Groovy Things - History Of The Magic Cycle

    The Magic Cycle (also known as Cycle) is just one of many forgotten pre-"Can-Con" success stories that have been languishing in obscurity over the past few decades. With a revolving line-up of young talent, The Magic Cycle managed to carve out a niche for themselves in Toronto's (and Canada's) highly active music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. They caught the RPM magazine wave early and rode it throughout their whole career. This attention helped put their mostly original material in the country's national musical conversation of the time, helping to sell their name and music to young fans across Canada. Below is the long-awaited story of Toronto Pop/Psych-Rock legends The Magic Cycle. 

    The roots of The Magic Cycle start in October 1964 with the creation of The Canadian Dell-Tones. The "Canadian" in Canadian Dell-Tones was simply due to avoiding confusion with Quality Records recording artist "The Del-Tones," a short-lived Rock & Roll group who released "Rockin' Blues/Moonlight Party" in 1959 before changing their name to The Beau Marks and becoming very popular in Canada. 

    The Canadian Dell-Tones consisted of three Toronto musicians: Albert Santalucia (rhythm guitar/lead vocals), Stan Theriault (lead guitar/backing vocals), and Paul Clinch (drums/backing vocals). From the beginning, Paul's father, Brendan Clinch, managed the band. They performed popular R&B covers at teen clubs, high schools, and venues across Toronto's various boroughs. From the outset, the band were flush with cash. Paul's parents were quite wealthy, and with his father Brendan taking exceptional interest in the band (as manager), they were given new matching white stage suits, as well as top-of-the-line drums, guitars, and amplifiers to aid their performances. The Delltones quickly attracted the attention of legendary booker Ron Scribner. 

    At this time, Ron was transitioning his "Ron Scribner Agency" to a joint venture with Tom Wilson and Fred White called Bigland Agency. Originally, the Bigland name was minted by Stan Klees as his production/publishing company (also a weekly rank/review column in RPM Magazine [c. 1964] called "The Bigland Sound"), but Stan encouraged them to join forces with him under the Bigland name, merging production, booking, and publishing. 

    In addition to the sizeable roster of established groups that Ron Scribner brought into the aforementioned merger (Robbie Lane, Ronnie Hawkins, Pat Hervey, Little Caesar & The Consuls, Shirley Matthews, Ritchie Knight & The Mid-Knights, David Clayton Thomas, Sandy Selsie, The Guess Who, etc.), the Bigland Agency also began signing a large swathe of newer Ontario groups, and The Canadian Dell-Tones were at the top of their list. 

    The Canadian Dell-Tones were signed to The Bigland Agency in June of 1965. Photoshoots were done, a fan club was made (ran by Pat Stevenson), and Ron Scribner began setting the band up with higher profile, better paying gigs, extending outside the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). Though Bigland producer Stan Klees was encouraging the band to record around this time, it's currently unknown if any recordings were made under the Canadian Dell-Tones name. 

    During mid-1966, Ron Scribner resumed bookings for his "Ron Scribner Agency" as opposed to the previous year's merger with The Bigland Agency. Though this decision was met with ire from his Bigland associates, as well as from other agencies in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), Ron felt he could do a better job working alone and of course receive higher compensation for his services. 

 

    With this change in booking management, The Canadian Dell-Tones found themselves in higher demand by the agency and with a new assortment of gig opportunities: colleges/universities, variety attractions, radio/television bookings, and Ron was working towards getting his acts gig opportunities in the United States. Though the latter didn't end up working out for the Dell-Tones, the former three options proved to be lucrative and within reach. Throughout the remainder of 1966, the Canadian Dell-Tones began playing regularly on the college/university circuit, the nightclub scene, and various fundraisers and private events. 

 

    The Canadian Dell-Tones' latter-1966 period is also notable due to the growing inclusion of original material in the bands' live sets. Each member began writing songs, and a lot more time was being dedicated behind the scenes towards honing these. This brought them to the attention of Bigland creator Stan Klees, who previously ran Tamarac Records solo and had begun jointly running Red Leaf Records with Art Snider, Duff Roman, and David Pears. Red Leaf was 100% dedicated to Canadian talent and prioritized bands who wrote catchy original material. 

 

    It is worth mentioning at this point in the timeline that Dell-Tones drummer Paul Clinch was a multi-instrumentalist (drums, guitar, keyboard) and singer. However, Paul didn't sing live and only played drums during the early Dell-Tones period. The band began experimenting privately with a quartet line-up of The Dell-Tones before the end of 1966, which featured Paul's brother Kevin Clinch on drums. This allowed Paul to "spread his wings" so to speak, freeing him up to practice his singing and songwriting. 

 

    After a January/early February run of shows in 1967 (which included a date at Toronto's legendary Gogue Inn [Jan 20th] as well as a pair of Winter Carnival concerts at the University of Toronto [Feb 2nd-3rd]), The Canadian Dell-Tones were no more. Through the intervention of Stan Klees, the band was convinced to rebrand as The Magic Cycle, consider signing with Red Leaf Records, and convert their repertoire into mostly original content written by the band or their Canadian contemporaries. 

 

    The band's manager (and Paul's father), Brendan Clinch, was against the deal and was suspected of the band working with Stan Klees. Aiding his feelings in the initial deliberation was band member Al Santalucia, who was also suspicious of Stan Klees. Suspicion aside, the band ultimately decided to partner with Mr. Klees and Red Leaf Records during February of 1967. 

   The remainder of February was dedicated to recording an album, according to RPM Magazine. Though this album never saw release, the sessions yielded four songs that did get released. Stan and the band hurriedly put out the band's debut single on March 15th, "Let's Run Away/Halfway To Heaven." The A-side is a cover by Les Emmerson of Ottawa's Staccatos (later to become Five Man Electric Band), and the B-side is a band original by Al Santalucia and Lynda Layne. 

