, Gerry Young) in 1988. Their debut album, ‘Big Bang’, was released around Christmas-time and yielded the band’s first hit “Into The Night” which became instantly recognizable due to its uncanny similarity to a certain Irish pop quartet making the rounds at the same time. The record drew interest south of the border and the album was released in the US on Atlantic Records. However, Big Bang waited until the beginning of 1989 before touring – allowing plenty of time for momentum to build on the album. Following heated battles with their managers/record label over musical direction, Big Bang were forced to sit out their recording contract and attempted to make a comeback in 1991 which was short-lived. with notes from Paul McCann.

Singles
1988 Into The Night/Sweet Emotions (S.P.Y./A & M)  SPY-700
1988 It Hurts So Much/Bad Dream (S.P.Y./A & M) SPY-701

Albums
1988 Big Bang (S.P.Y./A & M) SPY-1000

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BIG BLACK PUPPETS
Philip Smith (vocals) / Mary-Jo Kopechne [aka Mary Armstrong] (bass) / Bill Napier-Hemy (guitar) / Ed Norton (drums)
From Vancouver, British Columbia. Smith and Armstrong were also members of Wasted Lives.

Singles
1979 False Hopes/[split w/WASTED LIVES] (Spoken) 3476

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BIG BLUE BUS
Paul Reda (bass) / Ernie Guidoccio (guitar, vocals) / Augie Guidoccio (guitar, vocals) / Jaro (accordion) / Steve Klodt (keys) / Glen Martin (drums)
Toronto’s Big Blue Bus was the brainchild of brothers Augie and Ernie Guidoccio, former Prairie-ites who originally found 15 minutes of fame in the band Manteye. Following their creation in 1993, the band stepped into the recording studio. In January 1994 they released their debut, ‘Art’s Jukebox’, which was home to three singles that received some national attention on college radio. In 1995, Big Blue Bus recorded a remake ’50’s doo-wop song “Blue Moon” for the ‘Blood & Donuts’ soundtrack  and would also offer up their own “Gonna Live Long” as the theme to CHUM-FM’s ‘Sunday Night Funnies’ comedy program.

Singles
1994 Waiting For More (3B)
1994 Broken Tree (3B)
1994 Fragile (3B)

Albums
1994 Art’s Jukebox (3B)

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BIG BOB & THE DOLLARS
Bob Davies (vocals, guitar) / Dorothy Dodd (backing vocals) / Danny Smith (drums) / Hugh Dixon (guitar) / Norm “Curly” Robertson (bass)Verdun, Québec’s Bob Davies was a bandleader from the time he was a teenager. His band, the Rhythm Jesters, had been scouted and booked to open a 1957 Australian tour for Frank Sinatra which never materialized. As part of American DJ and emcee Alan Freed’s live Rock ‘n’ Roll shows, Davies played the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, New York in November 1956 and in May 1957. He would play on bills with such legends as Bo Diddley, The Cleftones, and The Pretenders to name a few. In 1959 he wrote the song “Gordie Howe” and performed it every night for nearly 5 years as an Elvis-like performer known affectionately as Canadian Jelly Hips during his shows at the sports bar Cavendish Café. He would initiallyrecord the song for Trans-World Records but it was shelved. It was polished up with the help of Davies’ friend Moe Chapman and re-recorded for Globe Records in 1963. Davies took an acetate of the song and a record player to Howe’s hotel room during his team, The Detroit Red Wings’ visit to play The Montreal Canadiens. Howe was taken aback by Davies’ use of the term “the greatest” but gave Davies his blessing to release the song as is. Getting airplay, however, was another story. In Montreal where Rocket Richard was the face of the Montreal Canadiens, stations would not play it. After asking Canadiens general manager Frank Selke Sr. to air it during a Hockey Night In Canada Broadcast where Howe was guest, Selke refused. Selke’s son Frank Jr., however, was in charge of the interview and Davies ran the song by him where he added it to the telecast. In March of 1963 Davies got the track to CHUM in Toronto where it received airplay on limited rotation at 5 a.m. Audience reaction was overwhelming and would chart for three weeks in April 1963 peaking at No. 35. CKGM followed suit as well as stations in all six hockey cities on both sides of the border. Davies continued writing songs with a sports theme. Later in 1963 he released “Big John Béliveau”, tackled football with “The Mighty Als of Montreal”, then returned to hockey with “Here’s To Bobby Hull” and “Has Anybody Here Seen Frank Mahovlich?” In the summer of 1964 he emceed a Country and Western at the Montreal Forum for CFOX featuring the biggest names from Nashville, Tennessee’s Grand Ole Opry. That fall he would return to the Forum to play the opening night of British Invasion act the Dave Clark Five’s Canadian tour. “Gordie Howe” had a half-life in French when it was covered by Québec’s Les Baladins. Davies would re-record a new interpretation of the song in 1975 after Howe was traded to the WHA to play for the Houston Aeros. This time the song was released on Broadland Records where the instrumental B-side was used in one of the earliest examples of lounge karaoke where people would sing Davies’ words along to the backing track. Davies and former drummer Danny Smith later formed a nightclub comedy act under the name The Bobsmiths. Davies and his wife left Québec and moved to Stouffville, Ontario where he sold cars until a bad fall on a patch of ice left him unable to play guitar; Davies passed away in 2011. with notes from Marc Coulavin. [Also see BOB DAVIES]

Singles
1963 Gordie Howe/You (Globe) G-400

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BIG DIRTY BAND, The
Care Failure (lead vocals) / Geddy Lee (bass) / Alex Lifeson (lead guitar) / Ian Thornley (rhythm guitar, vocals) / Jeff Burrows (drums) / Adam Gontier (rhythm guitar, vocals)
With Rush members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson often working with the producers and actors on the Canadian TV show ‘The Trailer Park Boys’, the duo assembled a supergroup to record the song “I Fought the Law” as part of the ‘Trailer Park Boys Movie’ soundtrack. They recruited Ian Thornley (Thornley, Big Wreck), Jeff Burrows (Tea Party, Crash Karma), Adam Gontier (Three Days Grace) and relative newcomer Care Failure to sing. A video was created featuring the cast of ‘Trailer Park Boys’ and Kill Cheerleader’s Anthony Useless replacing Geddy Lee. Useless and Failure would form Die Mannequin. [also see DIE MANNEQUIN, RUSH, THE TEA PARTY, IAN THORNLEY]

Compilation Tracks
2006 “I Fought the Law” on ‘The Trailer Park Boys: The Movie Soundtrack’ (Anthem) 668252010-2

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BIG DOG
Calgary’s Big Dog were satirical, funny avant garde pop act. Their lone 7″ project featured them sharing opposite sides of a record with the Ripchords who also help out on the Big Dog side).

Singles
1984 Second Coming/[split w/RIPCORDS] [6-song EP] (Syntax) SP-LP-001

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BIG FAITH
Chris Tait (guitar, vocals) / Ken Greer (guitar, pedal steel) / Fergus Marsh (bass) / Mike Sloski (drums)
A short-lived Toronto supergroup featuring Tait (Chalk Circle), Greer (Red Rider), Marsh (Bruce Cockburn) and renowned session drummer Sloski.

Albums
1992 Grounded (Big Faith) BF-001
1994 Undertow (Big Faith) BF-002

Compilation Tracks
1992 “Grounded” on ‘New Stuff’ (MMS) NSCD-001
1992 “South Shore” on ‘Indie-Can ’92’ (Intrepid) CD-5
1993 “Grounded” on ‘A Canadian Alternative ‘92’ (Second Wave)
SWM-002
1996 “All She Wanted Was Love” on ‘Orphans of God: A Tribute to Mark Heard’ (Fingerprint) 9601-FCD

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BIG HOUSE
Jan Ek (vocals) / K.B. (Kevin) Broc (rhythm guitar) / Craig Beakhouse (bass) / Sjor Throndson (drums, percussion) / Jay Scott King (bass)
Based in Edmonton, Big House featured Throndson and Ek from punk outfit Down Syndrome. They left that band in 1987 and brought in Beakhouse and Broc to round out the LINE-UP. The signed a deal with Boomtown Records in 1990 which landed them distribution for a four song EP called “Pretty Things” with BMG. They then released an album for the label in 1991. It was partially recorded at Prince’s Paisley Park Studio in Minnesota. Beakhouse was replaced by King (an American formerly of Back Street Kids) shortly after the release of the album. With the radio success of several singles, tours on bills with big name metal acts gave the band exposure but, alas they split up before making it to album No.2. After leaving Big House, Beakhouse then did a stint playing bass for the Headstones just before their first album and fronted Screamcone which featured Dave Kiner of Toronto thrash metal act Malhavoc on bass. With notes from Craig Beakhouse. [also see DOWN SYNDROME]

Singles
1991 All Nite//Dollar In My Pocket (Pretty Things)/Angel On My Arm [12”] (Boomtown/RCA – UK) 74321107331
1991 All Nite (Single Version)/All Nite (Album Version) (Boomtown/BMG) KCDP-7254
1991 Baby Doll (Radio Edit)/Baby Doll (Radio Version) (Boomtown/BMG) KD-51072

Albums
1990 Pretty Things [4-song EP] (Boomtown/BMG) CDEP-105
1991 Big House (Boomtown/BMG) 3094-2-R
1992 Live In Concert [cassette] (Boomtown/Metal Forces – Germany) MFC-002

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BIG PICTURE, The
Asif Illyas (guitar, vocals) / Benjamin Fong (lead vocals) / Jonathan Church (bass, vocals) / Julian Marentette (drums) / Pif Edwards (keyboards) / Christopher Church (violin) / Shehab Illyas (replaced Jonathan Church) / Joel Allen (percussion)
From Halifax, Nova Scotia. Released a self-produced cassette in 1991 and a cassette/CD/LP, ‘Just Passin’ By’ on their own Mongrel Records in 1994. Were later signed to Ground Swell Records.

Albums
1992 Live And In Studio [cassette] [no label]
1994 Just Passin’ By (Mongrel/CBC) CD-11334

Compilation tracks
1992 “Seven” on ‘Hear & Now ’92: The Best of The East Coast Independent Bands’ (DTK)
1994 “Just Passin’ By” on ‘Catch of the Day (An Atlantic Canadian Sampler)’ (Atlantic/Duckworth) DUCK PRO-001

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BIG RED
Project of Toronto musician P.B. Schreibman (ex-Flivva). Arty/rhythmic synth-pop.

Singles
1982 Give Me Lies/Vacuum of Love (Dog) DOG-002

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BIG RUDE JAKE
Born: Andrew Jacob Hiebert in 1965
Died: June 16, 2022 in Hamilton, Ontario
From St. Catharines, Ontario. Big Rude Jake lays claim to the original ‘Swing Punk’ jazz/swing/punk style. Big Rude Jake & His Gentlemen players recorded their debut album ‘Butan Fumes & Bad Cologne’ in 1993 and was produced by Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar, Grady, Alkaline). His first true solo album was 1996’s ‘Blue Pariah’ which was also produced by Gordie Johnson and featured Al Cross (drums) and Ashley MacIsaac (fiddle) as special guests. In 1999 he was signed to Road Runner Records stateside and released his self-titled third album which spawned the single “Let’s Kill All the Rockstars”. On the eve of releasing his fourth album ‘Live Faust, Die Jung’, Jake was in a serious car accident and withdrew from public life and performing for several years. In 2010 Big Rude Jake returned with an album of 1920s and 1930s standards called ‘Quicksand’; Hiebert died after a long battle with cancer on June 16, 2022.

Singles
1999 Suzette (French Version)/Suzette (English Version) (Roadrunner – NETHERLANDS) RR-2182-2
1999 Queer For Cat/Yellow Jacket/Rib Shack (Roadrunner – NETHERLANDS) RR-2193-3
1999 Let’s Kill All the Rockstars/Dinner With the Devil/Suzette (English Version) (Roadrunner – NETHERLANDS) RR-2150-3

Albums
1995 Live 23-12-94 [cassette] (Big Rude)
1996 Blue Pariah (Big Rude) BRJ-002-96
1999 Big Rude Jake [akaDefiance] (Road Runner) RR-8672-2
2002 Live Faust Die Jung (Big Rude) BRJ-004
2004 Brooklyn Blue (Pivotal) PIV-P001
2009 Quicksand (Big Rude) BRJ-005

with BIG RUDE JAKE & HIS GENTLEMEN PLAYERS
1993 Butane Fumes & Bad Cologne (Big Rude) BRJ-001
2010 Big Rude Bootleg – Live at Lee’s Palace 1994 [DigiFile]

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BIG SUGAR
Gordie Johnson (vocals, guitar) / Al Cross (drums; 1991-1995, 1999, 2001) / Terry Wilkins (bass) / Kelly Hoppe (harmonica, melodica, steel guitar; 1995) / Gary Lowe (bass; replaced Wilkins) / Stych Wilson (drums; replaced Cross 1995) / Patrick Ballantyne (acoustic guitar; 1995) / Paul Brennan (drums; replaced Wilson 1996) / Gavin Brown (drums; replaced Brennan 1997) / Mojah (rhythm guitar) / Eric “Speedstick” Paul (drums; replaced Cross 2001)
Big Sugar, as a “band” was formed in 1991 with Johnson (Infidels, Molly Johnson, Watertown), Cross (Jane Siberry, Don Freed) and Wilkins (Rough Trade, David Wilcox) though the three musicians had worked together at impromptu jam nights for 5 years at the Hotel Isabella. Wilkins and Johnson were also members of a later day version of Downchild. With the help of singer Molly Johnson (Alta Moda, Infidels), the band drew the attention of Tom Treumuth’s Hypnotic Records who signed them and stuck them in a live-off-the -floor setting to do what they did best – improvise. 50 songs were recorded and 12 were released on their eponymous debut in 1991. In 1993 the band changed with the exit of Wilkins and they released ‘Five Hundred Pounds’ which featured musicians including Kelly Hoppe who would later join the band. Their first noteworthy single from the album also spawned an EP called “Ride like Hell”. With little fanfare the CD sold nearly 10,000 copies. Throughout 1993 and 1994 the band developed its chops and reputation as a musical genre jukebox of improvisation in the clubs – usually at the El Seven Nite Club. The result was a full length live compilation of Big Sugar performing with some of Toronto’s hottest El Seven regulars. By 1995 some new material was demanded by the fans and Big Sugar aimed to please with the 5 song EP ‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ – featuring a reworking of the classic Traffic tune. The band at that point was made up of Johnson, Cross, Kelly Hoppe handling the harmonica, melodica, and steel guitar, Garry Lowe on bass, Stytch Wilson on drums and Patrick Ballantyne on acoustic guitar. In 1996 Big Sugar had mutated once more with their heavy guitar driven album ‘Hemi Vision’ and the addition of ex-Odds drummer Paul Brennan. “Diggin’ A Hole” vaulted them into the MuchMusic spotlight. Brennan’s stay was short lived and he departed in mid-1997. He was replaced by Gavin Brown. Having had success with English-to-French cross-over tunes, 1998’s ‘Heated’ featured each radio single released in French as well. A spin-off EP that collected all these singles was called ‘Chauffe à bloc’ and released in 1999 to take advantage of their new found success in Québec. Cross returned to play drums the same year along with new rhythm guitarist Mojah in time for Big Sugar to perform at the Woodstock 1999 Festival that summer. Never content to be pigeonholed stylistically, the band released its long-gestating dub project, ‘Extra Long Life’, under the moniker Alkaline in 2000. In 2001 came the album ‘Brothers And Sisters, Are You Ready?’ which was mirrored, track for track in French, and called ‘Brothers And Sisters, Êtes Vous Ready?’.  As the tour wound down in promoting the albums, Cross once again left and was replaced by Eric “Speedstick” Paul. Big Sugar, unable to squeeze much more out the Canadian market, released a 2CD compilation ‘Hit & Run’ and had their last performance on December 31, 2003, at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. Johnson relocated to Austin, Texas and formed Grady with Ben Richardson (The Phantoms) and Chris Layton (Stevie Ray Vaughn’s Double Trouble); Kelly Hoppe performs with Mr. Chill & The Witnesses. Mojah and Garry Lowe returned to their act, Truth and Rights Revue; Eric Paul played with Thornley but has left music to work for Bell Canada. Big Sugar reformed and played their first show at Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler, British Columbia on April 23, 2010. They also played additional dates through the summer of 2010 and 2011; Gary Lowe died of cancer in 2018 at the age of 64. With notes from Chris Liedtke.

Singles
1991 Sleep In Late (Hypnotic/A & M)
1991 Come Back Baby (Hypnotic/A & M)
1995 Ride Like Hell/A Night In Tunisia [7”] (Silvertone – US) 42887-7
1993 Sugar In My Coffee (Hypnotic/A & M)
1996 Diggin’ A Hole [5 mixes] (A & M) AMCD-081996
1996 Gone For Good (A & M) AMCD-031797
1996 If I Had My Way (Radio Edit)/If I Had My Way (LP Version) (A & M) AMCD-111896
1996 Open Up Baby (A & M)
1996 Ouvres-Toi Bébé (A & M)
1998 The Scene/C’est Moi Qui Rêgne (A & M) AMCD-080498
1998 Better Get Used To It/Better Get Used To It (French Version) (A & M) AMCD-080498
1999 Turn The Lights On [5 mixes] (A & M) AMCD-032299
2001 Nicotina (She’s All That) / Tina Gasolina (Elle Est Tout Çà) (Universal) UMCR 4374-2
2001 O Canada/A Nu (Pom, Pom) (Universal) UMCR 4444-2

Albums
1991 Big Sugar (Hypnotic/A & M) 561005
1993 The Katherine Presents: El Seven Nite Club featuring Big Sugar with Guest Vocalists (Hypnotic/A & M) 561011
1993 Five Hundred Pounds (Hypnotic/A & M) 561014
1995 Ride Like Hell! [5-song EP] (Silvertone – US) JDJ-42287-2
1995 Dear M.F. [5-song EP] (Hypnotic/A & M) 581205
1996 Hemi-Vision (A & M) 540600
1998 Heated (A & M) 540955
1999 Chauffé à bloc [5-song EP] (A & M) 0694 97109
2001 Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready? (Universal) 14029
2001 Brothers and Sisters, Êtes Vous Ready? (Universal) 14030
2003 Hit & Run (Universal)
2011 Revolution Per Minute (Bread & Water) BWCD-0611
2012 Eliminate Ya! Live [CD/DVD] (eOne) BBP-DV-1012
2014 Yard Style (Bread & Water) BPICD-0414
2015 Calling All The Youth (Bread & Water) BP1-CD-5861

as ALKALINE
2000 Extra Long Life (Universal) 012157686
2000 Extra Long Life [4-song 12”] UMOR-4094-1 (Universal)

Compilation Tracks
1994 “When You Dance I Can Really Love” on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199
1995 “Sugar In My Coffee” on ‘The Kumbaya Album 1995’ (Warner) CD-11719

with TOM COCHRANE, BIG SUGAR & BILL BELL
1995 “Disappearing” on ‘The Kumbaya Album 1995’ (Warner) CD-11719

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BIG TOWN BOYS (aka BIG TOWN BOYS 4)
Tommy Graham (vocals, guitar) / Brian Massey (bass) / John Henderson (guitar, keyboards) / Peter “Josh” Collins (drums, vocals) / Michael Lewis (horns, vocals, keyboards, percussion) / James Arndt (horns) / John Morton (bass) / Brian Jackson
Toronto singer Tommy Goodings joined his first band in 1958 and managed to work his way through the Toronto club scene with Kay Taylor And The Regents at the legendary Club Bluenote. Following this, he took several years away from the business, traveled to Los Angeles to hone his musical skills and developed contacts there. Returning to Canada in 1963 under his new stage name, Tommy Graham, he was approached by Club Bluenote owner, Al Steiner, about backing a singer he had his eye on named Shirley Matthews. Graham formed The Big Town Boys featuring himself, Massey, Henderson, Josh Collins, Lewis and Arndt. The group gained prominence as backing musicians for vocalist Shirley Matthews on Tamarac Records with such songs as “Big Town Boy” (1963) and “Private Property” (1964). The band broke out on its own after being signed to RCA Victor under the name Tommy Graham & The Big Town Boys for one single called “Put You Down” in 1965. They were scooped up by Capitol Records for several more singles through 1965 and 1966 before moving to Yorkville records as Big Town Boys 4. The group toured across Canada many times and for over a year were the host band on CTV’s ‘After Four’ television show. Also during that time, they made sojourns to New York City where they became favourites in several clubs, playing with some soon-to-be giants in the business such as Jimi Hendrix. By 1968 The Big Town Boys (also known as BTB4) had run its course. Graham would find success as a solo artist back on Capitol Records; Michael Lewis, who had left the line-up early in the band’s career, relocated to Germany for school and joined an avante-garde improvisational project by Karl-Heinz Böttner  entitled ‘Wired.’ By 1970 Lewis had formed the band Wuschel (meaning “something fuzzy”) who released one album on Philips in 1971 produced by Conny Plank. In 1972 he and Plank worked on a new project, and Lewis called on his old bandmates, Graham, Morton, and Collins from Big Town Boys to record a self-titled progressive rock album for the German music market under the name Mooseknukkl Groovband in 1972; Producer Conny Plank would also tap Collins to appear on the 1973 Andy Marx album “Circle” in Germany as well; Lewis remains in Germany and collaborated with Plank and American Michael Ranta (who Lewis had met in 1969 for the ‘Wired’ project) under the name Ranta/Lewis/Plank for a 2010 album entitled ‘Mu.’ with notes from Tommy Graham. [also see TOMMY GRAHAM, GROOVBAND, SHIRLEY MATTHEWS]

Singles
with SHIRLEY MATTHEWS & THE BIG TOWN BOYS
1964 Private Property/Wise Guys (Tamarac) TTM-603

with TOMMY GRAHAM & THE BIG TOWN BOYS
1965 Put You Down/Forget About You (RCA Victor) 57-3339

with THE BIG TOWN BOYS
1965 I Love Her So/I Wonder (Capitol) 72252
1965 It Was I/Paul at the Pass (Capitol) 72284
1966 Hey Girl, Go It Alone/One For Me (Capitol) 72327
1966 My Babe/August 32nd (Capitol) 72398

with BIG TOWN BOYS 4
1967 Do It To ‘Em/Sparrows & Daisies (Yorkville) YV-45007
1967 Jack Rabbit/Tell Me (Yorkville) YV-45010

Albums
1966 Big Town Boys (Capitol) KAO-6168

as MOOSEKNUKKL GROOVBAND
1972 Mooseknukkl Groovband (Spiegelei/Aamok -GERMANY) 28-516-3 U

Compilation Tracks
1967 “Jack Rabbit” on ‘Yorkville Evolution’ (Yorkville) YVM-33001

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BIHANKI, Les
Jean-Jacques Boivert (vocals) / Gilles Cloutier (vocals) / Pierre Lafontaine (vocals) / Laurier Parent (vocals)
From Louisville, Québec as Les Four Aces Québécois in 1962 the group learned their craft playing at clubs around the province. Soon after, Parent left and they renamed themselves Les Bihanki and between 1964 and 1966 they released several singles and a Christmas album. With notes from Michel Charbonneau and Johanne Lapage.

Singles
1964 Isabelle/Vole ma colombe (Elegante) EL-705
1964 Si tu comprends/Rêve de Noël (Elegante) EL-713
1964 Ce monde/V’la septembre (Jupiter) JP-1008
1965 Quelle importance/Ton petit coeur (Laval) LF-411
1965 Dis pourquoi/Dans tes yeus bleus (Laval) LF-423
1966 C’est que je t’aime/Je t’apprécie (Laval) LF-429
1966 Écrit sur le sable/Bella Nina (Plaza) PL-6012
1966 Noël sans toi/Vive le vent (Plaza) PL-6306

Albums
1965 Joyeux Noël avec les Bihanki (Laval) LF-4201
1966 Joyeux Noël avec les Bihanki (Plaza) PL-1502

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BILL AND THE BILLS
Bill Iveniuk (vocals) / Garry Nichol (guitars) / Danny Casavant (guitars) / Gary Stefaniuk (bass) / Gordon Osland (drums) / Mike Rheault (piano) / Bob Fuhr (synthesizer) / Brad Wilkinson (keyboards)
Northern Québec’s original Eskimo/Inuit rockers, Bill & The Bills were parts pub rock and comedy act. Wilkinson would go on to play keyboards for Lisa Dalbello. He passed away March 16, 2011; Casavant has pursued a solo career. with notes from Tim Thorney, and Jef Leeson.

Singles
1980 The Hurt Will Last/Sometimes (El Mocambo) ESMO-503
1980 Speed of Light/Modern Kitchen (El Mocambo) ESMO-509
1981 I’ve Got a Little Bit of Rhythm/Life Is a Knife (El Mocambo) ESMO-514

Albums
1980 Bills, Bills, Bills (El Mocambo) ELMO-755

Compilation Tracks
1981 “The Hurt Will Last” and “I Got A Little Bit of Rhythm” on ‘Hit Toons For Hip Teens!’ (El Mocambo) ELMO-760

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BILL OF RIGHTS
Mike Raphone [aka Mike Dennis aka Mick Tupelo] (bass) / Dave DeMenthe [aka Rick Knott] (guitar) / Dave Chrispie (drums) / Stuart Temple (drums; replaced Chrispie)
Surrey, British Columbia based hardcore outfit.

Singles
1984 No Rights, No Chance (No Rights)
1985 Meltdown ’85 [6-song EP] (No Rights) WRC5-3705

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BILLY BUTT & THE BRATS
Billy Butt (vocals) / Rob Pratt (guitar) / Scott McCann (drums) / Bob Pointer (bass) / Dave Ballantyne (keyboards) / Tony Rumolo (keyboards; replaced Ballantyne 1982) / Roberts (drums; replaced McCann 1982)
Performed in Toronto clubs and at Universities in Southern Ontario from 1980 – 1984. Band name was changed to Paradox in 1982 (not to be confused with Sylvain Cossette’s major label act of the same name). Band dissolved in 1984; In 2014, Bill Butt (guitar, vocals), Rob Pratt (guitar), Gil Roberts (drums) and Robert Pointer (bass) were together rehearsing in King Township, north of Toronto and working on new recordings. with notes from Robert Pointer.

Singles
1980 No I Can’t Say No/Surveillance (PWR) LK-1105

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BILLY ET SES COPAINS

Singles
1962 Minuit-Et-Demi/[split w/LES ELEGANTES] (Cavalier) CAF-2503

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BILLY TALENT
Benjamin Kowalewicz (vocals, guitar) / Ian D’Sa (guitar, vocals) / Jonathan Gallant (bass, vocals) / Aaron Ess [aka Aaron Solowoniuk] (drums)
Formed in Mississauga, Ontario in 1993 the group was originally called Pezz and recorded a series of demo releases with improved writing and recording techniques from 1994-1996. The band decided they wanted a more professional release and saved money up over a long period from their day jobs. In 1999 they recorded twelve new tracks at Great Big Music Studio with JUNO-nominated music Brad Nelson. The result was their first CD, ‘Watoosh!’ But they soon found themselves in a battle over the name with an act in the US and decided to change it to Billy Talent based on the character of the same name in Michael Turner’s book ‘HardCore Logo’. After a chance encounter with one of Kowaliwicz’s old work associates at radio station 102.1 The Edge, she managed to open the door for the band after moving to Warner Music Canada. This led to a deal to make demos with Gavin Brown and a short EP called ‘Try Honesty’ in 2001. Following a live showcase that was scouted by executives from Atlantic Record, both labels entered into a jointa agreement to sign the band in 2002. Billy Talent’s eponymous debut was released in 2003, spawned four singles and put the band on the road in North America and Europe for nearly a year. They won JUNO Awards for ‘Best Album of the Year’ and ‘Best Band of the Year’ and a MuchMusic Video Award. They want back on the road and spent late 2004 and most of 2005 touring again. The album itself was eventually certified triple platinum in Canada. In 2006 it was announced prior to the release of their follow-up album that drummer Solowoniuk had been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and a steady regiment of medication needed to administered to keep his symptoms in check. The band began touring with a stocked refrigerator for his medications and his constant exercise through drumming has led to the remission of symptoms. Billy Talent released ‘Billy Talent II’ in 2006 and ‘Billy Talent II’ in 2009. Though the albums have continued to sell well in Canada, their US sales have remained slow. They continue to tour and opening new fan-bases around the world by opening shows for larger acts such as My Chemical Romance at festivals and major venues.

Singles
2002 Living In the Shadows/Prisoner of Today (Billy Talent) BT-02
2003 The Ex (Album Version) (Atlantic – US) PRCD-301382
2004 River Below/Standing in the Rain (Atlantic) AT-0178
2004 River Below (Album Version)/Lies (Acoustic) (Atlantic – UK) PR-04908
2006 Devil In a Midnight Mass (Album Version)/Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve) (Atlantic – Europe) PR-015874
2006 Red Flag (Album Version/Where Is the Line (Demo) (Atlantic – Europe) PR-015996
2006 Surrender (Atlantic – Europe) PR-016304
2006 Fallen Leaves (Album Version)/Fallen Leaves (Live At MTV Campus Invasion Germany) (Atlantic – UK) PR-016153
2008 Turn Your Back [w/Anti-Flag] [DigiFile] (Warner)
2009 Rusted From the Rain/Cold Turkey) (Road Runner/Warner) RDRR- 10276
2009 Devil On My Shoulder (Warner) PR-017289
2010 Saint Veronika (Atlantic – UK) 020 7938 5592
2012 Surprise Surprise (Atlantic)
2012 Viking Death March (Atlantic)
2013 Stand Up & Run/Sudden Movements (Fil Bucchino Dub Mix) (Warner)
2014 Kingdom of Zod (Warner) 0825646203802
2019 Forgiveness I & II (Warner)
2019 Reckless Paradise (Warner)

Albums
2001 Try Honesty [4-song EP] (Billy Talent Music)
2003 Billy Talent [4-song EP] (Atlantic) PRCD-301199
2003 Billy Talent (Atlantic) CD-83614
2006 Billy Talent II (Atlantic) CD-83931
2007 Billy Talent 666 Live (WEA) 2-973880
2009 Billy Talent III (Warner) 2-898343
2010 iTunes Session [DigiFile]
2012 Dead Silence (Warner) 2-717262
2016 Afraid of Heights (Warner) 2-034291

as PEZZ
1994 DemoLuca [4-song EP cassette] (Crunchy Frog)
1995 Dudebox [cassette] (Crunchy Frog)
1999 Watoosh! (Crunchy Frog) CFCD-001

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BIM [see ROY FORBES]

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BINDER BROTHERS
Grant Heckman (slide guitar, rhythm guitar, harp, harmony vocals) / Bruce Griffin (lead vocals, bass) / Dean Connor (guitars) / Ian McKinnon (drums)
Canned Heat styled boogie rockers.

Singles
1980 Waiting Outside Your Door/Trying All Night (Bindertunes) C-308

Album
2006 Binder Nation (Bindertunes) 776127-27952

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BIRD SISTERS, The
Jude Vadala (vocals) / Sue Smith (vocals) / Tannis Slimmon (vocals)
From Guelph, Ontario. [also see JUDE VADALA, TANNIS SLIMMON, BOREAL]

Albums
1990 FLO [cassette] (The Bird Sisters) TBS-001
1992 Different Stories (The Bird Sisters) TBS-002
1994 She & She & She (The Bird Sisters/DROG) BS-003

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BIRTHELMER, Michael J.

Singles
1980 The One and Only/Locke And Pine (Zanzibar) WRC3-1160
1981 Running With The Tiger Cats/[same (Zanzibar) WRC3-1835

Albums
1980 Zanzibar (Zanzibar) WRC1-1159

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BISES, Les
Carole Bois (vocals) / Nancy Gallienne (vocals) / Linda Layden (vocals) / Dorothée Thériault (vocals) / Leone Bromley (vocals; replaced Layden in 1964)
Vocal group from Sept-Îles, Québec. Bois left in 1963, and Layden was replaced by Bromley in 1964. Les Bises toured as a trio all over Québec. It would take until 1967 for them to record their first single “Tu as tout ce que j’aime d’un gars” on Denis Pantis’ DSP label which went to #1 on the Québec charts. Les Bises would appear on television including “Jeunesse d’aujourd’hui” (CFTM-10) and “Club des jnobs et Du feu s.v.p” (Radio-Canada). Their follow-up single in 1968 on the Citation label was “M’aimeras-tu demain” but did not chart as well. The group disbanded in the fall of 1969.

Singles
1967 Tu as tout ce que j’aime d’un gars/Parce que tu m’as souri (DSP) DSP-8613
1968 Tu as tout ce que j’aime d’un gars/Parce que tu m’as souri//M’aimeras-tu demain/Reste (DSP) S4-139-34
1968 M’aimeras-tu demain/Reste (Citation) CN 9050

Compilation Tracks
1968 “M’aimeras-tu demain,” “Reste,” “Tu as tout ce que j’aime d’un gars,” and “Parce que tu m’as souri” on ‘Les Bises, Les Intrigantes, Les Miladys’ (DSP Idole) ID-312

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BISHOP, Arlene
Born: Churchill, Manitoba
Toronto’s Arlene Bishop started playing solo residencies at the Cabana Room in Toronto in the early 1990s. She often invited other performers to warm up and interact with her including unknowns like The Barenaked Ladies and Ron Sexsmith. She would record some of her original songs for the 1995 EP ‘Pinky.’ After a series of short small venue concerts (Louden Wainwright III, Beach Boys, 54:40, Burton Cummings among the headliners), she and Blair Packham (The Jitters) produced a second CD, with the press-review inspired title Snarky Girlpop. The song “98 Points” made it to the ‘New Waterford Girl’ movie soundtrack. Following more concerts with icons Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies), Colin James, Ani Difranco and Dar Williams, the album ‘Cut a Man’s Heart Out’ was released in 2004. In 2014 Arlene Bishop produced ‘Twenty Four (Is Twelve Songs Twice)’ featuring twelve solo acoustic performances that were remixed and reinterpreted by twelve different producers. In 2017 Bishop assembled a vocal choir of Toronto performers to accompany her for her liv album ‘Together Tonight.’ In 2019, after a conversation with musician/producer James Paul they discovered one of Bishop’s Cabana Room recordings and proceeded to release it to commemorate late Cabana Room manager Jimmy Scopes. A concert was held in his honour at Hugh’s Room in August 2019.

Albums
1995 Pinky [6-song EP] (No. 1 Imperfects/MCA) NODM-3900
1999 Snarky Girlpop (Twelve Steves, The) TSTCD -7
2003 Cut a Man’s Heart Out (Blare! Music/Twelve Steves, The) BM-02
2012 Twenty Four (Is Twelve Twice or Twenty Four For Short ) (Twelves Steves, The)
2017 Together Tonight – Live In Concert (Twelve Steves, The)
2019 The Cabana Room Bootleg 1992 (independent)

Compilation Tracks
1992 “Bad News, Boys” on ‘Indie-Can ’92’ (Intrepid) CD-5
1995 “Spin Another One” on ‘Music From the MCA Presentation Pop Fiction’ (MCA) CMW-1

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BISHOP, Heather
Heather Bishop celebrated her 10 years in the music business with album #6 LP A Taste Of The Blues and a 16 city cross Canada tour featuring local back-up musicians Sherry Shute, Marilyn Lerner, Kris Purdy and was sponsored by Womynly Way. She often tours as part of benefit concerts for gay and lesbian awareness and equality. She also records children’s albums. with notes from E. Bernhard.

Albums
1979 Grandmother’s Song (Mother of Pearl) MP-001
1981 Celebration (Mother of Pearl) MP-002
1982 Belly Button: A Collection of Songs For Children (Mother of Pearl) MP-003
1983 I Love Women…Who Laugh (Mother of Pearl) MP-004
1985 Purple Peope Eater (Mother of Pearl) MP-005
1987 A Taste of Blues (Mother of Pearl) MP-006
1989 Walk That Edge (Mother of Pearl) MP-007
1990 A Duck In New York City (Mother of Pearl) MP-008
1995 Old New Borrowed Blue (Mother of Pearl) MPCD-009
1997 Daydream Me Home (Mother of Pearl) MOP-10.2
1998 Chickee’s Run (Mother of Pearl) MOP-011
2000 Live (Mother of Pearl) MPCD-012
2005 A Taste of the Blues (Mother of Pearl)
2008 Tribute to Peggy Lee (Mother of Pearl)
2009 My Face Is a Map of My Time Here (Mother of Pearl) MOP-14.2

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BITTER REALITY
Rick Reality (guitar) / Mickey Wilde (vocals) / Sidney Divine (drums) / Peter James (bass) / Ryszard Konix (guitar)
From St. Catharines, Ontario.

Singles
1983 Tellin’ Me Goodbye/A White Man (In Babylon) (Alarm) 9025

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BKS
Hennie Bekker / Greg Kavanagh (guitar) / Chris Sheppard (Samples, production)
Toronto dance groove meisters BKS (an acronym for the last names of the members) have a global background. Bekker claims an African birth heritage and acclimatization in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa with musical backgrounds as a jazz musician, band leader, and producer of Dan Gibson’s ‘Solitudes’ series; London, Ontario’s Kavanagh produced Carol Medina’s ‘Secret Fantasy’ disc as well as the ‘Canadian All Stars – A Tribute to Glenn Miller’ and is an accomplished guitarist and solo recording act in his own right; Sheppard is hailed as one of Canada’s premiere radio DJs with his own syndicated radio program “Chris Sheppard Pirate Radio” which also spawned his 1994 compilation CD series. The trio first cracked the US and Canadian dance charts with their 1992 debut single “Living In Ecstasy”  from the CD ‘For Those About To Rave…We Salute You’ – which wound up on MuchMusic ‘X-tendamix Dance Mix ’93’ CD compilation. The track went to No. 1 and sold 70,000 copies in Canada. 1993 saw the full album ‘Dreamcatcher’, featuring the hit title track, go to No.3 on the national dance charts. BKS were able to follow that up with 1995′ s ‘Square Dance Song’ as a team up with violinist Ashley MacIsaac. The tune went Top5 on the Canadian singles charts. With high profile gigs at the annual CMVA’s at MuchMusic and Molly Johnson’s Kumbaya Festival at Ontario Place in Toronto they released one more disc, ‘Astroplane’, but failed to overwhelm the satiated Toronto dance scene. In October 1997, Sheppard signed a development deal with BMG Canada and the result was the debut of his next act, Love Inc., in 1998.

Singles
1992 Living In Ecstasy [4 mixes] [featuring In 3’s] (Quality) QSP-738
1992 Talkin’ Bout Love [5 mixes] (Quality) QSPD-744
1993 Dreamcatcher/I’m In Love With You [12” single] (Quality) QLPS- 7018
1994 I’m In Love With You/Living In Ecstacy [12” single] (ZYX – Germany) ZYX 7514-12
1994 I’m In Love With You [4 mixes 12”] (Radical/Quality) HAL-12499
1994 Swamp Thing (Quality)
1995 Take Control [5 mixes] (Quality) QCDS-7150
1995 The Square Dance Song (I Wanna Go Higher) [w/ Ashley MacIsaac]  [6 mixes] (Quality) QCDS-7094
1996 For Your Love [4 mixes] (Quality) QCDS-7281
1996 Astroplane [4 mixes] (Quality) QCDS-7243

Albums
1992 For Those About To Rave…We Salute You (Quality) QCD-2008
1993 Dreamcatcher (Quality) QCD-2025
1996 Astroplane (Quality) QCD-2119
1996 BKS Mixes [12” EP] (Quality) QLPS-7228

Compilation Tracks
with DON CHERRY/BKS
1992 Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Techno/ Rock’em Sock’em Techo (Instrumental) (Quality) QCDS-7009

with BKS & ASHLEY MacISAAC
1995 “Swamp Thing” on ‘The Kumbaya Album 1995’ (Warner) CD-11719

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BLACK CREEK
Steve Goldberger (bass) / Jayce (drums) / Nick Whitehead / Dave Pearce (banjo) / Jim Dunaway (dobro)
When Algonquin bass player Steve Goldberger finished high school he was looking for a path to take. While having been accepted to several universities, he decided that “the road” was the education he wanted. Goldberger even went to New York city and auditioned for several acts including Jeff Beck. While he had several offers, the thought of actually living in New York was overwhelming, and he returned to Toronto. With former Algonquin drummer Jayce, they answered a music store ad in 1971 and hooked uo with several folk musicians – Nick Whitehead, Dave Pearce, and Jim Dunaway. They hit it off right away during the first audition, and the 5-piece became the rockin’ bluegrass outfit Black Creek. They would be signed to RCA Records in 1975. That year they released the Cliff Edwards produced single “The Bright Side of Tomorrow” which would win a Genie Award for ‘Best Original Score’ from the film ‘Lions of Breakfast.’ They toured clubs and opened shows for the likes of Supertramp, Arlo Guthrie, Melanie, Lester Flatt and more. The band would split up in 1978; Steve Goldberger went on to a prolific solo career from his home base in Niagara-On-The-Lake. with notes from Steve Goldberger. [also see STEVE GOLDBERGER]

Singles
1975 The Bright Side Of Tomorrow/Outlaws & Heroes (RCA) PB-50091

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BLACK KNIGHT
Lori “The Scream Queen” Wilde (vocals) / Chris Hopkinson (vocals) / Gary Quaye (lead guitars) / Glenn “The Hammer” Hoffman (bass) / Mick Dianno (lead guitars) / Glen Richards (drums) / Ken Beckthold (drums) / Stuart Duffie (drums)
Black Knight formed in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1981. Their came from the title of  a Deep Purple song.

Albums
1983 Master of Disaster [5-song EP] (independent)

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BLACK LABELLED
Carol Deary (keyboards, vocals) / Martin Deary (bass, guitar, harmonica, vocals) / Gary Murphy (lead guitar, vocals) / Bill Thompson (percussion)
From Omemee, Ontario

Albums
1985 Black Labelled (independent) WRC1-4281

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BLACK MAGIC
Novelty pop/rock by Toronto sex kitten/stripper turned singer named Ida Claire. ‘Spellbound’ features a special limited edition US pressed picture disc with revealing photos. The three songs were produced by Bob Connelly.

Singles
1986 Good Ol’ Boys (independent)

Albums
1983 Spellbound [3 song 12″ single-sided picture disc] (Visual Vinyl) VV-1002

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BLACK POOL
John Wesley Chisholm (vocals, guitar) / Phil Sedore (guitar, vocals, mandolin, piano, harmonica) / Chip Sutherland (vocals, drums) / Bruce Worrall (bass) /
Tracy Stevens (bass) / Chris Murphy (bass, vocals) / Jamie Campbell (tin whistle) / Dave Marsh (drums) / Ian McKinnon (bodhrán) / Matthew Murphy (guitar, vocals, harmonica) / Tim Brennan (bass) / Paul Mandell (banjo) / Mike Nichols (percussion) / Catherine McKinnon (violin, viola) / Lukas Pierce (bass) / Dave Waugh (piano, vocals, organ) / Anthony Rissesco (violin, vocals) / Benn Ross (drums)

Singles
1991 Days And Days (Justin Entertainment) JED-9104

Albums
1989 Cemeteries (Black Pool) WRC1-6239
1991 We The Living (Justin Entertainment) JED-10
1992 The Seahorse (Black Pool) BPCD-002
1995 Scraps From The Table (Hollow Records) BPCD-004

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BLACK, Jully
Born: Jully Ann Inderia Gordon on November 8, 1977 in Toronto, Ontario
Jully Black’s auspicious debut came at the age of 21 when her self-released 12” hip-hop single ‘Rally’n’ made many Top 40 charts in Canada. This was followed by follow-up indie single releases “Between Me and U” and “You Changed”. This brought her to the attention of Toronto Rascalz who wanted her to appear on their album ‘Northern Touch’ but she was otherwise occupied with her own career. She signed with Popular Music for distribution and had another run at the dance charts with 2000’s “Say No More” single. MCA Records called and signed her in 2002. With a debut album entitled ‘I, Travel’ recorded and scheduled for release in 2003, the label was merged into the global take-over of Universal Music Group. She was able to keep her existing record deal but in the time that lapsed while the smoke cleared over the corporate merger she decided to re-invent herself from hip-hop artist to R & B singer. She scrapped the previous album and recorded a new debut entitled ‘This Is Me’. It was a prescient move and landed her three charting singles. A controversy broke out in the media when it was revealed that an independent audit by IFPI in the United States showed 2.8 million illegal downloads of her album occurred during the first two weeks of release through illegal file sharing while barely 15,000 physical copies of the CD had sold. Undaunted, Black carried on. Her sophomore album, ‘Revival’, in 2007 proved to be even bigger on the back of her first Top10 hit single “Seven Day Fool”. She won the JUNO Award for ‘R & B/Soul Recording of the Year’ in 2008 and performed the song during the closing JUNO Awards broadcast in Calgary. In 2009, Black, with YoungPete Alexander and Kellis E. Parker, wrote and released her third studio album ‘The Black Book’ and launched her national tour starting in Vancouver as part of 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. In 2011, Black and YoungPete created a new production along with Luther Brown under the name The Officials. Black was also a correspondent on the final season of CTV’s ‘Canadian Idol’ talent show. She also hosted the 2008 Canadian Radio Music Awards in Toronto. Black is also reports ‘e-Talk’. Black’s 4th album, ‘Dropping W(8)’ was released in 2012. The JUNO winning singer made a leap to musical theatre in 2020 with her debut in the production of ‘Caroline, Or Change.’

