#7: I Want To Stand Up On The Mountain by Loreen Church

City: Saskatoon, SK
Radio Station: CKOM
Peak Month: January 1964
Peak Position in Saskatoon ~ #2
Peak Position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “I Want To Stand Up On The Mountain”
Lyrics: N/A

Loreen Church was born in Manor, Saskatchewan. She was born in 1945. The Ottawa Journal described her in 1963 as “a pretty 16-year-old from Regina who should go places…” Monty Montague of the Andantes’ band from Regina, spoke with Loreen Church at a Battle of the Bands event in Regina in January 1965. He recalls, “The winners were chosen probably by ballot from the crowd, in which case, it was good to get as many friends in attendance as you could. But it could have been by a panel…can’t remember. Loreen Church’s band got first. Joe Vargo and the Dynamics came second – they were solid and mature. And we got third, perhaps a little disappointed, but really didn’t know what to think of it either way. When we were packing up the equipment, we noticed Loreen Church standing a little out front until she got our attention. Then she stepped forward and said, that even though we got third, we were really, really good… Then she made a prediction: that in one year’s time — we would be top band in the city.”

On October 7, 1965, the Regina Leader-Post wrote an article titled “Loreen Church Climbing the Ladder to Success.” Writer Ian Hamilton wrote, “A young Regina girl who rates her education above anything else, is making her way into the world of singing and she’s doing a pretty good job of it. With one foot in the door that leads to success, 20-year-old Loreen Church feels she’s now ready to branch out and next year plans to tour eastern Canada…. Loreen started singing at the age of four in Manor, where she was born, and won an amateur hour contest there. She came to Regina that same year, but limited her singing to home and on the radio. She started “singing for money” when she entered Scott Collegiate at the age of 14, with rock and roll bands.  

She got her first big break when she was 16. She went to see Dorsey Burnette perform in Regina and some friends went to Dorsey and told him about Loreen. He asked her on stage to sing during his show. A few days later he called back and asked her to sing for him again, and her professional career was launched. She recorded a song titled “I Want To Stand Up On The Mountain” which Dorsey Burnette wrote. This was in 1961. But because the company Loreen has signed with was in financial difficulty, it was not released until late 1962. The record, released on the Barry label, was a hit in Australia, the western and mid-western United States and Canada. She didn’t cut another record until 1964 mainly because she was still going to school and it was taking up most of her time.    

Loreen has appeared in most of the major cities in Western Canada, and in the U.S., but hasn’t performed east of Winnipeg. Loreen said, “The west is just starting to take the initiative toward record-making,” and she feels in order for her to become an overall entertainment personality she is going to have to give the east a try. She attributes a lot of her success to Burnette.

When asked about disappointments, Loreen said, “sure, I’ve had disappointments, but nothing bad enough to make me want to lay down and die.”  A third year Arts and Sciences student at the University of Saskatchewan Regina campus, she realizes how important education is. If she doesn’t make it as a singer, she would like to either teach English or history in high school, or work in radio and television…. She would like to try the night club circuit once she gets out of school, and enjoys doing teen shows.

“I Want To Stand Up On The Mountain” peaked at #2 in Saskatoon (SK), #7 in Regina (SK), and #11 in Edmonton (AB). The song also charted in Grande Prairie (AB), and Hamilton (ON).

In 1964, Loreen Church released “Lonely One” which were written by Dorsey Burnette. The single charted on CKOC in Hamilton, Ontario, and in radio markets across the Canadian prairies.

And in August 1965, she released a third single titled “Put Down”. It charted in Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina.

Loreen Church was still performing in clubs in Regina in 1967. However, she seems to have left no trace of what she did after her brief time in the spotlight. If anyone from Saskatchewan knows if Loreen ended up teaching, working in radio or television, or something else – let me know.

July 1, 2026
Ray McGinnis

References:
Ian Hamilton, “Loreen Church Climbing the Ladder to Success,” Regina Leader-Post, October 7, 1965.
“The Pride of Regina – The Andantes,” Psychedelic Baby Magazine, January 29, 2019.

CKOM 1250-AM Saskatoon (SK) Top Ten | January 26, 1964