 

    For a debut release, "Let's Run Away" managed to perform fairly well. The song entered the RPM 100 Top Singles chart at #99 on April 29th, peaked at #55 on June 3rd, and left the charts on June 24th after a #80 rating. Nine weeks on the charts was definitely no small feat for a debut single, especially during the highly competitive year that 1967 would end up being on the charts not just in Canada but across the world.  

    Stan Klees and The Magic Cycle were happy with the success of the debut. It afforded the band quite a few live opportunities over the spring and summer. One notable event was their outdoor gig at Musselman's Lake (north of Toronto). They were there for a private picnic, but when word got out that The Magic Cycle were performing, the neighborhood turned into a traffic jam with around 3000 attendants crashing the event. 

 

    In the midst of all the fanfare, The Magic Cycle released their second single, "Give Me The Right/It Was You," on July 15th, 1967. This time around, there were no covers; both sides were band originals. The A-side was written by Stan Theriault and Lynda Layne, and the B-side was written by Al Santalucia. This single received a print ad in RPM alongside label mates The British Modbeats, with their final release before disbanding called "Try To Understand.". 

 

    Nearing the close of August (and summer) 1967, The Magic Cycle were invited to play a massive showcase at the C.N.E. (Canadian National Exhibition) in Toronto. It was called "Teen-Age Fair '67." This was an event done in Vancouver during August of 1965 and 1966, respectively. The success both times encouraged organizers to bring it to Toronto's C.N.E. The roster was nothing short of a marvel. On the Canadian content, you had: The Staccatos, The Magic Cycle, A Passing Fancy, The Sunshine, Rock Show Of The Yeomen, The Last Words, The Big Town Boys, Three To One, Lords of London, and more! On the American side, you had: Harper's Bizarre, Bobby Hebb, Yellow Balloon, The Grass Roots, The Electric Prunes, The Turtles, and more! It was truly an astounding assemblage of talent. From all accounts, the event was a success and helped bolster the popularity of The Magic Cycle and other performers. 

    Regarding Magic Cycle line-ups, the trio of Al Santalucia (rhythm guitar/vocals), Stan Theriault (lead guitar/vocals), and Paul Clinch (drums/vocals) was the only variation. This was until September of 1967, when Al Santalucia left the band. Frustrated with the lack of meaningful success and wanting to focus more on his family, Al had no choice but to leave. 

 

    With this announcement, The Magic Cycle were left as a duo. They quickly enlisted the help of keyboard/organ player Pete Young (from Yorkville band Who In [The Blazes]) and guitarist/singer Ken Johnstone. Behind the scenes, the new quartet had been rehearsing and even recorded a single, which they began shopping around for new labels. This was because around this time, Red Leaf Records officially closed its doors, leaving The Magic Cycle without a record label. 

 

    After a pair of out-of-town shows at the end of October (Aurora Arena [27th] & Monctowne [28th]), The Magic Cycle were contacted by Ben McPeek regarding signing them to a record deal. Though primarily known as a bandleader, pianist, and jingle man, Ben McPeek had been making waves since the summer of 1967 with his new label, GIANT Records. Previous releases included Craddock Kids/Young Canadian Singers with their centennial album "Canada," Toronto Garage Rock bands The Ragged Edges, and The Boodly Hoo with their singles "Good Times" and "Mornington Crescent," respectively. 

    

    The Magic Cycle signed on with Ben McPeek, and their third single was ready for release. Ben quickly set about sending staff of the CBC to watch the band perform live, as he was trying to get them a spot on CBC's "Let's Go" program. The CBC scouts liked the band and invited them to tape an episode of the music show on November 24th (to be aired on Wednesday, December 13th). According to CBC staffers, it was one of the best episodes in the "Let's Go" series thus far. The episode was also the public's first opportunity to hear Magic Cycle's new single. 

 

    January 1968 saw both the re-airing of Magic Cycle's CBC "Let's Go" episode and the official release of their third single, "Doctor Lollipop/Where Were You When I Needed You." These songs featured a more Psych/Garage sound and new members Pete Young (keyboards/organ) and Ken Johnstone (guitar/vocals). They also represented Paul Clinch's first original on record ("Doctor Lollipop") as well as his first producer credit. Sessions were recorded at Art Snider's new Sound Canada Studios. "Doctor Lollipop" entered the RPM singles chart on February 24th, 1968 (#93), before peaking on March 16th (#68) and ultimately dropping off the RPM Hot 100 Singles chart by the end of the month. 

    Ben McPeek's GIANT label silently went defunct in the early summer of 1968; this was due to Ben's focus shifting onto his next label project, alongside Jack Richardson, Allan Macmillan, and Peter Clayton. The label was launched in March 1968 and was called Nimbus (later Nimbus 9). This left The Magic Cycle again without a record deal. Paul Clinch was frustrated with their situation, past and present. So he decided to start his own record label called YCP Records (Young Canada Productions). He hired Bill Armstrong for A&R and sought the guidance of Stan Klees regarding business decisions. 

 

    YCP Records was launched in July of 1968. An ambitious project, YCP featured Paul and a number of other studio-hungry musicians, writers, and singers: Stan Theriault, Ken Johnstone, Terry Christenson, and Jimmy Dybold. The Magic Cycle provided musical backing for all productions. The debut release for the label was supposed to be a Magic Cycle single called "Say What You Gotta Say," but it is currently unknown if this was ever released. As a matter of fact, though Ken Johnstone, The Magic Cycle, Jimmy Dybold, Paul Clinch, and Terry Christenson all received ads in RPM magazine, it appears no YCP product was ever released.

    During September/October of 1968, Ken Johnstone left The Magic Cycle and was replaced by fellow YCP alumnus Terry Christenson. Terry was gaining some clout at the time for doing walk-on performances with CBC-TV. He was pursuing a solo career and decided to do double duty with The Magic Cycle. Brendan Clinch offered to manage him and Jimmy Dybold after the YCP Records fallout, so he decided to make him a main attraction of The Magic Cycle stage show due to his currently growing star power. 

 

    Around the end of 1968, The Magic Cycle got their first bass player in the band's history, Joey Rome [Joe Dinardo]. Very little valuable bio info is available about Joey other than he joined Abraham's Children in 1975. 