Singles
1998 Rally’n (Promo In Minnesota Mix) 12”] (Jully) JULLY-1
2000 Say No More (Naked Souls Remix)/A Cappella (Capitol Hill/Ill Vibe/Popular) POP-4065
2005 Stay the Night 6 mixes] (Universal) UMCR-05406
2005 Sweat of Your Brow (Hodges – Aintsweatinitmix) [6 mixes] (Universal) UMCR-05440
2005 5x Love/Material Thing featuring NAS] (Universal) UMCR-05450-1
2007 Seven Day Fool 6 mixes] (Brown Sugar/Dance Street) BSR-77195-8
2008 Until I Stay (Universal)
2009 Running (Universal)
2015 Fever (Officials)

as JULLY BLACK AND BABY BLUE SOUNDCREW
2001 Day Before//Salsa Lady/Only Be In Love [12”] (Universal) 4400-1526-81

Albums
2005 This Is Me (Universal) 210391
2007 Revival (Universal) 174229
2009 The Black Book (Universal) 272149
2012 Dropping W(8) (Officials)

Compilation Tracks
2003 “I Traveled” on ‘Women & Songs 7’ (WEA) WTVD-61047
2007 “Seven Day Fool” on ‘Women & Songs 11’ (WEA/EMI/UMG) 2-970322
2008 “Until I Stay” on ‘Women & Songs 12’ (WEA/EMI/UMG) 2-931590

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BLACK, Paris
Toronto’s Paris Black became a teen sensation in the early ’80’s as crooner and heart throb. His adult contemporary love songs drew him to the younger pre-puberty crowd and a featured face in Québec teen magazine ‘Fan Club’. His 1988 debut album, ‘Secret Seduction’, featured guest musicians Howard Ayee (bass), Graham Lear (drums), Doug McKaskill (guitar), Steve Sexton (keyboards) and the sister team TU (backing vocals). Songwriting assists were courtesy of Gerry Mosby (The Hunt, Rhinegold), Terry Crawford and Steve Sexton. Three singles/videos gained regular rotation on MuchMusic/MusiquePlus. His follow-up, self-titled album was released in 1991. Despite a huge marketing and promotional push, he was never able to gain commercial acceptance. Paris continues to perform, model and has been acting in low budget feature films. He finally released a comeback record in 2010 entitled ‘I’m Not Jesus’.

Singles
1988 Lover (Trend)
1987 Buried Alive/What’s Come Over You (Karrera/Trend) KIC-8701
1988 Better Get Ready/Barely (Trend) KIC-8801
1991 Conspiracy 3 mixes 12” (ISBA) 12-CDN-571

Albums
1988 Secret Seduction (Karrera/Trend) KIC-8701
1990 Paris Black (ISBA) 2019
2010 I’m Not Jesus (Universal) BLAT-007

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BLACK, Terry
Born: February 3, 1949 in Vancouver, British Columbia
Died: June 28, 2009 in Kamloops, British Columbia
Terry Black, originally from North Vancouver, began his professional career crooning on a local Vancouver music show. Black’s fan mail was so impressive that Bill Gilliland of ARC Records signed him. With his first single for ARC, the P.F. Sloan/Steve Berri penned “Unless You Care” in 1964 riding up the charts (featuring soon to be legendary performers Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine and Leon Russell), Black managed to land himself on an opening bill with Lonnie Mack, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, and Gerry & The Pacemakers. This overnight success led to winning ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ in the 1964 Maple Music Awards. With a handful of successful singles to follow into 1965, Black quickly became Canada’s newest teen sensation. Due to a job transfer, Black’s father moved the whole family to Hollywood in January 1966 which put Black in the heart of the entertainment world. Soon a movie script was written casting Black as Elvis Presley’s brother with the hope of making him the next Fabian or Frankie Avalon. The movie did not come to pass and Black’s family soon tired of the seedy side of the entertainment world and decided to return to Canada on the urging of Gilliland. Black started on a path to gain some true musical chops on the one-nighter club circuit starting in 1968. At the end of the 1960s Black  attempted to shake his pop idol reputation and move into the contemporary adult market. Under the name TERENCE, his album ‘An Eye For An Ear’ on Decca was produced by Yorkville Records president Bill Gilliland, Pat Riccio II, and Richard Gael.  The album, and a subsequent single on Yorkville, failed to launch Black’s new career so he reverted back to his real name. He joined the Toronto musical production of ‘Hair’ where he would meet his future wife Laurel Ward. The two would join Doug Riley’s ensemble act Dr. Music where they stayed for several singles, including the Top-40 hit “Sun Goes By”, before branching off as a duo in 1972. The two would have a minor Canadian hit with the song “Goin’ Down (On the Road to L.A.)”. Throughout the 1980’s Black did jingles for beer and car advertisements and frequently teamed with his wife on reviving his career as a country artist. In 1995 Varese Sarabande Records in Los Angeles were considering releasing a Terry Black “Anthology” consisting of his 1960s material and some current recordings including a new P.F. Sloan song. The CD was never released. In 2000 both of Black’s 1960’s solo albums were re-issued on CD by Unidisc Records in Canada. Black would then host ‘The Sixties at Six’ on Radio ’NL in British Columbia for several years but by 2009 had been phoning in his participation because of Multiple Sclerosis which had affected his mobility. Sadly, Black died of complications from MS on June 28, 2009. with notes from John Rowlands, Geoff Gibbons. [also see DR. MUSIC]

Singles
1964 Sinner Man/Dry Bones (ARC) A-1063
1964 Unless You Care/Can’t We Go Somewhere? (ARC) A-1074
1964 Say It Again/Everyone Can Tell (ARC) A-1080
1965 Little Liar/Ordinary Girl (ARC) A-1090
1965 Only Sixteen/How Many Guys (ARC) A-1103
1965 Poor Little Fool/Kisses For My Baby (ARC) A-1117
1966 Only Sixteen/Home From The Forest (ARC) A-1120
1966 Rainbow/There’s Something About You (ARC)  A-1125
1966 Baby’s Gone/Ordinary Girl [Version 2] (ARC)  A-1149
1966 I (Who Have Nothing)/Baby’s Gone (ARC) A-1154
1967 Wishing Star/Kick Me Charlie (ARC) A-1173
1972 Ridin’ A Daydream/Boutique (GRT) 1230-14

as TERENCE
1970 Father, Dear Father/Different World (Yorkville) YV-45022

with BLACK & WARD
1972 Goin’ Down (On the Road to L.A.)/Oh Babe (Yorkville) YVS-45038
1972 Warm Days And Warm Nights/Love Is Gone (Yorkville) YVS-45065
1973 Love Is The Feeling/[same] (Yorkville/Arc) YS-45085
1973 Love Is The Feeling/Now Is The Time (Yorkville/ARC) YVS-45101
1975 Back Up (Against Your Persuasion)/This Is My Confusion (RCA)  PB-50053
1976 Long Time/Restless (RCA) PB-50137
1982 Waves Of Emotion/Wild Out (Duke Street)

Albums
1964 The Black Plague (ARC) ACM-5001
1965 Only Sixteen (ARC) ACM-5002

as TERENCE
1969 An Eye For An Ear (Decca) DL-75137

with BLACK & WARD
1981 All Night Long [EP] (Duke Street) DSR-10981

Compilation Tracks
1967 “Unless You Care” on ‘What’s Going On Here?’ (Dunhill/ABC – USA)
1988 “How Many Guys” on ‘Penny Arcade/Dunhill Folk Rock Vol. 2’ (Big Beat – UK) WIK-75
1990 “Unless You Care” on ‘Made In Canada – Volume One: The Early Years’ (BMG) KCD1-7156
1993 “Ordinary Girl (Version 1)” on ‘Sound Of Summer Showers’ (MCA – Japan) MVCM-387

with BLACK & WARD
1973 “Goin’ Down (On the Road To L.A.)” on ‘Today’s Super Greats’ (K-Tel) TC-211
1974 “Love Is The Feelin'” on ‘Hot Hits’ (Jukebox Int’l)
1975 “Back Up (Against Your Persuasion)” on ‘Discomania’ (Jukebox Int’l) 74004

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BLACKIE & THE RODEO KINGS
Tom Wilson (vocals, guitar) / Stephen Fearing (vocals, guitar) / Colin Linden (vocals, guitar) / John Dymond (bass; live) / Gary Craig (drums; live) / Richard Bell (keyboards; live until 2007).
Blackie & The Rodeo Kings – named after a Willie P. Bennett album title – was formed in Hamilton, Ontario in 1996 as a side project by Wilson, Fearing and Linden. However, following the positive initial reaction to their tribute album to the late Bennett entitled ‘High on Hurtin’’ by fans of each of the performers and Bennett loyalists, the trio decided to continue on when time permitted. In 1999 they released ‘Kings of Love’ and won a 2000 JUNO Award for ‘Best Roots & Traditional Album – Group’. Each of the group’s subsequent albums has outsold the last and their 2011 album ‘Kings And Queens’ featuring appearances by female artists gave the band their first major charting success on Billboard in the US on the back of their duet, “Got You Covered”, with Rosanne Cash. [also see STEPHEN FEARING, COLIN LINDEN, TOM WILSON]

Singles
1996 Lace & Pretty Flowers (True North)
1997 White Line (True North)
1999 The Lucky Ones (True North)
1999 Lean on Your Peers (True North)
2003 Swinging From the Chains of Love (True North) PTN-166
2003 Had Enough of You Today (True North) PTN-174
2004 Water or Gasoline (True North)
2004 You’re So Easy to Love (True North)
2006 That’s What I Like (True North)
2007 The Fool Who Can’t Forget (True North)
2007 Buried In Your Heart (True North)
2001 Got You Covered [w/Rosanne Cash] (File Under Music)
2014 North/South (File Under Music) FUM-036

Albums
1996 High on Hurtin’: The Songs of Willie P. Bennett (True North) TNSD-115
1999 Kings of Love (True North) TND-0180
2003 BARK (True North) TND-300
2006 Let’s Frolic (True North) TND-430
2007 Let’s Frolic Again (True North) TND-455
2009 Swinging From the Chains of Love (True North) TND-515
2011 Kings And Queens (File Under Music) FUM-012
2014 South (File Under Music) FUM-037
2016 Kings and Kings (File Under Music) FUM-052
2020 King of This Town (Warner) 2 876721

Compilation Tracks
2003 “Summer Side of Love” on ‘Beautiful – A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot’ (Borealis) BCDM-BM500
2003 “Folsom Prison Blues” on ‘Johnny’s Blues – A Tribute to Johnny Cash
2007 “Unknown Legend” on ‘Borrowed Tunes II: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony)

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BLACKSTONE
John Finley (vocals) / Michael Fonfara (piano, organ)  / Danny Weis (guitar) / Larry Leishman (lead guitar) / Peter Hodgson (bass) / Richard Steinberg (drums)  / Frank ‘Zeke’ Sheppard (harmonica, vocals)  / Mike Stull (vocals; replaced Finley; 1973)  / Prakash John (bass; replaced Hodgson)  / Penti ‘Whitey’ Glan (drums; replaced Steinberg; 1973)
Following the demise of Rhinoceros in the Fall of 1971, in July 1972 former Rhinoceros members John Finley, Michael Fonfara, Danny Weis, Larry Leishman and Peter Hodgson reunited with the help of Frazier Mohawk and his business partner Gary Howsam as a new act calling themselves The Blackstone Rangers. The line-up would be rounded out with new drummer, Richard Steinberg, and ex-McKenna-Mendelson Mainline member Frank ‘Zeke’ Sheppard . Not long after, the band shortened its name to Blackstone after being threatened by the Southside Chicago Black Panthers’ motorcycle gang for using their name. Within a year former Rhinoceros’ producer/creator Paul Rothchild traveled to Toronto and recorded the group’s debut album called ‘On The Line’ for GRT Records. Unfortunately, with the album attracting poor critical reviews and sales, by March 1973, various members began leaving. Fonfara and Weis carried on briefly with new singer Mike Stull (ex-Wackers) and ex-Bush bassist Prakash John and drummer Penti ‘Whitey’ Glan, but the band ultimately stalled out in Los Angeles. John and Glan would go on to join Lou Reed’s touring band (and eventually Alice Cooper) while Fonfara and Weis become top session musicians; Michael Fonfara died January 8, 2021; Steinberg and Sheppard are both now deceased. [also see RHINOCEROS]

Albums
1972 On the Line (GRT) 9230-1025

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BLAKEWOOD CASTLE
Derek Bilyk [aka Derek Blake] (guitar) / Lonnie Pannell (vocals) / John Einarson (guitar) / Bryan McDowell (bass) / Dave Mann (drums)
Winnipeg act named after founding member Derrik Blake who released several popular singles on Franklin. Blake works for the Winnipeg postal service; Einarson has become a successful music biography writer.

Singles
1970 Lynnie, Lynnie/Going Back (Franklin) 641
1971 Gimme Little Lovin’/Sweet Lovin’ (Franklin) 644
1972 Farmer’s Daughter/Why (Franklin) 645
1972 Scarecrow/Face In The Crowd (Franklin) 648

Albums
1969 Blakewood Castle (Franklin) 1000

Compilation Tracks
1969 “Lynnie, Lynnie” on ‘The Winnipeg Sound’ (Franklin)

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BLANK GENERATION
Helmuth Sultanow (guitar, vocals) / Craig Fenrich [aka Cragory Quasar] (bass, vocals) / James P. McQuarrie (keyboards) / Mark Stordal (drums)
From Edmonton, Alberta and formed at the University of Alberta.

Albums
1981 …The Last Generation [7-song 12” EP] (Blank Generation)

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BLANKS, The
Pats O’Grady [aka Neil Singleton] (vocals) / Nimrod [aka Andy Jackson] (guitar) / Arthur Mullard [aka Allen Adams] (bass, vocals) / Winston Nkomo [aka Andy Butler] (drums)
4-piece Peterborough band who later became The Destructors.

Singles
1981 The Northern Ripper//Understand/Break Down (Void – UK) VOID-1

Albums
200? Northern Ripper (Retro – UK) RR-004

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BLEEKER
Taylor Perkins (vocals) / Cole Perkins (lead guitar, backing vocals) / Dan Steinke (bass, backing vocals) / Dustin Steinke (drums) / Mike Vandyk (bass; replaced Dan Steinke) / Chris Dimas (drums; replaced Dustin Steinke)
Orillia, Ontario’s Bleeker were originally known as Bleeker Ridge. Two sets of brothers Taylor and Cole Perkins, along with Dan and Dustin Steinke all met when they were 12 at a music store. Their common interest in Hendrix and Joe Walsh led to two EPs. They were scouted and signed to Universal Records at age 14 and subsequently released their debut on Road Runner Records in 2010 for the ‘Small Town Dead’ album. Mike Vandyk joined on bass shortly after. 2013 brought ‘Four’ was self-released and by 2016 they’d renamed themselves and signed with Five Seven Music to produce the album ‘Erase You.’ The album broke them nationally and garnered a JUNO nomination. Dustin Steinke left the band in early 2016 to join Nikki Sixx’s band Sixx: A.M. The band’s next album, ‘Self-Made,’ is due in May 2020.

Singles
as BLEEKER RIDGE
2010 Small Town Dead
2011 Sick of You

as BLEEKER
2016 Bleeker [5-song 7”] (Five Seven)
2017 Where’s Your Money
2019 Straight For The Money
2020 Disaster

Albums
as BLEEKER RIDGE
2004 Undertow
2007 The Rain (Bleeker Ridge) 71205-V02
2010 Small Town Dead (Roadrunner) 16861-7839
2013 Four (Black Rose) 44003116919

as BLEEKER
2016 Erase You (Five Seven/SONY) FSM 242-2
2020 Self-Made (Five Seven)

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BLEY, Paul
Born: November 10, 1932 in Montréal, Québec
At the age of five Paul Bley gave his first violin recital and two years later, he began studying piano. Bley might have been considered a child prodigy. He went through numerous classical teachers – including one that had him play, balancing filled water glasses on his wrists. At age 11 he graduated from the McGill Conservatory (in addition to his public school education). Jazz was his preferred genre and Bley formed a band and played clubs and summer engagements in the Laurentian Mountains at age 13. By age 17 he had formed the Montréal Jazz Workshop, brought Charlie Parker, Lester Young and Ben Webster to Montréal as stage collaborators, and had taken over Oscar Peterson’s coveted gig at the Alberta Lounge. He then left for New York City for club gigs while studying at the Julliards School of Music. Bley sat in with the jazz elite and eventually played for Charlie Mingus, who recorded Bley for the first time on his debut record. Most recently, he’s toured and recorded with Gary Peacock, Paul Motian, Jimmy Giuffre, Steve Swallow, John Surman and Evan Parker among others. He’s also been adding his unique jazz style to recordings by Jane Bunnett, Jon Ballantyne, Geordie MacDonald & Herbie Spanier, and Sonny Greenwich. In 2008, he was made a Member of the Order of Canada.

Albums
1961 Emphasis & Flight
1972 Open, To Love (ECM)
1972 Solo Piano (Steeple Chase)
1974 Jaco (Improvising Artists)
1983 Tango Palace (Soul Note)
1983 Sonor (Soul Note)
1985 Questions (Steeple Chase)
1985 My Standard (Steeple Chase)
1986 Live & Live Again (Steeple Chase)
1987 Indian Summer (Steeple Chase)
1987 Solo (Justin Time)
1988 Solo Piano (Steeple Chase)
1988 The Nearness of You (Steeple Chase)
1989 Rejoicing (Steeple Chase)
1989 Bebopbebopbebopbebop (Steeple Chase)
1991 Plays Carla Bley (Steeple Chase)
1991 In The Evenings Out There (ECM)
1992 Caravan Suite (Steeple Chase)
1992 At Copenhagen Jazz House (Steeple Chase)
1992 Homage To Carla
1993 If We May (Steeple Chase)
1993 Sweet Time (Justin Time)
1994 Speechless (Steeple Chase)
1994 Chaos (Soul Note)
1995 Reality Check (Steeple Chase)
1998 Notes On Ornette (Steeple Chase)
1999 Changing Hands (Justin Time)
2000 My Standard (Justin Time)
2001 Basics (Justin Time)
2004 Nothing To Declare (Justin Time)
2007 Solo In Mondsee (ECM)
2008 About Time (Justin Time)

with JIMMY GIUFFRE
1961 Thesis (ECM)
1962 Free Fall (ECM)
1962 Fusion (ECM)

with MARSHALL ALLEN, DEWEY JOHNSON, EDDIE GOMEZ AND MILFORD GRAVES
1964 Barrage (ESP Disk)

with KENT CARTER AND BARRY ALTSCHUL
1965 Touching (Black Lion)

with GARY PEACOCK AND BILLY ELGART
1968 Mr. Joy (Mercury)

with ANNETTE PEACOCK, HAN BENNINK, MARIO PAVONE AND LAURENCE COOK
1970 Dual Unity (Freedom)

with DAVID HOLLAND AND BARRY ALTSCHUL
1973 Scorpio (Milestone)

with GARY PEACOCK
1970 Paul Bley With Gary Peacock (ECM)
1990 Partners (Soul Note)
1992 Mindset (Soul Note)

with NIELS-HENNING ØRSTED PEDERSEN
1973 Paul Bley/NHØP (Steeple Chase)

with JOHN SCOFIELD
1985 Hot (Soul Note)

with JOHN SURMAN, BILL FRISELL AND PAUL MOTIAN
1986 Fragments (ECM)
1987 The Paul Bley Quartet (ECM)

with PAUL MOTIAN
1987 Notes (Soul Note)

with JOHN ABERCROMBIE
1988 Live at Sweet Basil (Soul Note)

with CHARLIE HADEN AND PAUL MOTIAN
1990 Memoirs (Soul Note)

with JON BALLANTYNE
1991 A Musing (Justin Time)

with GEORDIE MACDONALD & HERBIE SPANIER
1993 Know Time (Justin Time)

with JANE BUNNETT
1993 Double Time (Justin Time)

with SONNY GREENWICH
1994 Outside In (Justin Time)

with EVAN PARKER AND BARRE PHILLIPS
1994 Time Will Tell (ECM)
2000 Sankt Gerold (ECM)

with GARY PEACOCK AND PAUL MOTIAN
1999 Not Two, Not One (ECM)

with KENNY WHEELER
2001 Basics (Justin Time)

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BLIBBER & THE RAT CRUSHERS
Stewart Black (guitar, bass) / Evan Taylor (vocals, bass) / Paul Peterson (guitar) / Steve Cameron (drums) / Richard Cubbin (keyboards) / Travis Good (guitar) / Chris Lee (drums)
Evan Taylor created Blibber the Rat Crusher as a Dungeons and Dragons character in the Toronto suburb of North York in late 1981. That week Taylor and friend Stewart Black went to see the Dead Kennedys at The Masonic Temple in Toronto. There they were both kicked in the head by Jello Biafra as they tried to steal his army boots while he was riding the mosh wave among the overly serious Nazi Punks. Later, Stewart and Evan sat at back and decided that punk rock should be more like Monty Python and less like American left-wing activism. The next day Black took fifteen minutes to teach Taylor to play bass guitar and they penned the first of their big hits, “Nazi Punks Go Bowling”, a parody of the Dead Kennedys performed in the style of Teenage Lobotomy. One night the duo, both only seventeen years-of-age, were drinking at Toronto punk bar ‘The Turning Point’ and talking about how to perform a show just to show the overly serious idiots on the scene how to have fun at a show. A little drunk, they lied to the owner that they had a band and booked a show at the club for January 11, 1982. Blibber and the Rat Crushers was born. The next day the pair woke up with hangovers and decided to do the responsible thing and put a band together. Within two hours they had written most of their staples and had two sets of music with a few Sex Pistol and Ramone cover tunes thrown in. They borrowed a drummer from Taylor’s neighbour’s heavy metal band, Stonehenge, and the gig was a success. They played seven or eight more Monday night shows at the Turning Point as a two piece with Black on guitar and Taylor on bass along with a Roland DR-55 rhythm machine. They also backed up Swindled, the Raving Mojos and Doomed Youth among others. Heavy Metal guitarist, and part time Viking God member, Paul Peterson joined near the end of this series of gigs. Steve Cameron of Doomed Youth doubled as Blibber drummer for two gigs. The band would move down to Queen Street and opened 12 shows for touring prairie band The Dub Rifles. The Turning Point finally granted them a Friday night gig with rival punks The Ugly Models, but after a problem with the equipment transportation the bands ended up having brawl rather than playing. Blibber & The Rat Crushers would go on furlow for the next 6 months. When they next surfaced, in March 1983to perform at a high school battle of the bands in Scarborough but ended up fighting with a Rush tribute band and were banned permanently from the school. With the Blibber name becoming a hindrance Taylor decided to enlist the help of a fellow Dungeons & Dragon player Steve Rhodes to become the frolicking, tambourine waving frontman for their new incarnation as The Jolly Tambourine Man. By the autumn of 1983 Black kicked Taylor and Peterson out of the band and carried on with The Jolly Tambourine Man. However, by 1984, Taylor and Peterson were back at it in a reformed version of Blibber & The Rat Crushers. Jolly Tambourine Man would split up in 1985 and Black would go on to form the short-lived Gospel Shoppe. Eventually members of Gospel Shoppe – including Black – would merge with the revived Blibber – including Taylor – for a heavier metal-meets-punk version of the band that would include Tim James (ex-Swindled) and Travis Good (Good Brothers, Sadies) before both Black, Peterson and Taylor were all booted out of the band. The remnants would evolve into Basketcase and eventually, Was Ist Los? Black and Taylor would try one more reunion in the early ‘90s with a demo called ‘Pope Music’ in 1991 before folding. Black now teaches in London, England. With notes from Stewart Black and Evan Taylor. [also see JOLLY TAMBOURINE MAN]

Albums
1991 Pop Music [5-song cassette] (BRC)

Compilation Tracks
1985 “Nazi Punks Go Bowling (1985 Version)” on ‘Materials & Processes’ [cassette] (Materials & Processes)

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BLIMKIE & THE REASON, Steve
Steve Blimkie (vocals) / Doug Ruston (bass, vocals) / Angus MacKay (guitar, vocals) / Dave Betts (drums) / Derry Grehan (guitar; replaced MacKay )
Steve Blimkie And The Reason formed in Toronto in 1979 and were one of the first acts signed to the fledgling Ready Records label. Their single “I Got This Feeling” was quick to radio on the heels of fellow label mates The Demics (“New York City”). The record caused a buzz but received little recognition on radio. Despite this, the band carried on undaunted. Their debut album, ‘Blimkie’, was engineered by relative new comer Kevin Doyle (Harem Scarem, Alannah Myles) and produced by Andrew Crosbie and guitarist Angus MacKay — who was filling in on the album until a permanent guitarist could be found. That guitarist would be St. Catherines native Derry Grehan and the band set off to record a follow-up single, “You Can’t Hold Me Anymore”, in the summer of 1980 with Guess Who producer Jack Richardson. The band did opening slots for XTC and The Ramones which paved the way for the more critically acclaimed 1981 album ‘Chasing Paper Tigers’ which was released as a Steve Blimkie record due to the near collapse of the band during recording. Doug Ruston left before the album was finished and so the original ‘The Reason’ was practically gone. Ready eventually dropped Blimkie from the label. Grehan and Betts would form Honeymoon Suite in 1983 with Johnny Dee (Lennex); MacKay, who was the founder and co-owner of Ready Records, died in 2010.

Singles
1979 I Got This Feeling/All I Want Is You Alone (Ready)  RR-002
1980 Can’t Say I’m Sorry/Break My Heart Tomorrow (Ready)  SGRR-005/6
1980 You Can’t Hold Me Anymore/Freaks On The Tube (Ready)  SGRR-008

as STEVE BLIMKIE
1981 Riding Into The Night/Gimme A Taste (Ready)  SR-0151
1981 Here Today, Gone Tomorrow/I Don’t Want To Know (Ready)  SR-0152

Albums
1980 Blimkie (Ready)  RR-006

as STEVE BLIMKIE
1981 Chasing Paper Tigers (Ready) LR-015

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BLIND RAVAGE
André Deguire (drums) / Bob Dufour (bass, lead vocals) / Jean “John” Charbonneau (guitar, vocals) / Serge Fleury (keyboards)
Canadian keyboard player Serge Fleury and bassist Bob Dufour got their start with the 5-piece band Les Fabulous Furys (later Les Furys). Following their split in the mid-1960s, Dufour was playing Québec nightclubs with Jean Charbonneau. It was their they met Andre Deguire and recruited him along with Dufour’s old band mate Fleury to create act Blind Ravage in Laval, Québec in September 1969. After playing Montréal nightclubs doing British rock covers, they released one album and a single on the Crescent Street label before changing their name to Clockwork where they moved to the Sonogram label and released one final single. The band split up in 1975. Dufour and Charbonneau went on to form Mirage; Deguire died in 1997, and Charbonneau in 2006. [also see LES FURYS]

Singles
1971 Loser/My Life (Crescent Street/Quality) CR-2027X

as CLOCKWORK
1974 Cybernaut/Mean Lady (Sonogram) SG-9002

Albums
1972 Blind Ravage (Crescent Street/Quality) CS-1874

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BLIND VENGEANCE
Harold Hess (lead vocals) / Cam Goudy (drums) / Darren Smith (drums; replaced Goudy) / Darryl Fraturra (guitar) / Bill Brough (bass)
With their original metal parody band called Black Cabbage not quite making the grade, Oshawa, Ontario’s Darryl Fraturra (guitars) and Cam Goudy (drums)  recruited vocalist/bassist Harold Hess in 1982 to complete a new line-up under the name Blind Vengeance. But Hess preferred to sing and bass duties were taken over by Bill Brough. But by the Spring of 1984, Goudy had been replaced Durango 95 drummer Darren Smith. Elizabeth Casselman and partner Rick Warner of Warner-Casselman Music signed the act to a management deal, paid for the recording of their self-titled independent album on Ricker Records in 1984 and helped spearhead the eventual signing to Attic Records’ distributed Viper label in 1985.  The self-titled album featuring all-original songs was remixed by Bob Gallo whereby he added one additional song – “Night Music”. The album was renamed ‘Taste Of Sin’ and re-released in September 1985. Following the band’s demise, the duo of Smith and Hess met up with fellow Oshawa natives Pete Lesperance (guitar) from the band Minotaur and Mike Gionet (bass) to form Harem Scarem. with notes from Tommy Saunders and Elizabeth Casselman. [also see HAREM SCAREM]

Albums
1984 Blind Vengeance (Ricker)
1985 Taste of Sin (Viper/Attic) VPR-110

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BLINKER THE STAR
Jordon Zadorozny (vocals, guitar, keys) / Paul Leach (guitar) / Peter Frolander (bass) / Tony Rabalao (drums)
Blinker The Star was the pseudonym for Pembroke, Ontario artist Jordon Zadorozny. His family owned a music store in Pembroke but following a fire there, musical instruments were stored in the basement of their home where Zadorozny taught himself how to play many of them. Zadorozny then moved to Montréal in 1994 and joined the band Tinker. They were poised to become alternative rock darlings but after bassist Melissa auf der Mar joined Courtney Love’s band Hole, Tinker imploded. Zadorozny was sitting on a number of demos he had recorded in the family based but rather than re-record them for a proper release, he kept the lo-fi quality for his independent self-titled CD as Blinker The Star on Treat & Release Records in 1995. With critical acclaim across North America, Zadorozny put a proper band together and went on tour. While in Los Angeles Zadorozny met Ken Andrews from the band Failure and the struck up a friendship and a plan to record a proper Blinker The Star band album – ‘A Bourgeois Kitten’ – released on A & M Records in 1996. While playing in New York City to promote the album, Courtney Love caught the act through an association with Melissa auf der Mar and asked Zadorozny to co-write material for the next Hole album. With the need to be in Los Angeles to work with both Andrews and Love, Zadorozny moved to California in 1997. Eventually, he caught the attention of Dreamworks films’ record label division and was signed in 1998. The third album, ‘August Everywhere’, took a stylistic shift away from alternative rock and grunge and was lushly orchestrated. The single “Below the Sliding Doors” garnered significant Canadian airplay but not enough to make the album sell. After heading back to Pembroke to assess his next move, Zadorozny decided to open his own commercial recording studio there called French Kiss Studio in January 2001. Zadorozny soon attracted various artists to the facility and discovered a kindred spirit in Montréal singer-songwriter Sam Roberts. Zadorozny produced Roberts’ debut EP ‘The Inhuman Condition’ which was released in the summer of 2002. The record eventually sold gold and put Roberts on the map. In the meantime, Zadorozny had submitted over 80 songs to Dreamworks for possible inclusion on the next Blinker The Star album. Dreamworks rejected everything and soon the partnership dissolved. The more recent of the demos was a return to hard-driving 1970s cock-rock and so Zadorozny went to Los Angeles in the summer of 2002 and recruited studio veterans Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac) on guitar, Leland Sklar (James Taylor) on bass and Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish) on drums. Back in Canada, recording continued until the spring of 2003. With a new album complete, but not released, Blinker the Star embarked on their first mini tour of Eastern Canadian three years. Zadorozny hired a new LINE-UP to make the journey. Blinker The Star’s fourth album entitled ‘Still in Rome’ was released by Maple Music in the fall of 2003. Zadorozny put the band on hiatus until 2012 when he released ‘We Draw Lines’ followed by ‘Songs from Laniakea Beach’ in 2013. The latest release is 2019’s ‘Careful With Your Magic.’

Singles
1996 Bluish Boy/Transona 5 (A & M) AM-00298
1996 Transona 5/Bluish Boy [7”] (A & M) AMPRO-00306
1996 My Dog [3 mixes] (A & M) AM-00349
1999 Below the Sliding Doors [3-song EP] (Dreamworks) DRMSP-5200
2000 Pretty Pictures (Dreamworks) DRMSP-5285
2012 We Draw Lines (Blinker the Star)
2013 The Old Black Queen (Blinker the Star)
2013 Future Fires (Blinker the Star)

Albums
1995 Blinker the Star (Vibra Cobra/Treat & Release) 40711
1995 Nectarina (Vibra Cobra/Treat & Release) DPRO-408
1996 A Bourgeois Kitten (A & M) 454059
1999 August Everywhere (Dreamworks) DRD-50203
2003 Still in Rome (Maple Music/Universal) FK-001
2012 We Draw Lines (Nile River) 001
2013 Songs From Laniakea Beach (Nile River) 002
2019 Careful With Your Magic (Nile River) 007

Compilation Tracks
2007 “A Nest for Two” on ‘Catch and Release [O.S.T.]’

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BLISS
Iain Cook (vocals) / Sylvain Bouthillette (bass) / Dave Bryant (vocals; replaced Iain 1992)
Fairly heavy jazzgrungecore from this Montréal, Québec 4-piece who formed in 1988 and featured singer Iain (ex-Failsafe) and bassist Sylvain Bouthillette. In 1991 they brought in Bryant (ex-Superfly) to replace Iain. After the multiple attempts at splitting up and reforming, Bliss returned to the club scene as a 3-piece minus singer Dave Bryant in 1995.

Albums
1989 Off the Pig (Bliss) BCS-01
1990 No Saints No Clowns No Targets (Bliss) BCS-02
1991 Baby I’m Yours/Green Shine//Dear Friend/Black Red (Cargo/Patois) PAT-701
1991 Bliss [cassette] PAT-702 (Patois/Cargo)
1993 Grafted to An Elbow (Cargo) PAT-05

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BLONDAHL, Omar
Born: February 6, 1923 in Wynyard, Saskatchewan
Died: December 11, 1993 in Vancouver, British Columbia
Folksinger born in Wynyard, Saskatchewan – east of Saskatoon – to Icelandic parents. Studied piano and violin as a child and later studied voice in Winnipeg. After singing country music on radio in Edmonton and in California (as Sagebrush Sam), he moved to Newfoundland in 1955 developing a repertoire of local folk music, some of which he had collected himself. He adopted a Newfie accent, played a non-traditional style of simplified guitar accompaniment and preferred to sing for local rather than national audiences. However, radio and TV appearances helped popularize Newfoundland songs throughout Canada. His output of Newfie music spanned 8 albums from 1955-1967 and he edited ‘Newfoundlanders Sing! A Collection Of Favourite Newfoundland Folk Songs’ in 1964.

Singles
1955 Squid Jiggin’ Ground/Old Polina [10” 78 RPM] (Rodeo) RO-147
1956 The Wild Colonial Boy/The Kelligrews Soiree [10” 78 RPM] (Rodeo) RO-156
1956 The Badger Drive/The Business of Making the Paper [10” 78 RPM] (Rodeo)
RO-160
1957 The Blackflies of Ontario/Waltzing Matilda (Rodeo) RO-179

Albums
1955 Trade Winds: Omar Blondahl presents The Saga of Newfoundland in Song (Rodeo) RLP 5
1956 Down to the Sea Again: A Selection of Folk Songs of Newfoundland (Rodeo) RLP-7
1958 A Visit to Newfoundland with Omar Blondahl (Rodeo) RLP-34
1959 Favourite Folk Songs (Rodeo) RLP-76
1960 Sealer Songs (Rodeo) RLP-80
1960 Songs of Sea and Shore (Arc) A-537
1961 Favourite Folk Songs (Arc) A-567
1962 Folk Songs From Around the World (Arc) A-591
1964 Once Again for Newfoundland (Melbourne) AMLP-4007
1964 The Roving Newfoundlander (Banff) RBS-1142
1965 Omar’s Favourite Folk Songs (Banff) RBS-1172
1966 The Great Seal Hunt of Newfoundland (Banff) RBS-1173
1967 16 Songs of Newfoundland (Banff) RBS-1231
1978 Famous Songs of Newfoundland (Canadian Cavalcade) CCLP-2001
unk. Sings of Newfoundland (Continental Maple Leaf) CML-1016

as OMAR BLONDAHL AND DIANE OXNER
1957 Songs Children Will Love (Rodeo) RLP-23

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BLOODSTONE
Fred Coutts (vocals)  / Dee Long (guitar; keyboards) / Dave Martin (bass) / John Judge (drums) / Dave Darch (guitar) / Vic King (drums) / Val Mancuso (guitar) / Leo Genova (organ; added) / Paul DeLong (drums; replaced Vic King) / Mark Lambs (keyboards)
RH King Collegiate school mates Dee Long, Fred Coutts, John Judge, Clifford Maynes and Dave Darch originally formed as Black Market in Toronto in 1966. The band played school dances and battle of the band contests throughout Toronto and eventually changed their name to The Polychromatic Experiment culminating in an opening slot for Nucleus. After Polychromatic Experiment wound down in 1968, Long and Coutts recruited Val Mancuso (guitar), Vic King (drums) and Dave Martin (bass) to form Bloodstone. Having maintained their connection to Nucleus’s Greg Fitzpatrick, they were able to land a production deal with producer Shel Sefran for a 7″ single released on Bent/Quality Records called “Toronto” and backed with “I’m Your Man” in 1970. Alas, the record’s lack of commercial or radio success led to the departure of Long, and King. They were replaced by Paul DeLong (drums) and Mark Lambs (guitar); Long would join Terry Draper, John Woloschuk and Jamie Bridgman as a member of Mudcow in 1971. Following the collapse of Mudcow, Long and Woloschuk created Klaatu. Long is now a solo artist; Fred Coutts would drift in and out of a number of Toronto bands and would eventually re-team with former Bloodstone bandmate Dee Long in late ’70s cover band FUNN alongside Klaatu member Terry Draper and brothers Gerald & Terry O’Brien among others. Fred Coutts died of natural causes in 1999; Dave Darch made several recording guest appearances in the ’70s including work on Klaatu’s “California Jam” single in 1974 and would maintain his connection with former Bloodstone bandmate Dee Long with a non-Klaatu side-project called The Burgerheads. Darch now lives in western Canada; DeLong and Lambs would go on to play in the Chris Matthews Band; The Bloodstone single was re-issued on CD as part of a Dee Long anthology in 2009 entitled ‘LONGevity: 1, 2, 3, 5″. with notes from Dee Long, Clifford Maynes, Paul DeLong, and Pat Blythe [also see DEE LONG]

Singles
1970 Toronto/I’m Your Man (Bent/Quality) 1997X

Compilation Tracks
2010 “Toronto” and “I’m Your Man” on ‘LONGevity 4: 1, 2, 3, 5’ by DEE LONG (Bullseye) BOD-002

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BLOODWURM
Vince [aka Donald Kuntz] (vocals) / Countess Chick-ula (guitar) / Hurricane Jorge (drums) / The Mysterion (bass)
From Toronto, Ontario

Singles
1998 Cold Dead Stare [4-song 7″ EP (Lifestyle) LR7-666

Albums
1999 Transalvation (Lifestyle – US) LR-004
2000 Blasphemetized (Last Call) (Lifestyle – US) LR-005

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BLOUIN, Serge
An in-demand Québec guitar legend, Blouin got his start in the early 1960s with The Ray Combo and Johnny James & The Invictas before joining Les Monstres – a group that performed as horror characters on stage. Blouin was signed to a solo record deal with Carrousel Records following the band’s demise in 1967. From 1969 to the mid-1970s, Blouin once again added his guitar work to the repertoire of other artists including Les Karrik, Melchior Alias, Jerry de Villiers, former Les Monstre band mate Marc Hamilton, Clair Lepage and even joined a latter-day version of Les Sinners in 1976. In 1977 he was signed to another solo deal with Les Disques Martin for several singles and his first full-length solo album ‘Rock and Roll’ in 1978. [also see LES MONSTRES, LES SINNERS]

Singles
1967 Bonjour/Chaque Jour Je Pensais A Toi (Carrousel) CR-24
1968 Pense A Moi/Le Reader’S Digest (Carrousel) CR-40
1968 Mlle Cecile (Raspa)/Adieu (Carrousel) CR-53
1968 Quand On Est Jeune/Un Homme Célèbre (Carrousel) CR-58
1977 On Dansait Le Rock’n Roll/On Dansait Le Rock’n Roll (instrumental) (Les Disques Martin) M-10723
1978 Go Mr. Berry Go/Touche Pas A Miss Boogaloo (Les Disques Martin) M-10734
1978 Femme De Mes Reves/As-Tu Vu Ma Suzie (Les Disques Martin) M-10741
1979 Caroline/Joue-Moi Ton Boogie Woogie (Les Disques Martin) MX-10751
1980 Fous/Rock, Rock (A Roll) (TBI) TBI-3506
1981 Une Autre Nuit Sans Toi/Another Sleepless Night (DIsques Imperial) IM-2011

Albums
1978 Rock and Roll (Les Disques Martin) M-16029

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BLUE DIAMONDS, The
Al Hooper (guitar, bass) / Doug Watters (guitar, vocals) / Eddy Poirier (banjo, violin) / Roy MacCaul (guitar, mandolin, vocals) / Shane Dorey (guitar, vocals)
The Blue Diamonds were a country band from New Brunswick, formed in 1966. They signed with Paragon in 1967 and the label cleverly marketed them under
their individual names – as if they were solo albums accompanied by the remainder of the band. McCaull would leave to pursue a solo career in 1971. He was replaced by Shane Dorey. The band would last until 1973.

Singles
as THE BLUE DIAMONDS featuring AL HOOPER
1972 If I Love You/Come On And Love Me (Columbia) C4-3101

as DOUG WATTERS WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1969 After Awhile/Lonesome Joe’s Motel (Paragon/Allied) PA-1007

as ROY MacCAUL WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1968 This Mighty And Wicked Land/And That’s All That’s On My Mind (Pentagon/Paragon/Allied) PA-1009

as AL HOOPER WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1970 Too Many Tears/Thirty Days – Thirty Dollars (Paragon/Allied) PA-1019

as AL HOOPER AND THE BLUE DIAMONDS WITH THE LAURIE BOWER SINGERS
1971 Play Me A Sad Song/For The Good Times (Dominion) 149
1972 Toronto With Milk And Honey/To Save Humanity (Dominion) 158

Albums
1968 Country Sing Along (Paragon) ALS-161
1969 Live At Collins Bay Penitentiary (Paragon) ALS-249
1972 Now! (Harmony) KHE-90201

as DOUG WATTERS WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1967 She Thinks I Still Care (Pentagon/Paragon/Allied) ALS-131
1968 After Awhile (Paragon/Allied) ALS-156
1968 Homecoming (Paragon/Allied) ALS-203

as EDDY POIRIER WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1967 Banjo Bluegrass (Pentagon/Paragon/Allied) ALS-137
1968 Maritime Fiddler (Pentagon/Paragon/Allied) ALS-157

as EDOUARD POIRIER (EDDY POIRIER AND THE BLUE DIAMONDS)
1968 Edouard Poirier Et Son Banjo (Paragon) FALS-602
1968 Edouard Poirier Et Son Violon (Paragon) FALS-604

as EDDIE POIRIER WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1968 Banjo Banjo Banjo (Paragon) ALS-173
1968 Banjo Banjo Banjo [in French] (Paragon) FALS-610

as ROY MacCAUL WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1967 Country Boy (Pentagon/Paragon/Allied) ALS-138
1968 This Mighty And Wicked Land (Pentagon/Paragon/Allied) ALS-158
1968 Mandolin Country Style (Paragon/Marathon) ALS-172
1968 Roy MacCaul (Paragon/Allied) ALS-201

as GEORGES LAPORTE (aka ROY MacCAULL AND THE BLUE DIAMONDS)
1969 La Mandoline de Georges Laporte [French Version of ‘Mandolin Country Style‘] (Paragon) FALS-603

as AL HOOPER WITH THE BLUE DIAMONDS
1967 Blue River Train (Pentagon/Allied) ALS-140
1967 The East Coast Ambassador [same as ‘Blue River Train’] (Paragon/Allied) ALS-140
1968 N.B. TO T.O. (Paragon/Allied) ALS-174
1968 Gentle On My Mind (Paragon/Allied) ALS-155
1968 Try A Little Kindness (Paragon/Allied) ALS-205
1969 Sunday Morning Coming Down (Paragon/Allied) ALS-258

as AL HOOPER AND THE BLUE DIAMONDS WITH THE LAURIE BOWER SINGERS
1971 Play Me A Sad Song (Dominion) LPS-21023

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BLUE GRASS “4”
Eddie Poirier (banjo, fiddle, vocals) / Emile Robichaud  (guitar, mandolin, vocals) / Louis Arsenault (mandolin, banjo, vocals)  / Fern Maillet (bass)
From New Brunswick. The group reunited in 2009 to perform at the Rogersville Bluegrass Festival in 2009 and again in 2011.

