#57: Walk Away by The Box
City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CJME
Peak Month: May 1984
Peak Position in Regina ~ #8
Peak position in Vancouver ~ Hit Bound
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Walk Away”
Lyrics: “Walk Away”
The Box was formed in 1981 by former Men Without Hats keyboard player Jean-Marc Pisapia. He was born in 1957 in Montreal and learned to play piano at the age of four. He studied architecture at the University of Montreal. After a summer tour with Men Without Hats in 1981, Jean-Marc formed Checkpoint Charlie, inviting guitarist Guy Florent and bass guitarist Jean-Pierre Brie to join him. In 1983, the band added Jean-Marc’s brother, Guy Pisapia, on keyboards. This enabled Jean-Marc to give his attention primarily to lead vocals. At this time the band changed their name to The Box. In 1984 The Box released a self-titled album with a debut single titled “Walk Away”.
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#33: Bow Down (To The Dollar) by Joshua
City: London, ON
Radio Station: CJOE
Peak Month: December 1971
Peak Position in London ~ #9
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #25
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Bow Down (To The Dollar)”
Joshua was a band from Woodstock, Ontario. They first signed to GRT of Canada Ltd. in 1971 by Harry Hinde. Much of their vocal work comprised of intricate three-part vocal harmonies. There was also a good blend of raw rock ‘n roll, and funky rhythms with some pretty good guitar and keyboard work. The members of the band were Al Feth, Bill Broadhurst, Carl Burgess (on guitar), Don Dunlop, and Pat Gamble (born 1952) on drums.
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#75: Act Of An Innocent by Parachute Club
City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CJME
Peak Month: March 1985
Peak Position in Regina ~ #12
Peak position in Vancouver ~ New on LG73 (Hit Bound)
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Act Of An Innocent”
Lyrics: “Act Of An Innocent”
Lorraine Christine Segato was born in 1956 in Hamilton (ON). She was the lead vocalist in the Toronto band Mama Quilla II, which formed in 1977. The seven-piece all-female band performed at Toronto’s first Bi-National Lesbian Conference in 1979, sponsored by the Lesbian Organization of Toronto (LOOT). The songwriter for Mama Quilla II was Susan Sturman. Billy Bryans also occasionally performed for the band on percussion. Interested in forming their own band to showcase songs that they were writing, Lorraine Segato and Billy Bryans formed a band named V. This soon morphed into the Parachute Club in 1982 when they invited Mama Quilla II member Laurie Conger to join them.
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#2: Julie Ann by Peter Foldy
City: Peterborough, ON
Radio Station: CKPT
Peak Month: January 1977
Peak Position in Peterborough ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Julie Ann”
Lyrics: “Julie Ann”
Peter Foldy was born in Budapest, Hungary, in the late 40s. His family fled Hungary in 1956 during the Hungarian Revolution and landed as refugees in Sydney, Australia. Once he arrived in Australia Foldy became a childhood friend of the Bee Gees who inspired him toward a career in music and film. He was the poster boy for Nestles Crunch chocolates as a teenager in Australia. After a family move to Canada, Foldy enrolled in film school but supported himself by playing guitar in a rock band. He studied film at York University. He also formed a rock band that performed in various bars and lounges throughout the city.
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#4: Four Strong Winds by Neil Young
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFGO
Peak Month: February 1979
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #7
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #30
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~did not chart
YouTube: “Four Strong Winds”
Lyrics: “Four Strong Winds”
Neil Young was born in Toronto in 1945. His family moved to Omemee, Ontario, and he contracted polio in 1951, two years before the polio vaccine was introduced. He learned guitar and dropped out of high school. He played in the Winnipeg based band called The Squires, who toured parts of Manitoba and northern Ontario. They played instrumental covers of Cliff Richard’s backup band, The Shadows. Young moved to California in 1966 where he was a founding member of the Buffalo Springfield. In 1968 he released his self-titled debut studio album. And in 1969 he became the fourth member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
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#7: Everytime I See Your Picture by Luba
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: April 1983
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~did not chart
YouTube: “Everytime I See Your Picture”
Lyrics: “Everytime I See Your Picture”
Lubomyra Kowalchyk was born in 1958 in Montreal, Quebec. During her teens she travelled across Canada performing traditional Ukrainian folk songs at weddings and festivals. Growing up she studied piano, guitar, flute and voice. She was a fine-arts student when she formed a band called Zorya in 1973, releasing an album. In 1977 she released her second album titled. Lubomyra. In 1978 she formed a band named Luba with herself as the lead vocalist. Then, when her father died in 1979, she wrote what would become her signature song, “Everytime I See Your Picture”, as a tribute to him.