 

    Though Terry Christenson was never a full-time member of The Magic Cycle, he performed regularly with the band, and his presence with them was solidified on record in May of 1969. Coca-Cola came to Toronto with an idea to promote their product using the help of up-and-coming Canadian talent. They called it "The Canadian Invasion." The contracted bands featured: Nucleus, The Guess Who, Five Man Electric Band, The Magic Cycle, and Mandala. Each band wrote two original Coke-themed jingles for the album, with the exception of The Five Man Electric Band, who wrote three. Though uncredited, Terry sang backup vocals on The Magic Cycle sessions. 

 

    Upon the release of The Canadian Invasion Coca-Cola album, the featured bands' all saw an increase in their fanbases due to the constant radio exposure of the jingles. Shortly after this, Terry Christenson hired Mel Shaw as his manager, left The Magic Cycle, and began building his new band "Christopher Robin" with his brothers Ken and Peter. This band would eventually morph into Christenson. 

 

    After the departure of Terry Christenson, the band was contacted by Stan Klees, who wanted to sign the band to a recording contract. The Magic Cycle was asked to record a pair of tracks. They were called "Groovy Things" and "It's a Sunny Day." The former was written by new member Joey Rome [Joe Dinardo], and the latter was written by Paul Clinch. Before the recording of the single could take place, however, The Magic Cycle went through a lineup change. Peter Young left the band and was replaced by organist Peter Goodale. 

    A single was planned, and recording time was booked in the evenings at Art Snider's Sound Canada Studios. This is where they met up-and-coming producer/engineer Greg Hambleton. "I was hired by Stan Klees in the summer of 1969 to record a band he had recently signed called The Magic Cycle," says Greg. "I was impressed by their talent, and I made them a major part of my future studio band shortly after these initial recordings." At the time, Stan Klees had not yet revived Tamarac Records, so they eventually shopped the single around and garnered interest from GRT for release through their Fingerprint Records imprint. 

Greg Hambleton hired The Magic Cycle during July of 1969 to record the instrumentation for a handful of albums. The four albums in question were "shadow" albums for the new Quality Records budget label Birchmount Records. "Shadow" albums are releases that labels put out to pad their lineups in the initial or valley stages of their release cycles. Greg was tasked with choosing the musicians, the "artist" name, and the material for each project. The only rule was that 50% of the material had to be well-known "current" covers, Canadian or otherwise. Greg padded the other 50% of each project with his original songs, as well as those by his brother Fergus Hambleton and friend Jay Telfer.

The Magic Cycle was a fantastic studio resource for Greg Hambleton, both during his freelance days and when he eventually launched Tuesday Records, as well as Axe Records. "I hired the band for many uncredited sessions with other artists over the years," says Greg. "The series of events that brought me The Magic Cycle also brought me Gary & Dave." At the time, Gary Weeks and Dave Becket were students at Western University in London, Ontario, and were in charge of booking Medway Hall and various pub nights for the student union there. "They booked The Magic Cycle for a show at the university," says Greg. "Gary got up on stage with the band and was a sensation. This left an impression on the band's manager, and at one session with Magic Cycle, he took me aside, gave me Gary's number, and told me to contact him."

August of 1969 saw the release of the "Groovy Things/It's A Sunny Day" single, through Stan Klees' Fingerprint label. This was the last release under the Magic Cycle name, as they would soon change their name. Excitement for the single was high and although the single didn't manage to chart on the RPM Hot 100 initially, it was a regional sleeper hit around Ontario, providing the band with consistent out-of-town gigs for the remainder of 1969. The single "Groovy Things" eventually managed to make it onto the RPM charts, where it had considerable success.

The band changed their name to The Cycle (or simply "Cycle") around this time. They also added a new member to their live lineup, Paul's brother Kevin Clinch (stage name Kevin Barry) on drums. Paul Clinch wanted to become more involved in the singing and songwriting side of the band. He also wanted to play more guitar, so the lineup was now Stan Theriault (lead guitar/vocals), Kevin Barry (drums), Joey Rome (bass/vocals), Paul Clinch (rhythm guitar/vocals), and Peter Goodale (keyboard/organ/vocals). 

During brief returns to Toronto over the remainder of 1969, Greg Hambleton continued to hire The Cycle for studio sessions at Sound Canada. At one particular session, while demoing a collection of songs from his publishing catalogue, Greg brought Gary Weeks in to sing. "One of the demos was for a more rock version of Jay Telfer's "Ten Pound Note" (complete with Stan Theriault's fuzz guitar riffs)," says Greg. "From that demo version with Gary's vocals, Steel River learned the song and began recording their version with me." 

The aforementioned session also yielded the first recordings for Gary & Dave. These were a pair of Greg Hambleton originals titled "Tender Woman" and "I'm A Rider." Upon Dave Becket's arrival to the recording session, he and Gary began working on lyrics/vocals for the aforementioned songs, with music recorded by The Cycle. The "Tender Woman/I'm A Rider" single saw release the following year in 1970 through Quality Records but did not achieve any chart success. 

1970 was a year of reinvention and rebirth for The Cycle. The main focus was on recording new, original music. After the success of "Groovy Things," expectations were high. The band forged a solidified partnership with Stan Klees, and he revived Tamarac Records as a central hub for all future releases by the band, as well as solo recordings by its members. This was due to the reminiscent talks Stan and Paul Clinch had about the YCP Records era of the band and that whole "self-sufficient" style of music making. 

The band was reinvigorated by the new plan and accommodations. They set up base in Sound Canada Studios during the spring/summer of 1970, with Stan Klees producing and Greg Hambleton engineering. They played the occasional college/university gig, but the focus was on the studio. During this fruitful period, the band recorded over forty songs, many of which went unreleased. Paul Clinch adopted the "Paul Craig" alias, both with the band and in attempts at a solo career. 