Albums
1980 Love Please Come Home (Boot) BBG-6011

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BLUE DOG PICT
Keram Malicki-Sánchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards, piano) / Danny Kovacevic (guitars, vocals) / Jeff Hayward (drums, percussion) / Keith White (bass, vocals) / Pete Devlin (guitars)
From Toronto, Ontario.

Singles
1992 Tainted (Constant Change)
1995 The Cost of Admission (Constant Change)
1995 Too Fast To Live (Constant Change)
1996 W.I.L.I.S. (What I Learned In School) [DigiFile]

Albums
1990 The Picture Album
1992 Anxiety of Influence: a nodding into…? (Constant Change) BDPCD-9301
1995 Spindly Light Und Wax Rocketines (Constant Change) CC-003

Compilation Tracks
1994 “Daisivision” on ‘Northern X-Posure Volume 1’ (CMW/Astral)

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BLUE MARKS, Les
Henri Tremblay (vocals) / Mike Abran (lead guitar) / Jacques Guay (bass) / Jean-Marc Perreault (piano) / Gaétan Hamel (drums) / Gaétan Sénécal (vocals, piano; replaced Perreault) / Paul Pelletier (saxophone)
From Windsor, Québec. Les Blue Marks signed a record deal with Kébec Records in 1963 and released their only single “Le percolateur” b/w “Face à ma penalty” that year. They would perform regularly on Sherbrooke TV station CHLT. They would tour through 1963 and 1964 before breaking up in 1965; Guay would go on to join Les Gants Noirs. With notes from Michel Charbonneau and Serge Gingras.

Singles
1963 Le percolateur/Face à ma penalty (Kébec) DK-508

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BLUE MAX
Robert Graves (lead vocals, guitar) / Andrew Douglas (bass) / George Douglas (drums)
Blue Max were three high school musicians from Amherst, Nova Scotia that played teen dances and high schools in the Maritimes and Québec. Their only album, ‘Limited Edition’, was re-issued by Gear Fab in 2003 on CD.

Albums
1976 Limited Edition (Solar) SAR-2011
2003 Limited Edition [CD re-issue] (Gear Fab) GF-203

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BLUE NORTHERN
Billy Cowsill (vocals, guitar) / Garry Comeau (fiddle, vocals) / Jim Wilson (guitar) / Ray O’Toole (vocals, lead guitar) / Lee Stephens (bass, vocals) / Brady Gustafson (drums)
Following the demise of Billy Cowsill’s American pop success with his family The Cowsills in the late 1960’s/early 1970s, he found himself touring Canada as a solo act. Eventually his pick-up band of Canadian sidemen from Vancouver became permanent in 1977 and they named themselves Blue Northern. They would release an EP in 1980 on Vancouver label Quintessence before eventually landing a distribution deal with Polydor Records who released two singles from the EP – “Can’t Make No Sense” and “Too Late To Turn Back.  Their full-length, self-titled major label album was released in 1981 and spawned the singles “Can’t Stop”, “You’re Not the Same Girl” and “100%”. Lack of any significant success with the album led to the band’s demise. Cowsill led a country act with members of the Bonus Boys before mutating into alt-country act The Blue Shadows in the early 1990s and The Co-Dependents in the early 2000s. Cowsill died on February 17, 2006.

Singles
1980 Can’t Make No Sense/Live…Dance (Quintessence/Polydor) 2065-433
1980 Took Late to Turn Back/Half As Much (Quintessence/Polydor) 2065-438
1981 You’re Not the Same Girl/You Got Me Where You Want Me (Polydor) PDS-2170
1981 100%/Vagabond (Polydor) PDS-2178
1981 Can’t Make No Sense/Be My Girl (Polydor) PDS-2179

Albums
1980 Blue [12” EP] (Quintessence) QEP-1206
1981 Blue Northern (Polydor) PDS-1-6318

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BLUE OIL
Nelissa NoName [aka Manon Asselin] (vocals) / Chris In Vitro [aka Marie-Christine Thiboutot] (bass) / Manon Fatter (drums) / Cari Jones (keyboards)
All female band from Montreal, Québec.

Singles
1982 Money/Living For the Time (Blue Oil) BO-001/002
1988 I Blow You A Kiss/[same] (Alert) BDS-532

Albums
1988 Blue Oil [5 song EP] (Alert) Z80021

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BLUE PETER
Paul Humphrey (vocals, keyboards) / Geoff McOuat (bass) / Chris Wardman (guitar) / Ron Tomlinson (drums) / Mike Bambrick (drums; replaced Tomlinson 1980) / Rick Joudrey (bass; replaced McOuat in 1982) / Jason Sniderman (keyboards; 1983) / Owen Tennyson (drums; replaced Bambrick 1983)
The Blue Peter story started in the mid-to-late 70’s when Chris Wardman and Paul Humphrey, who became the nucleus of the band, began practising and writing material in the Wardman’s basement in Markham, Ontario. Initially the band had trouble finding gigs but once the Toronto club scene began accepting punk and new wave as the next insurgence, Blue Peter were a seminal face on the Toronto Queen Street circuit. They were also one of the first acts signed to fledging Ready Records in 1979. Their updated synth style made them New Wave heirs to the Roxy Music thrown with Paul Humphrey’s distinctive vocal style. Their debut EP, ‘Test Patterns for Living’ (featuring all songs by Chris Wardman), helped establish them with independent radio upstarts CFNY. By the time 1980’s full-length ‘Radio Silence’ came out, the band was a bona fide sensation with radio play for the title track and the poppy ‘Video Verite’. Line-up changes ensued and the band managed to eek out another EP in 1982 with ‘Up To You’ featuring the radio hit “Chinese Graffiti”. By the release of the 1983 Steve Nye produced ‘Falling’ LP, the line-up had stabilized with the addition of Jason Sniderman on keyboards and Owen Tennyson on drums. The band would score a Top40 hit with “Don’t Walk Past”. The song won two important awards in Canada in 1983: ‘Best Video of 1983’ from the Canadian Film and Television Association; and ‘Most Popular Video’ at Sony’s Video Culture Festival. It also received airplay at various U.S. outlets including MTV. The band also performed at the ‘Police Picnic’ at the CNE in 1983. Other gig highlights include performances with The Boomtown Rats, The Jam and Simple Minds. Blue Peter split up in 1985. The band released their greatest hits package, ‘All Through the Night’, in 1997 which featured the previously unfinished 1985 track “Equalizer” with new parts added by Paul Humphrey and Rick Joudrey in 1996. Wardman went on to work as a celebrated producer with acts like Chalk Circle and Soho 69 among others and became the A & R director of a large Canadian major label. He currently does web design; Tennyson and Joudrey did a brief stint as the rhythm section for Tracy Howe’s Rational Youth. Joudrey has been seen in recent years jamming with Dr. Lotech & The Minimal Man combo and records alternative rock acts; Tennyson would later join the Jeff Healey Band and has his own pick-up band Owen Sound; Jason Sniderman returned to his family business helping to run his father’s legendary Sam The Record Man music franchise; Humphrey’s worked as key singer/songwriter in a band called Broken Arrow. They released at least one CD entitled ‘Bend’; Blue Peter reunited once more in March 2015 to perform a show with Midge Ure (Ultravox) at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto; Humphrey died unexpectedly April 4, 2021. with notes from Chris Wardman.

Singles
1980 Video Verité/Radio Silence (Ready)  SGRR-009.5
1981 Chinese Graffiti (3:48)/Chinese Graffiti (4:58) (AWOL) AWOL-001
1982 Around You/The World Stops Here (Ready) SR-251
1982 Don’t Walk Past/Newsreel (Ready) SR-331
1982 All Your Time/Right Stuff (Ready) SR-342
1983 Unchained Heart/Newsreel (Ready) SR-401

Albums
1979 Test Patterns For The Living [12″ EP] (Ready) RR-005
1980 Radio Silence/Video Verité (Ready) LPRR-009
1982 Up To You [12″ EP] (Ready) ER-025
1983 Falling (Ready) LR-034
1983 Don’t Walk Past (4:28)/Don’t Walk Past (French Version) [12″] (Ready) SRB-033
1983 Version [12″ 4-song EP] (Ready) ER-040
1997 Re/load [CD-EP] (Universal) UMDM-81064
1997 All Through The Night (Universal)
2001 20^th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection – The Best of Blue Peter (Universal)
2007 Burning Bridges [Remixed] (Universal)

Compilation Tracks
1982 “Chinese Graffiti” on ‘Rocktober ‘82’ (Attic) ROCT-082
1984 “Luna Twist” on ‘Read Records Sampler’ (Ready) EP-004-FREE

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BLUE RODEO
Jim Cuddy (lead vocals, guitar, piano) / Greg Keelor (lead vocals, guitar) / Cleave Anderson (drums) / Bazil Donovan (bass) / Bob Wiseman (keyboards) / Mark French (drums; replaced Anderson 1989)  / Glenn Milchem (drums replaced French 1991)  / Kim Deschamps (pedal steel, mandolin, banjo; added 1992)  / James Gray (keyboards;  replaced Wiseman 1992)  /  Bob Egan (steel guitar; added 2000)
The two founding members and principal songwriters of Toronto’s Blue Rodeo, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, met in high school but didn’t get together to form a band until they were done university; their first combined musical effort was the Hi Fi’s in 1977. They started writing original material immediately and had an independent single out within six months. Nothing much was happening for them, however, so in 1981 they moved to New York City, as much for a change of pace as for the music scene there. They put together a band called Fly To France by putting ads in the Village Voice, and played all types of music everywhere they could. Their manager didn’t quite seem to know what he was doing and then disappeared, they sent out endless packages to record labels, and pestered every promo rep they could get a lead to but again nothing much happened. They decided to sit down and record a bunch of songs from beginning to end. They got New Zealand band the Drongoes to help them, recorded four songs, then returned to Toronto in 1984 and began shopping the demo. While looking for a deal they had a band name already picked out and decided to put that band together. They bumped into their friend Cleave Anderson (Battered Wives, The Sharks), who agreed to join; Anderson suggested that his friend Bazil Donovan complete the lineup and Blue Rodeo was born. Their first gig was at the Rivoli on Queen Street in Toronto in February of 1985. Prairie Oyster manager and owner of the Risque Disque label, John Caton, became interested in the band and they struck a management/ recording deal with him. He introduced Blue Rodeo to his friend, producer Terry Brown (Rush, Klaatu, Cutting Crew), who agreed to work with the band. Recording with Brown over a year and a half, his production of their first album seemed only natural, and in January of 1987 they struck a worldwide label/production deal with WEA Music of Canada. ‘Outskirts’ was released later that year and produced a country-wide hit with “Try”. The album eventually went on to sell well over double platinum in Canada (200,000 copies). Touring the clubs across Canada and opening for the likes of k.d. lang, they quickly became known for their lively and entertaining stage manner and their quirky brand of countrified rock. Their second album, ‘Diamond Mine’, released in 1989 and produced by Malcolm Burn, sold quickly, and Blue Rodeo were well on their way to becoming a real Canadian success story. They began receiving JUNOs that year, and have continued to do so consistently ever since. Anderson, however, decided to retire from the business and return to his day job as a letter carrier (but is currently still playing in various bands including a variation of The Viletones), so Mark French was brought on board. A U.S. break of sorts came when Meryl Streep’s chauffeur played the band’s music for her while driving her to New England to shoot a movie; the result of this fortuitous incident was Blue Rodeo’s appearance in the hit movie Postcards From The Edge, which they filmed in late 1989 in L.A. They returned home, however, to find that health and financial problems forced Caton’s retirement from the business and the closure of Risque Disque. Forced to regroup, Warner Music Canada took over the band’s contract and they signed with Los Angeles manager Danny Goldberg (Bonnie Raitt, Alannah Myles). For their third album, Cuddy and Keelor recruited the talents of American producer Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam, Michelle Shocked), and the results were ‘Casino’ in 1990. Touted to be the album to break the band south of the border, the album received strong critical praise in the US but they still had trouble reaching the American audiences. They had no trouble in Canada, however, with sales quickly reaching platinum in no time. In 1991 they returned to the studio, beefing up their sound and style to reflect more of the noisier music that was popular at the time, and ‘Lost Together’ (1992) shows a tougher, harder sound for them. Self-produced, it received some of their strongest critical acclaim, and earned yet more JUNOs for them. It was around this time that Wiseman decided to pursue a solo career, so Kim Deschamps (Cowboy Junkies) and James Gray (Cowboy Junkies, Vital Sines) were recruited to fill his prodigious shoes. French also left the fold, so Glenn Milchem (Vital Sines, Soho 69) came on board. Tours of the North American continent established them as household names in Canada, and yet they still had trouble breaking into the United States. Changing tactics completely, the band went to Keelor’s farm with a mobile recording studio in the summer of 1993, and had the entire band record at the same time. Stripping down to a more acoustic sound, ‘Five Days In July’ started out as a special for the CBC’s Ear To The Ground television show, and quickly became a full-fledged album. Although receiving some of their most rave reviews in Canada, and despite selling out venue after venue on their cross country tours, success in the US continued to elude them, and a label change was made there. ‘Nowhere To Here’, released in 1995, saw another different side of Blue Rodeo emerge. Again receiving strong critical praise, the band went into a more eclectic, semi-psychedelic direction. Consistent touring in Canada in 1996 helped to keep their name in the collective conscience. The reviews for 1997’s ‘Tremolo’ were mixed at best, and although not touring as much as they used to, their occasional gigs are still filled with their loud, loyal fans.  Greg Keelor and Jim Cuddy have both had successful solo careers while still maintaining Blue Rodeo as a priority. In 2011 the band was named to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Singles
1987 Outskirts of Life (Edit)/5’ll Get You Six (Risque Disque/Warner)  25-83637
1987 Try/Piranha Pool (Risque Disque/Warner) 25-82917
1988 Day After Day (Rose Coloured Glasses)/Floating (Risque Disque/Warner)
25-80807
1988 Rebel/Joker’s Wild (Risque Disque/Warner) 25-80107
1989 Diamond Mine/Fall In Line (Risque Disque/Warner) 25-76267
1989 How Long/Nice Try (Risque Disque/Warner) 25-75307
1989 House Of Dreams (Risque Disque/Warner)
1990 Love And Understanding (Warner)
1991 Trust Yourself (Warner)
1991 Till I Am Myself Again/What Am I Doing Here (Warner) 25-73968
1991 Till I Am Myself Again/3 Day Disaster [cassette]
1991 What Am I Doin’ Here (Warner)
1991 After The Rain (Warner)
1992 Lost Together (Warner )
1992 Rain Down On Me (Warner)
1993 Angels (Warner)
1993 Flying (Warner)
1993 Already Gone (Warner)
1993 Five Days In May (Warner)
1994 Hasn’t Hit Me Yet (Warner)
1994 Bad Timing (Warner)
1995 Save Myself (Warner)
1995 Side of the Road (Warner) CDN-51
1997 It Could Happen To You (Warner)
1998 Shed My Skin (Warner)
1998 Falling Down Blue (Warner)
1999 Somebody Waits (Warner)
2000 Always Getting Better (Warner)
2000 The Days In Between (Warner) CDN-175
2001 Sad Nights (Warner)
2002 Bulletproof (Warner)
2002 Walk Like You Don’t Mind (Warner)
2003 Stage Door (Warner)
2003 Palace of Gold (Warner)
2005 Rena (Warner)
2005 Are You Ready (Warner)
2005 Can’t Help Wondering Why (Warner)
2007 Four Strong Winds (Warner)
2007 C’mon (Warner)
2007 3 Hours Away (Warner)
2008 This Town (Warner)
2008 Losin’ You (Warner)
2009 All The Things That Are Left Behind (Warner)
2010 Never Look Back (Warner)
2010 One Light Left in Heaven (Warner)

Albums
1987 Outskirts (Risque Disque/Warner) W2-54718
1989 Diamond Mine (Risque Disque/Warner)  W2-56268
1989 Diamonds in the Rough/Demos and Other Stuff (Risque Disque/Warner) PR-2710
1990 Casino (Warner) W2-72770
1992 Lost Together (Warner) W2-77633
1993 Five Days In July (Warner) W2-93846
1995 Nowhere To Here (Warner) W2-10617
1997 Tremolo (Warner) W2-19253
1999 Just Like A Vacation (live) (Warner)
2000 The Days In Between (Warner) W2-80936
2001 Greatest Hits (Warner) 2-40932
2002 Palace Of Gold (Warner) 2-44915
2005 Are You Ready (Warner) 13251
2006 Blue Rodeo Live In Stratford (Warner)
2007 Small Miracles (Warner)
2008 Blue Road (Warner)
2009 The Things We Left Behind (Warner) 1-856107
2013 In Our Nature (Warner) 1-41146
2015 Live At Massey Hall (Warner) 2-052349
2016 1000 Arms (Warner) 2-995897

Compilation Tracks
1994 “I’ve Been Waiting For You” on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199
1996 “Try” on ‘Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music’ (MCA) JUNO-25
2003 “Go Go Round” on ‘Beautiful – A Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot’ (Borealis) BCDN-BM500
2010 “King Harvest” on ‘Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band’ (Sony)

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BLUE SHADOWS, The (1)
George Wood (bass, backing vox) / Peter Wong (vocals, rhythm guitar) / Dave Kindred (lead guitar, backing vox) / Earl Hawton (drums)
The band was formed in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1962. They played many venues around the province and a few in the state of Maine. Their one and only single was recorded at local Radio Station CHSJ as the band was a regular feature on that station’s TV show ‘House Party’. Their main weekly gig was at Rockwood Park called the Lily Lake Pavilion. They also had weekly radio show sponsored by G.B. Murphy Jewelers. The group split up in 1966.

Singles   
1965 Strange Strings/Question Mark (Future)

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BLUE SHADOWS, The (2)
Billy Cowsill (guitar, vocals) / J.B. Johnson (drums) / Jeffrey Hatcher (guitar, vocals) / Elmar Spanier (bass) / Barry Muir (bass; 1995)
Former American childhood superstar Billy Cowsill (The Cowsills) toured Canada for a few years in the ’80s with the band Blue Northern, putting out one album. He then led his own act, The Billy Cowsill Band, which was merely him and Spanier (The Bonus Boys) playing traditional country songs. They expanded to a four-piece with the addition of Jay Johnson (The Bonus Boys) and Jeffery Hatcher (Jeffery Hatcher & The Big Beat). As The Blue Shadows they landed a deal with Sony Music and released ‘On the Floor of Heaven’ in 1993 to great reviews. Just prior to that release, bassist Spanier left the band. He was replaced by Barry Muir, who had been a member of the Payola$ and Barney Bentall’s Legendary Hearts and, for all intents and purposes, was the Blue Shadows’ bassist for the majority of their career. The Blue Shadows were managed by Bumstead, the same company that handled K.D. Lang. In fact, ‘On the Floor of Heaven’ was technically on Bumstead Records, distributed by Columbia/Sony. The second album ‘Lucky to Me’ received the same accolades as The Blue Shadows found themselves leading an almost underground traditional C & W movement. The band broke up in the winter of 1996. Hatcher and the rest of the group (minus Cowsill) teamed up with Vancouver singer Wendy Bird as The Sugar Beats. They later changed their name to The Reachers and recorded an album that remains unreleased. That group has since split. Hatcher and Bird now perform as a duo around Vancouver. Cowsill made Calgary his home and formed a new band called The Codependents which enjoyed critical acclaim with their debut CD “Live Recording Event” in 2002. After suffering from emphysema and osteoporosis Cowsill died on February 17, 2006. with files from Paul Cantin, William C. Smith. [also see JEFFREY HATCHER]

Singles
1993 Coming On Strong/Hell Stays Open All Night Long [10”] (Bumstead) BSP 0931
1993 Think On It (Sony)
1994 The Fool Is The Last To Know (Sony)
1994 Deliver Me (Columbia/Sony) CDNK-966
1995 Riding Only Down (Sony)

Albums
1993 On The Floor of Heaven (Bumstead/Columbia/Sony) CK-80181
1994 Rockin’ [7-song EP] (Columbia/SONY) CDNK-930
1995 Lucky To Me (Sony) CK-80220
2010 On the Floor of Heaven [2 CD] (Bumstead) BSP0-931D

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BLUE SISTERS, Les
Claudine Leroux / Denise Leroux / Diane Leroux / Doris Leroux / Gaétane Leroux / Jayne Leroux / Loraine Leroux
Seven sisters from Drummondville, Québec. By 1966, Les Blue Sisters had signed a a record deal with Météor and released the single “Reviens” b/w “Il va t’aimer” the same year. They would participates in several orchestral competitions across Québec and even made a TV appearance on “Charidan” (CKRS-TV) in Jonquière, Québec.They would later change their name to Les Canadiennes. With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1966 Reviens / Il va t’aimer (Météor) 368

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BLUE VALLEY BOYS, The
Bunty Petrie / Dick Nolan / Johnny Burke / Roy Penney
A pick-up Country supergroup formed in Toronto in 1962 who signed a deal with Arc Records to produce several albums. All four gentlemen would have lengthy solo careers. [also see DICK NOLAN]

Albums
1962 Live At The Drake (Arc) A-579

with BIG SLIM THE LONE COWBOY WITH THE BLUE VALLEY BOYS
1962 On Tour With (Arc) A-583

with SHIRLEY MAE CARR AND THE BLUE VALLEY BOYS
1963 Let’s Go All The Way And Other Country Hits (Arc) A-596

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BLUES TRAIN, The
Like their label mates, The Crazy People, it is believed that this Condor Records recording act was an amalgam of British Columbia based musicians under the tutelage of eccentric British band-leader and producer Johnny Kitchen. Blues Train’s self-titled album in 1970 featured songs written by Kitchen, Eric Lord and Joe Sanchez with a helping of cover tunes. Gear Fab Records in the US re-issued their Condor LP in the early on CD in the early 2000s.

Albums
1970 Blues Train (Condor) CST-2465

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BLUESMEN REVUE, The
Kenn Allison (vocals)  / Dave Partridge (guitar) / Jim Chapman (bass) / Dave Baker (keyboards)  / Paul Kersey (drums)
London, Ontario’s Sally And The Bluesmen was formed in the mid-60’s and got their moniker from Paul Kersey’s nickname, “Sally”, which he was saddled with due to his long hair. They would later change their name to The Bluesmen Revue after the members saw acts like The Majestics and their flashy stage personas. With a win in a London battle of the bands in 1966, the soul group began playing the southern Ontario club circuit. By 1968 they managed to release a single, “Spin the Bottle”, which had a modicum of success in their hometown. From there they parlayed opening slots for the likes of Sly And The Family Stone on tours that took them down the eastern seaboard into Florida. They split up after all the members became involved in other life pursuits; Chapman went on to join Leather And Lace but quit before they changed their name to Ocean and achieved world fame with “Put Your Hand In The Hand.” He would instead found Springfield Sound with Brian Ferriman as well as become a journalist and published author; Kersey joined Max Webster, and later, formed The Hunt with Brian Gagnon and Gerry Mosby (and members of Dillinger); Allison played with Juggernaut in London and appear on Chris Murphy’s ‘Blowin’ The Blues’ album in 1999. Allison passed away January 13, 2023. with notes from Paul Kersey.

Singles
1968 Spin The Bottle/Dorian’s Dance (Columbia)  4-44495

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BLURTONIA
Ian Blurton (vocals, guitar) / Brendan Canning (bass) / Randy Curnew (drums) / Al Kelso (guitar) / Sam De Medeiros (bass)
Supergroup formed in Toronto, Ontario in May 1999. Blurton had come from Change of Heart, Canning from hHead and Kelso from The Dinner Is Ruined. The band released two album – ‘Adventures In the Kingdom of Blurtonia’ (1999) and ‘Blurtonia’ (2001) before splitting up later in 2001. Blurton and Curnew went on to form C’mon, Canning would join By Divine Right before becoming a founding member of Broken Social Scene.

Albums
1999 Adventures In the Kingdom of Blurtonia (Web of Sound) WOS-001
2002 Blurtonia (Grenadine) GREN-010

Compilation Tracks
2009 “Never Less Than Perfect” on ‘Stepfather – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ (Lakeshore) B002OLV2YQ

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BLUSHING BRIDES
Maurice Raymond (vocals) / Paul Martin (guitar) / Martin Van Dijk (bass) / Richard ‘Ricco’ Berthiaume (drums)  / James ‘DB’ Green (guitar) / Richard Diamond (guitar) / Sascha (drums; 1995) / Desmond Leahy (guitar; 1995) / Glen Olive (bass; 1995)  / Dylan Heming (keys; 1995)  / Doug Inglis (drums)
In early 1979 two Kingston, Ontario musicians, Maurice Raymond (vocals) and Paul Martin (guitar) decided to fill the musical gap left with the absence of a tour every 4 or 5 years by their mutually favourite band The Rolling Stones. Soon they laid down the groundwork for a tribute band called, simply, The Blushing Brides. They hooked up with bassist Van Dijk, drummer Berthiaume and second guitarist Green and began their odyssey of imitating one of the most enduring bands in rock and roll while peppering their set list with original materials as their popularity increased. The group provided a perfect outlet for Stones craving fans during a period in the ’70’s when ‘tribute bands’ didn’t exist. The only source of competition in the clone field was American band Crystal Ship doing Doors impersonations and Toronto’s Liverpool who found their niche with the Beatles. Critics were even quick to praise the act as being a roll model for what the ‘real’ Rolling Stones should sound like. The Blushing Brides’ popularity grew so quickly they soon were playing at amusement parks where attendance could get over 10,000 people. A major label bidding war began and in 1980 RCA Records offered the group a five-year recording contract. Their 1981 debut album called ‘Unveiled’ produced a bona fide Stones-ish hit single with “What You Talkin’ About”. To capitalize on their popularity in the Québec market they even re-dubbed 4 songs in French and issued an EP there. The band thought it would be a better idea to drop the Stones’ schtick and focus on the original side of their material if they hoped to sell the album. A tour with Chilliwack proved so disastrous that after finishing the gigs they returned home in debt, and without a record deal. Raymond headed stateside for an ill-advised solo career but returned soon after. The Blushing Brides regrouped in 1983 and tried to make a comeback as a recording unit but were unsuccessful at attracting label interest. They returned to their Rolling Stones roots and continued wowing them on the live scene. As the years passed, guitarist Richard Diamond decided to strike out on his own as a solo artist but lacked the proper frontman persona to pull off the songs convincingly. Raymond was soon brought in and in no time the record was soon dubbed a Blushing Brides project. Re-christened The Brides, they signed to Toronto-based Strawberry Records (distributed by A & M), and their self-titled debut was recorded by Mike (Spike) Barlow with additional tracks recorded at Phase One and Arnyard Studios in Toronto. A single, “Feel like a Man”, was soon released and the band hit the clubs with a combination of their original material and Stones cover tunes. The Brides’ lineup became Raymond, Diamond, drummer Sascha (ex-Platinum Blonde), Desmond Leahy on guitar, bassist Glen Olive and keyboardist Dylan Heming. In recent years the band has been doing select gigs in New York, Boston and Baltimore with Raymond and Martin re-teaming for the ‘classic’ version of the Brides that has included Goddo’s Doug Inglis on drums. with notes from Maurice Raymond. 

Singles
1982 What You Talkin’ Bout?/Foreign Supplement (RCA) PB-50697
1982 Got To Like Yourself/Run and Hide (RCA) PB-50717

as THE BRIDES
1995 Feel Like a Man (Strawberry/A & M)

Albums
1982 Unveiled (RCA) NKL1-0475
1982 Blushing Brides [4 song EP] (RCA)  KFL1-9000

as THE BRIDES
1995 The Brides (Strawberry/A & M)  55001

Compilation Tracks
2010 “Poison Touch” on ‘Into the 80s: Great Toronto Bands’ (Sugar Moon) SM10-001

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BLVD. [see BOULEVARD]

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BOB ET LES DAMIK’S
Robert “Bob” Dadario (vocals) / Lucien Bonneville (guitar) / Yvon Bonneville / Régent Ricard (bass) / Jean-Louis St-Cyr (keyboards) / Armand Proulx (drums)
From Montréal, Québec the band signed a record deal with Disque Monde for one single in 1966 which included “Dans cette ville” (a French version of The Animals’ hit “We Gotta Get Out of This Place”), and Dadario’s original composition “Diane.” Yvon Bonneville would release a solo single in 1967 on Disque Monde. With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Single
1966 Dans cette ville/Diane (Disque Monde) 860

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BOB’S YOUR UNCLE
Jamie Junger (guitar) / Sook-Yin Lee (vocals, guitar) / Bernie Radelfinger (bass) / Peter Lizotte (harmonica)  / John Rule (drums) / Karl Cardosa (drums)
From Vancouver, British Columbia. Junger went on to found the band Wingnut, toured with Holly McNarland and released several solo projects; Sook-Yin Lee became a popular VJ for MuchMusic and later hosted the CBC show ‘Definitely Not The Opera’ before branching out into film including a role in the controversial film “Shortbus”.

Singles
1985 Talk to the Birds

Albums
1987 Bob’s Your Uncle (Criminal) CRLP/1
1990 Tale of Two Legs (Doctor Dream) DDCD-9035
1993 Cages (Zulu) ZULU-9-2

Compilation Tracks
1989 “Purple Steps” on ‘Indie-Can ‘89’ (Intrepid) CD-2
1991 “Talk to the Birds” on ‘Last Call: Vancouver Independent Music 1977-1988’ (Zulu) ZULU 5-2
1994 “Tip of the Iceberg” on ‘A Canadian Alternative Vol. III’ (DAHB) SWM-00

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BOBNOXIOUS
Bob J. Reid (vocals, guitar) / Jeff Bialkowski (guitar) / Stan Fountain (bass) / David Wyles (drums)
From Toronto, Ontario featuring former SFH member Bob Reid.

Albums
2003 Bobnoxious (Wannabe/Hypnotic) 74701-44583
2005 Two-Fisted, Twisted Rock ‘n’ Roll (Wannabe/Indestructible/Blackula) INDIE-006
2005 Ho Ho Ho (Wannabe) SFH-006
2007 Rockaholics – The Fun Drinking Game (Wannabe) SFH-007
2008 Superscar (Wannabe) SFH-008
2010 Cocktales (Wannabe) SFH-009
2011 Greatest Hits (Wannabe) SFH-010
2014 E.O.A. (Wannabe) SFH-011

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BOCAN, Joe
Born: Johanne Beauchamp on September 8, 1957 in Québec, Canada
Female artist from Québec who is a singer and an actress. She released three solo albums and appeared in the films ‘Meutre en musique’ (1994), ‘L’Homme idéal (1996), and ‘Idole instantanée’ (2005) among others.

Singles
1986 Beach/Beach (instrumentale)  (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques)
PA-1001
1986 Aeroport/Aeroport (instrumentale)  (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques)
PA-1003
1986 Repartir a zero/ Repartir a zero (instrumental) (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques) PA-1005
1987 On parle de yeux/ On parle de yeux (instrumentale) (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques) PA-1006
1987 Vadou/Vadou (instrumentale) (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques) PA-1007
1987 Les femmes voilees/Les femmes voilees (instrumentale) (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques) PA-1008
1988 Deranger/Deranger (instrumentale)  (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques) PA-1009
1994 Des fleur sur Mars (Musi Art) 58029

Albums
1987 Joe Bocan (Disques Palmiers/Trans-Canada Disques) PA-101
1991 Les Desordres (Disques Palmiers) PACD-102
1994 Le Baiser (Musi Art) 5808

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BODY ELECTRIC
Bob Buckley (keyboards, sax)  / David Sinclair (guitar, lead vocals)  / Ross Friesen (drums, vocals)  / Frank Ludwig (keyboards, lead vocals)  / Kelly Cook (bass; 1984)  / Brian Newcombe (bass; 1985)
The duo of Buckley and Sinclair were a rare coupling whose songs were powerful enough to land them record deals in several different incarnations. As seasoned studio musicians the Vancouver duo originally gained popularity as Dogstar and attracted the attention of CBS Records in Toronto. They loved the band but didn’t like the name so it was changed to Straight Lines who released two albums and spawning several hit singles like “Heads Are Gonna Roll” and “Letting Go”. In 1982 the duo was nominated as ‘Composers of the Year’ at the JUNO Awards. But even their significant Bruce Allen management team couldn’t generate sufficient international interest and CBS dropped the group resulting in Straight Lines disbanding. They managed to bump into Frank Ludwig who was out of music and doing social work with juvenile delinquents in Vancouver. Ludwig had quit his high profile gig as keyboardist with Trooper to put Union together with Randy Bachman. After one album the arrangement soured and Ludwig was effectively discouraged. Buckley and Sinclair asked him to join as lead vocalist and keyboard player and they shopped a deal with Attic Records. Their first self-titled album produced by Ron Obvious for Attic Records did little to impress anyone, even with substantial airplay on the single “Stop the Music” (and featured Moev member Kelly Cook on bass for the video). The act re-thought their strategy and Sinclair switched to lead vocals and added drummer Friesen for the 1985 ‘Two Worlds’ EP produced by Bill Henderson (of Chilliwack) and engineered by Bob Rock. But Ludwig was unhappy with his role as mere keyboard player and quit the band just before they landed an opening slot on Corey Hart’s ‘Boy in the Box’ tour. They realized new management might help them build on the tour’s momentum and hired Scott Andrews and Gordon Sinclair who were managing JATO at the time and also ran Parallel One Records. They signed to the label /management company and released  the ‘Walking Through Walls’ album produced by Buckley/Sinclair but the label eventually folded and the band split up shortly after. notes from Ross Friesen and Mark Olexson. [also see STRAIGHT LINES]

Singles
1984 Don’t Take Me For A Fool/One Step Back (Attic) AT-310
1984 Somewhere In Time/Midnight Madness (Attic) AT-316
1984 Stop The Music/Living Two Lives (Attic) AT-322
1985 Do You Think They Can Tell?/Two Worlds (Attic) AT-333
1985 All Through The Night/Don’t Look Back (Attic) AT-336
1986 Strangers In Love/Strangers In Love (Long Version) (Parallel One) POR-0145-BE
1987 I Don’t Know Why/Lines Are Breaking Down (Parallel One) POR-0245-BE
1987 Out Of The Blue/Fire And Ice (Parallel One) POR-0345-BE

Albums
1984 Body Electric (Attic) LAT-1194
1985 Two Worlds [5 song EP] (Attic) MIN-101
1987 Walking Through Walls (Parallel One) POR-0133-BE

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BOGARD, Steve
An American singer-songwriter who relocated briefly in the mid-1970s to Canada. Known for his song “I Wish I Were Only Lonely” co-written with Rick Giles. The song was recorded by Canadian Michelle Wright and later Reba McEntire.

Singles
1975 She’s Strong But She Likes Roses/They Ride Down From the Mountain (Attic) AT-121
1976 Touching Each Other/Song For Jessica (Badger) BA-012
1976 Touching Each Other/Love Got In the Way (Badger – UK) BAD-2004

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BOHEMIANS, The
Johnny Monk (lead vocals) / Nick Farlowe [aka Nicky Saraceno] (drums) / Ron Gerard (keyboards) / Kevin Miller (guitar) / Gary Pover (lead guitar) / Peter Rochman (bass) / Denis Décarie (guitar; replaced Miller)
Late ’60’s indie act out of Montréal featuring members of The Haunted and Our Generation who were discovered by producer Denis Pantis after a battle of the bands competition at Saint-Vincent-de-Paul arena. They would release one single on the Blue Jean label. With notes from Andre Gibeault, Michel Charbonneau, and Serge Gingras.

Singles
1967 I Need You Baby/Say It Again (Blue Jean) BJ-2810

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BOINKS, The
Bongo Herbert [aka Eric Rosser] (vocals, piano)  / Robert Priest (vocals, trumpet)  / Neil Chapman (guitar) / Ben Cleveland-Hayes (drums) / David Thompson (synthesizer, piano)  / David Woodhead (bass)  / Rudi McToots (VJ)
Entertaining hip children’s recording act featuring CBC radio’s Robert Priest and Eric Rosser from ‘Is Anybody Home?’. The duo collected the songs they’d written for the show and compiled them into an album called ‘Summerlong’ in 1984. The album features third member Rudi McToots and special guest Neil Chapman (Pukka Orchestra). [also see ROBERT PRIEST]

Albums
1984 Summerlong (G’tel) GTL-1001
1989 Playsongs and Lullabies
1992 Winterlong

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BOIVIN, Jay
Born: Gilles Boivin on October 23, 1949
Died: November 18, 2021
Following a stint with popular French-Canadian rock band Les Sinners, Boivin would release a cover version of Donovan’s “Jennifer Juniper” single 1968 as vocalist in the group Jay Et Son Oréole. Following that he was invited by François Guy into his new project, James, John & Francois who would be managed by Terry Flood. Alas, they released several singles on Aquarius that barely scratched the charts; Boivin would release a few solo singles but found success in the late 1970s/early 1980s working on soundtrack production wth Germain Gauthier including their side project Sea Cruise. [also see LES SINNERS, SEA CRUISE, JAMES JOHN & FRANCOIS]

Singles
with JAY ET SON OREOLE
1968 Jennifer Juniper/Je Te Reviens (Apex/Compo) 13510

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BOKONONISTS, The
Johnny Calderon (bass, guitar, vocals) / Jed Desilet (drums) /
Rene Campbell (guitar, bass, lead vocals) / Bobby Desjarlais (guitar, vocals)
From Winnipeg, Manitoba. Desjarlais would go on to join Attica Riots; Calderon would go on to join Loveless Love.

Albums
2011 …The Dangerously Empty Lives Of Teenage Girls (Bokononists)

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BOLERO LAVA
Vanessa Richards (lead vocals)  / Lorraine Tetrault (keys)  / Laurel Thackray (bass, vocals)  / Phaedra Struss (guitar, vocals)  / Barbara Bernath (drums) / Linda McCrae (bass; replaced Thackeray) / Andy Graffiti (drums; replaced Bernath 1988) / Sherri Leigh Iwaschuk (drums; replaced Graffiti 1989) / Jeff Sawatzky (bass; replaced McCrae 1989) / Mallory Temple (drums; replaced Iwaschuk 1990)
Bolero Lava was a street-smart 5-piece Bananarama/Bangles/Belle Stars styled all woman band from Vancouver. They began their career by winning Vancouver’s Battle of the Bands in July 1983, which led them to record the college-radio, hit-single “Inevitable” for Alan Moy’s Vancouver label Mo=Da=Mu in 1984.  In 1986 they recorded the “Move a Groove” 12” on their own Lava Rock imprint. They toured across Canada as well as headlined at major venues around Vancouver. Show highlights included double-billing with The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Cramps, and Taj Mahal. “Move a Groove” was produced by 54.40 engineer Dave Ogilvie. After Bernath and Thackeray left the band in 1988 to pursue other interests and were replaced by Linda McRae (Spirit of the West) and Andy Graffiti. In 1989 Bolero Lava then hired Sarah McLachlan’s rhythm section of Jeff Sawatzky (bass) and Sherri Leigh Iwaschuk (drums). Iwaschuk was then replaced by Mallory Temple. The group disbanded in 1991.with notes from Heidi Mo Hawkins, Barbara Bernath, and Jeff Sawatzky.

Singles
1984 Inevitable/Click of  the Clock [12″] (Mo=Da=Mu) MDM-12
1986 Dance and Be Happy/Move a Groove (Lava Rock) WRC3-456

Compilation Tracks
1985 “Inevitable” on ‘Open Your Heart – West Coast Musicians Aid for Africa’ (Oxfam) OXFAM-002
1991 “Inevitable” on ‘Last Call: Vancouver Independent Music 1977-1988’ (Zulu) ZULU 5-2

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BOLISKA, Al
Born: April 8, 1932
Died: April 7, 1972
Al Boliska was a popular CHUM-AM radio personality. During their heyday, CHUM constantly promoted themselves through schemes like novelty records featuring their disc jockeys. Boliska released the third in a long line of CHUM DJ charting singles called “The Ballad of a Dying Cowboy” with The Rhythm Pals as his backing band. The song spent 5 weeks on the CHUM charts (and those of affiliated stations) and reached No.18 in March 1960. In the very early 1960’s CBC asked him to host a weekly local TV show in Toronto (CBLT) called ‘On the Scene’. The program utilized the then new medium of video tape, traveling to various locations around town from The Royal Winter Fair to a hootenanny at Maple Leaf Gardens. Boliska gradually adapted for TV and became one of the show’s likable main hosts. He also made a living syndicating his books ‘The World’s Worst Jokes.” with notes from Don Adams.

Singles
1960 The Ballad of a Dying Cowboy/What D’ya Mean Ya Lost Yer Dog (Sparton)
4-868-R

Album
1966 The World’s Worst Jokes (ARC) 607

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BOLT UPRIGHT
Mike O’Reilly (vocals)
Originally known as Bolt Upright & The Erections, this 8-piece Doo Wop/1950’s greaser act from Ottawa, Ontario had a brief run on the RPM chart in 1974 with their cover version of Freddy Weller’s “Love You Back To Georgia” which peaked at No.82 on September 7, 1974. The U.S. branch of A & M Records released the record with a name change for the band. They were known as Savannah stateside; in March 1977 Mike O’Reilly became the morning show host on Ottawa’s CHEZ radio; They reunited in 1986 for a Children’s Wish Fundraiser alongside Five Man Electrical Band; O’Reilly would go on to perform with Richard Patterson (Esquires, 3’s A Crowd) in the band The Radio Kings; Mike O’Reilly died June 2, 2021.

