#32: It’s Alright by Crack Of Dawn
City: London, ON
Radio Station: CJBK
Peak Month: July 1976
Peak Position in London ~ #7
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “It’s Alright”
Crack of Dawn were an R&B/funk outfit who were quite popular in the live dance clubs. The band was formed in Kingston, Jamaica, consisting entirely of Jamaican musicians. The Crack of Dawn relocated from Jamaica to Toronto, Ontario in the mid-70’s. In 1974 the band attracted interest from Columbia Records of Canada’s head of A&R Bob Gallo. They were signed to the label in January 1975. They were the first Canadian black band to ever sign with a major label.
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#35: Canada by the Sugar Shoppe
City: London, ON
Radio Station: CFPL
Peak Month: July 1967
Peak Position in London ~ #20
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Canada”
Lyrics: “Canada
The Sugar Shoppe was formed in Toronto by lead singer, songwriter and pianist Peter Mann. Born in 1940 in New York City, Mann grew up in Miami before working as an arranger and relocating to Canada in 1965. There, he met University of Toronto School of Music student and singer Laurie Hood, and singers Lee Harris and Victor Garber, an actor and singer who was also studying in Toronto as well as singing in the city’s clubs. Garber was born in 1949 in London (ON) and began acting at the age of nine in 1958. He enrolled at the University of Toronto’s theatre training program at Hart House when he was 16 years old. In the mid-60s he performed as a folk singer before joining the Sugar Shoppe in 1967. With two male singers (Mann and Garber) and two female (Hood and Harris), they modeled themselves on the Mamas & the Papas and began working in the studio on a project to mark Canada’s Centennial in 1967.
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#1: J’ Entends Frapper by Pagliaro
City: Kingston, ON
Radio Station: CKLC
Peak Month: February 1973
Peak Position in Kingston ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “J’ Entends Frapper”
Lyrics: “J’ Entends Frapper”
Montreal’s Michel Pagliaro was born in 1948. He picked up guitar when he was eleven years old. At the age of 15 he was in a band les Stringmen. They morphed into les Bluebirds and finally les Merseys. Pagliaro got a break at the age of 18 when he was asked to join the Quebec band les Chanceliers. He was lead vocalist for the group which had a succession of singles and a self-titled album in the mid-60s. Their catalogue included “La generation d’aujourd’hui” (Today’s Generation), “Toi jeune fille”, a French version of “White Christmas”, and “Le p’tit popy” (The Little Poppy). In 1968, at the age of twenty, Pagliaro released some singles as a solo artist. His “Comme d’habitude” became a #1 hit in Quebec. Some of the lyrics in French “Tu the deshabillera come d’habitude” meant in English “you’ll take your clothes off as usual.” Nonetheless, the tune was adapted by Canadian pop singer Paul Anka and became the classic “My Way” popularized by Frank Sinatra. It was followed with another number one hit for Pagliaro in French Canada in 1968 called “Avec la Tete, Avec la Coeur”.
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#2: Old Emotions by the Spoons
City: Kitchener, ON
Radio Station: CHYM
Peak Month: December 1983-January 1984
Peak Position in Kitchener ~ #10
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Old Emotions”
Lyrics: “Old Emotions”
The Spoons were a band formed in 1979 in Burlington, Ontario. After several lineup changes they released their debut album, Stick Figure Neighbourhood. But they had to wait until 1982 with the release of their second album, Arias & Symphonies to get national attention. By that time the band consisted of Spoons co-founders Gordon Deppe (on lead vocals and guitar) and Sandy Horne on bass and vocals. The Spoons second drummer, Derrick Ross, joined the band in late 1979. The keyboard player, Rob Preuss, was the band’s second keyboard player after Brett Wickens departed.
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#9: Shake Yourself Down by the Checkerlads
City: Regina, SK
Radio Station: CKCK
Peak Month: October 1966
Peak Position in Regina ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ Runners Up (October 29/66)
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Shake Yourself Down”
The Checkerlads were a band from Regina, Saskatchewan. According to Discogs.com, they were formed in 1963 by Arnie Sanns on lead vocals and bass guitar, Bob Stevens on rhythm guitar, Larry Reich on lead guitar, and backing vocals, and drummer Harvey Frasz. They later added organist Bob Edwards. (However, the Psychedelicized.com website states that in addition to Reich and Frasz, the other members were Arnold Rippliner, Robert Frei, and Robert Bucholtz. Yet, Psychedelicized.com links to an article on Canuckistanmusic.com, which states the lineup of the Checkerlads consisted of Sanns, Stevens, Reich and Franz). Canuckistan states “it was not until they decided to add Bob Edwards on organ that things started to take off for the group. They toured many of the US centres, ending up in Hollywood, where (manager Joe) Vargo managed to score the Lads some recording time at Gary Paxton’s LA studio.”