The first release from this new period came as a Paul Craig solo single. "Welcome To My Daydream/Coat Of Colors" was released in late-July 1970, receiving heavy promotion from RPM Magazine and apparently shipping with a bottle of cologne. The single reached #46 on the Canadian singles chart and received heavy play from MOR stations. The B-side "Coat of Colors" received heavy play on underground stations. Both sides were written by Paul Clinch. 

The Paul Craig single was quickly followed by The Cycle's debut release under their new name, "Walkin' Along/Open Your Eyes," in the first week of September 1970. Both sides were again written by Paul Clinch. The band held a release party at the Cambridge Motor Hotel in Toronto, where they were in the second week of their two-week residency. The "Walkin' Along" single received decent promotion in RPM Magazine, though not as much as its predecessor. This was due to the band preparing their debut album for release. 

October 1st, 1970 was the official release date for "The Cycle," a self-titled debut album (originally titled "Saturday Afternoon Rummage Sale") of all original material, written by Paul Clinch and Joey Rome. RPM Magazine promoted the release date and the previous single, which contained album songs on both sides. Many fans of the band in the present day are familiar with this album and none of the previous singles. This is due to the song "God." Most songs on this album are really solid, but God is the true standout. The song is a seven-minute psych-rock blast, written by Paul Clinch, featuring an unexpected drum solo and hellish guitar solo. The lyrics are a warning against worshipping false idols and losing yourself to charismatic figures. Given the time of release, the lyrical themes of this song are especially poignant.

Though the album was a high musical watermark for the band, it was commercially unsuccessful. World-renowned music critic Ritchie Yorke published a rave review of the album in multiple magazines (and allowed for its inclusion in the liner notes), but this did little to boost sales. The band played a college tour as well as multiple Yorkville venues throughout the end of 1970 and early 1971, but it was of little positive consequence. 

The Cycle returned to Sound Canada Studios in April of 1971 to record some new songs, this time with Paul Clinch producing instead of Stan Klees. The main song to come from these sessions was Paul's "Wait For The 

Miracle." This was rush released the following month, with a neutered version of "God" as the B-side (sans guitar and drum solos). "Wait For The Miracle" managed to reach #48 on the RPM Singles chart in July of 1971, receiving airplay across the country and in pockets of the United States. This prompted a deal with Buddah Records, which distributed the single in the United States, Germany, and Japan. 

All the fanfare surrounding "Wait For The Miracle" caused a follow-up single to be prepared. "Gimme Some Time/Sitting Where The Flowers Grow" was released in October of 1971 but failed to find much chart success. The lead track, "Gimme Some Time," was also issued as a dual-sided promo in the United States. These songs were more of a collaborative process, with "Gimme Some Time" co-written by Paul Clinch and engineer Greg Hambleton and "Sitting Where The Flowers Grow" co-written by Paul Clinch and Peter Goodale.   

November 15th, 1971, saw the release of Fergus Hambleton's debut solo album, "All The Right Noises." This was recorded during the summer of 1971 at Sound Canada, with Greg Hambleton behind the board and members of The Cycle providing some of the musical backing. Granted, this wasn't a full-band affair, as Capitol Records paired Fergus with more "professional," stripped-down string and horn accompaniment for the recording of his debut. Stan Theriault and Paul Clinch were the only Cycle members invited to the sessions, playing bass and drums, respectively. Fergus was the main musician on the sessions, writing every song and playing piano, guitar, saxophone, and bass.  

This particular session highlighted a shift in attitude for Paul Clinch. He became more involved with general session work from here on out, and as the 1970s wore on, this would continue to increase. Paul always had an attitude of help and camaraderie when it came to Canadian music and his contemporaries.                    

                      

By 1972, Cycle lead guitarist Stan Theriault was growing restless. The constant touring and the ebb and flow of expectations with each release were wearing on him. He had high hopes for the band and felt shortchanged at every opportunity. Stan was a founding member and had been with the band for almost eight years, seeing every release and every lineup change. He was an integral part of the band's sound, responsible for nearly all lead guitar parts (including the famous guitar solo on "God") and some vocals. But he still decided to leave to pursue a career outside of the band. 

This abrupt decision left The Cycle in a tight spot, without their main guitarist. Paul was good but he never expected to replace Stan. The Cycle briefly halted all upcoming live gigs, as well as a summer tour. They then rush released a previously recorded Paul Clinch solo single to help ease the burden and buy them some time. "Don't Take The Sun Out Of My Life/One Woman Man" (both sides written and produced by Paul Clinch) was released on February 8th, 1972, and briefly troubled the bottom of the RPM Hot 100 before dropping off completely. 

Thankfully, by the time "Don't Take The Sun Out Of My Life" was released in February, The Cycle found Stan Theriault's replacement and had begun an intense rehearsal schedule to prepare for their grueling live schedule. 

Who was the replacement, you may ask? None other than former Lords Of London keyboardist and Male Bagg/Spuff guitarist Sebastian Agnello. The band chose well, because "Seb" was a seasoned session player, much like the members of Cycle. Seb was the guitarist in Art Snider's Sound Canada Studios' house band. Here, Seb recorded (mostly uncredited) on album/single sessions for Art Snider's Periwinkle Records, as well as Artie Kohn's Vintage Records (where he released his debut solo album "Head Roach"), from 1971 to 1975. 

Sebastian Agnello fit in well with The Cycle. He brought youthful abandon and an aggressive guitar style to the band. By the end of February, The Cycle was back on stage and was preparing to return to the studio. March of 1972 was a busy recording month for the band. They spent time at Sound Canada Studios with Greg Hambleton recording a pair of singles (all four songs written by Paul Clinch) and also spent time at various Toronto studios recording instrumentation for Gary & Dave's debut album. 

Sebastian Agnello's debut recordings with The Cycle came out in May of 1972. First, The Cycle released their fourth single, "Coming Back Again/Hey There, Look At Me," which features some great lead guitar work by Seb on the B-side. Second, the sophomore single by Gary & Dave, "Here It Comes Again/My Special Place," was released, which features great acoustic guitar work by Seb, again on the B-side. 