Singles
1974 Love You Back To Georgia/Love, Love (A & M) AM-369

as SAVANNAH
1974 Love You Back To Georgia/[same] (A & M – US) 1618

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BOMBERS, The
BOMBERS (1978): Billy Workman (percussion, backing vocals) / Sharon Ryan (backing vocals) / Yves Lapierre (backing vocals) / Buster “Cherry” Jones (bass, percussion backing vocals) / Marty Simon (keyboards, drums, backing vocals) / Walter Rossi (guitar, percussion) / Denis Lepage (keyboards) / Dwayne Ford (keyboards) / George Lagios (keyboards) / Gino Soccio (keyboards) / Pierre Gauthier (keyboards) / Joey Armando (percussion) / Tony Grant (percussion)
BOMBERS (1979): Tamara Lorincz (vocals) / Heather Gauthier (backing vocals) / Mary-Lou Gauthier (backing vocals) / Buster “Cherry” Jones (bass, percussion backing vocals) / Marty Simon (drums) / Walter Rossi (guitar) / Daniel Barbe (keyboards) / John McDiarmid (keyboards)
Montréal studio project produced by George Lagios. [also see MARTY SIMON, WALTER ROSSI, DWAYNE FORD, GINO SOCCIO, DENIS LEPAGE]

Singles
1978 The Mexican/Dance Dance Dance (Telson) AFT-1001
1979 (Everybody) Get Dancin’ (Telson) AFT-1003
1979 Let’s Dance/Shake (West End) WES-22119
1979 Pistolo/Disco Galaxy (RCA Victor) PB-8412

Albums
1978 The Bombers (Telson) AF.2506
1979 The Bombers 2 (Telson) AF.2509

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BOND
LINE-UP 1: Ted Trenholm (vocals, keyboards) / Bill Dunn (vocals, bass)  / Barry Cobus (lead guitar) / John Roles (bass; switched to lead & acoustic guitar) / Alex MacDougall (lead, rhythm, slide guitar) / Jeff Hamilton (drums, vocals, percussion)
LINE-UP 2: Ted Trenholm (vocals, keyboards)  / Bill Dunn (vocals, bass)  / John Roles (lead & acoustic guitar) / Gerry Mosby (keyboards, vocals; 1975-1976)  / Kim Hunt (drums, vocals; 1975-1976) ;
LINE-UP 3: Ted Trenholm (vocals, keyboards)  / Bill Dunn (vocals, bass)  / Colin Walker (drums) / John Jones (keyboards 1977-1978) / John Roles (lead & acoustic guitar);
LINE-UP 4: Brian Mitchell (vocals) / Bill Dunn (vocals, bass) / Jim Lamarche (guitar, vocals; 1978-1979)  / Colin Walker (drums) / Mitch Lewis (keys)  / Chris Livingston (keyboards; replaced Lewis)
Originally named “Common Bond,” the band name was reduced to Bond in 1970, shortly after Pickering, Ontario native John Roles joined the band as the bass player. Lead guitar player Barry Cobus suggested that Roles take over lead guitar (as that was actually his main instrument) and Cobus became their manager. Roles became the creative engine of the band as guitarist and vocalist. Roles wrote both songs for their 1972 independent single “You Will Be the One” b/w “I Won’t Be Here Tomorrow.” Bond played throughout the Southern Ontario club circuit with a focus on British rock and a few original tunes. Their line-up changed over the years, but the most successful was Dunn, Roles, Hamilton, Trenholm, and MacDougall. A two song demo featuring a John Roles original called “Come On Home” and a cover of “Rock and Roll Heaven” was produced by Terry Bush. The tape landed them a deal with CBS Records in 1974. In 1975 they released their Bob Gallo produced eponymous debut album which was recorded at Manta Sound and featured a remake of “Come On Home.” The lead-off single “Dancin’ (On A Saturday Night)”, was a surprise hit that made the Top-20 in Canada. They did an Eastern Canadian tour with The Stampeders and a short lived cross Canada tour. The record, unfortunately, left many radio programmers with the image that Bond was a bubblegum act and follow-up singles, including “When You’re Up, You’re Up”, were virtually ignored. Gerry Mosby and Kim Hunt left in 1977 and were replaced by John Jones and Colin Walker respectively. They released one more song called “I Can’t Help It” for CBS in 1978 which failed to chart. CBS dropped Bond’s recording deal, but John Jones was retained by CBS Songs where he recorded a demo called “Everyday and Everynight” with Klaatu’s Dee Long and Terry Draper. Producer Terry Brown heard the demo and had Jones signed to ATV Publishing. After backing Eddie Schwartz on his demo for “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” Schwartz was signed to ATV and Jones was dropped. John Jones would then join Gary O’Connor’s solo band. Meanwhile, Bond had several major line-up changes after losing their own deal, with Bill Dunn the only remaining original member. The band finally called it quits in 1979; Roles had left in 1976 and would go on to play and record with Chilliwack and Jerry Doucette in the ’80’s; MacDougall went on to play with Crowbar and King Biscuit Boy from 1981 to 1989. His current band is Groove Corporation out of Hamilton; Kim Hunt left Bond to co-found Zon; Gerry Mosby went on to be in Dillinger, The Hunt, Rhinegold and The Ian Thomas Band; Chris Livingston joined The Payola$; Jim Lamarche was a solo artist on A & M Records before becoming a successful studio engineer in Toronto; John Jones went on to be co-owner of ESP Recording Studio with Dee Long (ex-Klaatu). The duo moved to England to work at George Martin’s AIR Studio in England for 7 years. He would go on to produce Duran Duran and Celine Dion for whom he won a Grammy Award. with notes from John Roles, John Jones, Alex MacDougall, Gerry Mosby, and Jim Lamarche. [also see JOHN JONES, LAMARCHE]

Singles
1972 You Will Be The One/I Won’t Be Here Tomorrow (Vintage) SCV-1116
1975 Dancin’ On A Saturday Night/Mardi-Gras (Columbia/CBS) C4-4061
1975 When You’re Up, You’re Up/Come On Home (Columbia/CBS) C4-4083
1975 Hold On/[same] (Columbia/CBS) DJC4-4103
1976 Back Seat Driver/We Are Not Fee(Columbia/CBS) C4-4117
1976 One Lives In My Life (One Lives In My Heart)/Don’t You Love to Dance (Columbia/CBS) C4-4137
1978 I Can’t Help It/[same] (Columbia/CBS) DJE4-4180

Albums
1975 Bond (Columbia/CBS) ES-90301

Compilation Tracks
1975 “Dancin’ (On A Saturday Night)” on ‘Canada Gold – 22 Karat Hits’ (K-Tel) TC-225

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BONEYARD DEVILS
Rob Sweeney (lead vocals, guitars) / Mark Keigan (drums) / Andy Hauber (bass)
From Oshawa, Ontario. After their band The Purple Toads fell apart, Sweeney and Keigan carried on as The Dominators, but changed their name to The Boneyard Devils when they recorded their lone 7″ single “I Need Love.” Sweeney and Keigan also played in the band Crummy Stuff with The Hippies bassist Brian Young.

Singles
1993 I Need Love/Amnesia (Star) SR-9301

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BONFIRE, Mars
Born: Dennis Eugene McCrohan on April 21, 1943 in Oshawa, Ontario
McCrohan changed his name to Dennis Edmonton as did his brother Jerry, who were original members of Jack London And The Sparrows. The act recorded one album in 1965 on Capitol Records which spawned several singles before the group left London to release their only official single “Hard Time With the Law”. Another singer, John Kay, had a growing popularity in Yorkville, and it was only a matter of time before he connected with the band in May of 1966. They would record several singles and one album as John Kay & Sparrow helping solidify their popularity as a touring act in the US. With the dissolution of The Sparrows in 1967, Edmonton changed his name once more – this time to Mars Bonfire — and took a shot at a solo career often writing with Kim Fowley. Bonfire wrote several songs for Steppenwolf including their biggest hit “Born to Be Wild”. with notes from Jim Magnes, and Phil Townshend . [also see JACK LONDON & THE SPARROWS]

Singles
1968 Ride With Me Baby/Tenderness (Uni/Compo/MCA)  55081
1969 Faster Than the Speed of Life/She (Columbia) 4-44772
1969 Lady Moonwalker/In Christina’s Arms (Columbia) 4-44888

Albums
1968 Mars Bonfire(Uni/Compo/MCA) UNI-73027
1969 Faster Than The Speed of Life (Columbia) CS-9834

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BONGO FURY
Billy Wade (vocals; drums) / Gino Scarpelli (guitar) / Buddy Caine (guitar) / Terry McKeown (bass)
Bongo Fury – named after the 1975 Frank Zappa album – was a short-lived Ontario hard rock supergroup featuring ex-members of Moxy and Goddo. Their lone, self-titled, album was produced by Paul LaChappelle (Coney Hatch, Kim Mitchell, Goddo) at Quest Studio in Oshawa; Bill Wade succumbed to cancer July 27, 2001 at the age of 53. [also see GODDO, MOXY]

Albums
1980 Bongo Fury (Pure Noise) WRC1-1015

Compilation Tracks
1981 “Alaska Shuffle” on ‘Toronto Calling’ (El Mocambo) ELMO-759

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BONNEVILLE, Yvon
Former member of Bob et Les Damik’s from Montréal, Québec. Following the demise of the band, he released one single on Disques Monde “Monsieur Jean” (a French version of The Premiers’ “Farmer John.” He also started hos own short-lived local record label, Memphis Sound, that released just one single for The Purple Haze.

Singles
1967 Ça Fait Mal /Monsieur Jean (Disques Monde) 867

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BONUS BOYS, The
Kim Clarke (guitar, vocals) / J.B. “Jay” Johnson (drums) / Jack Matthews (guitar) / Elmar Spanier (bass)
The Bonus Boys were formed in 1979 by singer/songwriter Kim Clarke, aided and abetted by lead guitarist, Jack Matthews. Matthews knew drummer Johnson from previous musical encounters and Spanier was a mutual connection from the Vancouver music scene. They recorded their first 45rpm single, “Wasting Our Time” and “Everytime I See a Car Like Yours Go By” in the later part of 1979 and released it on their own Tsunami label. Their manager, Adrian D. did a remarkable job promoting the band, eventually securing shows in local clubs when clubs realized that there was actually an audience for new music. After winning a battle of the bands at a local strip/rock club the band were afforded the opportunity to record their second single “I Want To Work In A Bank” and “Confusing Ourselves”. This quirky single went on to receive good air play on some of the local commercial radio stations. Following the recording of their proposed third single, “So Sad” and “Head For the Hills” the band fractured into other projects and eventually disbanded. Clarke would go on to record a College hit with his song “It’s A Grey Day” in 1986; in the ’90s he played with successful touring act The Falcons. He also played with acts The Way Outs and Tokyo Joe among others. Clarke also taught for many years at Bill Lewis music in Vancouver, BC. More recently he was pursuing solo and collaborative work with a number of players before dying after a long private battle with cancer on December 30, 2010 in London, Ontario; Johnson and Spanier would join Billy Cowsill’s band The Blue Shadows in the 1990’s. with notes from Kim Clarke, and Jay Johnson. [also see KIM CLARKE]

Singles
1979 Wasting Our Time/Everytime I See A Car Like Yours Go By (Tsunami)  
1980 I Want To Work In A Bank/Confusing Ourselves (Tsunami)

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BOOKMEN, The
Dave Bookman (vocals) / Tim Mech (electric guitar)
Ottawa-based duo who toured across Canada I na beat-up Mazda. Managed to released one album on Oshawa’s Star Records in 1987. Mech would later form Peep Show in Toronto and became a roadie for The Rheostatics, The Tragically Hip, and guitar tech for Elvis Costello; Bookman, a renowned music critic, booking agent, and radio DJ in Toronto, died unexpectedly May 20, 2019. with notes from Tim Mech.

Singles
1988 What’s So Funny/[split w/FLUID WAFFLE] (Skull Duggery – US) CS-1100

Albums
1987 Volume 1: Delicatessen (Chapter/Star) CR-001

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BOOMERS, The
Ian Thomas (vocals, guitar) / Bill Dillon (guitar) / Rick Gratton (drums) / Peter Cardinali (bass)
In 1991 veteran Canadian singer/songwriter Ian Thomas joined forces with three other veteran Canadian musicians – guitarist Bill Dillon (Daniel Lanois, Joni Mitchell), drummer Rick Gratton (Rough Trade, Marc Jordan) and bassist Peter Cardinali (Rick James, Oscar Peterson) – to form the Boomers. They became successful in Europe, especially in Germany and have several gold albums under their belts. [also see IAN THOMAS]

Singles
1991 Love You Too Much (WEA)
1992 Wishes (Single Edit)//The One/Wishes (Album Version) 9031-77401
1993 The Art Of Living/To Comfort You (WEA)  PRO-814
1993 You’ve Got To Know (Edit)//Dirty Love (Live)/Wishes (Live) (WEA) 4509-92328

Albums
1991 What We Do (Alma/WEA) ACD-14252
1993 The Art Of Living (WEA)  ACD-14262
1993 Live [5-song EP] (WEA – Germany) PRO-842
1996 25,000 Days (Alma/Mighty Big)  76974-2105
2002 Midway (Alma/Universal) ACD-10372

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BOOTLEG
Ron Irving (guitar, vocals) / Gerry King (guitar, vocals) / Bryan Nelson (guitar, keyboards)  / Dan Proulx (drums) / Peter Morris (keyboards; 1986)
Formed in Vancouver in the late ’70’s, the band recorded one single for the ill-fated Heart Records label and struggled to find their country niche until changing keyboard players, hooking up with Rana Records and releasing their first single “Weekend Country”. The follow-up, “In My Arms Tonight” (1986), was a Top20 hit. Bootleg continued releasing singles into the ’90’s.

Singles
1979 Queen Of Hearts (Heart) HRT-7901
1985 Weekend Country (Rana)
1986 In My Arms Tonight/What I Want (Rana)
1986 Ordinary People/Pass Me By (Rana) RR-008
1987 Taste Of Romance/Pickin’ On the Porch (Rana) RR-012
1987 Mama/You’ll Be So Proud Of Me/[same] RR-013
1988 Keep It Up (Rana)
1989 You’ve Got Me Hurtin’/ The Cowboy Thing To Do (Rana) RR-0027
1990 Bluebird Lullabye (Rana)
1990 Champagne And Roses (Rana)

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BOOTSAUCE
Alan Baculis (bass) / Drew Ling (vocals) / Pere Fume [aka Perry Johnson] (guitar) / Marc Villeneuve (drums) / Sonny Greenwich Jr. (guitar) / Rob Kazenel (drums; replaced Villeneuve 1991)  / John ‘Fatboy’ Lalley (drums; replaced Kazenel)  / Fraser Rosetti (guitar; replaced Pere Fume)
Bootsauce was conceived in 1989 when Drew Ling and Pere Fume hooked up with Sonny Greenwich, Jr. after they all met by chance in future manager Steven Shipp’s office. The first album called ‘The Brown Album’ spawned two hits in “Play With Me” and the remake of Hot Chocolate’s “Everyone’s A Winner”. The first tune won a MuchMusic Video Award and the second won them a JUNO. Ian Astbury of The Cult saw them and was so impressed, they were asked to tour England with The Cult. Unlike the first album and their second – ‘Bull’ – album No. 3, ‘Sleeping Bootie’, didn’t reach the gold sales mark like the first two mostly do to the label’s under-promotion in light of managerial and band member problems.  During the recording of ‘Bootsauce’, founding member Pere Fume left in a dispute with the handling of the band’s career by the record label. Fume returned to his given name and formed Toronto band Fonzi. During the recording of the album they picked up Exploited guitarist Fraser Rosetti who were recording at the same studio in England. Polygram released a greatest hits album shortly after the band’s demise in 1996. with notes from Marc Villeneuve.

Singles
1990 Masterstroke (Edit Version)/Masterstroke (Album Version) [12”] (Vertigo/Polygram) SPP 1020
1990 Scratching The Whole [5 mixes 12”] (Vertigo/Polygram) 875343
1990 Everyone’s A Winner (Vertigo/Polygram) CDP-451
1991 Play With Me (Vertigo/Polygram)
1991 Sex Marine//Scratching the Whole (Album Version)/Scratching the Whole (Bootblast Edit) [12”] (Vertigo/Polygram) 866305
1992 Whatcha Need/Outhouse Quake (Vertigo/Polygram) PCD-222
1992 Big, Bad & Groovy [3 mixes 12”] (Vertigo/Polygram) 866 843
1992 Love Monkey #9 (Edited Version)/Love Monkey #9 (Album Version) (Vertigo/Polygram) PCD-169
1992 Rollercoaster’s Child (Vertigo/Polygram) PCD-276
1992 Touching Cloth/Hold Tight (Polydor – UK) SAUCY1
1992 Dogpound (Vertigo/Polygram) PCD-261
1993 Sorry Whole (Vertigo/Polygram)
1993 Automatic [4 mixes 12”] (Vertigo/Polygram) sauce lp – 1
1994 Crack of Dawn [The Ice CD] (Labatt Ice/Vertigo/Polygram) 5
1994 Moanie [3 mixes] (Vertigo/Polygram) PCD-352
1994 Caught Looking At You (Fryed Edit)/Caught Looking At You (Fryed Radio Mix) (Vertigo/Polygram) PCD-356
1995 Hey Baby (Vertigo/Mercury/Polydor) PCD-380
1995 Each Morning After (Vertigo/Mercury/Polydor) PCD-395

Albums
1990 The Brown Album (Vertigo) 846 247
1990 Re-Boot [6-song EP] (Vertigo) 510 118
1991 Bull (Vertigo/Polygram) 512 361
1992 Bum Steer [5-song EP] (Vertigo/Polygram)
1993 Sleeping Bootie (Vertigo/Polygram) 518 431
1994 By Fleet & New Haw [4-song 10”] (Vertigo/Polygram) BOOTLP-01
1995 Bootsauce (Mercury/Polydor) 526 778
1996 Bootism: The Bootsauce Collection (Mercury/Polydor) 532-290

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BOP’S, Les
Camille Flibotte (guitar) / Robert Mercure (rhythm guitar; left in 1965) / André Samson (bass) / Robert Jutras (organ) / Pierre Ringuet (drums) / Claude Daigle (bass; replaced Samson) / Georges Laflèche (vocals)
A 4-piece from Plessisville, Québec who made a name for themselves at nightclubs and dance halls around the province. Les Bop’s released singles in 1965 and 1966 which allowed them to perform on television shows “Allez 4” and “Bonsoir copains.” In 1967, Tony Roman produced their single “The Montréal World’s Fair Song” for Expo 67 in Montréal. The band split up in 1968; Ringuet would go on to drum for Vos Voisins and do session work for Claude des Rochers, Louise Forestier, Pauline Julien, Yvon Deschamps, and Claude Lafrance among many others. With notes from Serge Gingras, Johanne Lepage, and Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1965 Autrefois/C’est l’amour (Kébec) DK-516
1965 La grande rentrée/Garçons et filles (Kébec) DK-521
1966 Autrefois/C’est l’amour (Niagara) N-508
1967 Quel beau jour/La fille sans nom (Niagara) N-521
1967 The Montréal World’s Fair Song/The Montréal World’s Fair Song (instrumentale) (Festival Souvenirs) EXP. NO-1

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BOPCATS
Sonny Baker (vocals) / Teddy Fury (drums, vocals) / Duane Wayne [aka Jim McTaggart] (guitar) / Pat Flynn (bass) / Jack de Keyzer (guitar, vocals; replaced McTaggart 1980)  / Zeke Rivers (bass, vocals; replaced Flynn 1980)
Toronto’s original rockabilly outfit, formed by Baker, Fury and McTaggart in 1979, were the creators of the Toronto country-billy hybrid scene that became popular in the early ’80’s with bands like The Razorbacks. The Bopcats’ rockabilly sound in Canada predated the Stray Cats signature style by six months. The Bopcats’ debut was a self-titled EP on Showtime Records produced by Rough Trade/Flying Circus bassist Terry Wilkins (and engineered by Doug McClement) which contained a radio single called “Ride a Rocket” reached No.2 in England. The EP was followed shortly by a 7″ single featuring an original tune called “Caroline” backed with a cover version of the Bing Day song called “I Can’t Help It”. The EP, the single and word-of-mouth about their kinetic live shows helped them secure a deal with Attic Records in 1980. Just prior to signing the deal, Duane Wayne quit and was replaced by Jack de Keyzer on guitar and vocals. Soon after, Zeke Rivers left the Toronto New Wave band Willie English to join the Bopcats as their bassist. The band released two albums – ‘Bopcats’ (1981) and ‘Wild Jungle Rock’ (1982). During these years, the Bopcats were well known for the outstanding music they could create in any live setting, from coast to coast, in both Canada and the USA including the band’s ‘Whip Skull Tour’ of 1982. Sonny Baker left the Bopcats in early 1983 and formed his own soul/R&B band called Ten To Midnight. de Keyzer, Fury and Rivers carried on as The Bopcats for a short while before re-thinking their music, changing their style to harder-edged rock and roll, re-naming themselves Rock Angels and recording an EP on Attic Records. The Rock Angels eventually split up and the members continued with their own pursuits. Jack de Keyzer would go on to be a much respected blues guitarist, session man, and producer with several solo CDs under his belt in the 1990s and awards in the early 2000s; Teddy Fury would play in several bands (most notably The Royal Crowns) and has spent many years tending bar at The Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto; Sonny Baker works for Sunrise Records in Toronto; Zeke Rivers earned his PhD in 1994 and teaches Sociology and Criminal Justice in a college in Massachusetts. with notes from Tim (Sonny) Baker, Jim McTaggart, Jack de Keyzer, Zeke Rivers. [also see JACK de KEYZER]

Singles
1979 Extended Play [4 song EP] (Showtime) STEP-001
1980 Caroline/I Can’t Help It (Showtime) SHOW-002
1981 Buddy This Is It (The Stand)/Rainbow Girl//[split w/SHAKIN’ STEVENS] (Epic/CBS) DJE4-8457
1981 Kiss Goodbye//Cool Off Baby/Train Kept A Rollin’ (Attic) HEP-001
1982 Stop Breakin’ Up My Heart/Last Hurtin’ Song (Attic) AT-269

Albums
1981 The Bopcats (Attic) LAT-1113
1982 Wild Jungle Rock (Attic) LAT-1139

as ROCK ANGELS
1983 Rock Angels (Attic) ATT 1231

Compilation Tracks
1981 “Buddy This Is It” on ‘Rocktober ‘81’ (Attic) ROCT-081
1993 “Wild Jungle Rock” on ‘Caught In the Attic’ [3CDs] ATTIC-XX

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BOREAL
Jude Vadala (vocals) / Katherine Wheatley (vocals) / Tannis Slimmon (vocals)
From Guelph, Ontario. [also see JUDE VADALA, TANNIS SLIMMON, KATHERINE WHEATLEY]

Album
2014 Winter’s Welcome (Boreal Songs/The Hoot Music Company) HMCCD-003

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BOREALIS
Paul Bradbury (vocals, organ) / Wayne Sturge (guitar, vocals) / Mark Bradbury (bass, vocals) / David Hillier (drums)
Formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1970, Borealis was signed to Audat Records in 1972 and released their only LP, ‘Sons of the Sea’, that year; in 1973 Paul Bradbury would go on to be in Professor Fuddle’s Fantastic Fairy Tale Machine.

Albums
1972 Sons of the Sea (Audat) 477-9025

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BORN WRONG
Chris Whetstone (drums) / CJ Ricottone (guitar, vocals) / James Oag / Jamieson Francis (bass, vocals) / Scott Paige (guitar, lead vocals)
From Hamilton, Ontario.

Singles
2013 Born Wrong [4-song 7″] (Schizophrenic) SCHIZ-72
2013 Holding Cell [5-song 7″] (Schizophrenic) SCHIZ-76
2013 Thin Skin [s/sided 5″ Flexi-disc] (Schizophrenic) SCHIZ-77
2014 Art District [4-song 7″] (Schizophrenic) SCHIZ-80
2014 Bukkake For Blog Hype [9-song 2 x 7″] (Schizophrenic) SCHIZ-81
2016 Death Certificate [4-song 10″] (Schizophrenic)

Albums
2016 Born Wrong [LP] (Schizophrenic) SCHIZ-89

Compilation Tracks
2012 “Burn A Debt,” “Party Banter,” “Another Enemy,” and “Promise Of The Godless” on ‘Born Wrong / Kleins96’ [10″ split (Rebel Time) RTR-010
2013 “Loujack Cafe,” “Torch The Place,” “Heretic,” and “Wage Slave” on ‘Born Wrong + Cruelster – Split’ [cassette (Secret Tapes)

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BORN YESTERDAY
Allan MacKay (lead vocals, bass) / Rob Tyler (drums) / Des Leahy (guitar) / Joe Atkins Jr. (guitar)
Formed in the Durham Region east of Toronto. MacKay and Tyler had been in the band The Times and made an appearance on Q107 FM’s ‘Homegrown Volume IV’ talent search compilation. They assembled Born Yesterday and self-produced their debut album in 1990 with engineer Paul Lachapelle and co-producer Marty Morin at Quest Studio in Oshawa, Ontario. The band, and the CD, caught the attention of Gerry Young at Current Records who re-released the title in 1991. Allan MacKay and Rob Tyler would go on to form music and comedy duo Two For The Show. With notes from Rob Tyler.

Albums
1990 Born Yesterday (BFD Enterprises)
1991 Born Yesterday [re-issue] (Current/A & M/Polygram)

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BOSWELL, John
Prince Edward Island native John Boswell began his musical journey at fifteen years old when he began performing in bars around Atlantic Canada as a guitarist and vocalist for bands Broken Toys and Counting Zero. By 1993, he was a young voice representing Atlantic Canada at the ‘First Annual National Songwriting Competition’, and it was there that he showed some of the nation’s top music minds that he was a force to contend with. Boswell’s music resumé is lengthy having collaborated with Natalie McMaster (Warner Music recording artist), Kevin MacMichael (Cutting Crew, Robert Plant), and Ken Greer (Red Rider, Tom Cochrane) and Jon Mullane (Maple Music recording artist). He has also shared the stage with the likes of Steve Earle and Tom Cochrane and even auditioned on Broadway. After producing demos in Toronto with fellow east coaster, Creighton Doane, Boswell managed to get two of his songs placed on Red Rider member Jeff Jones’ first solo album ‘Positive’ in 2001. With Jones signed to Bullseye Records, the label took notice of Boswell and signed him to a recording contract to release his own solo album. The 2002 ‘Stranger In the Mirror’ CD was produced by Creighton Doane and yielded a CHUM Top30 hit with the lead off single/video “Forgive Me.” The song spent 14 weeks on the chart and peaked at No. 21. The second single/video was “Caught In Your Orbit” and though it failed to match the chart success of its predecessor, helped Boswell land a 2003 ECMA nomination for ‘New Artist of the Year’. Boswell would go on to write four songs to Maureen Leeson’s album entitled ‘AKA Moe’ (also produced by Creighton Doane). He recorded a second, as yet, unreleased album. Boswell now lives in P.E.I. once more.

Singles
2002 Forgive Me (Bullseye) BLR-0021
2002 Caught In Your Orbit (Bullseye) BLR-CD-0022
2003 You Know Me Better/Stranger In the Mirror (Bullseye) BEP-CD-0040Albums
2002 Stranger In the Mirror (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4056

Compilation Tracks
2001 “What Child Is This” on ‘Takin’ Care of Christmas’ (Bullseye)
BLR-CD-4019
2006 “Everything Right” on ‘UNsigned, Sealed & Delivered: V2.0 – A New Breed’ (Frontline/Bullseye) FL-804009

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BOTE PEEPLE

Singles
1980 Help, Help I’m Drowning/Mr. And Mississauga (Junk) WW-067-001

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BOTTOMLEY, Chris
Bottomley was born in Toronto. As the son of a Canadian Air Force officer, he traveled frequently, setting up brief homesteads in Ottawa, London (England), Cold Lake (Alberta), Lahr (Germany) and back to Toronto by the time he was in his early 20’s. Back in Toronto, Bottomley cut his teeth alongside his brother John with a band called Tulpa who were part of the 2nd wave of punk/new wave on the Queen Street circuit in the mid-80s. Originally called Private Lives in 1984, they changed their name to Tulpa and released their first album ‘Mosaic Fish’ on England’s Midnight Music label in 1985. They toured extensively between Toronto, London and New York City. By 1986 they had become fixtures at the legendary CBGB’s in New York City. Hilly Krystal, the owner, managed them for a while and signed Tulpa to his Off The Board record label and released a live album. Tulpa also received a mention in Krystal’s book called “This Ain’t No Disco: The Story of CBGB’s”. Following the demise of Tulpa, Bottomley struck out as a solo singer-songwriter and released ‘Brainfudge’ in 1995. It and his subsequent albums ‘Knotty Bits’ (2003) and ‘Cerebral Lubrication’ (2004) and , are an eclectic mix of world music, funk, soul and R & B. [also see TULPÄ]

Albums
1995 Brainfudge (Partly Bent)
2002 Knotty Bits (Partly Bent)
2004 Cerebral Lubrication (Partly Bent)

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BOTTOMLEY, John
Born: September 17, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario
Died: April 6, 2011 in Brackendale, British Columbia
Bottomley was born in Toronto. As the son of a Canadian Air Force officer, he traveled frequently, setting up brief homesteads in Ottawa, London (England), Cold Lake (Alberta), Lahr (Germany) and back to Toronto by the time he was 20. In England he studied classical piano and sang in the school Choir. Later, in Germany, he bought his first guitar. At age 16 he started playing in bands and played the Black Forest region of Southern Germany. Back in Toronto, Bottomley cut his teeth alongside his brother Chris with a band called Tulpa who were part of the 2nd wave of punk/new wave on the Queen Street circuit in the mid-80s. Originally called Private Lives in 1984, they changed their name to Tulpa and released their first album ‘Mosaic Fish’ on England’s Midnight Music label in 1985. They toured extensively between Toronto, London and New York City. By 1986 they had become fixtures at the legendary CBGB’s in New York City. Hilly Krystal, the owner, managed them for a while and signed Tulpa to his Off The Board record label and released a live album. Tulpa also received a mention in Krystal’s book called “This Ain’t No Disco: The Story of CBGB’s”. Following the demise of Tulpa, Bottomley struck out as a solo singer-songwriter and released the album ‘Library of the Sun’ independently. It won ‘Record of the Year’ at Ottawa’s college radio station CKCU (Carleton University). The Cowboy Junkies’ Latent Records signed him which would lead to a direct deal with BMG. In 1992 he released ‘Songs with the Ornamental Hermits’ that won Bottomley a Canadian JUNO Award for ‘Male Artist of the Year’ and the single “Bell Tower Radio” made Top30 at Adult Contemporary radio. In 1995 he released ‘Blackberry’ which spawned several Canadian Top10 hits. The song “You Lose and You Gain” went to No.3 on the Canadian ‘The Record’ chart and No. 6 on RPM’s chart. It won a SOCAN Award as one of the top songs of 1995. The second single, “Long Way To Go”, just missed the Top50. In 1998 came the album “Raggle Taggle” featuring numerous players from Sarah McLachlan’s band, self-produced by Bottomley and mixed by internationally renowned producer David Kershenbaum. It was nominated for ‘Male Vocalist of the Year’ at the West Coast Music Awards. With a move to Bowen Island in 2000 he released ‘The Crown of Life’ and in 2004 ‘Star in the Singing Grove’ both independently on his own Crane/Bag label. He moved again into the Rocky Mountains and released 2007’s ‘Songpoet’ that featured “I Drifted By the Creek” – a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Contest in the USA. Mountain life seemed to agree with him and led to two new albums in 2009. Bottomley died unexpectedly on April 6, 2011. [also see TULPÄ]

Singles
1989 She Lay Down By The Water (Crane/Bag)
1991 Barkeeper (Pour Me a Drink) (Crane/Bag)
1992 Bell Tower Radio (Latent/BMG)
1992 Bringing Down The Moon (BMG) KCDP-51125
1995 You Lose And You Gain (BMG) KCDP-51271
1995 Long Way To Go (BMG) KCDP-51300
1995 Brother To The Sea (BMG) KCDP-51314
1998 Take You Higher (True North)
1998 Oh My Love (True North)

Albums
1990 Library of the Sun (Latent/BMG) LATEX-CD8
1992 A Glimpse of “Songs With the Ornamental Hermits” [5-song EP] (BMG) KCDP-51107
1992 Songs With the Ornamental Hermits (Latent/BMG) 11635
1995 Blackberry (BMG) 25264
1997 Raggle Taggle (John Bottomley) JB-9731
1998 Raggle Taggle [re-issue] (True North) TNSD-0167
2000 The Crown of Life (Crane/Bag)
2004 Star In the Singing Grove (Crane/Bag)
2007 Songpoet (Crane/Bag) 710136045
2009 The Mountain Hammered – Vol. 1 (Crane/Bag)
2009 The Mountain Hammered – Vol. 2 (Crane/Bag)
2010 The Healing Dream (Crane/Bag)

Compilation Tracks
1992 “Bell Tower Radio” on ‘New Stuff’ (MMS) NSCD-001

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BOULEVARD [aka BLVD.]
David Forbes (lead vocals) / Randy Burgess (bass) / Mark Holden (saxophone, vocals) / Andrew Johns (keyboards) / Randy Gould (guitar) / Randall Stoll (drums) / Tom Christianson (bass; replaced Burgess)
Mark Holden had been working in a recording studio in Frankfurt, Germany and an offer to open a new, multi-million dollar recording studio in Calgary, Alberta run by Dan Lowe gave him reason to return to Canada. While working there, he and Gould formed Boulevard with American violinist/vocalist David Forbes (who had recorded a beer jingle which Holden engineered). They recorded continuously and released several singles on CBS Germany, one which charted, but it wasn’t practical to tour there or to obtain a reciprocal deal in North America. When the studio finally closed in 1985, the band relocated to Vancouver. John Alexander at MCA Records expressed interest at the time and encouraged them to keep improving their demos and helped cultivate the act. They soon signed on with Rock Headquarters Management (Bruce Allen, Lou Blair, Cliff Jones) and a record deal was secured with MCA in 1987 under the abbreviated name BLVD. Producer Pierre Bazinet (Luba, Sass Jordan) was brought in to record the debut album, but the group had no ‘sound’; they hadn’t even performed together as a band or road tested any of the songs. The record was mixed by Mike Fraser, Bob Rock and Humberto Gatica. In 1988 MCA released the band’s eponymous debut and their first single, “In the Twilight”, followed as did three other singles. BLVD headed out on the road opening first for Glass Tiger and then with Boston. As crowds began to warm to the band, especially in Québec City and Windsor, the album had sold 45,000 copies. By writing while on the road, they were able to return to the studio with John Punter (Roxy Music, Spoons) and lay down the ‘live’ feeling ‘In the Streets’ album. The record was released in 1990 under the full-blown Boulevard name because the band had been getting complaints that they didn’t understand the abbreviation. In 1990 Randall Stoll quit the band, but the group disbanded shortly after the release of the “Crazy Life” single. Holden co-owns HipDigital with Dan Lowe (Hammersmith) and former UMG/EMI label executive Peter Diemer; The band reunited to record the 2LP set ‘Boulevard IV – Luminescence.’

Singles
as BLVD.
1988 In The Twilight (Short Version)/In The Twilight (LP version) (MCA) MCA-8849
1988 Far From Over/Missing Persons (MCA) MCA-53268
1988 Never Give Up/When The Lights Go Down (MCA) MCA-53279
1988 Dream On/Western Skies (MCA) MCA-53395

as BOULEVARD
1984 Rainy Day In London/Willie [7″ & 12″] (CBS – Germany) A-4277
1984 Far From Over/High Road [7″ & 12″] (CBS – Germany) A-4730
1990 Lead Me On (MCA) CD45-18145
1990 Crazy Life (MCA)

Albums
as BLVD
1988 Blvd (MCA) MCAD-42111

as BOULEVARD
1990 Into The Street (MCA) MCAD-42317
2001 The Hitstory (Boulevard) BLVD2001/01
2017 Boulevard IV – Luminescence [2LP] (Boulevard) BLV-5892217

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BOURBON TABERNACLE CHOIR
Kate Fenner (vocals) / Chris Brown (organ, clavinet, trombone, vocals) / Christopher Plock (keyboards, sax, flute, vocals) / Chris Miller (guitar) / Gregor Beresford (drums; 1984-1994) / Gene Hardy (sax, vocals) / Jason Mercer (bass) / Andrew Whiteman (guitar, vocals) / David Wall (piano, lead vocals) / John Buck (trumpet) / Andrew MacEachern (percussion) / Peter Mercier (vocals, guitar) / Graham King (drums)
This unwieldy 8-piece monster was created out of a high school jam session in 1985 and was dubbed The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir by founder Chris Brown following a dream he’d had. With an eye to stardom the band slugged it out on the Toronto club circuit all the while selling their independent cassettes from the stage to ‘spread the word’. They released 3 full-length tapes between 1987 and 1990 the last of which got them some serious attention. The 1990 cassette, “Sister Anthony”, spawned two singles – “As Right As They Wanna Be” and “Put Your Head On” – and was produced by Blue Rodeo keyboardist Bob Wiseman. The latter tune was the band’s first successfully aired video on MuchMusic and led director Bruce McDonald to include the song on his ‘Highway 61’ movie soundtrack. From there they landed a deal with indie record label Yonder and released the Hendrix inspired ‘Superior Cackling Hen’ which produced three more singles distributed by Sony. In 1995 Brown stepped into the side project Don’t Talk Dance with Barenaked Ladies’ Tyler Stewart and Big Sugar’s Gordie Johnson while Dave Wall released his debut solo album and Kate Fenner appeared on the CBC’s “Quiet Please…There’s A Lady On Stage”. After regrouping, they were able to release a new studio album, ‘Shyfolk’, produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda (Rheostatics, Vital Sines, Barenaked Ladies). They also re-issued the ‘Sister Anthony’ material on CD with bonus tracks and took back ‘Superior Cackling Hen’ from Sony for distribution on their own. With sights set on bigger ponds, the band relocated to New York to try and grab the brass ring, but the disparate conditions and competition drove many of the members back home leaving Brown and Fenner to carry on the act as the Bourbon Tabernacle Duo in 1998. The last addition to the band, David Wall, continued a solo career on Hypnotic Records; Andrew Whiteman worked in Gn’lbob before going solo with 1995’s ‘Fear of Zen’ album.

Singles
1991 Put Your Head On/As Right As They Wanna Be [cassette] (Applaud The Potato) ATPC-011
1992 Make Amends (Yonder/Sony)
1993 Afterglow (Yonder/Sony)
1993 Original Grin (Yonder/Sony)
1995 All Peace (Yonder/Sony)
1995 Be My Witness (Yonder/Sony)

Albums
1987 First Taste of Bourbon [3-song cassette] (Applaud The Potato)
1989 If Hell Had a Houseband [5-song cassette] (Applaud The Potato)
1990 Sister Anthony [cassette] (Applaud The Potato) ATPC-0018
1992 Sister Anthony [CD re-issue] YRD-013
1992 Superior Cackling Hen (Yonder/Sony) YRD-0014
1995 Shyfolk (Yonder/Sony) YRD-0015
2000 1985 – 1995 (Tycoon) TKY-80580

Compilation Tracks
1989 “Just Can’t Seem To Get My Poor Self Together” on ‘Indie-Can ‘89’ (Intrepid) CD-2
1991 “Put Your Head On” on ‘Indie-Can ‘91’ (Intrepid) CD-4
1991 “Put Your Head On” on ‘Q107 Homegrown Album Volume 13’ (MCA) MCAD-10466
1992 “Make Amends” on ‘New Stuff’ (MMS) NSCD-001

as RHEOSTATICS & THE BOURBON TABERNACLE CHOIR
1994 “Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199

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BOURGEOIS, Les
Serge Letendre (vocals) / Denis Leclerc (lead guitar) / Louis Bégin (guitar) / André Lemay (bass) / Guy Dupont (drums) / Gilles Boisvert (bass; replaced Lemay 1964) / Yvon Gauthier (guitar; replaced Bégin) / Normand Niquet (bass, vocals; replaced Boisvert 1966)
From Drummondville, Québec. Andre Lemay left to join Les Intouchables in 1964. He replaced Gilles Boisvert in the band. Boisvert joined Les Bourgeois in his place. Les Bourgeois made regular appearances on the radio program “Club 1340 de Drummondville.” They would also take first prize in a Battle of the Bands competition which also included a TV appearance in Sherbrooke, Québec. This led to a small tour performing at the Escapade in Saint-Hyacinthe, then in Sorel, Trois-Rivières, and Victoriaville. By 1965, Les Bourgeois had signed a recording contract with producer Denis Pantis and released “Ma chouette” b/w “Horreur, fureur, bonheur” on the Blue Jean label. More touring and TV appearances would follow. In June 1966, Boisvert left the band to join Les Intouchables and was replaced by Normand Niquet. This was followed by the departure of Letendre leaving Niquet as the vocalist of the group. With notes from Michel Charbonneau.

Singles
1965 Ma chouette/Horreur, fureur, bonheur (Blue Jean) BJ-2802

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BOURGEOIS, Ludovick
From Montréal, Québec. Son of Les B.B. member Patrick Bourgeois.

Albums
2017 Ludovick Bourgeois (Productions J) PJCD-2389
2019 2 (L-Abe) 2069

with LUDOVICK BOURGEOIS, PATRICK BOURGEOIS
2015 Ludovic & Patrick Bourgeois (Les Disques Bourgeois) DBR2-4601

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BOURGEOIS, Patrick
Born: Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1962
Died: November 26, 2017
Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Patrick Bourgeois got his start in Montreal punk band The Wipers in the early ’80s. By the mid-80s he was in the backing band for singer Lara Arleninov alongside drummer François Jean. They were both hired by Montreal humorists Rock Et Belles Oreilles in the mid-1980s The two would leave that group in 1987 to co-found their own group Les B.B. (aka Les Beaux Blonds) from 1989 to 1994. Following the band’s split, he embarked on a short-lived solo career. Les B.B. would reunite in 2004; Patrick Bourgeois passed away November 26, 2017. [also see LES B.B., THE WIPERS]

Singles
with LARA
1986 Don’t Bother/I’ll Change (LongLegs) UR-4545

Albums
1996 Karmina – Trame Sonore De (Tox) TOXCD-3016
1998 Patrick Bourgeois (Tox) TOXCD-3027
2001 Inexploré (Disques Strato/DEP) STRA2-1425

with ROCK ET BELLES OREILLES
1986 The Disque (Audiogram) AD-10001
1987 The Spectacle (Audiogram) AD-10020

with LUDOVICK BOURGEOIS, PATRICK BOURGEOIS
2015 Ludovic & Patrick Bourgeois (Les Disques Bourgeois) DBR2-4601

Compilation Tracks
1999 “J’ai Jamais Su Comment” on ‘La Compilation Exclusive Cool! No 1’ (Tox)

with LISA LEBLANC & PATRICK BOURGEOIS
2014 “Donne Moi Ma Chance” on ‘Les Duos Improbables 2’ (La Tribu) TRICD-7358

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BOURNE & MacLEOD
Bill Bourne (guitar, vocals) / Alan MacLeod (guitar, vocals)
Calgary’s Bourne & MacLeod knew each other back in their band, the Tannahill Weavers beginning in 1980. In 1985 MacLeod quit the band to pursue an art career back in his native Alberta. The retirement was short lived when Bourne started chatting MacLeod up one day about some tunes he had demoed. Before long the duo was performing together under the name Bourne & MacLeod and managed to appear at all the important folk festivals in 1990. In ’91 they recorded an album for the CBC but ended up releasing ‘Dance and Celebrate’ themselves. With three successful singles, the album led to a ‘Best Roots and Traditional Album’ JUNO Award. The award gave them major label clout and they were able to upgrade their next release to the Attic World subsidiary of Attic Records. ‘Moonlight Dancers’ was produced by Brian Allen (Toronto) and released in 1992 but failed to have the same impact as the first. Bill Bourne now works with fellow folk-singer/guitarist Shannon Johnson. The duo released an album called ‘Dear Madonna’ in 1994; Bill Bourne died unexpectedly April 16, 2022.

Singles
1992 Ship of Fortune (Attic/A & M)

Albums
1989 Dance & Celebrate [cassette] (independent)
1990 Dance & Celebrate [CD] (Rynde) 1501
1991 Dance & Celebrate [re-issue] (Attic/A & M) ACD-1314
1992 Moonlight Dancers (Attic/A & M) ACD-1343
2002 Bootleg (Second Story) SSR#2001

with KATE & ANNA McGARRIGLE/BOURNE & MacLEOD
1990 Variety Recordings 3 (CBC Variety) VRCD-1003

Compilation Tracks
1993 “Trust In Love” on ‘Caught In the Attic’ [3CDs] (Attic) ATTIC-XX

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BOUVETTE, Don
Alberta country a la George Jones/Merle Haggard. He uses some of the industry’s best side men including Bob Dylan graduates.

Singles
1982 Red Hot Steel/Summertime Love (Circa) CS-1322
1987 Country Singers & Cowboys (Comstock – US) COM-1845

Albums
1982 Country (Circa) CSLP-8201
1986 Country Singers & Cowboys (Circa) CDLP-12211

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BOWSER & BLUE
George Bowser (guitar, vocals) / Ricky Blue (guitar, harmonica, vocals)
This duo from Montréal teamed up after a trip to Toronto in 1981. They perform “bedroom ballads and toilet humour”. Their single “Polka Dot Undies” was picked up by Toronto’s Q107 and the band opened for Katrina And The Waves’ Canadian tour in 1986. The duo, who claim “we started at the bottom and liked it so much we stayed there”, gave up their penchant for ’60’s pop songs to do more arousing “parodies and rude songs”. with notes from Ken Frederick.

