#33: Rovin’ Heart by The Lords

City: Edmonton, AB
Radio Station: CJCA
Peak Month: May 1967
Peak Position in Edmonton ~ #5
Peak position in Vancouver ~ did not chart
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ did not chart
YouTube: “Rovin’ Heart”
Lyrics: N/A

The Lords were a band formed in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1966. The members were Barry Allen, Lorne Peet and Mel Degen. Barry Allen Rasmussen was born in 1945 in Edmonton, Alberta. His family was musical, and he learned guitar and sang from an early age. Barry wrote for the Canadianbands.com website decades later of himself: “While attending Victoria High School, he was a member of the curling club, and had aspirations of becoming a chartered accountant. But by the time he’d graduated, he was looking at a musical future, and spent the next couple of years in a number of makeshift groups, honing his chops and emulating his British invasion idols.” He joined Wes Dakus and the Rebels in 1965. They band went to New Mexico and recorded with Norman Petty, producer of Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Roy Orbison, Buddy Knox and others. Petty was taken with Barry Allen’s vocal abilities and suggested Allen make some solo records. The outcome were the single releases in early 1965, “Easy Come Easy Go”, and “It’s Alright With Me Now”. The first single climbed to #6 in Edmonton in January 1965, and made the Top 30 in Regina (SK) and Calgary (AB). The followup single climbed to #9 in Edmonton in July 1965.

Lorne Peet was born in Edmonton and learned to play the trumpet in high school. Melvin “Mel” Degen was born in a farm in Josephburg, Alberta, in 1943 and learned to play guitar from the age of seven. At age 14 Degen won an Elvis contest in 1957. Barry Allen once told the Edmonton Journal years after The Lords disbanded, “The Lords” were “a kick-ass band. The sound and energy that would come off that stage! And could Mel sing! Very strong, lungs of leather … over a big band with three or four horns, a Hammond B3, a version of MacArthur Park that was, man, unbelievable!” Edmonton was “a great town for bands,” said Allen.

In addition to the core members of The Lords, were Jay White, Al McGee, Mark Spasinski, Wayne Kozak, Lionel Nebue, and Andy & Harry Krawchuk.

The Lords’ first single release was “Rovin’ Heart”.

“Rovin’ Heart” is a song about a guy who doesn’t’ want to settle down. Consequently, he has to leave the dating relationship he’s in. Otherwise, if he stays he’ll only hurt the gal he’s been seeing.

The song was written by Ken Johnston who was born in Bakersfield, California, in 1943. Starting in the late 50s, Johnson headed a variety of rock n’ roll bands starting with The Rockets, The Ho Daddies, The Trippers and The Fourth Dimension. Among the highlights of his local southern California rock band memories are being in opening acts variously for the Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, and Chubby Checker. He also remembers being with a band who entered the “Battle of the Bands” contest at the Civic Auditorium in Bakersfield, California, and won the contest. In 1965, Kenny Johnson filled in for a drummer who got lost on the way to Bakersfield, and the act was Sonny & Cher. This was just prior to their number-one hit, “I Got You Babe”, hit the charts. Johnson also collaborated with Gary Paxton and wrote songs for a number of recording artists. This included Canadian acts The Lords, Privilege, and the Jaybees, as well as American hitmakers Gary Lewis & The Playboys. With the latter band, Ken Johnson toured with them to Europe in the mid-sixties. He moved to Nashville, but his alcoholism caught up with him and he returned to Bakersfield to sober up. He was a member of Alcoholics Anonymous going forward. Johnson died in 2022 at the age of 78.

“Rovin’ Heart” peaked at #5 in Edmonton (AB), and #15 in Grande Prairie (AB).

Later in 1967, The Lords released a single titled “Blue”. The single spent six weeks on the pop chart on CJCA in Edmonton in August-September ’67. The B-Side of the single, “Dirt”, spent a week on the pop chart in Cranbrook, BC. The Lords released a third single that year titled “Savin’ (Everything For You Girl)”.

The Lords added three bandmates in 1968 and named themselves Privilege. From 1968 to 1978, Privilege released nine singles. The most successful of these was “Happy Loving Time” which peaked at #13 in Edmonton on CHED 630-AM. In 1969, Barry Allen formed a band called Painter and in 1970 he hosted his own TV show out of Calgary.

In addition to being in The Lords, Mel Degen was part of the Calgary-based band Gainsborough Gallery from 1966 to 1971. That band had a number of hits in several radio markets in Canada, including “Life Is A Song“.

Lorne Peet and Barry Allen were later in a band that formed in 1970 named Cheyenne Winter. The band had a Top Ten hit in Calgary titled “Second Thoughts” which reached #8 on CKXL 1140-AM in October 1970. Meanwhile, when Gainsborough Gallery split up, Mel Degen joined Privilege. That band kept releasing records into the late 70s.

Mel Degen died at the age of 71 in 2014. Barry Allen produced records after he established Bumstead Studios in the 80s. He won a number of awards as a producer and in 2013 relaunched The Rebels after Wes Dakus died. At the age of 74, in 2020, Barry Allen died after a battle with cancer.

*If anyone knows what happened to Lorne Peet, leave a comment and I can update this article.

August 3, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
Barry Allen, Dwayne Osepchuk, “Barry Allen,” Canadianbands.com, April 11, 2022.
“Barry Allen, Edmonton musician, Dead at 74,” CTV, April 5, 2020.
Liz Nicholls, “Life & Times: Fans exhorted leather-lunged singer to ‘rock on’,” Edmonton Journal, November 1, 2014.
“Kenneth W. Johnson: 1943-2022,” Bakersfield Californian, May 21, 2022.