The summer of 1972 was a turbulent period for The Cycle. They planned a western Canadian tour to help grow their audience prior to the release of their fifth single, "All I Really Need Is You/Looking At Each Other," but faced oppositional audiences and radio promoters, which hampered their success. The main focus was on a series of Vancouver dates, promoting their most recent single, but the results were less than ideal. 

"All I Really Need Is You/Looking At Each Other" saw release during August of 1972. The single managed to chart well in eastern and western Canada but didn't do as well on the CHUM charts in Toronto or on the RPM national charts. Talks of a U.S. release for "All I Really Need Is You" began between management and Buddah Records. There were also discussions regarding the release of a second Cycle album. The latter quandary prompted the decision to cobble together everything released from 1971 through to the present day, as well as any future releases, for this new album (originally entitled "Coming Back Again"). 

For The Cycle, the remainder of 1972 was a bit of a mixed bag. They were devoted to playing shows and promoting their name, hoping for that one BIG national hit, or international attention. Morale boosters like capacity shows were once the norm for the band but had since become much rarer. The elusive, meaningful chart success they sought was getting further from their grasp as the years wore on. Studio sessions in the latter months of 1972 had more tensions than those previous, and both Paul Clinch and Sebastian Agnello were being pulled away for session work more often than not. 

If You Try And Imagine - The Story Of Carol Lipson

    Throughout the 20th century, Canada has seen no shortage of fantastic singer-songwriters. It's vast, beautiful landscape and deep history of folk and country music have lent themselves heavily to young songwriters over the decades. A handful have become nationally or internationally recognized and respected, but many have been obscured by the passage of time. Obscurity's a cruel fate to befall any artist, especially for those with a story to tell. Today's spotlighted artist is Toronto singer-songwriter Carol Lipson. Her lone commercial release, "Carol," is a wholly original outing put together in her late teens. Though not a commercial success upon release, "Carol" represents a high watermark of quality on the Audat label as well as a great example of original female folk/psych in general. Here is her story:

    Carol Debra Lipszyc was born in Toronto on August 28th, 1955. Both her parents were adolescent Holocaust survivors of Poland and Belarus who settled in Toronto during 1952. During her youth, Carol attended McMurrich Public School. She didn't come from a musical family but found her love of singing early on, listening to various show tunes. It wasn't long before she was singing in youth choirs, both in English and Hebrew. Carol also began studying piano around the age of eight.

    The Lipszyc family moved to a house on Bathurst St. around the fall of 1965. Carol then attended Dufferin Heights Junior High. While studying at the school, she began singing solo in front of a group. Between the ages of ten and thirteen, she sang acapella at luncheon celebrations (bar-mitzvahs).

Carol's professional singing start came at the ripe young age of thirteen, when she made her debut on CBC Radio. The show in question was the Bruce Marsh hosted "What's New," which she performed on for a few weeks. This netted her a guest role at fifteen on another CBC Radio show, "9:15 Alarm Clock." This show (produced by Eithne Black) featured Alan Thicke, Brent Titcomb, Maribeth Solomon, Mickey Erbe, Brian Russell, and Brenda Gordon [Russell], among others. "They produced it in the old CBC building on Jarvis," says Carol. I became a regular and would sometimes skip class to do the show." She also appeared a number of times as a guest vocalist alongside Juliette and Alex Trebek, who co-hosted a CBC radio show at the Colonnade Theatre; the show was called “The Afternoon Show.”    

    "9:15 Alarm Clock" was an important learning experience for Carol as the youngest amongst the cast. She found mentorship amongst the cast as well, which really helped for comfortability as a singer and musician. "On the show, I looked up to Maribeth Solomon in particular," says Carol. "She was about seven years older than me; she wrote songs and played piano and flute." The Alarm Clock show also represented a shift in Carol's musical approach, moving from show tunes toward pop music. 

    Throughout the early 1970's, Carol continued to develop as a singer but also began devoting more time to the piano and songwriting. By early 1973, Carol’s talents were undeniable. She caught the attention of Audat Records. An old friend and gigmate of hers, Vern Kennedy had co-founded the label with Bob Stone and was acting as the A&R man. He insisted that she should record an album of her original songs. With little convincing, Carol was on her way to Halifax with Vern to record at famed Audio Atlantic Studios. This was the place where many “Boot Records” were recorded, as well as most music on the Audat label.

    Audat was an Oshawa-based Country & Folk label with a focus on the Maritimes. This was an extension of label owner Bob Stone's previous label concepts, Stone and Now Records. Though the main focus was on country, folk, and fiddle music, Audat did manage to release quite a few compelling rock/psych/funk projects during its day, mostly Maritimes acts, with many of these releases fetching three-figure sums today due to their rarity and quality: bands like Borealis, Gord Tracey & The Constellations, Brothers & One, The Neighbors Kids, Wes Mackey & The Brotherhood, etc. 

    Carol was set up with top studio players by Audat Records, including Eric Robertson on keyboards. Vern Kennedy handled the arrangements for all of her songs, and Al Feeney handled the mix. The album represents a very talented young lady with a lot to say. All songs were written by the then seventeen-year-old Carol Lipson. The songs convey a (mostly) sunny, orchestrated, acoustic-pop vibe, with vocals comparable to Joni Mitchell or Beverly Copeland. One of the gems of the album is “Ballad Of The Old Man.” The song is lyrically and musically a standout, creating a longing, nostalgic mood and painting a bittersweet story of growing old alone.

    Excitement around the release of Carol’s debut was growing. There was genuine faith in the songs and their ability to reach a larger audience. In an attempt at cross-pollination, Audat had label mates Johnny Cowell and The Oak Island Treasury Department record a pair of her songs. Johnny covered "Pickin Plums" on his 1973 album "Hot Brass," and Oak Island covered "Bring It Down" on their 1973 self-titled album. 

    But unfortunately, it was not to be. Other than pockets in Halifax and Toronto, the album really didn’t perform well due to a lack of meaningful promotion. This left Carol in a tough spot. But one thing she was known for and would become more known for in her later years was perseverance.

