Dianne Heatherington - Part I: The Winnipeg Years

    When one thinks of female Canadian rock stars, a few names immediately come to mind: Lee Aaron, Carole Pope, Holly Woods, and next up should be Dianne Heatherington. Described as "the undisputed First Lady of Winnipeg rock 'n' roll," Dianne had a distinctive voice, a long career, and is something of a local legend in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, history hasn't been as kind to miss Heatherington nationally over the decades as it has to the aforementioned three. I'd be remiss, however, if I didn't mention the memorial shows that took place in Winnipeg and Toronto during 2008 to mark the tenth anniversary of her passing. Those aside, it feels as though Dianne Heatherington has been largely overlooked. I aim to change that. 

    Dianne Heatherington was born in Fort Rouge, Winnipeg, on May 14th, 1948. Throughout her youth, Dianne dreamt of being a famous singer. This was inspired by Blues and early Rock & Roll artists, which she would hear on radio. With the encouragement of her family, friends, and her church pastor, it wasn't long before Dianne picked up a microphone and began her journey. 

During her adolescence, Dianne worked tirelessly to hone her voice. She took vocal lessons, played music with friends, and spent countless hours solo, working on her voice in private. Throughout high school, Dianne sang in a handful of small bands. Though no information regarding genre preference or line-up is available at this time, we have the names Interfaith Harmony Theatre, The Starlight Combo, and The Electric Banana. If any readers saw these groups live or could enlighten me on line-ups, please comment below. 

The early bands that Dianne sang in were the perfect place to work on her voice, allowing her to become ready for the professional world of singing. She auditioned for CBC Let's Go in 1965, getting the part. This allowed her to also audition and perform on other local CBC TV and radio productions over the years. 

Dianne put together her first professional group, "Merry Go Round," during 1967. Merry Go Round consisted of Dianne Heatherington (vocals), Rob Langdon (guitar), Melvyn Ksionzek (bass), Hermann Frühm (keyboard), and Steve Banman (drums). They quickly became regulars on the Winnipeg bar/club scene, and Dianne's unique and powerful voice/stage presence was sure to make them stars. 

    Dianne's powerhouse vocals opened up The Merry Go Round to so many different cover opportunities. Her abilities allowed her to emulate both male and female singers; she could jump from Janis Joplin to Led Zeppelin at the drop of a hat. Check out this clip from the Tommy Hunter show for an example of her abilities at the time: https://youtu.be/JQ7SuggxxTw?si=3Com31SYyjLQkjGt

    During May of 1969, The Merry Go Round were invited to play the Niverville "Rock/Mud" Festival. This was a fund-raiser thought up by members of Winnipeg Rock group Brother and their Niverville friend Harold Wiebe (who was instrumental in securing the land for the event) for the recent highly publicized and tragic, preventable death of Winnipeg teenager Lynne Derksen. The goal was to raise $30,000 for the Winnipeg General Hospital in what was known as the "Oxygenator Fund.". 

 

Many local Winnipeg bands were invited to perform, including big names such as Sugar & Spice, Justin Tyme, Chopping Block, The Fifth, etc. Some lesser-known local acts were also invited to perform, such as The Pig Iron Blues Band. The eclectic roster also boasted the Chicken Flat Mountain Boys, Billy Graham’s Jazz Group, and folksinger Jim Donahue. Festival organizers Brother also did a headlining set. Interestingly, this event would be their last public appearance due to guitarist Kurt Winter accepting an invite to join the Guess Who as Randy Bachman's replacement (along with another local guitarist, Greg Leskiw of Wild Rice). 

 

The event succeeded both musically and in attendance. Although the organizers didn't reach the $30,000 goal because many attendees did not pay, a donation received shortly afterward brought them closer to that target. The Merry Go Round and Brother stood out as two of the most talked-about bands from the event. This experience boosted Dianne and the band's confidence, leading to a steady stream of well-paying gigs for the remainder of the year. This event helped bolster Dianne and the band's confidence and provided them with a steady diet of good-paying gigs for the rest of the year. 