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#7: Come And Join Us by the Dublin Corporation
City: Kingston, ON
Radio Station: CKLC
Peak Month: December 1972
Peak Position in Kingston ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Come And Join Us”
The Dublin Corporation was a group originally named the Pacific Showband and they formed in 1962. This was after several members of the Earl Gill Orchestra left to form their own show band. The Earl Gill Orchestra was a classic orchestra with lots of brass band sound. The members included Sonny Knowles, who had started his career in 1952 as a member of the Johnny Butler Dance band, playing sax and clarinet, and ended up with Earl’s band. Sean Fagan was the lead vocalist of the Pacific Showband. But as with all the Irish showbands, most of the members sang as well with different singers handling different genres with the band. Although Sonny Knowles was mainly the sax player, he also sang and was soon shared equal billing and recording chores with Sean Fagan.
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#13: I Love Candy by the Marshmallow Soup Group
City: Kingston, ON
Radio Station: CKLC
Peak Month: December 1969
Peak Position in Kingston ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “I Love Candy”
The Citizen Freak website tells how the Marshmallow Soup Group was a “Canadian pop psych band formed in the summer of 1967 in Kingston, Ontario. They soon moved to Ottawa to sign with manager Vern Craig. Tim Eaton joined the group later as lead singer in early 1969 before they started recording, first with radio jingles for the United Way charities and the Canada Welfare Council.” The lead vocalist was Tim Eaton. John Lemmon, from Kingston (ON) played organ, Wayne Sweet was lead guitarist, Ron “Smack” Smith , also from Kingston (ON) was on bass guitar, and Tim Cottini was the group’s drummer. Except for Cottini, the other group members were backing vocalists for Eaton.
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#17: Bobby’s Birthday by Kensington Market
City: Kingston, ON
Radio Station: CKLC
Peak Month: December 1967
Peak Position in Kingston ~ #6
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Bobby’s Birthday”
(If the link above states “sign in” to watch private video, if you
try to sign in, Youtube states something went wrong. Instead,
just enter “Bobby’s Birthday, Kensington Market” in the Youtube
search, and several options will appear so you can listen to it.)
Keith McKie was born in St. Albans, England, in 1947. He moved with his family to Canada in 1953. After high school, he formed a band called The Shades. This later morphed into the Vendettas. After that band dissolved, McKie was sought out by former Paupers manager Bernie Finkelstein who suggested he form a new group. To join McKie, they got former Bobby Kris & the Imperials guitarist and pianist Gene Martynec to sign. Martynec was born in 1947 in Coburg, West Germany. Former Vendettas bandmate, Alex Darou, was added to the emerging band. Darou, who played bass guitar, was born in Sault Ste. Marie (ON) in 1943. The oldest member of the band, he had already been part of a jazz trio. They also added drummer Jimmy Watson, who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1950.
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#22: Dig A Hole by the Hans Staymer Band
City: Kingston, ON
Radio Station: CKLC
Peak Month: July 1972
Peak Position in Kingston ~ #7
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Dig A Hole”
Hans Stamer was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1938. He discovered jazz, blues and the music of Django Reinhart in 1955, which inspired him to play guitar. In 1957, Stamer heard Louis Armstrong while on tour in Europe. He studied the craft of goldsmithing from 1957 to 1962, –a trade he still practices today—before moving to Edmonton. In 1964 he formed a blues band that eventually became The Famous Last Words. They toured the Canadian prairies until they split up in 1967. Stamer formed The Mighty Preachers in Edmonton later in 1967. He moved to British Columbia in 1968 and formed a jazz band called Django. As his name was often mispronounced, he added a “y” to his surname, becoming Hans Staymer.
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#12: Happy Anniversary by the Four Lads
City: Hull, PQ
Radio Station: CKCH
Peak Month: January 1960
Peak Position in Hull ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #36
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #77
YouTube: “Happy Anniversary”
Lyrics: “Happy Anniversary”
The Four Lads are a Canadian male quartet from Toronto, Ontario. They were originally made up of Corrado “Connie” Codarini, James F. “Jimmy” Arnold, John Bernard “Bernie” Toorish and Frank Busseri. They met as members of St. Michael’s Choir School. Originally, they named themselves the Otnorots (made up mostly of spelling the place name Toronto backwards. They changed their name to the Four Dukes. But after they found out a group in Detroit had the same name, then they settled on the Four Lads. They got a break when Mitch Miller noticed them when they were recruited by talent scouts to go to New York. Mitchell had them sing back-up on Johnny Ray’s 1951 smash hit, “Cry”, and his big follow up, “The Little White Cloud that Cried”.
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