    After Carol's debut album failed to find any meaningful success, she'd continue on as a songwriter and performer. She appeared on countless television and radio shows (with hosts like June Callwood, Martin Short, and Peter Gzowski); she did stints in Toronto piano bars; sang and played with many local and visiting jazz luminaries (including the late Paul Grosney, which opened her mind and ears to a deeper level of music study); and generally just tried her hand at breaking into the business in whichever manner she saw fit. Her time playing in piano bars and with jazz musicians was integral to her growth as a musician and songwriter. It highlighted for her the importance of melody line, especially in relation to starker arrangements. “You were compelled to sing well-constructed songs where possible,” says Carol.You were compelled to sing well-constructed songs where possible, says Carol. 

    Her twenties were a time of risk-taking and evolving disillusionment with the music industry. She drifted along, taking whatever music-related work she could while focusing on her craft as a songwriter. Her songwriting continued to improve, and this compelled her to re-enter the recording studio, most often with Jack Lenz as producer, cutting a number of demos throughout the 1980’s. She adopted the stage name Carol Palmer and released her debut singleDown On The Street Corner/In Slow Motion" during 1983 through Rich Dodson's (of Stampeder's fame) Marigold Records label. Apart from a short stint on the Adult Contemporary Billboard Pop charts with "(Down On The) Street Corner" (a song she penned with the late Danny Deardorff), none of the songs managed to gain any traction. Carol, undeterred, continued on in the music industry until her mid-thirties, upon which time she re-entered university to train to teach ESL.

    Carol embarked upon a journey to re-educate herself, acquiring Masters and Doctoral degrees in Education at OISE, University of Toronto, while teaching diverse student populations and often integrating music as a teacher. A literacy/ESl Reader, “People Express” (published by Oxford University Press in the late 1990's), included her self-penned chants and songs as a teaching strategy to help new immigrants with little education.

    Her children’s CD, If You Try and Imagine, orchestrated and engineered by Donald Quan, was conceived of during her teaching certification training in St. Catharines; she believed in the power of integrating curriculum with songs and chants to address multiple intelligences.

    Eventually armed with her doctorate in education, Carol found a tenure-track position at an upstate SUNY College where she taught English teacher education and creative writing until retirement. During that fruitful and fulfilling period, she published across genres, including a book of lyrical poetry, Singing Me Home (Inanna 2010); a book of short stories on children in the Holocaust, The Saviour Shoes and Other Stories (Inanna, 2014); an anthology of poems on the heart, The Heart is Improvisational (Guernica, 2017); and a chapbook, In the Absence of Sons (Kelsay Books, 2020), as well as arts-based educational articles in international journals.

    Carol represents a woman of true courage and tenacity. She's a person who believed in her art and her ability as a songwriter. Whenever Carol was beaten down by the industry, she got back up and fought harder. After her journey of re-education in the 1990's, she attacked the arts world with a new purpose: teaching others, especially children. She’s a multi-talented, warm-hearted person who deserves further recognition for her works. I especially think her 1973 album deserved further inspection. It represents a very talented young lady on the cusp of her creative breakthrough, whose voice is equally at home with the likes of Joni Mitchell and Beverly Copeland. 

                             THANKS TO CAROL LIPSON FOR HER HELP WITH THIS AND ALLOWING ME TO SHARE HER MUSIC ON YOUTUBE

Come Together - The Story Of Goody Two Shoes

 

    Goody Two Shoes is an album with an unforgettable face—a pair of raggedy conjoined shoes atop a sterile white background. Though the album cover is striking for all the wrong reasons, the music inside is the opposite. It's a stellar mix of rock, funk, psych, and country—a 50/50 blend of original Canadian compositions by the band and (mostly) international covers. Like many of Canada's country music-focused labels, Paragon Records (who released the album) had a semi-frequent tendency to sign local acts of other genres, record and release their material with little to no promotion, and call it a day. With the advent of the internet and DJs/tastemakers working tirelessly over the intervening decades, small pockets of music fans have discovered these albums, and many are very good. This is essentially the fate of The Goody Two Shoes album, and below is the untold story of its history. But first, we must briefly touch on the history of the band that preceded Goody Two Shoes: A Passing Fancy. They were one of Toronto's earliest garage band success stories. Along with "Nothin" by The Ugly Ducklings, A Passing Fancy's "I'm Losin' Tonight" is considered one of Toronto's finest garage slabs. 

    A Passing Fancy began in Toronto as The Dimensions. They performed early on in the Yorkville neighborhood, at various clubs during July of 1965. The original line-up consisted of Ian Telfer (bass), Brian Price (organ/vocals), Jay Telfer (rhythm guitar/lad vocals), Phil Seon (lead guitar), and Greg Hershoff (drums). Bernie Finkelstein, a young and ambitious music promoter who recognized some of the members from Downsview High School, caught their set at El Patio, where he was working as a coffee maker. He offered to be their manager, which in turn got them a regular spot performing at El Patio through the end of the year.

    1966 saw Bernie Finkelstein move on to managing The Paupers, as well as some line-up changes for A Passing Fancy. The beginning of 1966 saw the group officially change their name from The Dimensions to A Passing Fancy. They began playing regularly at high schools across Ontario, started a fan club, and managed to get noticed by friends of their fan club manager, Barb Young. The Wal-Den Management Company was formed and within no time helped A Passing Fancy garner the attention of Columbia Records, who signed them to a three-single deal. 

    

    Early 1967 saw A Passing Fancy's popularity skyrocket. They embarked on tours (Eastern Canada, New York, etc.) and played regularly at some of Toronto's most popular clubs (The Night Owl, Gogue Inn, Club 888, etc.). The timing was perfect for the release of their debut single, "I'm Losing Tonight/A Passing Fancy." It managed to reach #22 on the RPM Singles charts in March. The second single "You're Going Out Of Your Mind/Sounds Silly" also charted in June, but at a lower position (#37). The third release was "I Believe In Sunshine/She Phoned," and it managed to get to #28 on RPM, almost directly between the first and second singles' chart positions. Of the three singles released by A Passing Fancy thus far, Jay Telfer wrote five of the six sides ("I Believe In Sunshine" was by Greg Hambleton). He was showing exceptional talent as a songwriter, and talent would only grow in the coming years. 