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#27: When A Man Loves A Woman by Luba
City: Hamilton, ON
Radio Station: CKOC
Peak Month: January 1988
Peak Position in Hamilton ~ #8
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #25
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “When A Man Loves A Woman”
Lyrics: “When A Man Loves A Woman”
Lubomyra Kowalchyk was born in 1958 in Montreal, Quebec. During her teens she travelled across Canada performing traditional Ukrainian folk songs at weddings and festivals. Growing up she studied piano, guitar, flute and voice. She was a fine-arts student when she formed a band called Zorya in 1973, releasing an album. In 1977 she released her second album titled. Lubomyra. In 1978 she formed a band named Luba with herself as the lead vocalist. Then, when her father died in 1979, she wrote what would become her signature song, “Everytime I See Your Picture”, as a tribute to him. The first studio album for the band Luba, Chain Reaction, was released in 1980. A Luba (EP) was released in 1982 containing “Every time I See Your Picture”. The song climbed to #1 in Ottawa, #3 in Halifax, #6 in Montreal and #11 in Kitchener (ON). She performed in front of 12,000 rock fans at the Montreal Forum in January 1983. She was the opening act at that concert for the headliner Chris de Burgh.
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#15: Come To Me by France Joli
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: December 1979
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #30
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #15
YouTube: “Come To Me”
Lyrics: “Come To Me”
France Joly was born in 1963 in suburban Montreal. Her father was a hardware merchant and her mother was a teacher. As early as age four, she was performing for relatives lip-syncing to Barbra Streisand records while handling a skipping rope like a microphone. She appeared on a local Montreal TV variety show by age six. At age 11, she left the public school system and was home schooled by her mother. Her mother wanted her daughter to concentrate on her performing career appearing regularly in television commercials and talent shows. A mutual acquaintance suggested France meet up with musician Tony Green who she approached backstage after he had given a concert. She invited Green to be her record producer. Green did not take the 13-year-old girl seriously. Green recalled: “To get rid of her I [told] her to keep in touch.” According to one source, France Joly eventually visited Green’s home to sing for him. It is also reported that Green first heard her sing from the audience of an “end of school year show” in which she performed in the fall of 1978. Both accounts concur that Green first heard Joli singing along with a Streisand recording of “Evergreen”.
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#16: There Was A Time by One To One
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: February 1986
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #35
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “There Was A Time”
Lyrics: “There Was A Time”
One To One were a band that formed in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1984. It consisted of vocalist Louise Reny and producer/multi-instrumentalist Leslie Howe. The duo had been in a local rock band since the mid-70s called Mainstream. Tired of playing covers of 60’s, 70’s and 80’s pop tunes, Reny and Howe were inspired to collaborate and release original material. In late 1985 they released “There Was A Time“.
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#19: Fantasy by Aldo Nova
City: Ottawa, ON
Radio Station: CFRA
Peak Month: May 1982
Peak Position in Ottawa ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #23
YouTube: “Fantasy”
Lyrics: “Fantasy”
Aldo Caporuscio was born in Montreal in 1956. His parents were Italian immigrants from a village near Rome. He adopted the stage name Aldo Nova when he started playing guitar and keyboards at age 15. Signing with Portair Records, Nova released a self-produced album Aldo Nova in 1982. His debut single was titled “Fantasy”.
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