    August of 1970 provided The Merry Go Round with their biggest gig to date, The Man Pop Festival. Held in Winnipeg on August 29th, Man Pop featured three visiting American groups (The Youngbloods, The Ides of March, Iron Butterfly), a bunch of local Winnipeg groups (Sugar 'N Spice, The Mongrels, Euphoria, Haymarket Riot, The Fifth, Chopping Block, Justin Tyme), and a visiting Vancouver group (Chilliwack). The big draw however was UK band Led Zeppelin, who were set to co-headline with Iron Butterfly. 

 

Man Pop was scheduled to take place at Winnipeg Stadium, outdoors. A particularly rough thunderstorm rolled through, which tore down the awning protecting the stage, soaking the PA system and amps. The organizers moved to the nearby indoor Winnipeg Arena. This was a shortsighted measure that cost roughly 800 ticket buyers to be denied entry due to a smaller capacity. Riots ensued, and due to the weather, Led Zeppelin were not going to perform (pursuant to a clause in their contract), which would have turned a bad situation into a horrible one. Sensing this, Dianne Heatherington took to the TV and radio waves, trying to convince Led Zeppelin to perform. When this didn't work, she managed to schedule a meeting with them in person, where she both shamed and pleaded with them to take the stage. They ultimately agreed to perform, which saved the event. They used gear borrowed from other bands on the bill, as their equipment had not arrived in Winnipeg. The Guess Who’s Randy Bachman lent Jimmy Page his Les Paul for the show. The whole debacle effectively turned Dianne into a local legend overnight, bolstering The Merry Go Round's success.

During the latter half of 1970, The Merry Go Round was as hot as ever! Thanks to Dianne's on and off stage actions plus the stellar musicianship of herself and the band, they had managed to garner some top-tier live gigs and the attention of the CBC. Producer Rob Cantor courted Dianne to do a 13-week Winnipeg CBC TV show, but she quit after only 6 weeks due to the direction the production was taking. According to Dianne, "They didn't want to use Merry Go Round, and I really felt like a part of that unit then." This unfortunately was a problem for the CBC brass, hence the cancellation after 6 weeks. 

 

Early 1971 brought a lineup change for Merry Go Round. Drummer Steve Banman quit the group and was quickly replaced by former The Fifth and Brother drummer Vance Masters. Vance brought with him exceptional showmanship, as well as a bunch of songs from the Brother era to add to the group's repertoire. During this period, the group setlists contained a massively varied array of material. Ranging from the top 40 to more underground artists like Frank Zappa to their own original works (including the new Brother tunes), fans of Merry Go Round never knew what to expect.

 

The CBC came calling Dianne Heatherington again during early May of 1971. This time, Merry Go Round would be backing Dianne, alongside the Dave Shaw Orchestra. Simply to be titled "Dianne," the CBC wanted to shoot eleven, one-hour musical variety episodes in a "coast to coast, province by province" manner. The group signed on and quickly began rehearsals over the next few weeks while still performing regularly on the local club circuit. 

 

The tapings for "Dianne" began on June 3rd and 4th of 1971 with producer Rob Cantor. They were shot before a live studio audience, and the episodes included a wide array of local and national talent: Brave Belt, Chilliwack, Next, North, Tom Northcott, Sweet Honey Mead, and Wild Rice, among others. The "Dianne" show was a hit across Canada, which effectively helped make Dianne Heatherington a national star overnight. The show ran weekly from July 5th to September 13th, 1971.

 

By October of 1971, Merry Go Round were riding high off their successes, but some of the members decided to leave due to fatigue or moved out of instrumental roles into more "behind the scenes" roles. Guitarist Rob Langdon quit, was replaced by Duncan Wilson, and Melvyn Ksionzek moved into the sound tech role. He ended up being replaced by formed Brother bassist Bill Wallace. After a few weeks of rehearsals, Merry Go Round went out on the road for a small tour.

   After one particular gig at Top Of The Inn, located in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Merry Go Round caught the attention of a particular visiting music superstar. By chance, Kenny Rogers was in town for a one-nighter. He and his entourage showed up at the club after their performance and caught the final set of Dianne Heatherington and the Merry Go Round. Impressed by the musicians’ abilities and original material, he approached the band to offer them an appearance on his TV show, Rollin' On the River, in addition to a record deal. Arrangements were made to meet Kenny in Las Vegas and then travel together to Los Angeles to record the album, with all expenses being covered by Mr. Rogers. Merry Go Round excitedly packed a pair of vans with their gear and necessities before hitting the road, setting out on the roughly 1800-mile journey from Winnipeg to Las Vegas—in the middle of winter, mind you. 