      A Passing Fancy saw a fourth single release in November 1967, mostly spurred on by Columbia Records. Though the group was popular at the time, "People In Me/Spread Out" only managed to reach #89 on the RPM charts. Columbia Records also expected an album from the band, but at this time, the group was in turmoil due to scheduling issues. Brian Price (Organ/Vocals) quit the band in March 1968 and was replaced by Fergus Hambleton. After shooting an episode of CBC's "Let's Go" (the first one in color) and doing a few scattered performances, Jay Telfer was fired from the band. That was a catalyst for a mass exodus in May of 1968; A Passing Fancy had broken up. 

 

    The Wal-Dan management company asked Fergus Hambleton to put together a new version of A Passing Fancy, and within a short frame he managed to do so. The lineup was: Glenn Brown (vocals), Ron Forster (guitar), Fergus Hambleton (organ/vocals), Dan Troutman (bass), and Wally Cameron (drums). The new group recorded four sides and pitched them to John Irvine's Boo Records. He signed the group to a one-sided, one-album deal and managed to buy their tapes from Columbia Records. The single "Your Trip/Island" was released in June 1968 and barely managed to scrape RPM's singles chart at #92. 

    November 1968 saw the release of A Passing Fancy's self-titled debut album. Though it was packed full of their previous hits, the album didn't sell particularly well. Interestingly, the album version of "I'm Losing Tonight" is missing the lead guitar solo. The story goes that when recording the song, the guitar solo was recorded afterwards on a separate piece of tape and spliced in. Fun fact: Phil Seon was taught the solo by Robbie Robertson. "When John Irvine bought the tapes, he was unaware of the separate solo and released the song as is," says Fergus Hambleton. "So any subsequent releases with the solo included were dubbed from 45." 

 

    The band tried their best to promote it during their residency at Yorkville's famous El Patio club, but it was for not. 1969 mostly spelled the end for the band. With their recent sales blunders and diminishing creative opportunities, they decided to go their separate ways by March or April of that year. 

 

    During their time together in A Passing Fancy, Fergus Hambleton and Jay Telfer became close. So naturally, Fergus had been spending a lot of time hanging out with Jay after he was fired. "Jay and Fergus were very good friends and in fact used to get together almost weekly to have songwriting jam sessions," says Kevan Staples (former roadie for A Passing Fancy—later of Rough Trade). "Goody Two Shoes grew out of that friendship and those jam sessions." 

 

    Post-A Passing Fancy, Jay Telfer became a machine, writing and recording over a dozen songs with Fergus' brother Greg Hambleton at Sound Canada Studios. Jay pitched two of the songs to Ottawa's Sir John A Records, one of Canada's finest psych/garage labels of the era, which fostered a lot of young, mostly Ottawa-based talent. During November 1968, Jay Telfer's debut solo single "Life, Love, And The Pursuit Of Happiness (A Hippy Philosophy)/Watch The Birdie" was released in a limited run of 250 copies (as most of Sir John A's Records were, driving up their value in later years, when even fewer copies remained). The B-side, "Watch the Birdie," is the title track of a self-penned play that Jay Telfer wrote and debuted at Toronto's "Old Angelos' Theatre" a month or two prior to the release of the single. 

    After the release of Jay's debut single, he began work on his debut album, "Perch." Greg Hambleton assisted Jay in recording the demos during the winter of 1969, which Jay presented to Bernie Finkelstein over lunch one day. Bernie enjoyed what he heard and expressed an interest in producing an album. 

 

    The recording of Perch is one of Toronto music's most fascinating mysteries, mostly because the album was never released and the master tapes narrowly escaped the trash compactor. Pair Jay's unique "psyched" out writing style with a roster of Yorkville's finest musicians, many of whom were currently undergoing their own psychedelic music awakening, and you have a match made in heaven. Ten original songs were recorded in the spring of 1969 at Sound Canada Studios, featuring performances by Murray McLauchlan (then twenty years old), Danny McBride (then nineteen years old), Fergus Hambelton (on saxophone and clarinet), Kensington Market (featuring John Mills Cockell on Moog synth), Milkwood (featuring Malcolm Tomlinson), Cathy Young, Donna Warner, and more. As Telfer recalls, the musicians had a ton of fun doing the album, but when it came to selling it, Finkelstein asked the late Felix Pappalardi, who’d produced Kensington Market, but was turned down.

    

    After the demise of A Passing Fancy, Fergus Hambleton went back to school and played music on the side. He became acquainted with fellow schoolmates who had their own band called "The Ginger Group." Fergus was invited to join, which he graciously accepted. The line-up consisted of Eric Canning (lead vocals/lead guitar), Scott Lowell Mollison (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), Jack Merrick (drums/backing vocals), Peter Lye (bass), and Fergus (piano/backing vocals). After some time rehearsing, they recorded a handful of original songs at Sound Canada Studios in the summer of 1969. Two of the songs were pressed onto singles to be released by an early version of Greg Hambleton's Tuesday Records, but they were never put out. It is currently unknown how many copies were pressed. 

 

    During summer 1969, Jay Telfer began apprenticing as an engineer at Art Snider's Sound Canada Studios. Jay and Fergus had been discussing teaming up to record some songs, and with a little persuasion from Art Snider, the pair made the switch. "Art Snider was operating a bunch of different labels out of his Sound Canada studio at the time and looking for product for some of them," says Fergus Hambleton. "He offered me and Jay 50$ each for every album we recorded." The only caveat Art had regarding the proposition was that one side of the record (or a sides-worth of material) needed to be "current" charting songs. 