Singles
1986 Polka Dot Undies/It Ain’t Easy Being White (Justin Time) JUST-4503
1986 Gimme the Bottle/Rappin’ Rambo (Justin Time) JUST-4504
1988 Rappin’ Rambo/Writing My Name In the Snow (Horus – Spain)

Albums
1986 Bowser & Blue (Justin Time) JUST-9
1987 Is It In Yet? (Justin Time) JUST20-1
1989 The Lovely & Talented Bowser & Blue (Justin Time) JUST32-2
1990 Westmount Rhodesians (Justin Time) JUST37-2
1992 Live (You Guys) YGCD-1
1994 Montréal Souvenirs (You Guys) YGCD-3
1996 Crackpots (You Guys) YGCD-5
2001 Humour for Boomers (You Guys) YGCD-9
2003 The Illustrated Canadian Songbook (You Guys) YGCD-10
2005 Pull My Finger (You Guys) YGCD-11
2008 No Ordinary Dummies

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BOX, The
Jean-Marc Pisapia (vocals, keyboards)  / Guido Pisapia (keyboards)  / Jean-Pierre Brie (bass)  / Guy Florent (guitar; 1984)  / Luc Papineau (electronics)  / Claude Thibault (guitar; replaced Florent) / Sylvain Coutu (drums; 1984-85 tour only) / Philippe Bernard (drums; replaced Coutu)
In 1981, Montréal keyboardist Jean-Marc Pisapia was a member of Men Without Hats. After a short period (and prior to their world success), he left the band to write tunes with fellow electronics whiz Luc Papineau (who had been lighting man for Men Without Hats). Several months later, Jean-Pierre Brie and Guy Florent were recruited. For a period they called themselves Checkpoint Charlie before Florent suggested the name The Box. Meanwhile, Men Without Hats producer Marc Durand had established his own record label with former Anthem Records man Tom Berry called Alert Records. After Durand produced The Box’s winning entry in 1983’s CKOI-FM Homegrown contest, The Box became Alert’s first signing and Jean-Marc’s brother Guy Pisapia was added to take over the main keyboard chores while Jean-Marc focused on vocals. Their debut album, a mostly English language ‘The Box’, was released in 1984 and spawned two singles, “Walk Away” and “Must I Always Remembers”, helping to push sales of the album to a modest 10,000 copies. When recording the second album ‘All the Time, All the Time, All The Time Guy’ Florent had left and was replaced by Claude Thibault. Two new elements were added to the Box’s sound: female backing vocals by a very young Sass Jordan, and permanent drummer Philippe Bernard who was assigned the task of replacing the drum machines. The Box were nominated for a ‘Most Promising Group’ JUNO Award and received a 1985 Felix Award for ‘Group Of The Year’ mainly due to their single/video for the French-meets-English language cross-over hit “L’Affaire Dumoutier (Say To Me)”. 1987’s ‘Closer Together’ went platinum on the strength of three hit singles. Along with the single/video for the title track, the band created a 22 minute charity video of the song for Leukemia Canada featuring members of the Montréal Canadiens hockey franchise. After touring ‘Closer Together’ for more than 18 months, the band took 6 months off to recover before coming back with 1990’s ‘The Pleasure And The Pain’ which had been recorded in England with Martin Rushent (Human League, The Go-Gos). Wiht a new American deal with Capitol-EMI in Losa Angelese there were great expectations but the album failed to make significant in-roads on radio and at retail in the United States. After 10 years and 400,000 copies of their albums having sold worldwide, The Box disbanded in 1992. Jean-Marc re-emerged in 1995 with a solo album ‘John of Mark’ on Alert Records. Several years ago Jean-Marc Pisapia was approached to do some Box reunion shows, but none of the original members were keen on returning to the music business, and so, the vocalist forged ahead with a new line-up and The Box returned with a new CD in 2005 called ‘Black Dog There.’

Singles
1984 Walk Away/War Going On (Alert) BDS-500
1984 Must I Always Remember/The Great Summer Fair (Alert) BDS-501
1984 Dancing On The Grave/Live On T.V. (Alert) BDS-504
1984 Dancing On The Grave/Live On T.V. [12″] (Alert) CMBD-004
1985 With All This Cash/For The First And Very Last (Alert) BDS-507
1985 L’Affaire Dumoutier (Say To Me)/Remnants (Alert) BDS-510
1985 My Dreams Of You/To What We Shall Believe (Alert) BDS-512
1985 My Dream Of You [12″] (Alert) MBD-009
1987 Closer Together/Without Love (Alert) BDS-519
1987 Closer Together (54th Street Mix) [12″ 4 song EP] (Alert) MBD-010
1987 Ordinary People/Front Cover Lovers (Alert) BDS-522
1987 Ordinary People [12″] Alert SBD-018
1987 Crying Out Loud For Love/Tell Me A Story (Alert) BDS-524
1987 Crying Out Loud For Love/Tell Me A Story [12″](Alert) SBD-020
1988 I’m Back/Under My Skin (Alert) BDS-528
1989 Inside My Heart (Alert/Capitol-EMI) 79652
1990 Carry On/Living On Borrowed Time (Alert/Capitol-EMI) BDS-544
1990 Temptation (Alert/Capitol-EMI)

Albums
1984 The Box (Alert) BD-1000
1985 All The Time, All The Time, All The Time (Alert) BD-1003
1987 Closer Together (Alert) BD-1005
1990 The Pleasure And The Pain (Alert/Capitol-EMI) 7949532
1992 A Decade Of Box Music (Alert)
2003 Always In Touch With You: The Best Of The Box (Konfit) 5205
2005 Black Dog There (Komfy/Universal) KOMFY-1

Compilation Tracks
1987 “L’affaire Dumoutier (Tight Rope Mix)” on ‘Best Of The 60’s/70’s/80’s – The Yuppie Years'(Technics/Polygram) CDP-001
1987 “Closer Together” on ‘Canadian Gold’ (Quality) QRSP-1061

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BOY
Stephen Noel Kozmeniuk (vocals, guitar, hammond, piano) / Steve Payne (bass, vocals) / Rolla Olak (guitar, vocals) / Maurie Kaufmann (drums)
From Whitehorse, Northwest Territories.

Albums
2003 Boy (Bumstead/Universal) BUM-032
2003 French Diplomacy [3-song EP] (Bumstead/Universal) 10003
2004 Every Page You Turn (Maple Music/Universal) MRCD 6423

Compilation Tracks
2006 “Every Page You Turn” on ‘Whistler – The Soundtrack Volume 1’ (Universal) 984151

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BOY FROM NOWHERE
Henry Kox (drums) / Jon Traut (guitar) / Lindsay Young (guitar)
Formed in London, Ontario from remnants of the Bloodbrothers and The Hippies.

Compilation Tracks
1986 “Dynamite” on ‘Wave From The Grave’ [cassette] (What Wave) WW#1
1987 “Sweet Home Chicago” on ‘Wave From The Grave 2’ [cassette] (What Wave) WW#2
1987 “Ramblin’ Rose” on ‘Live In London’ [cassette] (What Wave) WW-03
1996 “Heart Full Of Soul” on ‘London Crawling’ [cassette] (What Wave)
2004 “Heart Full Of Soul” on ‘Thee Cave Comes Alive!’ [LP] (Action)
2012 “Train Kept’a Rollin'” on “Slippery’s Club Hits” [cassette] (What Wave) WW-24

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BOYD, Barry
Born: Vancouver, British Columbia
Died: 2001
Barry Boyd was a top rated DJ at CJCA in Edmonton. He was known as ‘Alberta’s Dick Clark’. He recorded “Goin’ Home To Memphis” in the hallway of the radio station with guitarist Vic Blunt (The Canadian Beadles). He left CJCA in 1964 for KFXM in San Bernardino, California, and then went on to KCBQ in San Diego but returned to Edmonton years later. with notes from Doug Thompson.

Singles
1962 Wishing/Who You Been Lovin’ (Donna) DO-1363
1962 You’re For Me/The Price of Love (Barry) B-3092X

as BARRY BOYD AND THE FRANTIKS
1961 Goin’ Home To Memphis/Walk With Me (Barry) B-3075X

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BOYS BRIGADE
Malcolm Burn (vocals, keyboards)  / Tony Lester (guitar, backing vocals, guitar synth)  / David Porter (percussion, backing vocals)  / Jeff Packer (percussion, backing vocals)  / Wayne Lorenz (bass) / Billie “Bucko” Brock (drums, backing vocals)
Formed in 1981 in Toronto where they began as a pick-up act doing speak easies and underground clubs before debuting on Queen Street. Early exposure with their song “Mannequin” on Q107’s annual Homegrown contest/album led to exposure on Toronto radio. Toronto band Rush’s light designer, Howard Ungerleider, took the band on as manager thereby putting them in direct contact with Rush’s label, Anthem. Rush bassist, Geddy Lee, took an interest in the band and subsequently produced their debut album in 1983. The album spawned two hit singles “Melody” and “The Passion of Love”. Their song “Into the Flow” was also in the film and soundtrack album to the Canadian flick ‘Heavenly Bodies’ starring Cynthia Dale. Critics predicted a long and prosperous career for the group but alas, their sheer size (three percussionists) and conflicting personalities led to a meltdown; Burn would release one critically acclaimed solo album and became a producer/engineer originally under the tutelage of Daniel Lanois and then on his own; Brock went on to Lemmings Go Here; Lester records under the name Tones.; David Porter works at Red Rock Studios. with notes from Billie Brock and Tony Lester. [also see MALCOLM BURN]

Singles
1983 Melody/Africa (Anthem/Capitol-EMI)  ANS-056
1983 Melody (Special Remix)/Africa (Capitol – EUROPE) 1C-006-2000537
1983 Melody (Special Remix)/[same] [12”] (Capitol – US) SPRO-9066
1983 The Passion of Love/Exodus (Anthem/Capitol-EMI) ANS-053
1983 The Passion of Love [12″] (Anthem/Capitol-EMI – UK) 12CLJD-324
1983 Into the Flow/The Passion of Love [12″] (Anthem/Capitol-EMI) SPE-015

Albums
1983 Boys Brigade (Anthem/Capitol-EMI) ANR-1-1040
1983 Boys Brigade [5 song EP] (Capitol – UK) 12CL-324

Compilation Tracks
1981 “Mannequin” on ‘Q107 Homegrown – Volume 3’ (Basement/Attic) BASE-6007
1984 “Into The Flow” on ‘Heavenly Bodies (O.S.T.)’ (Private I/CBS) SZ-39930
2001 “Passion of Love” on ‘The Rebel Zone-Queen Street West’ (Sony) CK-80698

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BOYS NEXT DOOR
Daniel Boivin (bass, vocals) / David Draves (vocals, guitar, keyboards) / Pete Goindi (drums)
From Hull, Québec. Boivin and Draves would go on to form Fishtales. [also see FISHTALES]

Albums
1989 Vault [6-song 12″ EP] (Boys Next Door)

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BRADBURN, Bob
Bob Bradburn was a Winnipeg, Manitoba disc jockey for CKRC-AM in the early 1960s. He recorded a number of novelty songs but is best remembered as the producer of Neil Young’s first band The Squires’ single “The Sultan” b/w “Aurora” in 1963. By the late 1960s Bradburn was working at Edmonton’s CJCA. With a move to Edmonton’s CHQT in 1970 Bradburn had the first single released on GRT Records when the label launched its satellite office in Toronto that year. The single, “Tiny Tony”, was recorded with the Jasper Place High School Stage Band, and later released on a compilation album called “Happy Holidays” in 1976.  As recently as 2000, Bradburn was still working at CHQT.

Singles
1960 Saskatoon/[split w/FRANK CALLAGHAN] (independent) 45-Q-6694
1963 Golden Boy/The Happy Bear (PEG) CKRC-63
1970 Tiny Tony/Count Your Blessings (GRT) 1230-01
1971 Bob Bradburn’s Review (vocal)/Bob Bradburn’s Review (instrumental) (BB) BB-1

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BRADLEY, Joe
Born: Cariboo, British Columbia
Bradley was born near 100 Mile House, British Columbia but would eventually call Quesnel, British Columbia home. He wrote his first song in 1970 and released his first album in the early 1970s entitled ‘Travellin’ With Joe Bradley’.

Singles
1971 Thirty-Thousand Miners/Pacific Great Eastern Line (6th Avenue)

Albums
1972 Travellin’ With Joe Bradley (Em Ar) EAS-1002

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BRADSTREET, David
Folk artist David Bradstreet was born in England but raised in Oakville, Ontario at an early age. He studied architecture after High School, but was a follower of the burgeoning Folk music movement and so began a career as a musician. Beginning in New York City in 1968 he set about performing his folk material in coffeehouses and clubs across America. He settled down in London, Ontario in 1971, where he was able to continue his art on the folk festival/university coffeehouse circuit. Television was also a steady form of work both in front of the camera (with appearances on Ian Tyson’s Nashville North show) and behind the scenes (as the vocalist heard in a series of ‘Life Saver’ commercials). He paid his dues over the next three years with hundreds of live performances as an addition to the Texas soft-rock trio Lazarus who were a pet project of Peter, Paul & Mary’s Peter Yarrow and managed by Albert Grossman. Bradstreet would hone his songwriting skills with Lazarus’ Bill Hughes and he would form a life-long musical relationship with the band’s Carl Keesee. So it was in 1974 that Bradstreet returned to Canada and solo pursuits. Bradstreet was getting placement for his songs with various recording artists and soon Valdy had a sizable radio hit with one of Bradstreet’s most memorable tunes called “Renaissance”. Valdy’s professional association to A & M Records led to a recording deal on that label for Bradstreet himself. In 1977 Bradstreet released his self-titled debut for A & M earning him critical acclaim and a JUNO Award for ‘Best New Male Vocalist’ in 1977.  The 1978 follow-up, ‘Dreaming In Colour’, was well received though sold poorly, but Bradstreet carried on undaunted. He left A & M to form his own Street Records label to maintain control of his writing and recording output. The first release was 1980’s ‘Black & White’ but by 1982 his production work in film and television led him to suspend his live performances. Bradstreet worked with other notable artists on their recordings including those of Dan Gibson (the ‘Solitudes’ series), Bill Hughes and Jane Siberry’s debut. During the intervening years Bradstreet has been heavily involved in writing and recording soundtracks for TV and movies and providing ambient music CD releases for the ‘Solitudes’ record label. He also does collaborative instrumental work for Avalon, TheraMusic and Fisher-Price. Bradstreet returned as a performing and solo recording artist in 1999 with the ‘Renaissance’ CD – featuring guest appearances by Alan Cross, Carl Keesee of the Florida Razors, Jane Siberry and Rebecca Campbell – for which he received a JUNO Award nomination. In 2010 Bradstreet and and Carl Keesee released an album together called ‘08.20.10’. with notes from Greg Campbell, Aaron Badgley, and Brenda Bradstreet.

Singles
1977 Long, Long Road/Main Street (A & M) AM-437
1977 One Way or Another/Renaissance (A & M) AM-447
1978 This Ringing In My Ear (Midnight Song)/Ballerina (A & M) AM-459
1978 Thirty Years/Dreaming In Colour (A & M) AM-463
1981 Torpedoes In The Mainstream (Street)

Albums
1977 David Bradstreet (A & M) SP-9026
1978 Dreaming In Colour (A & M) SP-9032
1980 Black & White (Street) SR-001
1999 Renaissance (Street) SR-004
2006 Lifelines (Street) SR-005

with BRADSTREET & KEESSEE
2010 08.20.10 (Street) SR-006

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BRADY, Liz
Born: Raymonde Fleurat on January 5, 1940 in Heliopolis, Egypt
Died: January 2, 2019 in Hollywood, Florida.
Brady was born near Cairo, Egypt to a French father and a Greek mother. She began singing at a young age, becoming a soloist in choirs, But she was very focused on her schooling and didn’t follow her singing, instead by her late teens, she began dancing, participating in international competitions and also in demonstration galas in many countries. It was during this period where she met a British Officer who became her dance partner. Soon she would marry officer Braid in January 1959, and they would relocate to England. But in May 1960, and pregnant, she left the marriage and returned to Egypt to be with her mother, and she could give birth to a daughter later that year. To make ends meet she taught English to Egyptian military officers but the work wasn’t helping her support her child. Her cousin Claudine invited her to sing in a church musical. She resisted by did audition with Bill Haley’s “Rock Around The Clock” and was added to the cast as a soloist. One night while the cast was dining after a show, the cast sang some songs and the owner asked Liz Brady if she’d sing at the restaurant full-time. It was the turning point to her singing career. Another customer offered her work in Syria and she formed a small music combo called Ray Monde And The Four Rays. Singing now took precedent and she showcased her talents in cabarets in Egypt, Kenya, and Beirut among other residencies. At the end of her engagement she would always return to Egypt to regroup and spend time with her family. In turn, her mother helped her release an independent 7″ single in 1961 on her own Scarabée Records. In her travels she met a troupe of French dancers who give her contact info for the MODEI agency in Paris, France. After being signed by the Parisian agent, Brady began to work in several Paris cabarets and clubs. Through a series of contacts at various performances, she managed to land a recording contract with Pathé-Marconi. Her first single “Hey O Daddy O” was released in 1965. Several more singles followed to great success. At this point she was beginning to get international attention. Brady flew to Canada on April 11, 1968 for a promotional tour, as her song “L’amour se voit sur ton visage” ( “Like A Baby” ) was No. 20 on the Billboard chart. Several weeks later she called back to her agent in France to see about her next series of live engagements. It was now May 1968 and rioting had broken out in France impacting bookings throughout Paris. Brady decided to try her hand in Canada until things calmed down back in France. She had made the acquaintance of former Les Mitoufle member Martine Gauthier and the two decided to form the musical-comedy duo Les Scarabées. Following Les Scarabées’ successful run on Gamma Records and then RCA, the singers went on to solo careers in 1973. In 1985 she was invited to do a one-woman revue in Florida billed as Liza Brady. The shows went so well she retired to Hollywood, Florida where she would occasionally perform at special events. She died January 2, 2019. [also see LES SCARABEES]

Singles
1965 Hey O Daddy O/Comme Tu Es Jeune (Pathé) 45-G-2021
1965 Un Garcon Dit A Une Fille/Comme Tu Es Jeune (Pathé) PAM- 77.576
1965 Hey O Daddy O/ Il Suffit D’un Jour// Comme Tu Es Jeune/Un Garçon Dit À Une Fille (Pathé – France) 45-EG-891
1965 Rien N’est Perdu/Qu’est-ce Que Tu Fais//L’été Est Loin/Je Ne Pensais Pas Que C’était Moi (Pathé – France) 45-EG-906
1966 Palladium (The Hip)/Mais Trop Tard//Vivre Pour T’aimer/L’amour Se Voit Sur Ton Visage = Like Baby (Pathé – France) 45-EG-925
1966 Palladium (The Hip)/L’Amour Se Voit Sur Ton Visage (Like Baby) (Pathé) 77.624
1966 Palladium “The Hip”/Mais trop tard (Pathé) 45-G-2087
1966 Mais Trop Tard/L’amour Se Voit Sur Ton Visage (Like Baby) (Pathé – Spain) MG-72.003
1966 Yo Tarde (Mais Trop Tard)/Igual Que Un Crio (Like A Baby) (Pathé – Spain) MG-72.004
1967 Toi, Moi Et Une Rose/Partie De Dames (Pathé – France) MG-72.005
1967 Partie De Dames/Monsieur Quelqu’un = Bye Bye Blue Jeans//Et C’est Bien Mieux Comme Ça/Bas Les Pattes = Hands Off (Pathé – France) 45-EG-1008
1967 On N’a Rien Inventé/Si Tu Partais (Decca – France) 71.136
1967 Le Piano S’est Tu/Besoin De Rien//On N’a Rien Inventé/Si Tu Partais (Decca – France) 461.150
1973 Je Voulais Faire De L’Amour / Bas Les Pattes (Profil/Trans-Canada) PR-2528

as RAY MONDE
1961 Maman (Scarabee – Egypt)

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BRAIDS
Raphaelle Standell-Preston (vocals, guitar) / Austin Tufts (drums, vocals) / Katie Lee (keyboards, vocals) / Taylor Smith (bass, vocals)
The group was formed in Calgary, Alberta between friends attending Western Canada High School in 2007 to back singer Standell-Preston in the Calgary Folk Music Festival’s songwriting competition. The were invited to then play the Sled Island Music Festival. The continued performing and writing and delayed their post-secondary education. Under the name The Neighbourhood Council, the band released a home-made EP in 2008 called ‘Set Pieces’ they had recorded at radio station CJSW. They returned for another show at Sled Island opening for Deerhunter and were well received. The band relocated to Montréal in the fall of 2008 where three of the members could attend McGill University. During nights and weekends they continued honing their sounds and started the initial bedtrack recordings of what would be the debut album under their new name BRAIDS [all capitalization]. Short mini-tours followed in 2009 and upon their return to Montréal recording continued. They would be invited to play at Pop Montréal and managed to complete the album in the winter of 2010. They soon embarked on an opening slot with Holly Miranda in Canada and the US which gave the group opportunities to shop the album to labels on both sides of the border. Following a split EP release with Blue Hawaii in 2010, the band went to SXSW in Austin, Texas and impressed those in attendance. They signed with Flemish Eye in Canada and Kanine in the US. Their debut album, ‘Native Speaker’, was short-list nominated for a Polaris Music Prize in 2011.

Singles
2011 Lemonade/Plath Heart [4 mixes] (Kanine – UK)
2011 Peach Wedding/[split w/PURITY RING] (Fat Possum) FP-1256
2013 December (Radio Edit) (Full Time Hobby – UK)
2013 Fruend (Radio Edit)/Fruend (Full Time Hobby – UK)

Albums
2010 Plath Heart/Glastears//[split w/BLUE HAWAII] [cassette EP] (Arbutus) ABT-012
2011 Native Speaker (Flemish Eye) FLCR-022
2013 In Kind/Amends [4-song EP] (Flemixh Eye) FLCR-025
2013 Flourish/Perish (Flemish Eye) FLCR-026
2015 Nocturnes I [4-song EP]
2015 Deep In the Iris (Flemish Eye) FLCR-030-CD
2016 Companion [4-song 12”] (Arbutus/Flemish Eye)  FLCR-031-EP

as THE NEIGHBOURHOOD COUNCIL
2008 Set Pieces [EP] (independent)

Collaborations
with MAX COOPER featuring BRAIDS
2012 Conditions One [4-song EP] (Fields – UK) 96914

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BRAlNS., The
Dave McManus (bass) / Matt Campbell (drums) / Bill Durst (lead guitar, vocals, synth) / Ernie Ripco (guitar, lead vocals)
From London, Ontario. [also see BlLL DURST]

Singles
1980 Crosstown/Heavy Data (Falcon) FAL-1003

Albums
1980 Audio Extremo [6-song EP] (Falcon) FAL-80.002

as HARD HARRY
1980 Audio Extremo [6-song EP] (Bellaphon – Germany) 26-07-005

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BRAIN TOY
Christian Anderson / Brett Fitzgerald / Devin Gastelger / Riley O’Connor

Albums
2005 Tremors [5-song] EP 8227-5
2008 Vehicles (independent) BRIAN-1P

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BRAINEATERS
Jim Cummins  / Trevor Jones / Stevie LaViolette
From Vancouver, British Columbia. The 1979 ‘Braineaters’ EP was a punk manifesto and featured guest appearances by Buck Cherry (Modernettes) and “Art Bormann” (aka Art Bergmann) of K-Tels/Young Canadians fame. Cummins later changed the name to I, Braineater and did experimental electronic material. [also see I, BRAINEATER]

Singles
1979 Braineaters [5 song EP] (Wrong World)
1980 Planet X [7 song 10″ Flexi-Disc] (independent)
1981 Hyde Park/School Girl (independent)
1996 Braineaters [5 song EP re-issue] (Wrong World)

Compilation Tracks
1979 “Braineaters,” “Fun Time” & “Last Date” on ‘Vancouver Nuggets’ [cassette]

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BRAN VAN 3000
“Bran Man” DiSalvio (DJ) / E.P. Bergen / Stephane Moraille (vocals) / MC Liquid (vocals) / Jayne Hill (vocals) / John Kastner (guitar)
Montréal’s Bran Van 3000, lead by mastermind DJ James DiSalvio, was formed in 1996. DiSalvio was a disc jockey, with a background in film and video (Branford Marsalis, Celine Dion, Sarah McLachlan), came up with Bran Van 3000 concept while working in New York City. As a studio project, DiSalvio called in favours from Montréal area musicians (including The Doughboys’ John Kastner) and the ‘band’ (featuring a collective of nearly 30 musicians) released ‘Glee’ in 1997 on Audiogram. The album would eventually go gold in Canada (with sales of 50,000 copies) and the “Drinking In LA” video won ‘Best Dance Video’ and the Videofact Award at the 1997 MuchMusic Canadian Music Video Awards. After impressing Capitol Records’ Gary Gersh at the South By Southwest conference in the summer of 1997, Capitol US signed the band to a worldwide deal in October. In November and December DiSalvio returned to the studio to record additional material for the re-issue of ‘Glee’. They did a North American tour starting in January 1998 and were unable to attend the JUNO Awards in Vancouver in March 1998 to pick up their prize. They played a series of European dates with Massive Attack and Bjork as well as the Beastie Boys’ ‘Tibetan Freedom Concert’ in Washington. The U.S. caught first sight of the band with an appearance on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’. In the fall of 1999, “Drinking in L.A.” was featured in a British TV commercial. The song’s re-release was a big hit, settling into the Top 5 on the U.K. charts in August 1999. In 2000 Bergen took time out to record a solo album but Bran Van 3000 resumed in 2001 by releasing the album ‘Discosis’ featuring the single “Astounded” – the final recording of guest singer Curtis Mayfield before he died. A long hiatus followed and E.P. Bergen contacted Audiogram in 2006 to see if the label was interested in financing a third full-length album. After recording sessions at both Depeche Mode and Steve Vai’s recording studios, the album ‘Rosé’ was released in October 2007. A proper reunion happened at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2008 where the group performed tracks from the new release. In 2010 they released their fourth studio album entitled ‘The Garden’.

Singles
1997 Drinking In L.A. (Audiogram) ADCD-5256
1997 Couch Surfer (Audiogram) ADCD-5269
1997 Everywhere (Audiogram) ADCD-5273
1997 Afrodiziak (Radio Edit)/Afrodiziak (Album Version) (Audiogram) ADCD-5285
1998 Drinking In LA/Couch Surfer [6 song EP] (Capitol)
1998 Exactly Like Me (Trailermen Mixes) [5 mixes] (Capitol)
2001 Astounded [featuring CURTIS MAYFIELD] [4 mixes] (Grand Royal/Virgin/Capitol) 97554
2001 Love Cliché/Love Cliché (Alt. Mix) (Virgin/Capitol) DPRO-2133
2006 Forever
2007 Call Me (I’ll Be Around) [3-mixes] (Exclaim – France)
2010 Grace (Love On the Block) (Audiogram)
2010 Jahrusalem (Audiogram)
2011 La Dolce Vita (Fred Everything Remixes) [featuring FREDDIE JAMES] [3 mixes 12”] (Lazy Days) LZD-025

Albums
1997 Glee (Audiogram) ADCD-10105
2000 Discosis (Grand Royal/Virgin) 10230 
2007 Rosé (Audiogram/Universal) CDSDLP-1133
2010 The Garden (Audiogram) ADCD-10275
2014 Greatest Hits (Audiogram) ADCD-10358

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BRANDON WOLF [see BARNEY BENTALL & THE LEGENDARY HEARTS]

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BRANDT, Paul
Born: Paul Rennee Belobersycky on July 21, 1972 in Calgary, Alberta
Country singer/songwriter Paul Brandt made his first public appearance as a performer at his high school graduation at the Jubilee Auditorium in his home town of Calgary singing an a cappella version of “Amazing Grace.” He struggled along mercilessly in every dingy bar in Alberta and had to maintain a full-time job as a pediatric nurse at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. In 1993 his luck began to change with a second place finish in the Bud Country Talent Search with the song “Calm Before The Storm.” His prize included recording time and a song placement on an MCA Records compilation CD. The contest brings him to the attention of Warner Music Canada’s Randy Stark and Kim Cooke who forward his demo to Reprise Records Nashville. In 1994 Brandt signs a record deal with Warner/Reprise out of Nashville. His debut album, ‘Calm Before the Storm’, is released in 1996 and he spends the year touring with the likes of Travis Tritt, Marty Stuart, George Strait, Wynonna Ryder and Clay Walker. By the summer of 1996 the first single, “My Heart Has A History,” was the most played song on Canadian country radio and soon receives 6 Canadian Country Music Award nominations. Brandt performs his hit song on the awards show and goes on to win Song of the Year Award for “My Heart Has A History.” With his album achieving gold status in September 1996 the second single, “I Do”, goes #1 in the United States and becomes his second consecutive #1 in Canada. The single helped push sales of ‘Calm Before The Storm’ to platinum status in Canada (the album would go on to sell 500,000). More accolades follow with CMT naming Brandt Top New Male Artist of 1996 and Billboard Magazine hailing him as Top Selling New Country Artist of 1996. By March 1997 Brandt had won the Juno Award for ‘Country Male Vocalist of the Year’. He spends most of 1997 recording, touring, and collecting several Big Country Music Awards and SOCAN songwriting awards. By September Brandt released his follow-up CD, ‘Outside The Frame’. The record was once again produced by Josh Leo and featured a guest appearance by Kathy Mattea on “We Are The One”. The lead off single was “A Little In Love” with Brandt heading back on the road across Canada and Europe with side-trips to pick up two more Juno Awards in March 1998. After releasing a Christmas album as a stop-gap, he released his fourth album, ‘That’s The Truth’, in August 1999.

Singles
1996 Take It From Me/12 Step Recovery [7”] (Reprise/Warner – US) 7-17381
1996 All Over Me/I Meant To Do That (Reprise/Warner) 7-17493
1996 I Do/One And Only One [7”] (Reprise/Warner – US) 7-17616
1996 My Heart Has A History/Calm Before The Storm [7”] (Reprise/Warner – US) 7-17683
1997 A Little In Love (Single Version)/A Little In Love (Album Version) (Reprise/Warner) PRO-CD-8966
1999 It’s a Beautiful Thing/Add ‘Em All Up [7”] (Reprise/Warner – US) 7-16926
1999 That’s the Truth/Let’s Live It Up [7”] (Reprise/Warner -US) 7-16985
1999 The Sycamore Tree (Radio Edit) (Reprise/Warner) CDN 163
2000 What I Want to Be Remembered For (Reprise/Warner) CDN-185
2000 That Hurts (Album Version) (Reprise/Warner) PRO-CD-100076
2001 Small Towns & Big Dreams (Brand-T/BMG) KCDP-51978
2002 I’m Gonna Fly (Radio Edit) (Brand-T/BMG) KCDP-52027

Albums
1996 Introducing Paul Brandt [4-song EP] (Reprise/Warner) PRO-CD-8003-R
1996 Calm Before The Storm (Reprise/Warner) CD- 46180
1997 Outside The Frame (Reprise/Warner) CD- 46635
1998 A Paul Brandt Christmas: Shall I Play For You? (Reprise/Warner) CD-47264
1999 That’s The Truth (Reprise/Warner) CD-47319
2001 Small Towns & Big Dreams (Brand-T/BMG) 89952
2004 This Time Around (Orange/Universal) ORNG-0005CD
2006 A Gift (Universal) 74248
2007 Risk (Brand-T/Universal) 74251
2009 Now
2011 Give It Away (Universal) 89011
2012 Just As I Am (Brand-T) BRANDT-001CD
2015 Frontier [6-song 12”] (Brand-T) BRANDT-001V
2018 The Journey BNA Vol 2 (Warner)  2-907890

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BRASS BIKINI
Gabrielle Roddy (vocals) / Rob Kemp (guitar) / Spleen (bass) / James Stamos (bass; replaced Spleen) / Justin Roddy (keyboards) / Matt DeMatteo (drums)
Brass Bikini was formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1988 and centred around the brother/sister songwriting team of Gabrielle and Justin Roddy. They gained a reputation for attention grabbing publicity stunts including mailing out their three song demo in green, crusty women’s panties, faxing a 22 page manifesto to MuchMusic to protest the rejection of their video single “Oasis” (the fax pages contain one word each), and Roddy performing semi-nude wearing on various occasions black electrical tape, a chain mail bikini not unlike the one worn by Princess Leia in ‘Star Wars’ (thus the band name), and a halter top made out of aluminum from old beer cans. Their independent 1991 debut CD, ‘Tastes Like Chicken’, was distributed in Canada by Bullseye Records; DeMatteo would go on to become a prominent Canadian music producer for Finger Eleven among others; Justin Roddy would go on to release dub tempo recordings under the name Ziplock.

Singles
1991 Oasis (Brass Bikini)

Albums
1990 Brass Bikini [3-song cassette] (Brass Bikini)
1991 Tastes Like Chicken (Brass Bikini/Bullseye)

Compilation Tracks
1991 “Oasis” on ‘Unsigned, Sealed & Delivered, Volume 1’ (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4003
1993 “Space” on ‘A Canadian Alternative ‘92’ (Second Wave) SWM-002

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BRASS UNION, The
Bruce Ley (keyboards) / Darrell Nameth (saxophone) / John Hannah (drums) / Lenny Blum (acoustic guitar, electric guitar) / Terry Bramhall (bass)
The Brass Union was a Hamilton & Burlington-based rock/horn band from 1966-1972. They toured Ontario, Quebec, and Michigan playing mostly cover tunes, but occasionally adding Len Blum originals including songs from their 1970 7″ single “It Won’t Be Long” b/w “Restaurant Encounter;” Ley would go on to work with Choya, Sticky Fingers, THP Orchestra, and more. Later he worked mostly in television as musical director scoring and composing; Hannah would go on to join The Terry Crawford Band; Blume would appear on albums by Tammy Rafferty (along with other members of Brass Union), Sammy Cole, Mickey Andrew, and Sheila Guthrie. He would write songs for Stewart & Clark, Tammy Rafferty, Teddy Grimes. Terry O’Flynn, Ronaye Shandler, and Bobby Evans among others; Bramhall would go on to join Dillinger, and later, The Barncats.

Singles
1970 It Won’t Be Long/Restaurant Encounter (MTCC) MT-1003

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BRATTY & THE BABYSITTERS
Beverly Bratty (vocals) / Rebecca Jenkins (backing vocals; 1986) / Gina Stepaniuk (backing vocals; 1986) / Evelyne Datl (keyboards; 1988) / Ken Mhyr (guitar) / John Switzer (bass) / Al Cross (drums) / Jim Gelcer (keyboards)  / Colleen Allen (saxophone, vocals)  / Bryant Didier (bass; replaced Switzer 1986)  / Margo Davidson (saxophone, percussion; replaced Allen 1988)  / Kim Albrecht (guitar; replaced Mhyr 1988)  / Tom Griffiths (bass; 1988)
Bratty & The Babysitters mixed liberal doses of rock, reggae calypso, soca, pop and other musical genres to create a unique rhythmic experience on Toronto’s Queen Street. 1987’s ‘In A State’ was produced by John Switzer (Jane Siberry) and Jeff Wolpert. That same year the band did opening slots for comedienne Sandra Bernhard. In 1988 Beverly Bratty released a solo cassette featuring acoustic material from one of her many appearances at Toronto’s Cameron House called ‘Bratty Live at the Cameron Matinee’. Beverly Bratty is also known to moonlight as a member of the Matriphiles, and the Nancy Sinatras which also had its own spin-off act called Urge To Purge.

Albums
1987 In A State [5-song EP] (World) WRC1-4859

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BRAVE BELT
Chad Allan (vocals, guitar)  / Randy Bachman (guitar) / Robin “Robbie” Bachman (drums) / C.F. Turner (vocals, bass)
During the 1960’s Randy Bachman was a founding member of Chad Allan & The Expressions who would go on to fame and fortune as the Guess Who. Bachman had been slugging it out for 10 years by the time the band struck gold with No.1 hits like “These Eyes”, “Laughing” and “American Woman” and decided to leave the group while they were on top. Upon leaving the band, he released a solo album called ‘Axe’ for RCA in 1970. The album did little and Bachman found himself yearning for the creativity of a collaborative atmosphere. He called his old Guess Who cohort Chad Allan and they decided to put a new band together. Allen would supply vocals, keyboard and rhythm guitar while Bachman’s younger brother, Robin, would handle drums. The trio became Brave Belt and headed into the studio to record their debut album with Bachman doing double duty on bass guitar. As fate would have it, they landed C.F “Fred” Turner as bassist just as ‘Brave Belt’ was completed (Turner doesn’t appear on the album). The album was released in 1971 on Reprise Records. By 1972’s ‘Brave Belt II’, the band was starting to show its heavier side particularly with the new addition of C.F. Turner’s songwriting and gritty truck driver vocals which appeared to conflict with Chad Allan’s vision of the band. Allen contributions to the record were minimal and he quit before the record was released. (‘Brave Belt II’ would eventually be re-issued following the success of B.T.O under the auspicious handle of ‘Bachman-Turner-Bachman As Brave Belt’). With the limited success of the first two albums Randy Bachman began hunting for a better record deal which he found with Mercury/Polydor. By then, Chad Allan had been replaced by another Bachman brother, Tim, on guitar and the direction of the band became heavier. By this time, ‘Brave Belt III’, was the intended next record but with a new label and band direction the group changed gears, literally, and became ‘Bachman-Turner Overdrive’; Robbie Bachman died January 12, 2023. with notes from Randy Bachman, Gord “Lightning” Smith. [also see CHAD ALLAN, RANDY BACHMAN, BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE]

Singles
1971 Rock And Roll Band/Anyday Means Tomorrow (Reprise) REP-1023
1971 Crazy Arms, Crazy Eyes/ (Reprise) REP-1039
1972 Never Comin’ Home/Can You Feel It (Reprise) REP-1061
1972 Dunrobin’s Gone/Another Way Out (Reprise) REP-1083
1972 Another Way Out/Can You Feel It (Reprise – US) 3659
2001 Shakin’ All Over/Dunrobin’s Gone [CD single] (Bullseye)  BEP-012

Albums
1971 Brave Belt (Reprise) RS-6447
1972 Brave Belt II (Reprise/Kinney/Warner) MS-2057
2001 Brave Belt I & II [CD re-issue] (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4054

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BREATHLESS
Jeff Plewman (guitar) / Michael Waite (vocals) / David Bluestein (drums) / Jim Hickman (drums; replaced Bluestein) / Ian McCorkle (drums; replaced Hickman) / John Lang (keyboards) / Paul Gregg (guitar) / Mel “Dave” Gardon / Percy Adler / Sandy
From Toronto, Ontario. Jeff Plewman named the band after the Jean-Luc Goddard film of the same name; Plewman would change is name to Nash the Slash and form FM with Cameron Hawkins in the mid-70s and then a successful solo career until his untimely passing in 2014; Waite would go on to release one solo album on A & M Records, produced two albums for the band FM, and now operates a music retail store in Toronto; Hickman would go on to work at Rainbow Magazine. He was also the drummer in the Brian Larter Trio, and is currently in the band Maelyss. With notes from Jim Hickman and David Bluestein. [also see NASH THE SLASH, MICHAEL WAITE]

Compilation Tracks
1973 “Slasher” on ‘Concept’ [Gold] (Concept 376/Arc) PRP-208

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BREAU, Edgar
Edgar Breau is a founding member of Hamilton, Ontario band Simply Saucer. The band formed in 1972 and hit their stride around 1977. With the exception of a punk single in 1978 on Gary Pig Gold’s PIG Records they remained largely undiscovered. But, in 1989 music journalist Bruce Mowat launched his own Mole Sound record label in order to release an album’s worth of abandoned Saucer studio tracks entitled ‘Cyborgs Revisited’. The album raised the legend of the band from mythical to the tangible. The group re-united and has released several albums in the last decade. During the ’80s and ’90s Breau occupied himself by appearing on several compilations and finally committed new recordings to several solo albums. He also re-teamed with former Saucer member David Byers initially in The Third Kind and later with Byers becoming a member of Edgar Breau and the Shadows of Ecstasy. Simply Saucer is still actively working and recording. With notes from Gary Pig Gold. [also see SIMPLY SAUCER]

Albums
2004 Canadian Primitive (Songhammer) CASMG-005
2009 Shadows of Ecstasy (Anthology – US)

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BREAU, Lenny
Born: August 5th, 1941
Died: August 12, 1984
Lenny was born in Auburn, Maine, USA to Hal “Lone Pine” Breau and Betty Cody. Lone Pine and Betty were country and western performers who were active together as a live and recording act from the mid 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Lenny took up the guitar at age 7 in Maine and by the age of 12 performed regularly as part of Lone Pine and Betty’s travelling band. Billed as “Lone Pine Jr. – The Guitar Wizard”, he was lead guitarist for the band, and was featured doing primarily Merle Travis and Chet Atkins instrumentals. Lenny usually sang a couple of songs per show as well. In 1957, Lone Pine and Betty moved their family to Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada and formed a band to perform regularly on CKY Radio’s live broadcast of the show “Caravan”. Lenny left Lone Pine’s band around 1959 and began to perform with local Winnipeg Jazz musicians at such venues as “Rando Manor” and the “Stage Door”. It was during this period that Lenny came under the musical guidance of pianist Bob Erlendson and began to receive a jazz education that he developed on the bandstand. In 1962 Lenny made a move to Toronto, Canada where he joined with singer/actor Don Francks and acoustic bassist Ian Henstridge to form the group “Three”. The group performed in Toronto, Ottawa and New York and was featured in the National Film Board documentary “Toronto Jazz” (1962). An album was recorded at a live club date in New York city and the trio subsequently appeared on both the “Jackie Gleason” and “Joey Bishop” American network television shows. Lenny then returned to Winnipeg and became the main guitarist for many CBC Radio and Television sessions. “Teenbeat”, “Music Hop” and his own “Lenny Breau Show” were broadcast on CBC Winnipeg television. In 1968 & 69 Lenny recorded two albums for RCA with his Winnipeg trio featuring Ron Halldorson (electric bass) and Reg Kellin (drums). The first album was a studio session produced in Nashville by Chet Atkins, and the second a live session recorded in Hollywood at the jazz club, “Shelly’s Manne Hole” which was produced by Danny Davis. From late 1969 through 1973 Lenny played primarily in Toronto and Ottawa and worked as a sideman for Moe Koffman, Jimmy Dale, Beverly Glenn Copeland and Anne Murray, to name a few. He also led his own trio with various sidemen and performed at such venues as “The Riverboat” and “George’s Spaghetti House” in Toronto. After doing a national tour with Anne Murray, Lenny returned to Winnipeg late in 1973 and continued performing solo, in trios and as a sideman. Reunited with Kelln and Halldorson, they appeared at U of Manitoba’s “Festival of Life and Learning”. Lenny also played solo regularly at the “Ting”, a Winnipeg coffeehouse. From 1974 until his death Lenny travelled extensively between Edmonton, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Toronto, Nashville, New York, Maine and Los Angeles. During this period Lenny recorded for many small record labels as both leader and sideman. Some of the musicians he worked with included pedal steel great Buddy Emmons, guitarists Chet Atkins and Phil Upchurch and country fiddler Buddy Spicher. The last period of Lenny’s life (1981-84) was spent primarily in Los Angeles performing at several jazz clubs most notably “Donte’s”. Lenny was found dead in the swimming pool of his apartment complex on August 12, 1984. Although his death was originally thought to be an accidental drowning, it was soon discovered that he had actually been murdered. The Los Angeles Coroner report determined that Lenny had been strangled; the case remains unsolved to this date. The guitar community from around the world was shocked at the circumstances of Breau’s death. There were many tributes to his life published including a feature in “Guitar Player” magazine plus stories in several major newspapers. At “Donte’s” in Los Angeles many guitarists gathered for a night in remembrance of Lenny’s life. The place was packed with friends and guitar luminaries to hear a performance by Joe Pass, Ron Eschete, Joe Diorio and others playing in tribute to Lenny. Randy Bachman, a student of Breau’s and now the executor of Breau’s musical legacy, has made it his mission to ensure the world never forgets the guitarist’s contribution to music by re-issuing his recordings on CD.
With notes from Randy Bachman.