 

The journey went mostly smooth until they reached North Dakota. Bill Wallace, Dianne Heatherington, and Vance Masters were traveling in the second van, a few kilometers behind the other van, containing the rest of the group. After an unexpected accident left them in the ditch, with their vehicle totaled but thankfully unharmed, they managed to flag down a truck driver to help them make the rest of the journey. 

 

Merry Go Round soon made it to Las Vegas and then eventually to Los Angeles, where they spent 2 weeks during January of 1972 laying down tracks for half of their planned album. They returned to Winnipeg to finish off some scheduled dates and, while at home, received the recording contracts from Kenny Rogers' management team. They were expected to take on a new name, "Catweazel," and the distribution of royalties was skewed heavily in favor of Rogers. The band declined the contract, and as a result, the songs from the sessions are just rough mixes, with the final mixes never being completed.

From February through July of 1972, Merry Go Round continued to tour across middle Canada, playing six nights a week from Alberta to Ontario. Unfortunately, several events occurred over the months following the Kenny Rogers episode that caused the band to fold in the fall of 1972. The first and most disastrous was an incident in which Dianne Heatherington damaged her vocal cords, forcing the band to go on hiatus for nearly a year. Even if they wanted to continue without her Merry Go Round then lost bassist Bill Wallace, who accepted an invite to replace recently fired Guess Who bassist Jim Kale (who went on to form Scrubbaloe Cane), effectively reuniting him with his other former Brother bandmate Kurt Winter. 

 

    During Dianne's recouping process, she briefly moved out of Winnipeg to get her mind off of singing, which prompted The Guess Who's Bill Wallace and Kurt Winter to write "Bye Bye Babe." The song saw release in January of 1973 as a single and was also released that same month on their eighth studio album, Artificial Paradise. 

 

Upon Dianne's return to music and Winnipeg in late 1973, she was left without a band. Her reputation was maintaining well, however, thanks to the release of "Bye Bye Babe" in her absence. This allowed her to quickly throw together a new group of top musicians, which was given the name Sunny Lemmatina. Though short-lived, Sunny Lemmatina had the historical distinction of performing music for the Manitoba Theatre production of Godspell during 1974 (February 15th–March 10th). 

 

     

 

Sunny Lemmatina broke up by the summer of 1974 due to Dianne wanting to head in a more "stripped down" jazzy direction. She opted to work with a solo piano player and for a few months worked smaller Winnipeg jazz clubs with pianist Mark Rutherford. 

 

This again brought Dianne to the attention of the CBC, which in late-1974 contracted her to record a couple songs for their LM-400 series of compilation records. Usually focused on specific places or genres, the LM-400 series was instrumental in promoting Canadian artists from outside the conventional Rock & Roll musical sphere. This was perfect for Dianne, who in her new form was able to cover a wide spread of different musical genres. 

CBC LM-421 was released in January of 1975 (after Dianne moved to Toronto) and represents a spread of mostly Winnipeg-based artists and composers. Alongside Dianne Heatherington, Winnipeg pianist Mark Rutherford had some songs released, and Winnipeg Folk/World quintet Pego (arranged by Dave Shaw) had some songs released. Here's a link to my recently posted video of Dianne's songs from this compilation, featuring around 40 photos: https://youtu.be/j1o8_YOqqJ4

    Dianne's performances on CBC LM-421 featured a new band of (mostly Winnipeg) supporting musicians: Ed Philp (alto saxophone), Mark Freed (guitar), Herman Fruehm, formerly of Merry Go Round (synthesizer), Mark Rutherford (piano), and Don Thompson (viola). The songs are also written by a spread of Winnipeg writers: 

 

"Queen Jealousy"—Greg" Leskiw (of Wild Rice, Mood Jga Jga, and The Guess Who) writes the lead track. This song was originally recorded by Mood Jga Jga on their 1974 self-titled debut album. Dianne's version is a Funky-Rock track with cool synths and horns.

