#230: Golden Girl by The Rabble
City: Montreal, PQ
Radio Station: CJMS
Peak Month: July 1967
Peak Position in Montreal ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Golden Girl”
Lyrics: “Golden Girl”
Formed in 1965, The Rabble were a psychedelic/garage act that hailed, originally from Pointe-Claire, Quebec on Montreal’s west island. They consisted of Tim Charbonneau on bass guitar, Mike Harris on guitar, Rick Metcalfe on guitar, and John Pimm on vocals. McMahon had previously been with The Mighty Avengers who released a cover of the Rolling Stone’s “Blue Turns To Grey” in 1965, and also a cover of the Tymes’ number-one hit from 1963 titled “So Much In Love”. The Rabble’s first single was the Mike Harris written “I’m Alaboundy Bam” released in 1966. With no substantial support from RCA, and a failing debut single, the band recorded their next single, “Golden Girl”, in December 1966 which saw release in the summer of 1967 on Trans-World Records. Late addition, Walter “Wally” O’Reilly, was on drums for both the single and the album after Brian Robillard (formerly of The Haunted) quit The Rabble to form his own band. Though Brian Robillard was in the recording studio for “Golden Girl” and other tracks on the band’s debut album, he was not in the photo with the other five bandmates for the album photoshoot.
Prior to the band’s self-titled debut album being recorded and released in 1967 on Trans-World Records, founding member and co-writer Rick Metcalfe left the group. The album was produced by CFOX (Pointe-Claire) radio personality Dean Hagopian.
On May 22, 1967 the band performed with The Isabella Blues Band, Leonard Cohen, and Buffy Sainte-Marie at the Queen’s Park “Love In” in Toronto which was attended by nearly 4,000 people. Drummer Brian Roberts was replaced by Teddy McMahon. The Rabble performed at Expo ’67′s Garden Of The Stars Pavilion.
“Golden Girl” was written by John Pimm. Canuckistan’s Michael Panontin has observed “Unlike a lot of the hormone-laced garage rock at the time, ‘Golden Girl’ somehow managed to capture adolescent stirrings of a more soulful nature. It was a kind of young adult’s quest for a kindred spirit that located its energies somewhere between the gut and the solar plexus, and a marked contrast to the pelvic swagger of the Stones and their disciples of the day. While Mick was looking for someone to spend the night with, Pimm’s golden girl was “someone I can walk with and someone I can talk with.”
“Golden Girl” peaked at #5 in Montreal. However, the single didn’t break out of the island of Montreal and adjacent suburbs.
Next, The Rabble released “Please Set Me Free”, followed by “I Still Can Hear Them Laughing” which was a Top 40 hit in Pointe Claire (PQ). In the spring of 1968, The Rabble released their fourth Trans-World single titled “Miss Money Green”. It became another Top 40 hit in their home town of Pointe Claire.
By this time the band had played The New Penelope Coffee House and throughout Greater Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Kingston, as well as touring northern Ontario. In April of 1968 The Rabble substituted for Cream, who had canceled at the last minute, at The Paul Sauve Arena in Montreal to 5,000 fans. Despite the band’s unrehearsed show, they impressed the crowd with an hour-long set of songs consisting of their singles and album material.
Brian Robillard was replaced on drums by Wally O’Reilly, who was later replaced on drums by Teddy McMahon.
Following this impressive show, promoter Donald K. Donald had to turn down engagements on their behalf because they were already booked on a tour of one-niters throughout Quebec and Ontario. A second Trans-World album, Give Us Back Elaine! was released in 1968. The Rabble soon secured a recording deal with Roulette Records in the US and toured California in 1968 to ‘underground’ music fans.
In May of 1968 the band was double-billed with the Guess Who in a ‘Wildest Pair’ tour at places such as the Loyola Arena and the Dorval Recreation Association. Trans-World dropped The Rabble in 1969. The band found a temporary home in 1970 with Aquarius Records. They released a cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Time Is On My Side”. However, the single was a commercial flop. Aquarius Records dropped The Rabble, and the band dissolved.
Rick Metcalfe formed a band called Aeon with former member of The Haunted, Al Birmingham, in 1976.
John Pimm moved to Toronto and worked with Lighthouse’s Bob McBride and then Deja Vu and John Moran. He also did studio session work as guitarist. With a relocation to British Columbia, Pimm focused on producing music at Canadian Concept Studios in Victoria, BC. He has played in Hawaii five times, as well as in Bangkok, and Palm Springs (CA). John Pimm has recorded two Jazz instrumental albums and is working on a third one.
Mike Harris taught math and science for 25 years, primarily in the Toronto’s suburb of Scarborough. He retired in 2001, and continued playing and recording in his home studio. As of 2008, Harris was based in the region of Whitby, Ontario.
Tim Charbonneau worked on staff at McGill University for several decades. After graduating from McGill, Charbonneau accepted a post in the I.T. Department, working his way up to Project Manager in Payroll. On a Rabble Facebook page it was reported that he died in 2024 at the age of 77.
Post-Rabble, Brian Robillard remained active in music into at least the early 1970s. He wrote and performed on the B-side “Whirlpool” for a 1970 single by the Ottawa-area band Meadow (also known as Mythical Meadow/The Meadow), paired with “Fighting Today (Must Be a Better Way)” by Peter Rochon (of Fludd). This shows he had connections beyond Montreal into the Ottawa scene. Details on his later life are limited in public sources. Comments on fan pages and band-related Facebook posts indicate he passed away in 2011 from blood poisoning due to a staph infection.
Wally O’Reilly moved to Prince Edward Island.
August 1, 2026
Ray McGinnis
References:
Michelle Dion and Jaimie Vernon, “The Rabble,” Canadianbands.com.
Michael Panontin, “The Rabble,” Canuckistanmusic.com.
Bernard Perusse, “The Rabble: Montreal’s great lost band,” The Montreal Gazette, May 31, 2008.
“Timothy John Charbonneau 1947-2024,” complexeaeterna.com.
“Brian Robillard,” The Rabble Facebook page, September 10, 2015.
CJMS 1280-AM Montreal Top Ten | July 31, 1967
Leave a Reply