Albums
1969 Guitar Sounds From Lenny Breau (RCA) LSP-4076
1969 The Velvet Touch of Lenny Breau – Live! (RCA) LSP-4199
1978 Lenny Breau (Direct Disk Labs) DD-106
1979 The Legendary Lenny Breau…Now! (Sound Hole) NR-10462
1979 Five O’Clock Bells (Posterity) PTL-5002
1981 Mo’ Breau (Adelphi – US) AD-5012
1982 When Lightnin’ Strikes…(Tudor) TR-113004
1988 Last Sessions (Adelphi) AD-5024
1997 Cabin Fever (Guitarchives/True North) TNSD-0138
1998 Boy Wonder (Guitarchives/True North) TNSD-0172
2000 Live at Donte’s (String Jazz – UK) SJRCD-1008
2003 The Hallmark Sessions (Art of Life – US) AL1007-2
2006 Mosaic (Guitarchives) GTR-0007
2014 L.A. Bootleg 1984 (Guitarchives/Linus) 270201

as THE LENNY BREAU TRIO
1985 The Lenny Breau Trio [re-issue of “Lenny Breau”] (Adelphi – US) AD-5018

as BUDDY EMMONS with LENNY BREAU
1978 Minor Aloud (Flying Fish/Stony Plain) SPFF-1019

as TAL FARLOW AND LENNY BREAU
1997 Chance Meeting: Music from the Soundtrack of  “Talmage Farlow” (Guitarchives/True North) TNSD-0162

as LENNY BREAU & CHET ATKINS
1981 Standard Brands (RCA) AYL1-4191

as LENNY BREAU with DAVE YOUNG
1984 Legacy (Relaxed Rabbit) RR-427
1985 Quietude (Electric Muse) UMM-1001
1995 Live at Bourbon Street (Guitarchive/True North) TNXD-0119

as LENNY BREAU & BRAD TERRY
1986 The Living Room Tapes – Vol. 1 (Living Room/MHS)
1990 The Living Room Tapes – Vol. 2 (Living Room/MHS) MHS-512627L
2003 The Complete Living Room Tapes [2CD] (Art of Life – US) AL1004-2

as LENNY BREAU & RICHARD COTTON
2001 Pickin’ Cotton (Guitarchives/True North) TND-272

as LENNY BREAU, DON FRANCKS, EON HENTSRIDGE
2004 At the Purple Onion (Art of Life – US) AL1009-2

Compilation Tracks
1997 “Number 23” on ‘Fingerstyle (Guitar Magazine)

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BREEDING GROUND
John Shirreff (vocals) / Hugh Gladish (guitar) / Jonathan Strayer (bass)  / Ken Jones (drums)  / Jonathan Davies (drums; replaced Jones 1983)  / Kevin Hunter (drums; replaced Davies) / Gary Quinn (bass; replaced Strayer) / Chris Wardman (guitar)
Breeding Ground was formed in Toronto in 1980. Their first release was an untitled 4 song 12″ single in 1982 on Mannequin Records and featured original drummer Ken Jones. They would receive notoriety with the independent 12″ single “Reunion”/”Slaughter”, produced by Jones’s drumming replacement Davies (Kinetic Ideals) in 1983 on Fringe. It was quite successful at college radio stations and ended up selling out three pressings. Davies would leave in November 1984 to complete his degree at the University of Toronto. He was replaced by Hunter. The follow-up EP, 1985’s ‘Tales Of Adventure’, was produced by ex-Blue Peter guitarist Chris Wardman (who later joined the band) and enlisted the help of Alta Moda singer Molly Johnson and Jason Sniderman on keyboards. The record made it to No.1 on the campus charts and No.60 on CFNY’s “Best 86 of ’86” based on the success of the single and video for “Happy Now I Know”. After the release of the EP, bassist Jonathan Strayer quit and the band effectively disbanded. However, Wardman and Shirreff continued writing material in Wardman’s basement along with bassist Gary Quinn and before long, the remainder of Breeding Ground was recruited back to the band for the 1986 line-up of Shirreff, Gladish, Quinn, Hunter and Wardman. Three years passed before Breeding Ground’s next release, ‘Obscurity and Flair’, which once again featured Molly Johnson and Chalk Circle’s Tad Winklarz adding saxophone. Their version of David Essex’s “Rock On” has never been released due to the flooding of the market with cover versions by Michael Damien, Bambi, and The Dave Howard Singers. Wardman claims that their arrangement of the song, played by disc jockeys at the Silver Crown Tavern, was adapted by Bambi who also frequented the club; Davies is now a writer/producer for The Great Adventure Motion Picture Co; Quinn died in 2009; Davies died June 24, 2016. with notes from John Gladish, and Jonathan Davies.

Singles
1983 Reunion/Slaughter [12″] (Fringe Product) FPS-3011
1986 Happy Now I Know [w/Molly Johnson]/This Time Tomorrow (Fringe Product)
FPS-1735
1987 Reunion/Slaughter [re-issue] (Fringe)
1989 Ceremony Of Love (Fringe)

Albums
1982 Breeding Ground [EP] (Mannequin) MANEP-3
1986 Tales of Adventure [6-song EP] [cassette contains bonus track] (Fringe Product) FPL-3022
1989 Obscurity And Flair (Fringe Product) FPL-3088
1994 Revisited (Fringe Product) FPD-3132

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BREEN, Michael
Born: 1960 in Nicolet, Québec
Michael Breen grew up near Trois Rivieres, Québec and left home at 23 to pursue music after teaching himself to play keyboards. Breen soon joined a band called Concert who released one album in 1982 called ‘Vitamin’ on CBS Records. He wanted to pursue a solo career and had found a songwriting partner in Bill Sweetman, but knew that he needed English lyrics for his pop songs to have a universal appeal. After contacting Luba/Frank Marino manager Paul Levesque for leads, Levesque suggested Warner Recording artist Geoff Hughes (“Happy Birthday Kid”). The three pronged songwriting assault worked after their first collaboration, “Face To Face”, placed 2nd in the 1985 Music Express/MuchMusic National Talent Search behind East Coast act The Sailcats. Breen soon came to the attention of Alert Records owner Tom Berry who signed him to the label. Berry would executive produce and Pierre Bazinet produce Breen’s self-titled debut album in 1987. The first single from the album was “Rain” with English lyrics by the soon-to-be-famous Sass Jordan. [also see CONCERT]

Singles
1987 Rain/All the Way (Alert) BDS-523
1987 How Will I Know/Do It (Alert) BDS-525
1987 Face to Face/So Long (Alert) BDS-527

Albums
1987 Michael Breen (Alert) BD-1007

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BREIT BROS., The
Gary Breit (guitar) / Garth Breit (bass) / Kevin Breit (guitar) / Ian DeSouza (drums)The Breit Brothers were signed to RCA Records in 1987. Their self-titled debut album was recorded sporadically in Toronto, England, New York and at Bob & Daniel Lanois’ Grant Ave. Studio in Hamilton. It was produced by Tom Treumuth and spawned the singles “Going Down” and “Slow Train”. Gary Breit and Kevin Breit would go on to be a successful session musicians for the likes of Norah Jones, Marc Jordan, Natalie MacMaster, Lou Reed, k.d. lang, Rosanne Cash, Ian Tyson, Celine Dion, Cassandra Wilson, and Bryan Adams among others. Kevin Breit has also had a lengthy solo career and has been a member of The Sisters Euclid since the late 1990’s. The band reconvened in 1997 as The Breits and released an eponymous album that year on Alert Records.

Singles
1988 Going Down [12”] (RCA) 8692-1-RDAA
1988 Going Down/Run From the Fire (RCA) PB-51017
1988 Slow Train/Feel My Body Shakin’ (RCA) PB-51023
1988 Wide World/Worldwide (RCA) PB-51033
1988 One Man’s Climate/Run From the Fire (RCA – US) 8773

Albums
1988 The Breit Bros. (RCA-BMG) 8410-1-R

as THE BREITS
1997 The Breits (Alert) Z2-81032

Compilation Tracks
as THE BREITS
1994 “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing” on on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199

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BRIAN’S CHILDREN
John Mars (vocals) / Todd “Teddy” Fury (drums, back-up vocals)  / Temps [aka Dave M. Templeton] (guitar, bass, back-up vocals)  / Eddy Scuffle (bass)  / Aurelio Lanzalone (guitar, vocals; replaced Temp’s 1986)  / Mark Sinkowski (bass, vocals; replaced Scuffle 1986)  / Richard Tremblay (drums; replaced Fury 1986)
During a break in his regular role as percussionist in jazz trio Broomer, Mars & Smith, John Mars created a rock outlet for his vocal attributes in 1979 called Brian’s Children featuring Teddy Fury and Temps from Toronto band The Concordes – a snide little aside in reference to the dearly departed Rolling Stones member Brian Jones. With a visit to Grant Avenue studios in Hamilton, Ontario under the engineering scrutiny of a very green Daniel Lanois, the Brantford area band released a single, “Cut Her Hair”, on Mars’ Ugly Dog Records. The single received plenty of rotation across Canada and parts of New York State. The band was subsequently joined by bassist Eddy Scuffle in the fall of that year. Mars soon returned to working in his jazz act, Stuart Broomer & John Mars, and all was quiet for Brian’s Children until the duo split up in 1986. At this time Mars decided to reform Brian’s Children with a new line-up and they released a second single, “(This Time) Take Me All The Way” in 1986. John Mars went on to record a solo cassette in 1992 called “Hay Waggon Inn” and is set to released a solo CD in October 1999 with help from Jack DeKeyzer. Teddy Fury went on to form The Bopcats and his most recent act – The Royal Crowns – as well as running the bar at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. He also appears on Mars’ solo CD; Templeton would go on to be in The Roulettes before leaving music to become a movie editor. He died of a heart attack shortly before Christmas 2022. with notes from John Mars and Richard Citroen. [also see JOHN MARS].

Singles
1979 Cut Her Hair/Oh Yeah (Ugly Dog) 45-URD1

as THE CHILDREN
1986 (This Time) Take Me All The Way/Sixty Seconds (Ugly Dog)

Albums
1989 Electric Playground [cassette] (Ugly Dog)

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BRIBOSIA, Gerry
Born: September 21, 1946 in Belgium
Bribosia is a Québec multi-instrumentalist and notable session musician for the likes of Carolyn Jomphe. He got his start as guitarist for Les Miserables who had several charting singles from 1965 – 1967. He released a number of novelty records in the ‘70s (his “Dracula Disco” single featured members of Illustration/Man Made), a series of disco records under the name Montreal Sound, as a soloist in the ’80’s, and with his acts Les Red Hots, and Smash. He currently has a production facility for songwriters and recording artists called Studio BL in Deux Montagnes, Québec. Bribosia also performs live with friends like Marc Hamilton (Les Caïds). [also see LES MISERABLES, MONTREAL SOUND]

Singles
1977 Dracula Disco (Vocal)/Dracula Disco (Instrumental) (Totem/Trans-Canada) TO-4733
1977 Dracula Disco (Vocal)/Dracula Disco (Instrumental) [re-issue] (Polydor) 2065-352
1977 Dracula Disco (Very Special Disco Mix By PAJ) (7:32)/Dracula Disco (Instrumental) [12″] (Polydor) 2141-022

as BRIBOSIA
1978 Free Move/[same] [12”] (Totem/Trans-Canada)  30C-4727
1978 International Disco [Special Disco Mix – 3:20]/International Disco [4:56] (Smash Disco) SS-9702

with GERRY BRIBOSIA & LES RED HOTS
1981 Le Reflet De Ma Vie/I Really Miss You (CIEL)

with G.B. AND THE TRACKS [aka SMASH]
1978 Star Odyssey/Wipe Out (Totem/Trans-Canada) TO-4743
1978 Chicken Stomp/[same] [12”] (Totem/Trans-Canada) 30C-4745
1978 Dance to the Music/My Kind of Women (Smash Disco) SS-9707

Albums
with G.B. AND THE TRACKS
1978 Dance to the Music (Smash Disco) DS-6701

Collaborations
with CAROLYNE JOMPHE
1998 De l’Acadie la Cute Nord [Bribosia plays piano and bass on this CD]

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BRIGHTON ROCK
Gerry McGhee (vocals)  / Mark Cavarzan (drums) / Stevie Skreebs (bass)  / Greg Fraser (guitar) / Johnny Rogers (keyboards)  / Martin Victor (keyboards; replaced Rogers 1989)  / Greg Bioleau (additional touring guitarist; 1991)
Scottish born Gerry McGhee started his rock singing career fronting Niagara, Ontario regional band The Rockers playing the usual Southern Ontario bar circuit gigs as most acts attempting to break out. ‘Kerrang! Magazine’ writer Paul Suter convinced him to go to England to front an ill-fated project that died within four months of McGhee’s arrival. He returned to Canada determined, more than ever, to make a go of things so he hooked up with musicians from all over the Golden Horseshoe as Heart Attack. They would come in third place behind The Vigilants and Eye Eye in the 1984 Q107 Homegrown contest with the song “(Breaking Down The) Barricade”. They were spotted by Honeymoon Suite manager Stephen Prendergast and under his guidance they changed their name to Brighton Rock (urban legend says the name came from a Queen song and/or from a character in a Graham Greene novel) and headed into the studio in September 1985 with producer Michael Wagener. The result was an EP called ‘Young, Wild and Free’ which sold well in England, Ireland, France and Germany. This effort didn’t go unnoticed by WEA Canada A & R rep Bob Roper who signed the band in Canada (and the label’s affiliate Atco Records picked them up for the US). In 1986 the follow-up, full-length album, also called ‘Young, Wild and Free’ produced two singles – “We Came To Rock” and “Can’t Wait For The Night” (which went Top10). The band followed up the enthusiastic response with a sold-out four show tour including the infamous Marquee Club in England. They returned to Canada as opening act on a Triumph tour in January 1987. By mid-87 the band was being featured on MuchMusic and opening for Lee Aaron on tour. The album sold upwards of 200,000 copies worldwide. 1988’s ‘Take A Deep Breath’ was produced by Jack Richardson (Guess Who). The lead off single/video was a ballad called “One More Try”. The song’s video featured Scarborough, Ontario super model Monica Schnarre. The second single, “Hangin’ High’N’Dry,” was overlooked by MuchMusic for objectionable content (though Video Hits did play it). The third single, “Can’t Stop the Earth From Shaking”, met with total indifference. And though the record failed to find a distribution outlet in the US, the album sold a respectable 70,000 copies in Canada. The band went through a series of changes including ousting their manager, letting keyboardist, Johnny Rogers go and a change in musical direction for 1991’s ‘Love Machine’ toward heavier, guitar driven rock. Production chores were handled by Toby Wright. A small dispute with WEA ensued at the end of the recording sessions after the label pulled the plug on one track called “Gang Bang” which was deemed ‘too heavy’ for Canadian audiences. The single “Hollywood Shuffle” helped push the album to Gold status and Brighton Rock were nominated for a JUNO Award in 1992. On tour Brighton Rock added former The Rockers guitarist Greg Bioleau. The band eventually fell out of favour in the prevailing Grunge movement during the early ’90s. The band fell apart shortly thereafter. Fraser joined Helix as their guitarist briefly; McGhee started a very successful export business. In 2001 the classic line-up of the band reunited and played throughout Southern Ontario. A new live ‘best of’ was released in 2002 called ‘A Room for Five – Live’. The band would reunite again in 2008 to play a benefit show to help Coney Hatch member Carl Dixon who was seriously injured in a car accident. Fraser & Skreebs are currently members of Fraze Gang; Gerry McGhee died on August 25, 2020 after a long battle with cancer. with notes from Gerry McGhee and Stevie Skreebs.

Singles
1986 Can’t Wait For the Night/Jack Is Back (Flying Fist/Head Office)
1986 Can’t Wait For the Night [single mix w/guitar solo]/We Came to Rock (WEA)
25-84177
1986 Can’t Wait For the Night/Can’t Wait For the Night (Remix)  [12”] (WEA) PRO-551
1986 Change of Heart/[same/ [12”] (WEA) PRO-558
1987 We Came To Rock/Young, Wild, and Free (WEA – JAPAN) P-2210
1988 One More Try (Remix)/One More Try (Single Edit) (WEA) PRO-643
1988 One More Try/Shootin’ For Love (WEA) 25-76657
1988 We Came To Rock [12”]  (WEA) PRO-650
1989 Hangin’ High and Dry/Power Overload (WEA)  25-75267
1989 Hangin’ High and Dry [12” – 4 mixes] (WEA) PRO-656
1989 Can’t Stop The Earth From Shaking (Bigger Business/WEA)
1991 Hollywood Shuffle (WEA)

Albums
1985 Brighton Rock [EP] (Flying Fist/Head Office) FFEJ-11001
1985 Brighton Rock [EP] [re-issue] (WEA) 25-29341
1986 Young, Wild And Free (Atco/Atlantic/WEA) 25-30551
1989 Take A Deep Breath (Bigger Business/WEA) 25-59691
1991 Love Machine (WEA) CD-74987
2002 A Room For Five – Live (Z – Europe) ZR-1997-066
2006 Essentials (Warner Music) 262476

Compilation Tracks
as HEART ATTACK
1984 “Breakin’ Down The Barricade” on ‘Q107 Homegrown Volume Six’ (RCA) KQL1-7087

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BRILLIANT ORANGE
Graham Brown (guitar) / Mark Findler (guitar) / David Glenn (bass) / Rick Vee (drums)
This 4-man line-up from Vancouver, British Columbia was formed in 1985 and dished out power pop with enthusiasm. They centred their sound on acoustic guitars, solid rhythms and good vocals enhanced with harmony lines. After only 4 months together, Brown and Findler released ‘Happy Man’ in 1985 on cassette which subsequently went to No.1 on College Radio stations nationally.  Zulu Records scooped the act up and re-issued the material as a proper 12” EP.

Albums
1985 Happy Man [cassette] (independent)
1986 Happy Man [4 song 12″ EP] (Zulu) ZULU-3
1986 Shotguns, Cacti & Vengeance [cassette] (independent)

Compilation Tracks
1984 “Jingle Bells” on ‘Ukhisimuzi – Xmas Compilation’ [7”] (Zulu) FREE-1
1991 “Happy Man” on ‘Last Call: Vancouver Indpendent Music 1977-1988’ (Zulu) ZULU-5-2

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BRITISH MODBEATS, The
Fraser Loveman (vocals)  / Joe Colonna (bass)  / Robbie Jeffrey (drums)  / Greig Foster (guitar) / Mike Gorgichuk (guitar)
With the invasion of the Beatles in 1964 and the subsequent British Invasion later that year, the North American music industry was turned upside down trying to compete and capitalize on the new music explosion. In 1963, a St. Catharines Ventures-styled band called The Lintels were already aware of the British turmoil before it ever made it to Atlantic shores and so in late-’64/early ’65 The British Modbeats were born. They were quick to jump on the craze and were the first to wear paisley, bell bottoms and shaggy hair which worked in driving Ontario teens out of their minds. The band performed a lot of cover tunes, but the fans didn’t care. They couldn’t get enough and so, to fill the demand, the British Modbeats released the Doris Troy song “Whatcha Gonna Do About It” in 1966 followed by their debut album ‘Mod Is The British Modbeats’ in 1967. The album spawned a hit single in “Somebody Help Me” followed by two others. The group would rise to the occasion with opening slots for The Rascals, The Byrds, The McCoys and play Expo ’67 plus a pit stop at The Scene in New York City. But with the change in attitudes during the Beatles evolution on ‘Sgt. Pepper’ and ‘The White Album’, the hippie movement had taken hold and the British Modbeats split up in September  1967. They subsequently turned down an offer to record with Phil Spector in Detroit feeling that the US was not a particular avenue they cared to pursue. Some of the members joined Looking Glass (different than the US band who had the hit “Brandy”). Fraser Loveman seemed to have the most success with appearances in theatre starring in “Hair” and “Annie Get Your Gun”. He formed the Fraser Loveman Group with David Burt in October 1968.  He also had a 1920’s styled dance act before playing in the band The Village S.T.O.P. from 1968-1970 and the Yenmor Blues Band from 1972 to 1973. He went on to work in a paper mill for 17 years and owned the St. Catharines concert hall Rock III. The British Modbeats reunited in 1988 for some one-off nostalgia revues focusing on original material that showcased at Lulu’s in Kitchener and Prudhommes. Loveman would move on to Cafe Bizarre and continued writing new material with Modbeats member Joe Colonna in a 8-piece band called Modbeats – Black, White & Blue; Fraser Loveman died from complications of pneumonia April 6, 2018. with notes from Fraser Loveman, John Mars, Jennifer Marcoux.

Singles
1966 Whatcha Gonna Do About It/Price of Love (Red Leaf)  TTM–620
1967 Love’s Just A Broken Heart/You’re My World (Red Leaf)  TTM-625
1967 Somebody Help Me/Ain’t Nobody Home But Me (Red Leaf)  TTM-632
1967 Try To Understand/Sorrow (Red Leaf) TTM-636
2011 Frustration/Love of the Loved (independent)

Albums
1967 Mod Is (Red Leaf)RED-1002
1998 Mod Is [CD re-issue] (Flash – Germany)

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BRITISH NORTH AMERICAN ACT
Rick Elger (vocals, rhythm guitar) / Bob Allen (guitar) / Kirk Armstrong (bass) / Andy Bator (organ, piano)  / Dave McCall (drums)
The British North American Act was a 1960’s psychedelic band based out of Montréal, Québec featuring an international line-up who originated in Hungary, England and Canada. Their only album, ‘In the Beginning’, was released in 1968.

Singles
1968 Joe Cool/The World Will Understand (Now) 600

Albums
1968 In the Beginning (Now) RSS-6700

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BRITT, Tommy
Tommy Britt found a small amount of success with the single “Lonesome Heart” which peaked at No.41 on the CHUM Chart on September 30, 1957. However, he found a nominal amount of success in Canada and the US with “Ella, A Fella and A Striped Umbrella” reaching No.31 on the CHUM Chart in August 1962 and No.32 in the US. Tommy Britt now lives in New York, and sings with a popular Big Band. with notes from Tommy Britt, Ron Hall.

Singles
1957 Lonesome Heart/Dear Love (London)  M-17017
1959 Fabulous Fantastic and Fifteen/The Same Girl (Unison) 45-201
1959 You Know How Things Get Around/Girl Crazy Guy (Unison) 45-202
1962 Ella, A Fella And A Striped Umbrella/Two Blocks Down, Turn To The Right (Arc) 1012

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BRITTEN, Dave
Nova Scotian native Dave Britten was managed by Sandy Gardiner of Dasanda Productions in Ottawa and was groomed to be the next teen crooner a la Terry Black. He was backed by Ottawa band The Characters before getting signed to Capitol Records in 1965 as a solo act. Britten had a minor hit with the song “Falling Tears” in the Fall of 1965. Winnipeg’s The Eternals would cover the tune as a 1968 single. with additional notes from Bruce Ireland.

Singles
1965 Falling Tears/But Then (Capitol) 72290

with DAVE BRITTEN AND THE REGALS
1965 I Want to Tell You/Loneliness (T.M.A.) TMA-001

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BROCK & FRIENDS
Brock & Friends was a communal project with various artists led by Brock Tully who released one album called ‘Coffeehouse’. The record featured a cult hit in the song “Gentle Jonathon” through airplay in the British Columbia interior. Tully would go on to write eight books and became an internationally recognized motivational speaker. He’s the co-founder of ‘Clam Chowder For the Soul’ and ‘Porridge For the Soul’ events as well as the Founder of Vancouver’s Greenhouse Books and a co-founder of KindActs Non-Profit Society. His CV includes being a counselor and psychologist as well volunteer at crisis centers and aids in drug rehabilitation in the Vancouver area. He’s also a survivor of two epic 10,000 mile bicycle tours. His musical contributions include being originator of ‘Music on the Beach’. with notes from Steve Hesketh.

Albums
197- Coffeehouse, A Birth Of Friendships/A Growth Of Music (IRC)

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BROKEN SILENCE
Edward Kay (vocals, synth, guitar, percussion) / Jim Lysowycz (guitar, synth, vocals, percussion)
Toronto duo that played cold wave/pop in the vein of Gary Numan. Their only single was co-produced by Andrew St. George.

Singles
1984 Nightstalking/Through the Glass (Apperception) APR-001

Compilation Tracks
1988 “Part of the Machinery” on ‘Great Ontario Modern Rock’ (CFNY)
FM-102

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BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
Brendan Canning (organ, guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, samples, vocals) / Kevin Drew (vocals, organ, guitar, piano, keyboards, drums) / Brodie West (2001) / Ohad Benchetrit (guitar, flute, saxophone) / Susannah Brady (2002) / Jason Collett (guitar) / John Crossingham (guitar, drums) / Evan Cranley (trumpet, trombone) / Emily Haines (vocals) / Leslie Feist (vocals) / Lisa Lobsinger (vocals) / Amy Millan (vocals) / David Newfeld (vocals, production) / Justin Peroff (drums) / Julie Penner (violin) / James Shaw (guitar) / Charles Spearin (guitar, bass, trumpet) / Andrew Whiteman (guitar, bass, vocals) / Bill Priddle (guitar) / Torquil Campbell (2005) / Sam Goldberg (2007) / Mitch Bowden (guitar) / Leon Kingstone (2008) / Liz Powell (vocals; 2008 Fall tour only) / David French (2010) / John McEntire (drums; 2010)
Broken Social Scene started life in Toronto in 1999 as the duo of Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning. They recorded and released their ambient instrumental debut album, ‘Feel Good Lost’, on Noise Factory Records in 2001. The record featured contributions from Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin, Bill Priddle, Leslie Feist, Jessica Moss and Evan Cranley from the band Stars. To flesh out their instrumental tracks live, they utilized the musicians from the album and augmented the line-up with a plethora of Toronto independent artists like Andrew Whiteman, Jason Collett, and Metric’s Emily Haines—to flesh out their live show with lyrics and vocals. Eventually the rotating LINE-UP of performers ranged from 6 to 19 people on any given occasion which also included James Shaw, Justin Peroff, John Crossingham, and Stars member Amy Millan. When it came time to record their sophomore release, ‘You Forgot It in People’, everyone who was available from their expanding circle contributed to the new record. Released in October 2002 on Paper Bag Records the album won the ‘Alternative Album of the Year’ JUNO Award in 2003. The tour support the album consisted of the core group of Drew, Canning, Peroff, Whiteman and Jason Collett, plus special guests from the surrounding contributors depending on their availability each night of the tour. The album’s “Lover’s Spit” has found its way into many television and movies including Bruce McDonald’s ‘The Love Crimes of Gillian Guess’ and the FX series ‘Nip/Tuck’ among others. Also in 2003, they released a rarities collection called ‘Bee Hives’. Broken Social Scene’s third full-length album was self-titled and released in October 2005. Contributors on this release included k-os, Jason Tait and Murray Lightburn plus producers-turned band members Torquil Campbell and David Newfeld. In early 2006, the group appeared on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’. In March that year ‘Broken Social Scene’ the album won the ‘Alternative Album of the Year award’ at the 2006 JUNO Awards. They were added to the Virgin Festival at Toronto Island Park in September of that year performing alongside The Strokes and The Raconteurs. The band then took a break to work on side projects following their US tour in November of that year. Over the next three years the band made intermittent appearances in an effort to stay in the spotlight and as a springboard for their solo and other music projects. In May 2009, Broken Social Scene released a “visual/oral history” of the band and its Toronto environs entitled “This Book Is Broken”. In July film maker Bruce McDonald announced the filming of the similarly titled documentary about the act “This Movie Is Broken” which was later released on DVD. Broken Social Scene finally released their fourth album entitled ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’ in May 2010. The production was produced by John McEntire at Soma Studio in Chicago and in Toronto at the Sebastian Grainger (Death from Above 1979) and James Shaw’s studio. While recording ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’, the band also used downtime in Soma’s B-room studio to create what the band called ‘Lo-Fi For The Dividing Nights’ and also released that as a 10 track ambient disc. The album ‘Forgiveness Rock Record’ was short-listed for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize but did not win. In August 2011 the band announced an indefinite hiatus after a show in Rio in late 2011. They would return with new albums in 2017 and 2020.

Singles
2002 Stars and Sons/KC Accidental [4 song 7″] (Vertigo – UK) 9810736
2003 Cause = Time (Vertigo – UK) 9812828
2005 Ibi Dreams of Pavement (A Better Day)/All The Gods (City Slang – UK) SLANG-5035817
2006 7/4 (Shoreline)/Stars and Spit//Death Cock (City Slang – UK) SLANG-5039087
2006 Fire Eye’d Boy/Canada vs. America (Exhaust Pipe Remix) (City Slang – UK) SLANG-5040487
2010 All To All/Forced To Love [DigiFile] (Arts & Crafts) ACX-052

Albums
2001 Feel Good Lost (Noise Factory)
2002 You Forgot It in People (Paper Bag/Arts & Crafts) AC-001
2003 Feel Good Lost (Arts & Crafts) AC-005
2004 Bee Hives (Arts & Crafts)
2005 Broken Social Scene (Arts & Crafts) AC-014
2005 E.P. To Be You And Me (Arts & Crafts)
2006 Live at Lollapalooza 2006 [DigiFile]
2007 Live at Radio Aligre FM in Paris [6 song DigiFile EP] (Arts & Crafts) ACX-001
2008 Live From Bonnaroo 2008 [5 song DigiFile EP]
2010 Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts) AC-054
2010 Lo-Fi for the Dividing Nights (Arts & Crafts) ACX-054
2017 Hug of Thunder (Arts & Crafts) A&C135
2020 Live At Third Man Records (Third Man) TMR-571

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BRONTOCRUSHROCK
Archie / Dave Grave (bass) / Geoff Tomlinson / Greg / Tom Patterson
Formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1987. Tomlinson and Patterson would produce Direct Action’s LP ‘Trapped In A World’ in 1985.

Singles
1989 Next Five Songs [5-song EP] (Irate Faction) WRC5-6179

Albums
1988 Brontocrushrock [cassette] (no label)
1992 McAmazon [cassette] (no label)

as SON OF BRONTO
1999 Live…Off the Floor [cassette] (no label)

Compilation Tracks
1993 “The Only One” on ‘Dead On the Road – Songs Without Keyboards’ (Raw/A & M) 21012 

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BROOKS, Danny
Danny Middlebrook (he shortened his name to Brooks in the ’80s) was born and raised by a God-fearing father in Toronto, Canada. After a fight with his father over the evils of music, he left home at fifteen and moved into an apartment around the corner from the Colonial Tavern. The management allowed Brooks to watch Taj Mahal, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker and many more blues legends from the upper balcony — just so long as he promised not to drink. Brooks’ family attended a predominately white church “with a black attitude,” while he was growing up in Toronto, where he was encouraged musically by a lady at church that was the pianist. She took him under her wing and allowed Brooks to bring his guitar to church where she would teach, and encourage him. Brooks’ older brother, Greg, turned him onto Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, and Bobby Blue Bland, and that laid the bedrock for his future writing and vocal stylings. After years of struggle in the Rock n’ Roll trenches of Toronto, Nashville and Los Angeles, addiction to alcohol, speed and heroin, as well as a monstrous spiritual and physical breakdown in the mid-1980s and a life-changing rehabilitation at Toronto’s Donwood Institute, Brooks has emerged as a new star in contemporary Gospel music. He currently lives in Llano, Texas.

Singles
1980 Anaheim Blues/Texas Ain’t Got… (Cabbage Town) CT-002

Albums
1990 …After the Storm (Duke Street) DSR-31064
1993 Rough Raw & Simple (Duke Street) DSR-31087
1998 It’s A Southern Thing (Southern Jule – US) SJCD-1001
2004 Soulsville: Souled Out’N Sanctified (HIS House) HHRDB-002
2005 Soulsville II: Rock This House (HIS House) HHRDB-003
2007 No Easy Way Out (Rockin’ Camel)

as DANNY BROOKS & THE RIGHTEOUS REVELATORS
2000 Righteous Live At The Southside Shuffle (HIS House) HHR-CD-001

as DANNY BROOKS & THE ROCKIN’ REVELATORS BLUES, SWEAT & TEARS
2009 Soulsville III: Live At the Palais Royale (HIS House) HHRDB-004

as TEXASSIPPI SOUL MAN DANNY BROOKS & L’IL MISS DEBI
2014 This World Is Not Your Friend (HIS House) HHRDB-006

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BROOKS, Dianne
Born: Gwendolyn Dianne Brooks on January 3, 1939 in New Jersey, USA
Died: April 29, 2005 in Toronto, Ontario
US born Dianne Brooks began singing in church as a young child. She joined the New Jersey act The Three Playmates who released three singles in the summer of 1957 including the radio hit “Sugah Wooga” on Savoy Records and managed to tour with Little Richard. Following the pregnancy of one of the group members, their manager dropped them and the act soon found themselves without a recording contract as well. Brooks would join another R & B act and while making trips to Southern Ontario to perform in the late 1950s, Big Band leader Billy O’Connor became her agent. O’Connor was soon busy getting her work at clubs, benefits and on the road throughout Ontario, Québec and New York State. Her first Canadian record was a novelty single promoting a toy entitled “The Orbiteer Twist” on RCA Records with Billy O’Connor and His Orbiteersmen (whose guitarist was a young Robbie Robertson on his first recording session). She kept busy with appearances on the Tommy Ambrose hosted ‘While We’re Young’ TV show. In 1966 she was signed to Verve-Folkways and returned to New York that fall to record with bassist/producer Harvey Brooks. Two singles were released in 1967 – “In My Heart” and “Picture Me Gone” (two additional songs recorded in November 1966 remain unreleased). She would also do a stint with Count Basie and then join Toronto’s The Soul Searchers before taking another stab at solo work when she was signed to Mort Ross’s Revolver Records. She released the “Walking On My Mind” b/w “Need To Belong” single in 1969. Both songs would subsequently be released on compilations by Pink Elephant Records in The Netherlands. A full album followed in 1970 entitled ‘Some Other Kind of Soul’ which featured the guitar work of Lenny Breau. Also that year she’d lend her vocal abilities to Dr. Music’s debut single on GRT Records called “Try a Little Harder”. A three year run at George’s Spaghetti Factory in Toronto saw Brooks as featured vocalist for The Canadian Boss Brass. She made appearances on Kenny Rogers’ ‘Rollin’’ TV show as well as ‘The Midnight Special’, ‘The Dick Clark Show’, and ‘The Lou Rawls Special’. Session and live work as a backing singer seemed to suit her talents and she would sing for Bette Midler, Boz Scaggs and The Boss Brass and appeared on recordings by Funkadelic, Herb Alpert, Dusty Springfield, Emmylou Harris, Gino Vannelli, and Anne Murray. In 1974 she released a CBC Radio demo production singing songs co-written with John Capek. In 1976 she toured her own nightclub act and landed a new record deal with Reprise in the United States. The resulting album was ‘Back Stairs of My Life’ featuring help from top names like Bonnie Raitt, Amos Garrett, Anne Murray, plus members of Motherlode, Little Feat, and The Soul Searchers. One single was released – “Kinky Love” – and despite her 1978 appearances as Laverne Baker in the movie ‘American Hot Wax’ and singing the title track to the movie ‘Thank God Its Friday’ (with the fictitious group Love & Kisses) her career failed to take off stateside. Brooks changed management and did manage to tour Australia in 1979. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s to perform with the group Kitchen and would then transition into dance music after a move back to New York. She had a minor dance club hit with the 12” single “Drums” in 1981. Brooks died on April 29, 2005 due to complications from C.O.P.D. with notes from Nicholas Jennings, Bill Munson [also see DR. MUSIC]

Singles
1960 The Orbiteer Twist/My Orbiteer Will Come (RCA/Victor) 57-3292
1967 In My Heart/I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself (Verve-Folkways)
KFS-5036
1967 Picture Me Gone/Sometimes I Wonder (Verve-Folkways) KFS-5055
1969 Walkin’ On My Mind/Need to Belong (Revolver) REVS-001
1970 Show Him (He’s Not Alone)/Show Me (Revolver) REVS-003
1976 Kinky Love/Brown Skin Rose (Reprise) 1366
1981 Drums/Go Away [12”] (Town House) 7561

with THREE PLAYMATES
1957 Giddy-up-a-ding-dong/It Must Be Love (Savoy) 45-1523
1957 Sugah Wooga/Lovey Dovey Pair (Savoy)  45-1528
1957 Give Your Love to Me/(Do-oo, Do-oo) I Dreamed (Savoy) 45-1537

Albums
1970 Some Other Kind of Soul (Revolver) RLPS-503
1975 Dianne Brooks [5 song EP] (CBC Radio Canada) LM-404
1976 Back Stairs of My Life (Reprise) R-2244

Compilation Tracks
1969 “Walkin’ On My Mind” on ‘How Pink Is That Elephant Over There?’ (Pink Elephant – Netherlands) PE-888-002
1970 “Need to Belong” on ‘Never Marry a Pink Elephant’ (Pink Elephant – Netherlands) PE-888-004

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BROOMER & MARS
Stuart Broomer (piano)  / John Mars (drums, digital & analog synths)
Formed originally in 1973 as a trio called Broomer, Mars & Smith, Stuart Broomer and John Mars became a duo in 1979 (after Mars did a brief stint in Brian’s Children) and frequented Universities and community theatre throughout Ontario, Québec, Michigan and New York. Their lone album was ‘Annihilated Surprise’ in 1983 on John Mars’ Ugly Dog Records. Although neither musician sang in the act, their concerts often featured the services of guest soloists such as Michael Snow (trumpet & piano), the late Graham Coughtry (trombone), Doug Wilson (flugelhorn), and Lloyd Garber. Occasionally the duo incorporated the poetic prose of Vic d’Or (aka Victor Coleman).  In March of 1986 they retired their duo and the two pianists delved deeper into playing progressive oriented music with an experimental edge which gained them some successful public and college radio play. Move Records signed them in Edinburgh, Scotland to release Stuart Broomer & John Mars recordings in the UK. But with their live act retired, the recording partners had no outlet to promote their recording effort and parted company. Stuart Broomer can often be seen in various magazines and newspapers reviewing jazz & blues recordings; John Mars revived Brian’s Children as ‘The Children’ and released a single in 1986 and a cassette-only album in 1989 (‘Electric Playground’). He went solo in 1992 at which time he released a cassette-only album, ‘Hay Waggon Inn’. This was followed by his first CD release called ‘Whasup?’ in October 1999 on Blue Star Records with help from Jack DeKeyzer (ex-Bopcats), Teddy Fury (ex-Bopcats), and Gord Lewis (Teenage Head) among others. with notes from John Mars. [also see JOHN MARS]

Albums
1983 Annihilated Surprise (Ugly Dog) 33UDR2

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BROTHER
Bill Wallace (bass) / Kurt Winter (guitar) / Vance Masters (drums)
Brother featured three future members of the Guess Who. [also see THE GUESS WHO]

Singles
1970 Second Time Around The Woodpile/Spending Money (Nimbus) 9-9014

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BROTHERS AND ONE
Anthony Feltrin (vocals) / Kenny MacDonald (organ) / Kirk MacDonald (sax, vocals) / Robert MacKinnon (drums) / Richard MacKinnon (bass, vocals) / Gary White (guitar, vocals)
This band, featuring two sets of teenaged brothers, were from New Waterford, Cape Breton. They recorded a full-length LP in 1973 for Audat Records. A subsequent independent single called “Hard On Me” garnered them hit radio airplay nationally. Aquarius Records, searching for the next April Wine, traveled to Port Hawkesbury to see them perform which led to a recording contract. The group was sent to Toronto record a single but the band was uncertain about the financial future of the music industry (and their place in it) and, instead, disbanded to allow various members to go to university. Richard MacKinnon teaches folklore at Cape Breton University, and still occasionally plays on the weekends; Robert MacKinnon is now vice president of the University of New Brunswick (including the Saint John campus); Kirk MacDonald teaches music at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario and tours the world as an award-winning, renowned musician; Kenny MacDonald has won awards for his audio engineering work at CBC Halifax for shows such as ‘This Hour Has 22 Minutes’ and Rick Mercer’s ‘The Mercer Report’. with notes from Glen Bourgeois and Richard MacKinnon.

Singles
1974 Hard On Me/You’re So Afraid (B.One) C-1507

Albums
1973 Brothers and One (Audat) 477-9038

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BROTHERS-IN-LAW
Alec Somerville (banjo)  / Howard Duffy (guitar 1963-1966)  / Larry Reaume (guitar) / Ken Clarke (bass 1963-1965)  / Bob Lee (bass; 1965)
Satirical singing group formed in Windsor, Ontario in 1963 by four policemen who were inspired by the Kingston Trio. They gave their first appearance November 22, 1963 at a police banquet in Sandwich West, Windsor. Their popularity grew with Alec Somerville’s satirical lyrics added to Howard Duffy’s music (and later Bob Lee’s) or to traditional and classical melodies. Subjects ranged from North American cultural and political institutions to sexual mores. And despite receiving little airplay (only the CBC would take on their controversial topics), their first and most successful LP ‘Oh! Oh! Canada’ sold more than 275,000 copies and was followed by 5 others for ARC Sound. Even with their success, the group maintained their full-time jobs and only performed 12 to 20 concerts per year (mostly in Ontario). The group disbanded in the early 1970’s. Somerville recorded the solo album ‘Total Nudity’ for ARC. He moved to Ireland in 1998 and recorded an independent CD called ‘North Meets South: Old-Time Appalachian Songs And Tunes’ which he released in 2004. He also the single “The Beach of Dieppe” as a tribute to the Essex Scottish Regiment of Windsor in 2005; Lee has since passed away. with notes from Alec Somerville. [also see ALEC SOMERVILLE]

Singles
1966 The Pill/K-K-Klansman (ARC) 1132
1966 Can You Say You Didn’t Know/The Carl D. Bradley (ARC) 1142
1966 Come Up to Canada/Hockey Night In Canada (ARC) 1162
1967 Christmas Madrigal/Liberal Christmas (ARC) 1194
1967 Nashville, Tennessee/Buy Now, Pay Later (ARC) 1204
1968 Pollution/100 Millimetre Blues (ARC) 1245

Albums
1965 Oh! Oh! Canada (ARC)  AS-636
1966 The Brothers-In-Law Strike Again (ARC)  AS-684
1967 Expose ’67 (ARC)  AS-257
1969 Onward The Establishment (ARC)  AC-267
1970 The Pill (ARC) ACS-5007

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BROUGHM, Ross
Born: Lockeport, Nova Scotia
Ross began playing guitar at the age of nine and soon played at social functions including dances and garden parties. As he became more popular through Nova Scotia he stretched musically from country into other genres which made him an in-demand accompanist for many bands and solo singers. He sould found a calling to appear on radio through Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Ontario – which gained him notoriety that led to work opening concerts for larger American acts on tour through Canada. Following several appearances on television with legendary band leader Don Messer, he joined the staff at CJCH-TV in Halifax. He would soon appear on TV again with The Bluenose Boys on the show “Cross Canada Barn Dance.” Between these appearances he also played guitar with The Countrymen. Later he would be invited to supply music for Montreal station CHAU-TV where he was able to spread his musical arrangements and guitar playing to a French audience. Aside from being as session musician for many artists on the Banff  Records labels in 1963, he recorded a solo album and a single.

Single
1962 Bridgewater Boogie/Rustic Dance (Citadel)  CT-3150

Albums
1963The Magic Fingers of Ross Broughm (Banff) RBS-1118

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BROUSSEAU, Réal
Réal Brousseau started his musical discovery on accordion, but soon switched to guitar. He studied at the Collège de Réforme Mont-St-Antoine, Québec in technical drawing (a discipline he would pursue following his music career) . At the end of his studies in 1965, he was approached by his brother-in-law Marc Hamilton (of Les Shadols), who was looking for a new guitarist. Brousseau joined Hamilton’s band Les Monstres – known for their horror-themed stage costumes – who released two singles (including a French version of “The Monster Mash) split up in 1967. His first solo release was under the name Plume for the single “Doctor Robert” – a French version of The Beatles’ song backed with a French version of The Hollies’ “Too Many People” (and not an original tune as listed on the label of the single). He performed the song on the TV show ‘Jeunesse d’Aujourd’hui’ in October 1967 and then on ‘Bonsoir Copains’ in Sherbrooke). The song, however, didn’t captivate audiences. When a new songwriter named Plume Latraverse began to make a name for himself, Brousseau stopped using Plume. In 1968 he went to Calgary to study technical drawing for a year. Upon his return he reconnects with his former Les Monstres band-mate Normand Bouchard who is now producing and has launched his own record label called Chart On. Brousseau presents Bouchard with some fresh folk-styled songs and is signed to the new label under the name Sam Lloyd. In return, Brousseau designs Chart On’s logo and label designs.He releases “Piano Piano” scrapes the lower Top 40 in Canada and even interests labels in the US but no international deal materializes. The follow-up, “Wah-Wah” reach’s No.14 on the Radiomutuel charts during the first week of July 1971. As the year wears on, Brousseau begins woodshedding new songs with former Les Monstres guitarist Martin Zizek. The record rough outlines, but Brousseau decides to carry on his career with technical drawing. In 1972 Normand Bouchard convinces him to release the recordings as an album. The self-titles Sam Lloyd album is released without much fanfare. Brousseau closes out the year with a bilingual holiday record on the independent Hippopotamus label. With notes from Mondo P.Q. and Michel Charbonneau [also see LES MONSTRES]

Singles
as PLUME
1967 Doctor Robert/Tout Peut S’Oublier (Citation) CN-9026

as SAM LLOYD
1971 Piano Piano/Free To Be Free (Chart On/Polydor) 2000-003
1971 Wah-Wah/La Liberte (Chart On/Polydor) 2000-008
1972 Un Noel Chante/Christmas Carol (Hippopotamus/Trans-Canada) HIP-87202

Albums
as SAM LLOYD
1972 Sam Lloyd (Chart On/Polydor) CHA-2001

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BROWN, Carol
Toronto R & B/Soul singer Carol Brown’s 12″ single “Come Love Me” was produced by Leroy Sibbles. Brown was also one of the first acts signed to indie label Hardrock Records.