"Check It"Out"—David Carbert (of The Orphans [Orfans] and Fellowship) writes the second track. This song is something of a proto-theatrical song with rock sounds that hint towards the subtleties of some 1980's rock.

"Lovin' You's So"Easy"—Dianne Heatherington and guitarist Mark Freed (of Chopping Block, Logan Avenue Comfort Station, etc.) write the third track. A "misty morning" kind of languid Jazzy-Pop track featuring great vibraphone flourishes from Toronto vibraphonist Don Thompson.

"My Old"Man"—David Carbert and bandmate Bill Merritt (of The Orphans [Orfans] and Fellowship) write the fourth and final track. A big band, jazzy, up-tempo number, with great sax solos by Ed Philip.

 

Dianne Heatherington's contributions on CBC LM-421 are the perfect closing testament to her Winnipeg years and how much those years meant to her. She made memories, made friends, and made history as one of Winnipeg's most dynamic singers and one of Canada's greatest female recording artists. She was charismatic, passionate, temperamental, and brave. The songs on CBC LM-421 are something of a love letter to her contemporaries of Winnipeg; her friends; her history. 

                                                                                     STAY TUNED FOR PART II: The Toronto Years!  

The Dr. Music Retrospective - Part I: Prologue

    Dr. Music is a name that many Canadians who grew up on 'Rock' radio during the 70's will surely recognize. During their time together, Dr. Music did more to expose Canadian rock audiences to jazz concepts than any of their contemporaries did. The group released multiple charting albums and singles along the way, while they experimented with different lineups and genres. Dr. Music was popular during their prime, but the band's history has never properly been chronicled. Some fans of the group don't even know that the one constant of the band was its inimitable leader, Doug Riley. At its core, Dr. Music was Doug's band. He was the driving force, main compositional arm, and literal namesake of the band, Dr. (Dr. = Doug Riley) Music. Below is the story of Doug Riley and, by extension, the story of Dr. Music. 

    Doug Riley was born and raised in Toronto. Music was an early intervention in Doug's life due to health issues that plagued him from the age of two on throughout his youth. Doug's parents enrolled him in piano lessons by the age of three, and his early aptitude garnered advanced lessons at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, under the tutelage of Lawrence Goodwill. These lessons continued until Doug was around the age of twelve, at which point Lawrence recommended that Doug study with his colleagues in Montreal. These were Paul DeMarky for piano and Harry Duckworth for organ. Doug lived with relatives in Montreal for the duration of his studies. 

    The Toronto that Doug Riley returned to in 1960 was different than the one he left. The advent of R&B and Rock & Roll had changed the musical landscape in the city from its earlier jazz and country roots. Doug (who was now sixteen), like many teens, became swept up in the new rock and R&B music craze. While in Montreal, he also developed a fondness for the music of the First Nations/Iroquois people. These influences would impact his playing down the line, as well as his soon-to-be-resumed education. Doug returned to the Royal Conservatory (1961–1964), studying under Patricia Bloomfield Holt. He also began music studies at the University of Toronto during 1962 with John Weinzweig for composition and Mieczyslaw Kolinski for ethnomusicology. 

   While attending music school, Doug began getting involved with the local music scene, first as an audience member, then as a member of various bands. Early on in this, Doug was invited to play keyboard/organ in his first professional music group, the Silhouettes. The group consisted of Howie Glen (bass), Fred Theriault (drums), Mike Holman (guitar), Steve Kennedy (tenor sax), and Russ Strathdee (tenor/alto sax).

During September of 1962, The Silhouettes were asked to replace Kay Taylor & The Regents as house band of the legendary Blue Note club on Yonge Street. The Regents had been performing as the house band for nearly two years (October 1960–August 1962). Due to line-up issues, Steve Kennedy and Fred Theriault broke off to form The Silhouettes. Russ Strathdee soon followed. 

    Doug's time with The Silhouettes was such a great learning experience. As the house band at The Blue Note, The Silhouettes never knew what to expect; one night, they'd be left to their devices; the next, they would provide backing for a visiting American singer; and the next, they would be backing a local singer (Shirley Matthews, Dianne Brooks, Jay King, Eric Mercury, Jack Hardin, George Olliver, Cal Briggs, etc.).