Singles
1986 Come Love (Cause I Need Love)/Version Love (Hardrock) HR-002

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BROWN, Charity
Born: Phyllis Boltz on May 18, 1951 in Kitchener, Ontario
Charity Brown grew up in Kitchener, Ontario and her teenage years, during the ’60’s, saw her singing in several bands including Landslide Mushroom. She finally connected with Rain and stayed with them for 5 years, one album and a fistful of singles, including the Canadian Top-10 hit ‘Out Of My Mind’. After leaving Rain she hooked up with producer Harry Hinde in 1973 and he landed her an audition with A & M Records – eventually getting signed to the label. Her first releases were several singles under the name Phyllis Brown which became Charity shortly thereafter. A & M groomed Brown as a Motown stylist and she charted with remakes of “Jimmy Mack” and “You Beat Me to the Punch”. Her next single, “Take Me In Your Arms”, was cut off at the knees when The Doobie Brothers released a version at the same time and Helen Reddy managed to release a song called “Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady” which became a hit at the same time as a similarly titled song by Brown was about to hit the racks. Despite the lousy timing, 1976 saw Brown’s “Anyway You Want”, written by Chicago’s Peter Cetera, hit paydirt. A ‘Best Of’ was released in 1977 and Brown toured extensively on the nightclub circuit for the next three years. Brown’s failure to break out of the club scene caused friction between her and management and she finally retired in 1980. Her and husband Ted Purdy (Mainline) set up a recording studio in the late ’80’s after Brown tried other jobs as a florist, a grocery store clerk and a costume designer. [also see RAIN]

Singles
1974 Jimmy Mack/Elijah Stone (A & M) AM-371
1974 You Beat Me To The Punch/Jimmy Mack (A & M) AM-375
1975 Take Me In Your Arms/Our Day Will Come (A & M) AM-391
1975 No Way To Treat A Lady/Touch Me Babe (A & M) AM-397
1976 Saving All My Love/Family Man (A & M) AM-403
1976 Anyway You Want It/Rock Me Sweet (A & M) AM-410
1976 Stay With Me/Dancing With The Soul of My Feet (A & M) AM-421
1976 Ain’t No Hurt Love Can’t Heal/Ben (A & M) AM-425
1976 Forecast (Heartbreak, Rain And Tears)/Rock Me Sweet (A & M) AM-439
1977 Hold On Baby/Ben (A & M) AM-445
1977 All The Things You Told Me [stereo]/All The Things You Told Me [mono] (A & M) AM-453
2007 No Talk Talkin’/Guardian Song (Charity Brown)

as PHYLLIS BROWN
1973 Elijah Stone/More Than Missing You (A & M) AMX-357

Albums
1975 Charity Brown [aka Rock Me] (A & M) SP-9019
1976 Stay With Me (A & M) SP-9022
1977 The Best Of Charity Brown (A & M) SP-9029
199-  Lost Tapes of ’79 (Sweet Home)

Compilation Tracks
1975 “Take Me In Your Arms” on ‘Disco Rock’ (K-Tel) TC-226
1975 “Train” on ‘Music Express’ (K-Tel) TC-228
1976 “Saving All My Love” on ‘Block Buster’ (K-Tel) TC-229
1976 “Anyway You Want” on ‘Canada’s Finest’ (K-Tel) TC-232
1977 “Hold On Baby” on ‘Music Machine’ (K-Tel) TC-243

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BROWN, Divine
Born: Michelle Nicole Brown on September 9, 1974
Brown got her start in Toronto in the early 1990s as Michelle Brown for such artists as Raffi, Carlos Morgan, Patria and Lovena Fox. In 1998 she fronted the jazz/funk group Groove United for their album ‘Spring Bird In Flight.’ She began writing and producing her own material under the name Divine Earth Essence and Boo Boo Brown before finally establishing her own Blacksmith Productions and releasing material under the name Divine Brown. In recent years, Brown has also been singing back-up with live touring acts, most notably Gowan.

Singles
2000 Make You Wanna Dance/Who Dat (Instrumental) [7″] (FiWi Music – JAMAICA) FIWD-006
2005 Old School Love (Blacksmith/Universal – EUR) DBLOVE-CDP1
2006 Twist My Hair [3 mixes]//Smile [2 mixes/Old School Love (Reggae Remix) [12″] (Blacksmith/Universal) UMCR-05615-1
2010 Sunglasses [6 mixes] (Pro Notion – USA)
2018 Love Alibi (Terry Hunter’s Club Mix)/Love Alibi (Terry Hunter Instrumental) [DigiFile] (T’s Box) TB-071

as DEVINE EARTH ESSENCE
1997 Smile/Natty Bay [7″] (FiWi Music – JAMAICA) FIW-205040
1998 Wish Mi Well/Dial Tone [7″] (FiWi Music – JAMAICA) FIW-205041

as WADE O.BROWN & DIVINE EARTH ESSENCE
2002 Fool In Love [5 mixes 12″] (Groove United – USA) FOOL-002

with THE DECODERS featuring DIVINE BROWN
2013 Completeness [DigiFile] (The Decoders – USA)

with INFILTRATE featuring BOO BOO BROWN
1993 Our Love [3 mixes]//C’mon [2 mixes]/You Know That (Remix) [12″] (Contraband/Quality) CONTRA-007

Albums
2005 Divine Brown (Blacksmith/Universal) 5169000-101
2008 The Love Chronicles (WEA) 2-961825

as BOO BOO BROWN
1993 Peek A Boo (DefTone)

with GROOVE UNITED (as MICHELLE BROWN)
1998 Spring Bird In Flight (Eneres) 103161

Compilation Tracks
2005 “Old Skool Love” on ‘Women & Songs 9’ (WEA) WTVD-62800
2006 “Twist My Hair (Edit) on ‘Women & Songs 10: 10th Anniversary Edition’ (WEA) WTVD-63889
2008 “Lay It On the Line” on ‘Women & Songs 12’ (WEA/EMI/UMG) 2-931590

as DIVINE EARTH ESSENCE
1999 “You Did Me Wrong” on ‘Solid Soul’ (Masiv Music) CD-0811
2000 “Without You” on ‘Groovessentials 2000 (Beatfactory/Ariola/BMG) 74321-72526-2

with INFINITE featuring DEVINE EARTH ESSENCE
1997 “Gotta Get Mine” on ‘Beat Factory Rap Essentials Volume Two” (Beatfactory) 62590-8000527

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BROWN, Linda
Kingston, Ontario singer-songwriter Linda Brown was signed to Irving Music Publishing in the early 1970s who helped secure her a record deal with A & M Records of Canada in 1973. Her first single, “Empty Closets”, peaked on the RPM Country Singles chart at #25 in December 1973. Her next single, “Sing-A-Long With Me”, from the album of the same name, peaked at #14 on the RPM Country Singles chart in September 1974. A third single, “Roll It On Homeward” peaked at #16 on the RPM Country Singles chart in January 1975 while a fourth single, “More and More” peaked at #25 in May of 1975. Her debut album was recorded at RCA Studios and featured backing musicians John Arpin, the Laurie Bower Singers, Al Cherney, and Larry Good among others.

Singles
1973 Empty Closets/Country Blue (A & M) AMX-350
1974 Sing-A-Long With Me/Second Hand Kisses (A & M) AM-367
1974 Roll It On Homeward (My Truck Driving Man)/Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall (A & M)
AM-378
1974 More And More/I’m Crying In My Coffee (A & M) AM-383
1979 Love Don’t Grow In A One Man Show/[same] (Earth Star) ESR-001
1981 Don’t You Know I’ve Been Crying?/[same] (Earth Star) ES-322

Albums
1974 Sing-A-long With Me (A & M) SP-9012

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BRULE, E.J.
Born: Stephen Burns on December 27, 1956 in Richmond, Quebéc
A self-proclaimed Alternative Scat Singer, E.J. Brule from Montréal treads the line between music and comedy making the sounds of trumpet, bass, and drums all with his mouth. He does this with the aid of one microphone hanging from his glasses, another shoved two inches up the end of a stethoscope and a pre-amp strapped to his body giving him the look of “an overweight air traffic controller”. Brule’s ‘big break’ came opening for Vomit And The Zits in 1983 when he went to Montréal for the Jazz Festival. Montréal band Déja Voodoo included his tracks on their long-running Og Records ‘It Came from Canada’ compilations Volumes 2, 3 and 4. Brule independently released a 3-song 7″ single that included “I Love Laurie” – the tale of a Saskatchewan farmer and his obsession with Laurie Anderson. In 1987, Brule had a part-time job at the famous St. Viateur Bagel Shop. A local rabbi would come in every week for 10 dozen bagels on his way to his NY State chaplaincy gigs at the Clarke Airbase and the Ogdensburg Correctional Facility on the St. Lawrence River opposite Prescott, Ontario. He got off a bus and walked over the bridge and the border to perform inside the New York State Prison. In 1988, he released a cassette called ‘Freedom of Speech’ featuring six studio songs with multi-tracked instruments and seven that were recorded live in front of 30 people in Morris Applebaum’s living room. In 1990, he performed at the Fringe Festival Circuit out West, the last of five tours that way. A combination of health and financial issues became career setbacks and instead he started writing things that required collaborators.

Singles
1986 Alternative Scat-Singer (Transmission) FL-001
1986 Strange Consolation//My Baby Ran Off With a Carrot/My Asshole Hurts
(Og Music)

Albums
1988 Freedom of Speech [cassette] (independent)

Compilation Tracks
1986 “Strange Consolation” on ‘It Came From Canada, Volume 2’ (Og Music) OG-9
1987 “Killer Whale Attack” on ‘It Came From Canada, Volume 3’ (Og Music) OG-13
1988 “Tabarnak! Make My Day” on ‘It Came From Canada, Volume 4’ (Og Music) OG-17

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BRUNO GERUSSI’S MEDALLION
Tom Harrison (vocals, percussion) / Grenville Newton (bass) / Don Harrison (rhythm guitar) / Bruce Faulkner (drums) / Ron Scott (rhythm guitar; replaced Don Harrison) / Ron Hyslop (rhythm guitar; replaced Scott) / Jim Elliott (bass; replaced Newton) / Jimmy Walker (bass, then lead guitar)
Formed in 1987 in Vancouver, British Columbia by Georgia Straight newspaper journalist Tom Harrison (ex-The Potatoes) as a pick-up band with his friends. When they’d finally booked their first gig, they still had no name and it was original bassist Grenville Newton who suggested Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion named after the audacious jewellery worn by ‘The Beachcombers’ TV show actor of the same on his second show ‘Celebrity Chefs’. They were initially a parody act doing 1960s garage-rock before working through original songs written, mostly, by Tom Harrison. Over time they recorded on three separate occasions with an ever revolving line-up of musicians – including Harrison’s brother, Don, who went on to form Sons of Freedom. In 1988 a finished album was in hand and Tom Harrison convinced Dave Tollington of Warner Music that with a finished master in hand, Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion was a low risk investment and were soon signed to the label. The debut album, 1989’ ‘In Search of the Fourth Chord’ was released and spawned the single “Who’s Behind the Wheel?” which managed to place on Billboard’s specialty chart. The band even performed at the TV show’s wrap party on August 4, 1990. However, with few of their albums showing up on the East Coast in retail stores and the failure to spark radio play on the back of two more singles, Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion was dropped amidst Warners’ internal staff re-assignments. As a means to make a fresh start and distance themselves from the Canadiana ‘in-joke’ of their name, the band became the less whimsical Little Games and released another album entitled ‘Guitar Damage’ before disbanding. They reunited in 1998 and recorded a live album which has never been released. Harrison, Faulkner and Hyslop would reconvene in the band Lumpy; Tom Harrison passed away on December 28, 2022 following a massive stroke Christmas Day 2022. with notes from Tom Harrison.

Singles
1989 Who’s Behind the Wheel?/[same] (WEA)  PRO-659

Albums
1989 Bruno Gerussi’s Medallion [12” EP] (WEA) PRO-658
1989 In Search of the Fourth Chord (Warner) 25-64421
2004 In Search of the Fourth Chord [re-issue] (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4052

as LITTLE GAMES
1995 Guitar Damage

Compilation Tracks
1986 “My Home Town” on ‘Van-Cover’ [cassette] (Garbonzo Bean) GARBO-2
1992 “Faith In the Season” on ‘New Stuff’ (MMS) NSCD-001
2001 “Faith In the Season” on ‘Takin’ Care of Christmas’ (Bullseye) BLR-CD-4019

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BRUNSWICK PLAYBOYS
Gerry Holley (vocals) / Roger Cormier (bass) / George Hebert (guitar) / Bob Bourgeois (drums)
From Moncton, New Brunswick, the Brunswick Playboys found an audience first with a TV appearance on “Frank’s Bandstand” on CBC-TV in Moncton. After making in-roads in Québec they were picked up by Arc Records in 1965 where they released three singles including the French language “Trop Occupe”. Upon returning home they appeared on the Moncton CKCW-TV show ‘Pop Performance’ where Ottawa’s Excellent Records executive Alex Sherman saw them and offered them a recording contract. Their debut album, ‘Looking In On the Brunswick Playboys’, was released in 1966. It spawned one single called “Heart.”

Singles
1965 Summer Breeze/Too Blind To See (Arc) A-1084
1965 Trop Occupe/Vent d’efe (Arc) A-1104
1965 My Heart Is An Open Book/Just Call On Me (Arc) A-1106
1966 Heart/On the Outside Looking In (Excellent) E-5004

Albums
1966 Looking In On the Brunswick Playboys (Arc) ESP-109
2018 Looking In On the Brunswick Playboys [re-issue w/bonus tracks] (Super Oldies) SOCD-27

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BRUSSEL SPROUT
Tom Treece (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)  / Roger Manning (vocals, harp)  / Don Perrish (vocals, lead guitar) / Ken Lush (keyboards, flute)  /  Jeff Benjamin (bass)  / Denny Moses (drums, vocals, congas, fiddle)  / John Vass (guitar, drums, vocals)
Allen Park, Michigan school chums Perrish and Lush were in a band called Old Friend and began jamming with ex-members of Custer’s Last Band Manning, Treece and Vass in 1972. They got together with Denny Mosese on a farm in Monroe, Michigan, where most of the members were from, and started making home demos. They performed one gig as The Amazing Vibrasonics and then changed their name to Brussel Sprout following the departure of their bass player. Benjamin was added at the point of the name change. While playing a gig in Essex, Ontario near Windsor, they were noticed by a booking agent who lined up gigs for them in Niagara Falls and Toronto allowing the band to temporarily relocate to Jordan, Ontario. A show at the El Mocambo in Toronto brought them to the attention of Hilly Leopold of Eastern Sound Studio’s A440 Productions. Gordon Lightfoot was recording the album ‘Summertime Dream’ while the band was there and they soon met him. Brussel Sprout signed a production deal with A440 and recorded three demo songs. Hilly Leopold decided to pursue a recording deal and after getting them signed to MCA, produced their self-titled album in 1975. To test the waters “Dance She Said” was released to radio as Canadian content as the production and recordings were done in Canada. The all-American group qualified as Canadian on the radio charts. With the release of the album in 1976, the second single, “High in the Rockies” followed. Alas, fame and fortune eluded them, the band split up and the members returned to the US; Perrish lives in Michigan, owns and operates a construction company, and continues to write and play music; Lush lives in Nashville, has continued to play music professionally, and has toured with several bands; Manning lives in Michigan, teaches 5th grade and continues to write and play music; Treece lives in Michigan, worked as general manager at a radio station in Monroe, Michigan and now works at a radio station in Toledo, Ohio; Vass lives in Michigan, and plays in a Christian band; Benjamin lives in Los Angeles and served as Controller of the 1984 L.A. Summer Olympic Organizing Committee, is Treasurer and on the Board of Directors of the Live Aid Foundation, is Director of Sony Music’s video game division, Sony Imagesoft, in Los Angeles, and manages singer/songwriter Kenny Rankin. with notes from Roger Manning, and Jeff Benjamin.

Singles
1975 Dance She Said/Feeling Right Down Home (MCA) MCA-40360
1976 Follow Me Down/Dance She Said (MCA) MCA-40368
1976 High In The Rockies/In The Long Run (MCA) MCA-40503
1976 Tryin’ To Get Next To You/Turn My Life Around (MCA) MCA-40561

Albums
1976 Brussel Sprout (MCA) MCA-2211

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BRUTUS
Wally Zwolinski (lead vocals, organ, synths)  / Tom Wilson (bass) / Sandy White (bass; replaced Wilson)  /  Eldon ‘Sonny’ Wingay (guitar) / Bill Robb (sax, trombone)  /  Michael Magann (trumpet)  / Lance Wright (drums; 1969-1970; 1972-1973)  / Len Sembaluk (drums; 1971)  / Bruce Gordon (trumpet, organ, guitar, bass; replaced Magann)  / Danny Smith (drums; replaced Sembaluk 1973-1978)  / John Bride (guitar, banjo ukelele) / Frank Ludwig (keyboards; 1975)  / Dennis Pinhorn (bass; 1975)  / Doni Underhill (bass; replaced Pinhorn 1975-1976)  / Chris Brockway (bass; replaced Underhill 1976-1977)  / Woody West (guitars) / Laurie Del Grande (piano, organ, synths) / Dave Breckles (drums)  / Breen LeBoeuf (bass, vocals)  / Paul Dean (guitar) / Bill Wade (drums)  / Gino Scarpelli (guitar) / Jerry Doucette (guitar)
Formed in April 1969 by Walter “Zwol” Zwolinski and former Little Caesar And The Consuls bassist/agent Tom Wilson (historically Brutus was to have stabbed Caesar – hence the new band name). Zwol ran into Sandy White, and was asked to join this new group at Tom Wilson’s request. White, in turn, brought in the son of his former music teacher – Michael Magann – on trumpet (who also knew White from their days at Thistletown High School). The original LINE-UP also consisted of Lance Wright (drums), Sonny Wingay (guitar), and Bill Robb (sax, trombone). Tom Wilson was able to pre-book Brutus for six months in advance on the cottage club circuit which typically had the band working weekends at The Key to Bala, The Pav, Peterborough, Sauble Beach and as far away as Ottawa. The band struggled to establish an identity and often opened for Canadian ‘name’ acts like The Guess Who and would also team up with A-level club acts from the US including a soon-to-be-famous Chicago Transit Authority (aka Chicago) who opened a show for Brutus at the University of Waterloo. Around Christmas of 1969, shortly after the recording of the single “Funky Roller Skates” for Quality Records, Michael Magann left to finish University and was replaced by Bruce Gordon (trumpet, organ, guitar, bass) who would emerge on follow-up singles like “Help Me, Free Me” for Yorkville. This first revised incarnation of Brutus split in 1971 after Zwol pushed for the band to perform full-time. In 1973, the new and improved Brutus took a page out of Britain’s glam scene and incorporated facial make-up and bizarre stage antics. Using stage props and explosive devices (and the occasional troupe of midgets) Brutus wrapped a rock show into a molten package of sexual innuendo and, of course, they would find themselves frequently in trouble for their stunts including being banned from high schools in Toronto; Walter Zwol was arrested at one gig in North Bay (which led to a ‘devil worshipping’ charge in the local papers the next day), and gigs were shutdown mid-show in many cases for Zwol’s over-the-top stage behaviour. In 1975 Brutus landed a new recording deal with GRT Records in Canada and with legendary Guess Who producer Jack Richardson, the single “(Let Me Down) Slow And Easy” was released to test the commercial waters. From there plans were put in motion to record a full-length album but immediately there was tension between Zwol and Richardson over direction of the material. Despite a full album’s worth of material being recorded in 1975 the entire session was abandoned save for “Oh, Mama Mama” which GRT released as the follow-up to “Slow and Easy” in September 1975. “Oh, Mama Mama” would reach the Top 10 at most Canadian radio stations and managed to claw its way up to No.3 on AM Radio (only being stopped from the No.1 slot by The Bee Gees’ “Nights On Broadway” and The Eagles’ “One Of These Nights”). The tune was chosen as the No.1 Canadian single in a year-end poll by the Montréal Star with nods to Zwol as the third best male vocalist behind Michel Pagliaro and Myles Goodwin (April Wine). By mid-1976 the band was teamed with producer Ralph Murphy (producer on April Wine’s early ’70s output) to try and salvage the band’s long overdue debut album. Following a regular gig at Montréal’s Cirque Electrique (Friday thru Sunday; 4 sets each night) Brutus received word that recording was to start that Monday! The band raced back to Toronto to begin recording with Murphy at Tempo Studios and with little budget to speak of, he had to make the best of a short studio session schedule. The core LINE-UP of Walter Zwol (vocals, keys), Danny Smith (drums), Laurie Del Grande (keys), Woody West (guitar) and Doni Underhill (bass) was under the gun and worked quickly laying down the material they had been road-testing for what may have been years. In three 18-hour days, beginning on that Monday and finishing up on Wednesday, they polished off an entire album’s worth of material (and some bonus material like “King of The World”) on nearly zero sleep – just in time for a showcase gig Thursday night at the Gasworks in Toronto! “Who Wants To Buy A Song” was released as the next single and helped pave the way for the self-titled album which followed during the first week of November 1976. Immediately the album took radio programmers and critics by surprise as it was devoid of any of Brutus’ legendary insanity. In fact, the album was a balanced mixture of straight-ahead rock and melodic pop wrapped in quaint four minute packages or occasionally stretched into subdued progressive opuses. “Sailing” was released as the third, and final, single which helped cement a solid critically acclaimed album behind Brutus’ long suffering reputation as stage maniacs. The record popped up on critics choice Year-End Polls at the end of 1976;Walter Zwol would go on to record several solo records first with EMI-America and then with A & M as part of his new band The Rage; He would also work briefly as A & R man for Attic Records. Zwol continues a full-time career with his act Naked Brunch; Wingay now performs in the Toronto Soul Revival. with notes from Walter Zwol, Danny Smith, Ralph Murphy, Breen LeBoeuf and Michael Magann. [also see WALTER ZWOL]

Singles
1970 Funky Roller Skates/Flyer (Quality) 1953
1970 Gimme Rock/Duck Pond (Quality) 1971
1971 Help Me, Free Me/Mistakes Friend (Yorkville)  YV-45034
1975 (Let Me Down) Slow And Easy/Tonight, Tonight (GRT) 1230-96
1975 Ooh Mama Mama/Ride Cowboy Ride (GRT) 1230-104
1976 Who Wants To Buy A Song/King Of The World (GRT)  1230-114
1976 Sailing/Search For Tomorrow (GRT) 1230-127

Albums
1976 Brutus (GRT) 9230-1057
2000 For The People (Bullseye)  BLP-CD-4021

Compilation Tracks
1973 “Mr. Jive” on ‘Concept’ [Gold] (Arc) PRP-208
1976 “Ooh Mama, Mama” on ‘Canada’s Finest’ (K-Tel) TC-232

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BRYANT, Wiz
Wiz Bryant, “The Happy Canadian, is from Penticton, British Columbia. He takes his inspiration from the Canadian countryside and from current events, and considers it his duty to document the past and present day Canada as living history of the country.

Singles
1979 Bluenose/The Gift of Peace (Berandol) BER-9072
1980 Terry’s Song/[same] (Berandol) BER-FM
1981 The 100 Huntley Street Salute To Canada [6-song EP] (100 Huntley Street) MC-33
1986 Hinton Train Disaster/Goin’ To Fiddleville (Boot)  BTX-375

Albums
1979 Ballads of Canada (Berandol) BER-9071
1981 Timberline (TMC) TMC-8002
1986 Spirit Of The North (Boot) BOS-7250
1989 Blue Collar Heroes (Trilogy/Electric) TR-891
1994 Earth Circle (IDAC) 1873

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BRYDEN, Bob
Born: April 26, 1951 in Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa born Bob Bryden was transplanted to Oshawa, Ontario where he was a member of such bands as The Outcasts and The Christopher Columbus Discovery of New Lands Band. With much original material under his belt the Christopher Columbus band – featuring Helge ‘Rich’ Richter and Lynda Squires – became Reign Ghost who released an eponymous debut to no effect in 1968. In 1969 they recorded a second LP which was held back until 1970 and released simultaneously with the debut album of the band they mutated into – Christmas. From 1970 to 1974 Christmas (later dubbed Spirit Of Christmas) saw Bryden write and record two more LP’s – ‘Heritage’ and ‘Lies To Live By’. Both of these albums were received very well by the critical community but were considered too eclectic even for Canadian FM radio and so Spirit Of Christmas disbanded in 1975. In 1978 Bryden was offered the job of managing a franchise store of the Star Records chain and headed up their independent record label as well. Through the label he was able to produce material for the likes of The Forgotten Rebels and Durango ’95. In 1981 Bryden returned to his own recordings and ‘See This Brick’, a self-produced solo LP, was released on his own Limited Availability label. Out of the broken pieces of ‘See This Brick’ sessions came a new band called Benzene Jag.  Together for over 4 years, Benzene Jag released one highly controversial single, recorded a six-song EP and toured southern Ontario. In 1985, Benzene Jag gave way to yet another band – the “progressive-Euro-pop” group, Age Of Mirrors. Singing and writing under the pseudonym Simon De Beaupre, Bryden released the ‘Mirage’ LP and found himself playlisted, incognito, on some of Toronto’s major radio stations. Reaction to the LP was unanimously good – but independent distribution slowed momentum. Meanwhile, Bryden began taking his religion a little more seriously and ended up recording with a fellow church goer – Belma (Diana) Vardy – and together they released ‘In One Spirit’. Age Of Mirrors went on to release a second album called ‘Screenplay’ in 1987 before Bryden decided to once again focus on his own material. Ten years after his first solo release Bryden released ‘Theatre Like This’. He has also supervised the CD re-issues of both Reign Ghost albums and two Christmas records by Laser’s Edge in New Jersey and the release of a Christmas live album through Zapp Records in Hamilton. Bryden’s third solo album, ‘Polaroid Verite’, was released in 2007. Bryden’s next album was 2014’s ‘Yorkville Days’.with notes from Bob Bryden. [also see AGE OF MIRRORS, BENZENE JAG, CHRISTMAS, REIGN GHOST]

Albums
1981 See This Brick (Limited Availability) LA-1
1987 Ditties For Kiddies [cassette] (independent)
1991 Theatre Like This [cassette] ( Limited Availability ) LA-2
2007 Polaroid Verite (Limited Availability) LA-007
2014 Yorkville Days (Limited Availability)  LA-008

as BOB BRYDEN & LONG DAY JOURNEY
2018 Abandoned Songs & Living Room Jams (Limited Availability) LA-009
2021 Love In the Atomic Age: Abandoned Songs & Living Room Jams #2 (Limited Availability)

with BELMA AND BOB
1987 In One Spirit [cassette] (independent)

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BRYK, Dan
Born: September 23, 1970 in Toronto, Ontario
Bryk grew up in Mississauga and took piano lessons at the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music before dropping out due to inattentiveness. While attending St. Martin’s High School, Bryk established an extra-curricular 8-Track Tape Club. He also recorded his own music along with occasional collaborator Mike Feraco while part of the club under the name The Cunning Linguists. Several home-made cassettes were sold to friends and on consignment at record shops. Bryk would also perform at the school’s 1988 Battle of the Bands competition using a sequencer. The performance was censored and edited out of the local cable TV rebroadcast of the event. While attending the University of Guelph he majored in English Literature, and fine arts while attending popular music classes and tinkering in the school’s piano booths. He would then head to England in 1992 to absorb the country’s Camden music scene before returning to Guelph for part time studies. Wanting to proceed with a career in music, Bryk moved to Toronto in 1994 and released the EP ‘Dan Bryk Now!’. This was followed in 1995 by the full CD ‘Dan Bryk, Asshole’ which garnered Bryk media attention including the ear of CBC Radio 2. He was also able to assemble a band of Queen Street scene makers (Kurt Swinghammer, Maury Lafoy, and Jeff MacPherson) to perform his material live. This line-up also recorded the follow-up EP ‘Dan Bryk Rocks Nobody’ during a CBC Radio 2 ‘Real Time’ session. The recording and a performance in NYC got him a meeting with Scratchie Records owner Adam Schlesinger from the band Fountains of Wayne. Additional recording was completed and a full album was set to be distributed through Scratchie’s deal with Mercury Records. Due to corporate restructuring at the major label level, the album was never released and eventually abandoned altogether. Instead, Bryk started a new album utilizing contacts he’d made back in Toronto including Howie Beck, Kyp Harness, Hayden Neal (Jacksoul) and members of Moxy Früvous. The completed album entitled ‘Lover’s Leap’ was released through Scratchie in October 2000. Bryk toured the album throughout Canada, the United States and Japan with Stephen Malkmus where Avex Trax released the album and two radio charting singles. In 2001 Pop-Up Records released two songs from Bryk’s ‘We Don’t Care’ EP as part of their Singles Club series. In 2002 Bryk received the Ontario Arts Council grant for ‘Popular Songwriting’. Bryk moved to Raleigh, North Carolina in 2003 but after Scratchie Records was sold to New Line and ongoing immigration issues plagued his return to music, Bryk wasn’t able to make another record until 2006. Bryk’s next album was ‘Dan Bryk Christmas Record’ was released on his own Urban Myth Recording Collective label to enthusiastic reviews and airplay in November 2006. This inspired the creation of the ‘Have a Holly Raleigh Christmas’ benefit project to raise funds for music instruments for high schools. In 2007 he released the song “Cherry Berry” to radio under the name The Commissioners. The song was written about North Carolina Secretary of Labour Cherry K. Berry. Bryk initially denied his involvement with the track until the promotional emails about the song were traced back to his home ISP address on his computer. The song was added as a hidden bonus track on the ‘Discount Store’ EP that year. Bryk was married in 2008 and relocated to New York City in 2009. His long-delayed 4th album, ‘Pop Psychology’, was released that fall. Bryk became an American citizen in June 2012.

Singles
2001 I Love You Goodbye (Avex Trax – Japan)
2001 She Doesn’t Mean a Thing to Me Tonight (Avex Trax – Japan)
2001 We Don’t Care (Pop – Up)
2001 BecaRebecca (Pop-Up)

as THE COMMISSIONERS
2007 Cherry Berry

Albums
1995 Dan Bryk Now! [3-song cassette EP] (No! Disc)  NO-24
1996 Dan Bryk, Asshole (No! Disc) NO-25
1998 Dan Bryk Rocks Nobody [3-song 7”] (Eutectic) EP BOT-1
2000 Lover’s Leap (Teenager USA) teen- 021
2001 We Don’t Care [EP] (Pop – Up)
2006 Christmas Record (Urban Myth Recording Collective – US)
2007 Discount Store [6-song EP] (Urban Myth Recording Collective – US) UM-121-2
2009 Pop Psychology (Urban Myth Recording Collective) UM-116

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BUBLÉ, Michael
Born: Michael Bublé on September 9, 1975 in Burnaby, British Columbia
Bublé’s interest in jazz started around the age of five but he was only ever heard singing during his family’s traditional Christmas celebrations. His dream as a youth was to be a professional hockey player for the Vancouver Canucks. Starting at age 14, Bublé spent six years working during the summer as a commercial fisherman with his father. But his grandfather encouraged him to be a singer and paid for his vocal lessons. At the age of 16 Bublé’s grandfather, who was a plumber, would trade his services to nightclubs in exchange for giving Bublé stage time to perform. When he was 18, Bublé won a talent contest but was immediately disqualified after it was discovered he was underage. But the contest’s organizer, Bev Delich, entered Bublé in the Canadian Youth Talent Search, which he won legitimately. Delich became Bublé’s manager for the next seven years trying to get him in front as many people as possible. He sang at talent shows, corporate gigs, shopping malls, hotel lounges and even tried singing telegrams, and singing Santa Claus jobs. In 1996, Bublé tried his hand at acting and appeared on the TV show ‘Mortal Challenge’ and did two uncredited episodes of The X-Files as a submarine crew members. His first TV appearance singing was on the award-winning Bravo! documentary entitled ‘Big Band Boom!’ National TV talk show host Vicki Gabereau took a liking to the budding star – who had released his debut EP ‘Dance’ by 1996 – and often had him on the live show to fill in during scheduled guest cancellations. He proved so popular with her audience that he was invited to appear on Gabreau’s final show in 2005 which also included guests Jann Arden and Elvis Costello. Bublé was beginning to come into his own as a songwriter as well and received two Genie Award nominations for the two tunes he’d written for the film ‘Here’s to Life!’ in 2000. This was followed by his first full-length CD called ‘Babalu’ (a tip of the hat to Desi Arnaz). However, having moved to Toronto to follow his dream he encountered nothing but brick walls (save for an appearance in the Gwyneth Paltrow movie ‘Duets’), causing Bublé nearly gave up being a singer at age 25 to become a journalist. A government aide, Michael McSweeney, heard Bublé at a party, gave a copy of Buble’s ‘Babalu’ CD to former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney who then had Buble invited to sing “Mack the Knife” at his daughter Caroline’s wedding. It was at this wedding that Bublé was introduced to Grammy and JUNO Award winning music producer David Foster. Bublé relocated to Los Angeles to try and convince Foster to produce him and sign the budding star to his 143 Records label through Warner Music. Foster was reluctant at first but agreed to do it if Bublé raised significant capital to finance the record as there was no guarantee Warner Music would support the record. Bublé raised $500,000 but Foster ended up bankrolling the entire production himself after Paul Anka publicly endorsed the singer and world famous Canadian music manager Bruce Allen signed Bublé for representation. 2003 saw the release of his major label debut on Foster’s 143 Records label. The CD went Top10 in three territories and managed to hit No.1 in Australia. Alas, it barely scratched the Top40 in the United States but three songs did go Top30 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart including a remake of The Bee Gees “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” featuring Barry Gibb. A campaign to promote the cover version of “Fever” including an appearance on the ‘Today’ show managed to drive the album to gold sales status in the US. An international tour followed. Bublé appeared in the 2003 movie ‘The Snow Walker’, and as a lounge singer on the daytime soap opera ‘Days of Our Lives’, and by November of 2003 his Christmas EP ‘Let It Snow’ also hit the charts. Bublé’s new found fame brought about the release of an unauthorized CD featuring seven songs that Bublé had recorded for the soundtrack to the 2001 movie ‘Totally Blonde’ when he was still independent. DRG Records released the soundtrack with a misleading picture of the singer on the front cover (he never appeared in the movie). Bublé has disowned his connection to the CD as he had not approved it. In early 2004 a live CD and DVD set of his world tour, entitled ‘Come Fly With Me’, hit the market and helped Bublé maintain win ‘New Artist of the Year” award at the 2004 JUNO Awards while the album was nominated for ‘Album of the Year’. Bublé’s 2005 sophomore release was entitled ‘It’s Time’, and went to No.1 in Canada, Italy, Japan, the United States (where it sat for 104 weeks on Billboard Magazine’s Top Jazz Chart with 78 weeks at No.1), hit No.2 in Australia, and managed Top10 showings in the UK and Europe. While the first single from the album, “Feeling Good”, met with little radio success, the follow-up, “Home” (co-written with David Foster’s daughter Amy), reached No.1 on Billboard Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. A third single, the remake of “Save the Last Dance for Me” reached No.5 on Billboard’s AC Track Chart. Also in 2005, Bublé was seen in a Starbuck’s Frappucino coffee commercial singing “Come Fly With Me”. ‘It’s Time’ won Michael Bublé four JUNO Awards in 2006: ‘Pop Album of the Year’ & ‘Album of the Year’, ‘Single of the Year’ (for – “Home”), and ‘Artist of the Year’. Bublé was also nominated for the JUNO Fan Choice Award. Meanwhile at the 2006 Grammy Awards, Bublé was nominated for ‘Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album’. His 2006 live album, ‘Caught in the Act’, earned Bublé a JUNO Fan Choice Award nomination and another Grammy nomination for ‘Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album’. Bublé would then release his proper third major label album entitled ‘Call Me Irresponsible’ in May of 2007. The CD debuted at No.2 on the Billboard Top200 and rose to number one in its second week. It also clinched No.1 in Australia and was the best-selling album of 2007. The album spawned four singles including the track “Everything” which went to No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. As a best seller in the UK, and platinum sales in both the US and Europe, ‘Call Me Irresponsible’ would go on to sell 5 million copies worldwide. In June 2009 another live CD/DVD package was released entitled ‘Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden’ with his David Foster/Bob Rock produced studio album ‘Crazy Love’ following in October that year. The first single, “Haven’t Met You Yet”, debuted with Bublé’s appearance on the TV show ‘Oprah’. The song went to No.1 on Billboard’s Canadian Adult Contemporary chart, the album soon followed suit worldwide and Bublé went on another international tour through the end of 2009. While in the UK he appeared a vocal mentor on Simon Cowell’s popular ‘The X Factor’ TV show. In early 2010, Bublé appeared on ‘Saturday Night Live’ as the musical guest and made an appearance in one of the show’s comedy sketches. In the build-up to the 2010 Winter Olympics Australia aired ‘Michael Bublé’s Canada’, he also did segments for NBC’s ‘Today’ show, Comedy Central’s ‘The Colbert Report’, and appeared in the closing ceremonies with other Canadian celebrities (like Michael J. Fox) singing Alexander Muir’s “The Maple Leaf Forever”. At the April 2010 JUNO Awards Bublé won four awards: ‘JUNO Fan Choice Award’, ‘Single of the Year’ (for “Haven’t Met You Yet”), ‘Album of the Year’, and ‘Pop Album of the Year’. He was also nominated for ‘Artist of the Year’ and ‘Songwriter of the Year’. On the success of ‘Crazy Love’ the CD was re-issued stateside in October 2010 in the U.S. and Europe with several bonus tracks including a new single entitled “Hollywood”. 2011 saw Bublé featured in an British ITV television special called ‘This Is Michael Bublé’ which included live concert footage from his 2010 Aviva Stadium appearance in front of 100,000 people. In February 2011 Bublé was tapped as narrator for BBC Radio 2’s ‘Song Stories: My Way’. In March 2011 he married Argentinian actress/model Luisana Lopilato. Bublé closed 2011 with a Christmas CD that reached No.1 on Billboard’s Top Albums chart on November 29th.

Singles
2004 Sway (143/Reprise)
2004 Spider-Man Theme (143/Reprise) 42740
2004 How Can You Mend A Broken Heart (143/Reprise)
2005 Feeling Good (143/Reprise)
2005 Home/Song for You (143/Reprise)
2005 Save The Last Dance For Me (143/Reprise)
2007 Everything (143/Reprise)
2007 Lost (143/Reprise)
2008 It Had Better Be Tonight (143/Reprise)
2008 Comin’ Home Baby (143/Reprise)
2009 Haven’t Met You Yet [DigiFile] (143/Reprise)
2010 Hollywood: The Deluxe EP (143/Reprise) 526141
2011 Feliz Navidad (143/Reprise)

Albums
1996 First Dance [6 song EP]
2001 BaBalu
2002 Dream
2003 Michael Bublé (143/Reprise) 9362-48376-2
2003 Totally Bublé [Enhanced] (DRG) 91418
2003 Let It Snow! [5 song EP] (143/Reprise) 48599-2
2003 How Can You Mend a Broken Heart [featuring THE BEE GEES] [6-song EP] (Warner – Malaysia) PR518-2
2004 Come Fly With Me [Digipak] (143/Reprise) 48683-2
2005 It’s Time (143/Reprise) 9362-48946-2
2006 Caught in the Act [CD/DVD] (143/Reprise) 49444-2
2006 With Love [8-song EP] (Hallmark) PR3857
2008 Call Me Irresponsible (143/Reprise) 100313-2
2008 A Taste of Bublé [4 song EP] (143/Reprise) B00-18MJK4G
2008 Sings Totally Blonde [7 song EP] (Union Square) METRCD-226
2009 Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden [CD/DVD] (143/Reprise)
9362-49794-5
2009 Crazy Love (143/Reprise)
2010 Special Delivery [6 song DigiFile] (143/Reprise)
2010 Holiday Gift for You [4 song DigiFile] (143/Reprise)
2011 Christmas (143/Reprise) 528352-2
2013 To Be Loved (Reprise/Warner) 2-534922
2016 Nobody But Me (Reprise/Warner) 2-557530
2018 Love (Reprise/Warner) 2-575367

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BUCK 65
Born: Ricardo “Richard” Terfry on March 4, 1972 in Mount Uniacke, Nova Scotia
In the mid-80s Terfry was attracted to rap and hip-hop while listening to CBC Radio’s ‘Brave New Waves’ show and campus radio station CKDU. He would soon teach himself how to rap and DJ. Eventually he would host ‘The Bassment’ on CKDU under the moniker DJ Critical and later ‘The Treatment Program’ as Jesus Murphy. These and other pseudonyms, such as Stinkin’ Rich and Dirk Thornton, would become part of his stage persona as a performer. In 1993 Terfry released a rap cassette with five songs on the No Records label under the name Stinkin’ Rich. He soon came to the attention of pop band Sloan who signed him to their Murderecords label. His debut release was a 7” single (“Stolen Bass”) and cassette entitled ‘Game Tight’. A series of releases under his new name, Buck 65, began to emerge and collaborations with Sixtoo under the name The Sebutones. He would also record soundtrack music, narrate commercials and write lyrics for the Canadian edition of ‘Sesame Street’. His album ‘Man Overboard’ turned the tied for his career as he came to the attention of the US hip hop collective 1200 Hobos. Soon his material began popping up on mixtapes, re-issued on CD twice (through Megaforensics and eventually Warner Music Canada). He has also had US releases on V2 and the Strange Famous labels. In recent years he has been moving away from straight hip-hop and added elements of folk, pop and country allowing his material to bridge the mainstream in such TV shows as ‘The Trailor Park Boys’. Buck 65 has hosted CBC Radio 3 on the internet and CBC Radio 2’s ‘Radio 2 Drive’’ show.

Singles
1998 The Wildlife Trilogy [12”] (Hand’Solo) HAN-003
1999 The Centaur (Anticon) ABR-0003
2003 Wicked & Weird (Warner) BUCK-001
2004 463 (Warner) 67280
2004 Sore (Warner) 61759
2005 Kennedy Killed the Cat (Warner)
2006 Devil’s Eyes (Warner) WEA-406
2007 Way Back When (Warner)
2008 Dang (Warner)

as STINKIN’ RICH
1994 Stolen Bass

with SEBUTONES
1996 Sebutone Def

Albums
1996 Language Arts Part 1 [cassette] (Metaforensics)
1996 Year Zero (Murderecords)
1996 Weirdo Magnet (Metaforensics)
1997 Vertex: Language Arts Part 2 (Four Ways To Rock/Metaforensics)
2001 Man Overboard: Language Arts Part 3 (Anticon/Megaforensics)
2001 Synesthesia: Language Arts Part 5 (Endemik)
2002 Square: Language Arts Part 4 (Warner) W2-49105
2003 Talkin’ Honky Blues (Warner) 60397
2003 This Right Here Is Buck 65 (Warner)
2004 This Right Here Is An EP (Warner)
2004 Climbing On a Mountain With a Basket Full of Fruit (Warner)
2005 Secret House Against the World (Warner)
2006 Pole-axed (independent)
2006 Strong Arm: Language Arts Part 7 (independent)
2007 Dirty Work [5 song EP DigiFile]
2007 Situation (Strange Famous/Warner) 69856
2008 Dirtbike 1/3 [DigiFile]
2008 Dirtbike 2/3 [DigiFile]
2008 Dirtbike 3/3 [DigiFile]
2008 I Dream of Love: Live and In Private (Warner)
2010 20 Odd Years, Vol. 1 – Avant (Warner)
2010 20 Odd Years, Vol. 2 – Distance (Warner)
2010 20 Odd Years, Vol. 3 – Albuquerque (Warner)
2010 20 Odd Years, Vol. 4 – Ostranenie (Warner)
2011 20 Odd Year (Warner) 67727
2013 Sass (Buck 65)
2014 Neverlove (Warner) 2-548156
2020 Laundromat Boogie [LP] (Black Buffalo) BBR-028

as STINKIN’ RICH
1993 Chin Music [5 song cassette] (No Records)
1994 Game Tight [cassette] (Murderecords)

with SEBUTONES
1996 Psoriasis (Metaforensics)
1997 50/50 Where It Counts (Metaforensics)

---

BUCK, Gary
Born: Gary Ralph Buck on March 21, 1940 in Thessalon, Ontario
Died: October 14, 2003 in Didsbury, Alberta
Though born in Thessalon, Ontario Buck grew up in Sault Ste. Marie where his music career began as singer with Ray Kovisto’s The Country Caravan on CKCY. Buck played semi-pro baseball before turning his eye to a full-time singing and recording career after signing with Toronto label Canatal Records. He released his first album on that label 1959 entitled ‘Sings Country Goodies’. Success was elusive, initially, but after signing a deal with Petal Records in the US his recording of Bobby Bare’s “Happy to Be Unhappy” reached No. 1 on Cashbox magazine’s Country Chart in 1963. He then did the same on Billboard country chart, putting him in the company with the only two other Canadians to achieve that distinction: Hank Snow and Myrna Lorrie. Buck would be voted ‘Newcomer of the Year’ by Cashbox in 1964. A string of additional hits followed in the mid-1960s including his second US hit, “The Wheel Song” in 1964), and several others that reached No. 1 on Canada’s RPM Magazine country chart. By this time Buck relocated to Kitchener, Ontario, and hosted his own TV show on CKCO-TV’s ‘The Gary Buck Show from 1967 through 1969. He also appeared on US television and would be a guest at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. Buck would sign to Capitol Canada for most of his 1970s output as he was general manager of Capitol’s publishing arm, Beechwood Music. This was followed by a stint of country hit singles on RCA. His own songs have been recorded by such pop and country artists as Bobby Curtola, Donna Darlene, Hunter, the Mercey Brothers and Orval Prophet, among many others. In 1976, he co-founded the Academy of Country Music Entertainment which later became the Canadian Country Music Association. He also administered his own Broadland Music label and GB Records. He wrote and recorded jingles and was a highly respected record producer for such acts as George Hamilton IV, Dallas Harms, Dick Damron, the Family Brown, Tommy Hunter, the Mercey Brothers, Al Cherny, Wayne Rostad, Billie Jo Spears, Johnny Duncan, Gene Watson and others. Buck served as international director of the Country Music Association in Nashville five times. He also founded the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. Buck continued to produce albums for George Hamilton IV and many Canadian musicians from Broadland’s Nashville and Calgary offices until succumbing to cancer October 14, 2003.