    Doug Riley worked The Blue Note with The Silhouettes for just over two years, from the fall of 1962 to the fall of 1964. During that time, the group saw many of the city's top singers and musicians pass through its ranks. The core group was held together through the turbulence by Doug Riley and Steve Kennedy. Changes began when a few core/founding members returned to a reformed version of The Regents. Mike Holman (guitar) was replaced by Terry Bush, and Bill Sparling (sax) replaced Russ Strathdee. The Silhouettes then brought in two Blue Note favorites to sing, rebranding as "The Silhouettes Review with Jack Hardin & Dianne Brooks.". 

 

During this period, while still working at The Blue Note full time, Doug Riley and Terry Bush developed a friendship and found they both had a knack for writing radio jingles, so they began doing that together on the side. Their first big opportunity came when Terry's friend Tony Tudhope called him to do a jingle for Baby Ruth chocolate bars. Doug and Terry co-wrote a pair of songs at Terry's apartment. Upon getting approval for the tunes, they assembled a quartet featuring Terry (guitar), Doug (keyboard), Kirk Shearer (drums), and Gene Trach (bass) to record them. 

 

The Silhouettes said their goodbyes to The Blue Note stage in September of 1964. They were then replaced by The Belltones. Formerly known as Whitey & The Roulettes, The Belltones would add Domenic Troiano on guitar and change their name to The Rogues by the end of 1964. Speaking of Domenic Troiano, Terry Bush was invited to replace him in Robbie Lane & The Disciples during that period, to which he gladly accepted. In the aftermath, Doug Riley began to manage The Silhouettes as a means of keeping everything running smoothly. Jack Hardin was convinced to be the full-time singer, and the group rebranded as Jack Hardin & The Silhouettes. Free from their "one-venue" schedule, The Silhouettes began performing across the city, which helped them garner the attention of Tamarac Records owner and Bigland Talent Agency founder Stan Klees. 

 

1965 was a big year for The Silhouettes. Stan Klees signed them to the Bigland Agency and his new label venture with Art Snider, "Red Leaf Records." They started touring around Ontario as well, getting a taste of performing outside of Toronto. Doug Riley also had a big year. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelors of Music. 

    1966 finally saw the release of The Silhouettes debut single. During the last week of May, Red Leaf Records released "I'm Not Running After You (Anymore)/I Will Never Turn My Back On You," with Doug Riley writing the A-side. It appears that the single did not chart on CHUM or RPM during its run. 1966 also saw Doug Riley write "Come A Little Closer" for Montreal singer Jenny Rock. A very odd addition to The Silhouettes line-up also came around this time: former Paupers lead singer Bill Marion. Bill left The Paupers after a July 24th gig at El Patio. Growing musical differences were the main reason. Bill wanted to go in a more soulful direction. It's not exactly known when Bill joined The Silhouettes (and for how long), but it's likely to have ended before the Silhouettes recorded their sophomore single. Though no recordings or concert posters have surfaced, a promo photo shot by Artists Photography proves he was in the group and even suggests the name be changed to "Jack Hardin, Bill Marion & The Silhouettes." If anyone saw this iteration of the band, please comment below. 

 

1967 had an interesting beginning for The Silhouettes; Red Leaf Records dropped them from their roster, Bill Marion had come and gone, and they were offered a new opportunity from an unlikely source. A (possibly local) man named Marshall Shapiro started a new record label known as Star Shot. They released Jackie Shane's "Money/Send Me Some Lovin'" late the previous year, hinting at a soul/R&B direction, and The Silhouettes were to be their second release. They recorded another Doug Riley original on the A-side and a Barrett Strong cover on the B. "She'll Be Back/Love Is Wonderful" was released on April 29th, 1967, and was given an unexpected push in the charts due to The Silhouettes opening for The Monkees at their April 2nd Maple Leaf Gardens show in Toronto. 