Singles
1963 Happy To Be Unhappy/Savin’ All My Love For You (Petal – US) 1011
1963 As Close As We’ll Ever Be/Leave My Baby Alone (Petal – US) PT-1310
1963 The Wheel Song/Suit Of Sorrow (Petal – US) PT-1500
1963 I’ll Furnish The Shoulder You Cry On/Where Did You Go (Canatal) CT-602
1964 You’re Welcome To the Club/I’ve Fouled Up Again (Petal -US) PT-1740
1964 Break The News To Lisa/Just Look Behind You (Sparton) 4-1364-R
1965 Night Hawk/Back Streets Of Life (Sparton) 4-1323-R
1966 Stepping Out of the Picture/Before You Die (Tower – US) 252
1966 The Weather Man/Whatever’s Right (Tower – US) 292
1966 Elrod/If That’s All You’re Given (Capitol) 72339
1966 Sorry About That Chief/Stepping Out Of The Picture (Capitol) 72370
1967 Once Upon A Sunday/Love’s Gonna Come Back (Capitol) 72487
1968 Calgary, Alberta/Honey (Capitol) 72539
1968 Mr. Brown/Winds Don’t Blow That Strong (Capitol) 72556
1969 Little White Picket Fence/Love Away My Lonely (Capitol) 72579
1970 Wayward Women Of The World/Wild Flower (Capitol) 72598
1970 Don’t Hate – Communicate/It Ain’t No Big Thing (Capitol) 72618
1971 It Takes Time/I Saw the Light (RCA Victor – US) 74-0479
1972 When the Final Change Is Made/RR #2 (RCA Victor – US) 74-0720
1972 If I’m A Fool For Leaving/The Fool (RCA Victor – US) 74-0826
1972 Saunder’s Ferry/RR #2 (RCA Victor) 75-1062
1972 National Pastime/Sandy’s Gonna Stay (RCA Victor) 75-1128
1972 Love Away My Lonely/Don’t It Make You Wanna Go Home (Joe Brown Presents – NZ) JB-147
1972 Pokarekare/[split w/EDDIE LOW] (Joe Brown Presents – NZ) JB-148
1973 Knowing That She’s Leaving/She Needs Someone To Hold Her (When She Cries) (RCA Victor Canada International) KPB0-0026
1973 National Pastime/Sandy’s Gonna Stay (RCA Victor – US) APBO-0151
1974 What’ll I Do/Knowing That She’s Leaving (RCA Victor) PB-50028
1975 Victims/The Bad Times Were So Easy (GRT) 1230-062
1976 Summer Wages/The Bad Times Were So Easy (RCA Victor) PB-50092
1977 How Can We Divide All Our Memories [split w/AUDIE HENRY] (Broadland)
BR-2251X
1977 A Restless Wind/Road Of No Returning Yesterdays (RCA Victor) PB-50141
1978 Bright Morning Light/Don’t The Good Times Make It All Worthwhile (GB) GBP-1003
1978 When I Want To Love A Lady (I Go Home)/Pokarekare Ana (GB) GBP-1004
1979 Wasn’t That A Party/I Wish That I Could Learn To Love Me (GB) GBP-1006
1979 I’m Glad You Finally Got Around To Me/I Wish That You Could Learn To Love Me (British Airways/Canada West) GBP-1007
1980 Alberta Bound/Calgary, Alberta (GB) GBP-1008
1982 Midnight Magic/Kentucky Lady (Dimension – US) DS-1029
1987 Blossom/I’m Glad You Finally Got Around To Me (Tembo) TS-8703
1989 Champagne And Roses/Family Bible (Tembo) TS-8901
1990 Adam And The Slogans Of Life/How Do You Feel About Making Love (To A Married Man) (GB) GBP-1090
1990 One Step Of A Two Step/One Step Of A Two Step (GB) GBP-1091

as GARY BUCK AND AUDIE HENRY
1976 Don’t The Good Times Make It All Worthwhile/Bottles And Boxes (RCA) PB-50318

as DAVID HOUSTON AND GARY BUCK
1985 E.T. Still Means Ernest Tubb To Me/Fiddlizin’ (Quality) Q-2458

Albums
1959 Sings Country Goodies (Canatal) CTLP-4005
1964 Sings For Everybody (Sparton) SP-222
1966 Stepping Into the Picture (Capitol) ST-6177
1969 Tomorrow Today (Capitol) ST-6283
1970 Wayward Woman of the World (Capitol) ST-6347
1971 Sings (RCA Camden) CASX-2557
1972 Cold Wind On the Mountain (RCA Camden) CAS-2617
1977 Greatest Hits Volume 1 (GB) GBP-1002
1998 Western Swing & Country

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BUCKSTONE HARDWARE
Ralph Wiber / Russell Franklin (drums) / Charlie “Jake” Thomas (lead guitar)
North Bay act who started life in 1967 as a four-piece called The Riffkin. They added a fifth member, moved to Toronto to tap into the Yorkville music scene and changed their name to Buckstone Hardware in early 1969. They released one single called “Pack It In” on Apex. The band started touring on bills with shared management acts like Manchild and Brutus from Detroit to Montréal. In 1969 Buckstone Hardware would open a show at the Wonderland Pavillion in London, Ontario for Muddy Waters. In June 1970 they were on a bill at the CNE in Toronto called The Transcontinental Pop Festival (aka Festival Express) with Janis Joplin, The Band, Grateful Dead, Tom Rush, Delaney & Bonnie, Buddy Guy, Ian & Sylvia, Eric Anderson, Traffic, Ten Years After, James And The Good Brothers, Cat, and Sha Na Na among others. Wiber now has a family real estate business in Red Deer, Alberta; Franklin and Thomas both live in North Bay; Thomas was also in Truck and is currently leader of Jake And The Fundamentals. with notes from Ralph Wiber and Jake Thomas.

Singles
1969 Pack It In/You’re Still Feelin’ Better (Apex) 77098

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BULLRUSH
Brian Gagnon (bass, vocals; guitar 1974)  / Glen Gratto (drums)  / Paul Dickinson (guitar) / Bob Morrison (keyboards)  /  Randy Scott (keyboards; replaced Morrison) / Paul Clark (bass; added 1974)
Gagnon had been in the St. Catharines band Out of Order circa 1966-1968. He would later move on to One Lane Bridge from 1969-1971 with Pete Dowan (later a writer for Gary & Dave). Paul Dickinson had been in dozens of acts during this same period including The Serfs and Bare Necessity with keyboardist Morrison. They would eventually end up in JR Flood along with Neil Peart. When Peart left to go to Europe and then join Rush, Gratto (Kidds, Fraser Loveman Group, Doc Savage, Demian) took his place and with the departure of singer RC Skinner, the band recruited Gagnon as the new frontman and they changed their name to Bullrush in 1972. They released one single shortly after called “I Want to Be Set Free” and spent the next few years playing the Southern Ontario bar circuit. Morrison left in 1974 and was replaced by Clark. They added Clark as the new bassist and Gagnon switched to second guitar. Eventually, Gagnon, Dickinson and Gerry Mosby (from an area band out of Grimsby) were recruited to join members of Daffodil Records act Dillinger to create a supergroup called The Hunt. The Bullrush single was re-issued as a bonus track on The Hunt’s greatest hits package in 1995; Glen Gratto died August 31, 2021 with notes from Brian Gagnon and Gerry Mosby. [also see THE HUNT]

Singles
1972 I Want To Be Set Free/You’ve Sent Me Away (Vintage) 1187

Compilation Tracks
1995 “I Want To Be Set Free” on ‘Tracked Down: The Best Of The Hunt’ (Pacemaker) PACE-006

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BULLY
Danny L’Heureux (guitar, vocals) / Brian Smith (bass, vocals) / Owen Tennyson (drums, percussion) / Paul Weston (guitar, vocals)
Bully hailed from a small town north of Ganonoque, Ontario called Springfield; Tennyson would go on to play with Blue Peter and The Infidels; Danny L’Heureux passed away in 2005.

Singles
1981 Feel Much Better/Kinky Queen (House of Lords) HOL-2011

Albums
1981 To Ya (House of Lords/RCA) HLR-10005

---

BUM
Rob Bum (guitars, vocals) / Andrew Bum (guitars, vocals) / Kevin Bum (bass, vocals) / Jamie Bum (drums)
From Victoria, British Columbia

Singles
1991 Promise Is a Promise/Wedding Day (Lance Rock) LRR-003

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BUNCHOFUCKINGOOFS [aka BFG’s]
‘Crazy’ Steve Goof 7:06AM (vocals) / Bambi (guitar) / Mad Dawg (drums)  / Scrag (bass) / Godzilla (guitar; replaced Bambi 1985)  / Merrick “Scumbag” Atkinson (bass; replaced Scrag) / Stompin’ Al Miller (guitar; replaced Godzilla 1995)  / Baron Wasteland (second guitar added)  / Thor (bass; replaced Scumbag) / KingKonGoof (bass; replaced Thor) / Airock Shin (guitar; replaced Stompin’ Al) / John “Yngwie Grovestein” Grove (guitar, bass)  / al-Qaetor (bass) / Fetus (guitar, backing vocals) / Hardcore Dave (guitar) / Mike Anus Jack (guitar) / Gregoose (drums) / Terry Rubberstone (guitar) / Steds Dead (guitar) / T-Bag (guitar) / Mike Murderio (guitar)
The Bunchofuckingoofs “coagulated” on November 26, 1983 at the late, lamented Larry’s Hideaway in Toronto on a dare from Ruth Taylor of the band United States. The BFG’s aren’t just a band, but a communal way of life that has the band’s membership shifting as fast as its music. Vocalist ‘Crazy’ Steve, a former real-estate salesman and frequent political incumbent in Toronto’s Ward 5 Spadina Riding, keeps the faith with his band of anti-drug crusading community activated neighbourhood police force-cum-punk band. They do business of righting wrongs – like discouraging Nazi skinheads and drug dealers – from their self-made fortress of solitude called the Goofort (a punk rock version of the Warhol Factory) in what has been dubbed Goof World, better known as Toronto’s Kensington Market. The police see them as a gang and the remainder of the world sees them as one of the most aggressive hardcore acts in the world. They’ve become their own lucrative community with band members appearing in US TV shows like ‘Amerika’, ‘War of the Worlds’ and movies like ‘Short Circuit II’. They’ve built a video editing suite, band rehearsal rooms, a tattoo parlour and Canadian chapter of SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice). They even run their own club out of various condemned buildings around Toronto called The DMZ. 1991 saw the band in it first full-fledged national tour called “Flush The Toilet 1991 Western Canadian Tour”. The band finally made a leap to compact disc with 1992’s ‘Carnival Of Chaos + Carnage’ on Fringe which was 16 tunes spanning their entire career. Bambi Goof passed away in early 2012. with notes from ‘Crazy’ Steve Goof 7:06AM.

Singles
1986 There’s No Solution…So There’s No Problem [2 x 7″ singles] (Back Alley)

Albums
1988 Drunk? Destroyed? Demolished! The Demo [7 song cassette] (Back Alley)
1992 Carnival Of Chaos + Carnage (Fringe)
1997 Totallyunfuckingmarketable (Back Alley)
1999 Barrage of Battery and Brutality (God + Back Alley)

Compilation Tracks
1985 “Destroy All Automobiles”, “Alcoholiday Turned Alcoholocaust”, “KAL 007” on ‘Questionable’ (Jonestown) JR-001
1993 “Coke – The Real Thing For Real Assholes” on ‘A Touch Of Fringe’ (Fringe)
1993 “Problem” on ‘Dead On The Road: Songs Without Keyboards’ (Raw Energy/A & M) 74242-1012

---

BÜNDOCK
Pierre Bundock (lead vocals, sax)  / Martin Plante (keyboards)  / Alain Roussel (drums) / Marc Gendron (bass)  / Dominique Lanois (guitar, vocals)
The name Bündock comes from a French mythological sailor named Bündock who left his wife and child to sail the seven seas. When the child fell into the sea and drowned one day, the boy returned as an eagle and vowed to return the sailor to his wife so she would not be lonely the rest of eternity. Bündock gathered up the lost sailor souls and gave them his name, like a saviour. Similarly, in true Ramones style Bündock, the band, used this surname for all its members. The roots of Bündock date back to their high school days when they decided to move out of their respective small towns in Québec for the big time Montréal music scene. Lanois played in a band called W, while Bundock and Gendron were in a band called Wwindo. After both acts lost a talent contest in 1985, they decided to form Bündock. With the assistance of manager/producer Marc Durand (Rational Youth, The Box), helped Bündock break out of Québec with their first single/video – the English language “American Singer”. Their EP, ‘Mauve’, also got some attention outside of Québec and they toured with labelmates The Box. Other prominent acts like Gowan, Glass Tiger and Chalk Circle in Toronto helped them immensely. Their first full length album in 1988, ‘Societe Anonyme’, failed to move them any further along  a successful career path bu they tried again with 1989’s ‘Cinema’ which featured a guest appearance by France’s Celtic rockers Soldat Louis. Bündock split up shortly thereafter. The band reunited for a new album in 2009.

Singles
1987 American Singer/American Singer (instrumental) (Alert) BDS-517
1987 American Singer/ American Singer (instrumental) [purple vinyl] (Alert) BDS-018
1987 Le Corbeau/Come On Baby Tonight [12″] (Alert) BDS-521
1987 Come On Baby Tonight/Le Corbeau [12”] (Alert) BDS-017
1987 Pris par le temps/Hello, I Love You (Alert) BDS-526
1988 Tied For Time/Forbidden Zone (Alert) BDS-529
1988 Tied For Time/[same] [12”] (Alert) BDS-022
1988 Season for Love/El Salvador (the Beat of) (Alert) BDS-530
1988 Fa La La/Fa La La (Instrumental Version) (Alert) BDS-533
1988 Never Trust (Alert) BDS-534
1989 Radio/Guillotine (Alert) BDS-541

as BÜNDOCK & LANOIE
1992 C’est L’ete (Musi-Art/MCA) MCAD-58002

Albums
1986 Mauve (Alert) BDEP-001
1988 Societe Anonyme (Alert) BD-1008
1989 Cinéma (Alert) Z1-81013

as BÜNDOCK & LANOIE
1992 Bundock & Lanoie (Musi-Art/MCA)

---

BUNNY & THE LAKERS
Bunny Day / How’rd Pope (guitar) / Peter Morgan (vocals, keys, synths, drums) / G.B. Jones (vocals) / Wendy King (piano) / Debbie Selenger (vocals) / Leah Perlmutter (vocals) / Meredith Hynten (coordinator)
Bunny & The Lakers were a short-lived experimental synth band from Toronto that only played live once. Jones went on to be in Fifth Column and publish several Toronto ‘zines. She later became an underground filmmaker who directed and appeared in several movies, including Bruce LaBruce’s 1991’s ‘No Skin Off My Ass’ and 1992’s ‘The Yo-Yo Gang’. Jones would later join Opera Arcana; How’rd Pope was also in the Biffs, and did a short run with Drastic Measures. He died in 1996.

Albums
1979 Numbers (Belsize/Caplan/Wymark) T-243330

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BURCHILL, Bob
In the early 70s, Burchill was a singer/songwriter/guitarist/fiddler with Perth County Conspiracy [Does Not Exist] and toured across Canada several times. He has recorded more than 60 original songs on five albums, first with Rumour Records, and then on his own label Will O’Wind Productions. He operated Stonetown Music Centre, his stringed instrument shop in St. Marys, Ontario, from 1989 to 2001, where he restored violins and taught guitar and fiddle lessons. Burchill released a new CD of original material in 2002 called ‘It’s A Grand Garden’ allowing him to hit the performance trail again at the Mitchell Fall Fair, St. Mary’s Harvest Festival, The Festival of Stories in Sutton and the Hamilton Festival of Friends. He was also the master of ceremonies at the Mitchell Fiddlers’ Jamboree and the Earth Day Café in spring 2003. One of his specialties is his Historical show developed for the local school board, in which he performs songs and tells stories about leaving Ireland and settling the Huron Tract in the 1840s. He uses eight instruments in the presentation. Burchill has recently made available, on CD, three previous albums: ‘Cabin Fever’, ‘Will I Ever Get To Heaven’ and ‘Hugs…Bob Burchill’. [also see PERTH COUNTY CONSPIRACY]

Singles
1980 Four Seasons/Oh Annie (Will O’Wind) WOW-002

Albums
1977 Will I Ever Get To Heaven (Rumour)
1980 Hugs…Bob Burchill (Will O’Wind)
1983 Two Blue (Rumour)
2002 It’s A Grand Garden (Will O’Wind)

as BOB BURCHILL & PERTH COUNTY CONSPIRACY
1975 Cabin Fever (Rumour) KC-1013

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BUREAUCRATS, The
Gary “Gaz” Sidwell (vocals) / Mitch Sidwell (rhythm guitar, vocals) / Joe Frey (lead guitar) / Grant Bucowsky (bass) / Wayne Johnson (drums)
Punk band formed in 1978 in Ottawa, Ontario.

Singles
1980 Feel The Pain/Grown Up Age (MP) CCL45-553
2012 Feel The Pain/Grown Up Age [re-issue] (Ugly Pop)

Albums
2000 Bureaucrats (independent)  [no cat.#]

Compilation Tracks
1995 “Feel the Pain” and “Grown Up Age” on ‘Smash the State – A Compilation of Canadian Punk Rock, 1978-82 Volume Three’ (No Exit) NOEXIT-004
2005 “She’s An American” on ‘Only in Canada, Eh 77-81 Volume 1’ (Punk History Canada) PHC-CD-001

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BURKE, Johnny
Born: Jean Paul Bourque on April 28, 1940 in Rosaireville, New Brunswick
Died: September 21, 2017 in Coburg, Ontario
Johnny Burke was in the French Acadian community of Rosaireville, New Brunswick, Canada. In the early 1960’s, he moved to Toronto and immediately began performing in a country/rock group called Johnny And The Bees before joining Dick Nolan, Roy Penney, and Bunty Petrie in the Blue Valley Boys. The group backed other performers on album recorded for Arc Records. Burke then landed a four year house gig at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. CTV then hired Burke and his guitarist to back Carl Smith on the TV show The Country Music Hall for the next three years. In 1967 Burke decided to form The Caribou Showband and the syndicated television show At The Caribou for seven seasons. In 1972, the band changed it’s name to Eastwind and became the house band on the CTV TV show ‘The Funny Farm.’ Eastwind was named ‘Top Country Group’ at the Big Country Awards in 1975. They would also spend seven seasons backing other artists on the syndicated TV show ‘Opry North.’ As a solo artist, Burke’s “Wild Honey” became a hit and was named single of the year in 1978 at the Big Country Awards. In 2005, Burke was inducted into the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. [also see THE BLUE VALLEY BOYS]

Singles
1966 Loving You Again ‎(Columbia) C4-2694
1967 I Can’t Even Do Wrong Right / Welcome Home ‎(Columbia) C4-2744
1970 Kingdom Of My Mind / Dreams Are Best ‎(Caribou) RK-8401
1970 Listen (I Can Hear Her Voice Again) ‎(Caribou) RK-8404
1984 Bad Times And Good Old Days ‎(Acclaim) CM-70020

with THE CARIBOU SHOWBAND
1971The Last Of City Lights/Red Mister Morning ‎(Caribou) CC45-6901

with EASTWIND
1972 Hey Good Lookin’/Something Nice (Cynda) CN.015

as JOHNNY BURKE & EASTWIND
1979 Your Love (Is Like Sugar To Me) ‎(Grand Slam) GS-2319
1979 Where Do Ladies Like To Go ‎(Grand Slam) GS-2334X

Albums
1967 Johnny Burke Sings Buck Owens’ Big Hits ‎(Arc) AS-761
1965 Wildwood Flower And Other Guitar Hits ‎(Arc) A-566
1985 Gold In His Mind ‎(Acclaim) CM-12006
1998 Johnny Burke Country ‎(CD Baby)
2000 Gratitude ‎(independent) WRC8-7952
2015 Fifty: A Career Milestone (CD Baby)
2016 Johnny ‎(CD Baby)

with HARRY HIBBS AND THE CARIBOU SHOWBAND
1969 At The Caribou (Arc) AS-798

with THE CARIBOU SHOWBAND Featuring JOHNNY BURKE
1969 Join Us At The Caribou Vol. II (Arc) AS-813
1971 The Caribou Showband Featuring Johnny Burke Plus Selections By Harry Hibbs & Norma Gale (Caribou) CCLP-7002

with EASTWIND
1972 Eastwind (Cynda) CNS-1018
1974 Eastwind (Condor) 977-1407
1977 East Wind (Grand Slam) GS-2063

with JOHNNY BURKE & EASTWIND
1978 Wild Honey (Eastwind) ERLP-8001

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BURN, Malcolm
Born: October 4, 1960 in Cornwall, Ontario
Former Boys Brigade vocalist and keyboard player Malcolm Burn found his way into engineering and production in the mid-80s through his wife Jocelyne Lanois and her producer brothers Bob and Daniel Lanois. Burn would work on sessions at Grant Ave. as cover for Daniel Lanois who was producing Peter Gabriel and U2. Eventually, Daniel moved to New Orleans and set up a new studio there with Burn as assistant engineer. Together they worked on Bob Dylan, Robbie Robertson and Neville Brothers recordings as well as fledgling songwriter Tom Wilson’s initial recordings that became the basis for the first and second Junkhouse albums (which Burn also produced). In 1988 Burn tried his hand at a solo release entitled ‘Redemption’ on Rush’s Anthem Records. The album met with critical acclaim but Burn returned to producing which he continues to do to this day. In 2001 he won a Grammy Award for his work on Emmylou Harris’s album ‘Red Dirt Girl’. In 2004 he was nominated for a ‘Producer of the Year’ JUNO Award on another Emmylou Harris project. [also see BOYS BRIGADE]

Singles
1988 Walk Don’t Run/Josephine the Singer (Anthem) ANS-078
1988 Walk Don’t Run [12”] (Anthem) SPE-043

Albums
1988 Redemption (Anthem) ANR-1-1053

Compilation Tracks
1994 “Pardon My Heart” on ‘Borrowed Tunes: A Tribute to Neil Young’ (Sony) 80199

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BUSH
Roy Kenner (vocals) / Domenic Troiano (guitar) / Penti “Whitey” Glan (drums) / Hugh Sullivan (keyboards)  / Prakash John (bass)
From the ashes of Toronto’s Mandala – who formally broke up in June 1969 – Kenner, Troiano, Glan and Sullivan formed a new band with the addition of bassist John called, simply, Bush. They were working on material from a relaxed location in Arizona and eventually caught the attention of LA disc jockey Reb Foster who was visiting Arizona. Foster ran a management company and independent label called Corduroy with distribution through Dunhill/ABC Records. He agreed to management them and had a deal in place with ABC for Bush by early 1970. The band released their self-titled album in 1970 on RCA in Canada and Dunhill in the USA. The single “I Can Hear You Calling” reached No.12 in the RPM Canadian content chart, reached #80 on the Top 100 singles chart, and the album reached #69 on the Top100 albums chart. They toured large venues with label mates Steppenwolf and Three Dog Night leading to Three Dog Night’s recording of “I Can Hear You Calling” as the B-side of their successful single “Joy to the World”. The song was co-written by Troiano, Kenner, Glan and Sullivan. However, in the midst of all this ABC sued Corduroy and money wasn’t being directed to the band. Soon they were broke and the band needed to split up so they could try and find alternate work. They officially disbanded in 1971. Through their affiliation with the ABC label, Troiano and Kenner moved on to replace Joe Walsh in The James Gang who were still signed to the label; Glan and John would both become tour and recording session players with the likes of Lou Reed and Alice Cooper among others; Sullivan died in 1978. When the 1990s British alternative band Bush attempted to release records and perform in North America, Domenic Troiano (who still owned the rights to the Canadian band name) had them change their name for the North American market to Bush X.  To emphasis the original Bush’s historic place in music, Troiano remastered and re-released their album to renew the copyright on both the music and the name. In April 1997, in a well publicized press conference it was announced that Troiano had agreed to let the British band use the name Bush in Canada without the suffix ‘X’, in exchange for donating $20,000 each to the Starlight Children’s Foundation and the Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund. Troiano died of prostate cancer in 2005; Kenner has continued in the jingle business; Glan still does session work; John has led his band the Lincolns for nearly 30 years and went on tour in 2011 with Alice Cooper guitarist Dick Wagner. [also see ROY KENNER, DOMENIC TROIANO]

Singles
1970 I Can Hear You Calling/The Grand Commander (ABC-Dunhill) D-4252

Albums
1970 Bush (RCA) D5-50086
1981 Bush [re-issue] (Freedom) FR-009

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BUSKER
Randy Dawdy (drums, congas, vocals, percussion, timpani) / Steve McCann (keyboards, bass, guitar, vocals, percussion)London, Ontario’s Busker is a two-man band featuring Dawdy and McCann who first collaborated in a high school revue of the musical ‘Hair’. On Labour Day 1973, they decided to form Busker. Their debut album, ‘On Any Street Corner’ was recorded in 1975 and released on Looney Bird Records in 1976. Though their earliest leanings featured Prog Rock motifs they would delve into jazz and electronic music and toured tirelessly through 1984 when they released their last LP ‘Blitzkrieg’; McCann earned degrees in music theory and composition and won an Ontario Arts Council songwriting competition and would become a bar owner before returning to music to record a trilogy of solo albums; Dawdy would play, briefly, in a version of Max Webster, Whitehorse, David Hoy, The King Street Daddies, and Wrif Wraf. The duo returned to the studio for 2007’s ‘Northern Fantasies’ and additional albums have appeared since. with notes from H.T. Riekels and Dave Harris.

Singles
1977 Sleigh Ride/Winter Whispers [no label] BK-004

Albums
1976 On Any Street Corner (Looney Bird) BU-1004
1979 Impressions of a City [no label] BK-002
1981 Shakin’ All Over [no label] BK-003
1982 Summernightmusic [no label]
1984 Blitzkrieg [no label]
2007 Northern Fantasies [no label]
2009 Travels With Anna Logue [no label]
2011 1973 to 1983 [no label]

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BUTLER
Paul Butler (guitars, vox) / Dave Kiswiney (bass) / Peter Fredette (bass, lead vocals) / Steve Hollingworth (drums) / Derek O’Neill (touring guitarist) / John Findlay (keyboards)
Ottawa act featuring former Canada Goose member O’Neill and future Kim Mitchell Band member Fredette. Hollingworth had been a drummer for The Cooper Brothers and Pat Travers before joining Butler. The band signed to Polygram Records where they toured extensively with artists like Rush, Max Webster and Ian Thomas. In recent years Hollingsworth has played with Fist, The Five Man Electrical Band as well as Les Emmerson’s Ottawa Valley bar band The Hitmen as well as backing artists like Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston and Bette Midler; O’Neill is now living and playing in Los Angeles; Fredette runs a jingle-house/production company in Toronto and has a side project with singer/songwriter Stan Meissner called Metropolis. with notes from Richard Patterson and Steve Hollingworth. [also see PETER FREDETTE]

Singles
1982 Prisoner/Down & Out [12″] (Vertigo/Polygram) SOVX-2305

Albums
1982 Butler (Vertigo/Polygram) VOG-3307

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BUTLER, Edith
Born: Marie Nicole Butler on July 27, 1942 in Paquetville, New Brunswick.
New Brunswick native Butler became a country music fan at an early age while listening to the radio growing up. After leaving home to attend Notre-Dame-de-l’Acadie her brother gave her a guitar and she began playing for boarders in her convent. It was there that she also educated herself about her Acadian heritage and began writing music based on Acadian lore. To make ends meet while pursuing her musical vocation she would teach at various New Brunswick schools. In 1964 she made her television debut on CBC-TV’s ‘Singalong Jubilee’ performing in both official languages. She also had a leading role in the National Film Board production of Les Acadiens de la dispersion (1964). Following two years of teaching, she went to Laval University to pursue a Master of Arts degree. Her first album, ‘Chansons D’acadie’, came out in 1969 and led to her featured performance at the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. After which she continued her educational studies before delving into her music career full-time with 1973’s ‘Avant D’etre Depaysee’ LP. In 1975, following her album ‘L’acadie S’marie’, she was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. Throughout the ’80’s she continued releasing albums and upgraded her folk stylings to include contemporary sounds including dance material. She guest starred in the CBC series The Jubilee Years in the fall of 1992. Butler was one of four artists pictured on the second Canada Post stamp series of Canadian Recording Artists in July 2, 2009. Also that year, she received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for ‘Lifetime Artistic Achievement’.

Albums
1969 Chansons d’Acadie (RCI) 390
1973 Avant d’être dépaysée (Columbia) FS-90156
1974 L’Acadie s’marie (Columbia) FS-90274
1976 Edith Butler (SPPS) PS-19909
1978 L’Espoir (SPPS) PS-19904
1979 Asteur qu’on est là (SPPS) PS-19905
1980 Edith Butler à Paquetville (SPPS) PS-19911
1981 Je m’appelle Edith (SPPS) PS-19916
1983 De Paquetville à Paris (Kappa) KPL-1111
1984 Un million de fois je t’aime (Kappa) KPL-1112
1985 Le Party d’Edith (Vamp) PAR-7007
1986 12 Grands succès d’Édith Butler (Vamp) PAR-7008
1986 …et le party continue! (Star) PAR-7009
1987 Party pour danser (Star) STR-8003
1990 Edith Butler (Kappa) KA-1990
1992 Ça swingue (Kappa) KA-2525
1995 Edith à l’année longue (Kappa) KA-2526
2003 Madame Butlerfly (Kappa) KA-2729

with BUTLER, LEMAY, ARSENAULT
1977 C’est la récréation (SPPS) XPS-19906

with BUTLER & LEMAY
1980 Barbichon, barbiché (SPPS) PS-19914

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BUTLER, Marty
Born: July 10, 1943
Died: February 10, 1995
Marty Butler started as a member of The Scepters in the mid-60’s. After three years with the group he grew tired of playing cover tunes and decided to strike out on his own as a songwriter with partner Bob Bilyk. Soon the duo were writing songs for the like of Les Sceptres (a different act than the one Butler was in), Trini Lopez, Ginette Reno, Tommy Hunter, and The Bells whose version of their song “Fly Little White Dove Fly” became a Canadian national hit. Butler won $10,000 in the Hear Canada Singing contest for the tune “Can You Hear The Music” which soon led to a recording contract with Columbia Records. His home base was in Montréal, but he frequently worked in Toronto to be nearer Bilyk. He went to WAM Records in the late ’70’s where he released several singles with arranger/producer Leon Aronson (also the label owner). By the 1980’s he’d moved onto RCA Records for his eponymous debut album in 1982. Butler died February 10, 1995.

Singles
1971 To A Place Near The River/Love While You’re Livin’ (Columbia) C4-2988
1972 We Gotta Make It Together/Evergreen Winter (Columbia) C4-3025
1972 Time/With All The Love In My Heart (Columbia) C4-3054
1972 Can’t You Hear The Music/Pillow For My Mind (Columbia) C4-3081
1973 Once-Loved Woman, Once-Loved Man/Love Vibrations  (Columbia) C4-3105
1973 If You Wanna Go To New York City/A Petal From Her Hair (Columbia) C4-4020
1974 Fly Little White Dove, Fly/Watchin’ the Rain (Columbia) C4-4047
1976 I Wasn’t Gonna Fall In Love/Never Been In Love This Way (Contact) 2901
1977 Lie To Myself/But For Love (WAM – US) WAM-100
1979 Never Been In Love This Way/One More Time (For Old Times Sake) (WAM – US)
WAM-110
1980 Saving It Up (WAM – US) WAM-120
1981 Looks Like Love This Time/Save A Little Love For Me (RCA) PB-50701
1982 I’ll Cry Like A Man In Love/I’ll Still Love You (RCA) PB-50734
1982 Take Another Look/Sayin’ Goodbye To My Heart (RCA) PB-50716
1982 Here We Are Again/Looks Like Love This Time (RCA) PB-50750
1983 The Morning After You/Paperback Man (RCA) PB-50775
1985 Christmas Prayer (EARWHACKS) 1-0001

Albums
1972 We Gotta Make It Together (Columbia) ES-90092
1973 Love Vibrations (Columbia) ES-90158
1982 Mary Butler (RCA) KKL1-0478

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BUTTERFINGERS
Toronto, Ontario band that would later become Robbie Lane & The Disciples. [also see ROBBIE LANE & THE DISCIPLES]

Singles
1965 Baby Ruth/Too Early In The Morning (Red Leaf) TTM-610
1966 Look What’s New/Too Early In The Morning (Hallmark) 1514

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BUTTLESS CHAPS
Dave Gowans (vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo) / Lasse Lutick (electric guitar, synthesizer) / Morgan McDonald (keyboard, piano, synthesizer) / Ida Nilsen (vocals, accordion, autoharp) / Torben Wilson (drums, percussion)

Albums
1999 Tumblewire (Lonesome Cowboy)
2001 Death Scenes I II III (Lonesome Cowboy)  HTA-8992
2002 Experiments (Lonesome Cowboy)  LCM-2002
2003 Love This Time (Mint) MRD-068
2006 Where Night Holds Light (Mint) MRD-091
2008 Cartograph (Mint) MRD-126

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BUXTON-KASTLE
LINE-UP 1: Jack Pedler (drums) / Bob Johnston (Hammond B3, rhythm guitar) / Rick McIsaac (bass) / Russ McAllister (lead guitar) / David Kastle (electric piano)  / Jerry Doucette [aka Jerry Buxton] (lead vocal, guitar);
LINE-UP 2: Jack Pedler (drums) / Bob Johnston (guitar) / David Kastle (Hammond B3)  / Don Rowan (bass, lead vocalist)
Jerry Doucette and David Kastle had been in Mingles in 1969/1970 and had released on single on RCA Records. Russ McCallister owned/managed a music store on Hamilton’s King St. E., and was involved in the band as a player and supplier of some of their instruments when they decided to form in Hamilton around September of 1970 as Buxton-Kastle. They released several singles (at least one of which was engineered by a very young Daniel Lanois) on both RCA – as a continuation of their Mingles record deal – and then Reprise following their line-up change. Rumour has it that during a live performance, someone from Super K Productions spotted Jerry Doucette (most probably his former Mingles bandmate Graham Thorpe who was already the bass player), and he was drafted into the bubble-gum hit machine stateside known as The Kasenetz-Katz Super Cirkus in 1970. The group lasted until April 1972 after which time the group mutated into The Terra Nye Project. Jack Pedler would go on to be in Hamilton punk act Teenage Head and has had a lengthy solo career as well; Jerry Doucette joined Ralph Murphy’s Roadhouse project before eventually striking out on a successful solo career; Kastle released one single under the name Dickens for A & M, and then relocated to Nashville in the mid-1970s to establish his own production company called Artists Independent Music Corporation and its label imprint Celebrity Records; Doucette died in hospice after a long battle with cancer on April 18, 2022. with notes from Paul Morris. [also see MINGLES, JERRY DOUCETTE]

Singles
1969 Kagie/Riverside Girl (RCA Victor) 75-1041
1972 Red, Red, The Rocking Horse/Lovin’ Games (Reprise) CR-4009
1972 Short McKenna/Love Is Life (Reprise) CR-4014

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BUZZ BAND
Breen LeBoeuf (bass, vocals) / Jerry Mercer (drums) / John McGale (guitars, synth, vocals)
Short-lived Montreal supergroup featuring members of April Wine and Offenbach; John McGale died in a car accident on October 30, 2022.

Singles
1988 Touching Down/[same (Buzz Band) JCM-6970

Album
1991 Buzz Band (Tandem) C.D-91-02

Compilation Tracks
1991 “Risin’ Up” on ‘Canadian Sampler – Midem ’91’ (CIRPA)

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BUZZ NEUROLICK [see ZYKLON B]

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BY DIVINE RIGHT
José Contreras (vocals, guitar) / Cam Bull (bass) / Mark Goldstein (drums, vocals) / Brendan Canning (bass, vocals) / Leslie Feist (guitar) / Andrew Rodriguez (guitar, keys) / Colleen Hixenbaugh (guitar, keys) / Dylan Hudecki (bass) / Cam Giroux (drums) / Brian Borcherdt (guitar) / John Hall (drums)
Formed in Toronto in 1989. Members would go on to perform with the Broken Social Scene band collective and Leslie Feist would have a runaway international solo career. [also see BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE, FEIST]

Singles
1999 Come For a Ride (Nettwerk) DPRO-399012
2001 Back To You (Linus/Warner)
2001 Soul Explosion (Linus/Warner)
2001 Supernatural (Linus – Germany) LC-12178
2004 Soft Machine [3 mixes] (Linus/Warner) LINE-104

Albums
1992 Buffet of Living Dead [cassette] (independent)
1995 By Divine Right (Kinetic) KRD-922
1997 All Hail Discordia (Squirt Gun/Nettwerk) SQUIRT-CD 79
1999 Bless This Mess (Nettwerk) 01342
2001 Good Morning Beautiful (Linus/Warner) 2-70002
2004 Hybrid TV Genii [6-song EP] (Linus/Warner) LINEP-101
2004 Sweet Confusion (Linus) 2-70023
2009 Mutant Message (Hand Drawn Dracula) HDD-007
2013 Organized Accidents (Hand Drawn Dracula) HDD-023
2016 Speak and Spell U.S. [LP] (Headless Owl) HOR-010

Compilation Tracks
1997 “Fearless” on ‘Popcan: A Refreshing Taste of Pure Canadian Pop’ (Alert) 81033
2003 “It’s a Soul Explosion” on ‘Snowsuit On, Heading North’ (Out Of Sound) OUT-006
2007 “Shaved Head” on ‘Rheostatics Tribute: The Secret Sessions’ (Zune) ZUN-020

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BYRNE, Brian
Born: January 13, 1975
Former replacement vocalist in the band I, Mother Earth. Following his departure from the group, he would go solo releasing several album. [also see I MOTHER EARTH]

Albums
2006 Tuesdays, Thursdays, And If It Rains (Kindling) KMU-0031
2007 Tailor Made (Kindling) KMU-0035
2010 Boots And Blood EP [3-song DigiFile EP] (Blacktop) BTR-024

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BYRNES, Jim
Born: James Thomas Kevin Byrnes on September 22, 1948 in St. Louis, Missouri , USA
Musician and actor Jim Byrnes grew up in Missouri near the Mississippi River. He took piano lessons starting at age 5 and taught himself guitar by age 13. He also began his acting career at this time with jobs doing Shakespeare In The Park which inspired him to study theatre at Boston University. But an acting career in New York was short lived after being drafted into the US Army and serving a tour of duty in Vietnam. He made Toronto his new home in 1969, got married in 1970 and then moved to British Columbia in 1971. At this time he resumed his acting career but in February 1972 was in a debilitating car accident that left him unable to act. Instead he returned to his music and toured the west coast to support himself. In 1976 he settled in Vancouver permanently and with a solid home base formed the Foreman-Byrnes Band in 1979 and placed a song on the CFOX-FM talent contest album ‘Vancouver Seeds’. Byrnes released his debut album on The Powder Blues Band label (Blue Wave) called ‘Burning’ in 1981. The album featured members of the Powder Blues Band and netted Byrnes a JUNO award for ‘Most Promising Male Vocalist’ in 1982. The following year he married again and settled into a new domestic life. In 1987, he landed a starring role as Dan “Lifeguard” Burroughs on the hit TV show “Wiseguy” which ran for 3 1/2 years. Byrnes’ band still managed to tour during this period and released the 1987 Stony Plain disc ‘I Turned My Nights Into Days’. He’s also appeared in six theatrical movies, including Patrick Stewart’s ‘Masterminds’, eight TV movies, TV guest appearances (including commercial voice-overs), and occasionally returns to the stage in British Columbia.  Byrnes was inducted into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame in 1995. His most recognizable TV role was as ‘Joe Dawson’ on the syndicated TV show “Highlander” — for which he won a Leo Award as ‘Best Supporting Actor’. He also voiced the animated character ‘Inferno’ on the animated TV series ‘Beast Wars’. 1996 saw the release of the Stony Plain album ‘That River’ and a his second JUNO Award for ‘Best Blues/Gospel Recording’.

Singles
1981 Hands of Time/Hidden Charms (Polydor) PDS-2177

Albums
1981 Burning (Blue Wave/Polydor) PDS-6321
1987 I Turned My Nights Into Days (Stony Plain)
1995 That River (Stony Plain)
2001 Love Is A Gamble (One Coyote)
2004 Fresh Horses (Black Hen/Universal) BHMCD-475
2006 House of Refuge (Black Hen/Universal) BHMCD-932
2009 My Walking Stick (Black Hen/Universal) BHCD-0054
2011 Everywhere West (Black Hen/Universal) BHCD-0067
2012 I Hear The Wind In The Wires (Black Hen) BHMCD-0071
2014 St. Louis Times (Black Hen) BHCD-0073

Compilation Tracks
1981 “Dust My Broom/Danger Blues” on ‘Vancouver Seeds 2’ [EP] (CFOX) C-FOX FM99
2006 “Blood In My Eyes” on ‘Saturday Night Blues: 20 Years’ (CBC)

with FOREMAN-BYRNES BAND
1979 “I Had Your Love In the Palm of My Hand” on ‘’Vancouver Seeds 2′ [EP] (CFOX) C-FOX FM99

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BYTOWN BLUEGRASS
Don O’Neill (banjo, guitar, bass) / Glen Adams (banjo, guitar, vocals) / Neville Wells (guitar, vocals) / Ralph Carlson (guitar, vocals) / Ray Adams (guitar, banjo)
From Ottawa, Ontario founded by brothers Glen and Ray Adams with Ralph Carlson as a revived edition of Ralph Carlson & Country Mile. It also featured Neville Wells (The Children), Don O’Neill (Ralph Carlson & Country Mile, Tom Wilson, Don Cochrane); O’Neill would be inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995; The Adams brothers were both inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005; Carlson would establish Snocan Records and was a co-founder of the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame to which he was inducted into in 1988. He died October 10, 2002; Wells was inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 1994. [also see NEVILLE WELLS, RALPH CARLSON]

Singles
1979 Casey’s Last Ride/Bytown Ramble (Snocan) SC-161

Albums
1980 Bytown Bluegrass (Snocan) SCN-517

as RALPH CARLSON & BYTOWN BLUEGRASS
1985 Ralph Carlson & Bytown Bluegrass (Snocan) SCN-525

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