    Unfortunately, it appears that Jack Hardin & The Silhouettes broke up by the end of 1967. The only core members left at the time were Doug Riley and Jack Hardin; the line-up had changed so much over the years that the band was unrecognizable. Jack went on to front some small R&B groups before hooking up with King Herbert & The Knights, who went on to record one of Canada's landmark Funk/Soul/R&B albums of the period. Doug, on the other hand, had become an established jingle writer, alongside Larry Trudel, Tommy Ambrose, Terry Bush, and Mort Ross. Larry's "Trudel Productions" was the company they released all their jingles through. 

 

Early into the new endeavor, Doug Riley and Mort Ross went to England to do a batch of Labatts Blue beer spots. This was to avoid the costly residuals in Canada. While in England, they met and used Terry Brown as an engineer at Olympic Studios in London. Little did they know it at the time, but this chance encounter would result in Terry making the trip to Toronto the following year to start a recording studio, Toronto Sound Studios. Terry did this with the help of Doug Riley, Terry Bush, Mort Ross, and some investors. 

    

While honing his jingle writing, Doug also became a sought-after session keyboardist, arranger, and composer. So much so that in early 1968 he was hired as the arranger and second keyboard player for Ray Charles's LP "Doing His Thing." Doug was offered a position in the Ray Charles touring band, but he decided to turn it down.

Things were looking up for Doug Riley during 1968-1969. Though he turned down the role in the Ray Charles band, he would play on some high-profile CBC session dates: Christmas Today by Guido Basso, Peaceful by Pat Hervey, and I Don't Know Where I Stand by Stephanie Taylor, to name a few. He was also hired as music director for a number of smaller-scale TV shows that year in Toronto. This got his foot in the door and helped him catch the attention of CTV. His first big role for the network was to assemble and conduct a band to back Ray Stevens on his upcoming self-titled television show during its 1969-1970 season. He assembled a sixteen-piece band featuring multiple singers amongst them. 

As summer fell over Toronto in 1969, Doug and business partner Mort Ross had been carefully planning the launch of their first record label, "Revolver Records." They hired British producer and engineer Terry Brown, who had a hot resume upon his relocation to Toronto in early 1969, overseeing and producing some big hits with some notable artists during the 1960’s British pop scene.

Revolver hosted a few local artists, such as Dianne Brooks, Moe Koffman, Leigh Ashford, Chimo, and Motherlode. A number of these acts would have local hits, but Motherlode's breakout hit "When I Die" was the label's bread and butter. Thorough, great promo that yielded a considerable amount of hype saw the band’s debut single “When I Die/Hard Life” reach the Top 10 charts in Canada (eventually being certified Gold) and managed to also reach #18 in the U.S. 

    Having Dianne Brooks on the label was great fun for Doug Riley, as the pair worked together closely during the early years of The Silhouettes. He took a special interest in her, writing, performing on, and arranging both sides of her debut Revolver single "Walking On My Mind/Need To Belong," as well as her debut album "Some Other Kind Of Soul." On her album, Doug wrote SEVEN songs; he also assembled the stellar backing band featuring Lenny Breau (guitar), Wayne Stone (drums), Steve Kennedy (saxophone), Moe Koffman (flute), William "Smitty" Smith (keyboards), and Ken Marco (guitar); bassist unknown, likely Dave Young, Don Thompson, or Jim Morgan (unless Smitty was doing keyboard bass). The album reached #85 on the Billboard album charts. 

    By early 1970, things had really begun to change behind the scenes at Revolver Records. Mort Ross had bought out Doug and Terry's share of the company, and the two bought Mort out of his share of Terry's Toronto Sound Studios. They would partner up and invite Terry Bush to do so as well, but he had started his own jingle company and decided against it. Around this time, Doug' started his own production company, Dr. Music Productions. 

 

For all intents and purposes, this is where Part One comes to a close. Please stay tuned for part two and comment below. 

Canadian Cult Classics' Comes to Blogspot!

Hi everyone! A lot has happened over this past summer. The Youtube channel is going strong but money's very tight at the moment. So I've had to put the channel updates on hold until I can afford a new computer. 

In the meantime.... I've decided to open a Blogspot. Here, I'll share articles about Canadian artists, news regarding the Youtube channel, and musings on the Canadian music Industry. 

Stay tuned and make sure you bookmark this page and check back regularly.