    The recording of the Goody Two Shoes album (done during October of 1969) was a fairly laid-back process. Jay Telfer spent weekdays in the studio experimenting, while Fergus was in school during the day. "I learned some production and engineering while working at Sound Canada, so I would hang out while Fergus was away, set up the tape, run in to perform the parts, then run back out to rewind and listen to them," says Jay. Through this process, Jay recorded all the drums, rhythm guitar, bass, and organ, plus most of the vocals. Fergus came in on weekends to record piano, clarinet, vocals, and saxophone parts. 

 

    Jay and Fergus both sang on the record, contributing some of their originals. Jay contributed four songs ("High Falootin'," "I'm Losing Tonight," "Sounds Silly," and "Ten Pound Note," and Fergus contributed one ("Without You"). Two of Jay's contributions were previously recorded by A Passing Fancy ("I'm Losing Tonight" and "Sounds Silly"), while Fergus' contribution ("Without You") was previously recorded earlier that summer by him and The Magic Cycle for a "shadow" production that Greg Hambleton was working on [See my Birchmount Records Story for more info on that]. The covers were a mix of The Beatles ("Come Together"), Harry Nilsson ("One"), The Band ("Up On Cripple Creek"), Larry Williams ("Slow Down"), and The Everly Brothers ("Dream").

 

    Interestingly, The Goody Two Shoes album features the first recording of Jay Telfer's "Ten Pound Note," which would become a hit for Toronto's Steel River when they covered it in July 1970 (going Top 10 on Canada's RPM charts). Jay Telfer wrote, recorded, and produced "Ten Pound Note" solo, specifically for and at the Goody Two Shoes sessions, all in one day. Additionally, this album features one of the earliest known publicly released covers of The Beatles "Come Together" (which the album is named after). 

 

    Speaking of "Come Together," the only extra musician used on the Goody Two Shoes album was Kevan Staples (later of Rough Trade). Kevan was close to A Passing Fancy and was their roadie during 1968/1969. "At the time I was sharing an apartment with Jay, and he asked if I wanted to play guitar on a couple of songs," says Kevan. "The challenge was to recreate George Harrison‘s solo for "Come Together," which, although not terribly difficult, I’d only been playing guitar for two years. The other song they had me play on was “I’m Losing Tonight." I must’ve been asked to play the guitar solo that Phil Seon had played on the original song. In fact, I believe it was the same guitar." 

 

    After the album's release in November of 1969, Jay, Fergus, and Kevan remained friends, collaborating multiple times over the years. Kevan Staples got into session work during the 70's, doing a few transcription sessions for the CBC (Dianne Brooks and Jodie Drake) before co-founding Rough Trade in the late 1970's. Jay Telfer was bit by the theater bug again and managed to land the guitar part in the Toronto production of "Hair." In addition to this, he got back to writing songs in his free time, with one crucial change: he began shopping them around for local artists. This decision proved vital to his legacy, as some of his compositions would go on to be hits in the hands of others. Fergus continued working at Sound Canada Studios with his brother Greg in the aftermath of Goody Two Shoes. During 1971, Fergus Hambleton was signed to Capitol Records, where he began his solo career. 

                                                                          

Who Is Suzanne - Birchmount Records Mystery

    The story of Suzanne is intrinsically linked to the story of Birchmount Records. Despite the popularity and availability of Birchmount Records' releases in Toronto (and Canada at large), the story of Suzanne had more or less been lost to time. This all changed, however, when two Canadian music historians began researching the early history of the Birchmount label. Though unaware of each other's work at the time, these two historians collectively unearthed the story of Suzanne. "Who is Suzanne?" you may be asking... The below article aims to answer this question: 

   

    Suzanne [Susie] Filion was born in London, Ontario, on July 7th, 1949. During her youth, the Filion family relocated to Toronto for work opportunities. Suzanne began attending Rosedale Public School in September of 1955. Early on, she showed a talent for singing. This didn’t come as a surprise to her family, however, as they had listened to her belting out tunes since before she could walk. The irony is, other than her grandfather, John Tindal, who was an opera singer around Ontario during the 1940’s, the Filion family wasn’t really musically inclined. That is, unless you count the regular and unabashed shower time a cappella sessions, practiced individually and embraced collectively.

    With the encouragement of her parents, Suzanne began singing in the children's choir at her school before the age of ten. Early on, they had the opportunity to play Toronto's legendary Massey Hall, which was a joy for the young vocalist. Suzanne loved singing, and it came easily to her from a young age. She began playing violin in her pre-teens, giving it up after a few years. This was replaced with an occasional interest in guitar. 

    After graduating from Rosedale Public School, Suzanne attended Jarvis Collegiate. Here, she made many musical friends and eventually put together an a cappella girl group with some schoolmates called “The Four Notes.” Though they didn’t record, they had a blast performing around Toronto. The highlight of this time together was a handful of Sunday night gigs they performed at The Blue Note club on Yonge Street.

    During 1967, after graduating high school, Suzanne began waiting tables part-time at the famous Riverboat Coffeehouse, located in Toronto’s bustling Yorkville district. The music venue was located in a basement. The Riverboat's decor was modeled after the interior of a boat, featuring porthole windows, wood paneled walls, and intimate booths. The burgeoning folk-rock scene in Toronto gravitated toward The Riverboat and venues like it. The intimacy they provided trained an artist’s dynamic ability while simultaneously inspiring their songwriting. A number of famous songs by influential folk artists of the time were rumored to have been written at The Riverboat (Gordon Lightfoot's "Steel Rail Blues," Joni Mitchell's "Night in the City," Neil Young's "Ambulance Blues," and Phil Ochs' "Changes.".

    Working at the Riverboat Coffeehouse, Suzanne saw and heard nothing but the highest tier of both local and visiting folk and blues talent, night after night. On top of this hotbed of creativity spurning on her singing, Suzanne had numerous opportunities to meet and spend time with the musicians who performed at the venue. Her biggest influence at this time was, without a doubt, Joni Mitchell. The two became casual friends over Suzanne’s time working at The Riverboat.

    In an attempt to pay for her tuition at the University of Toronto, Suzanne began looking for other jobs around town in 1968. She eventually answered an ad in the Toronto Star newspaper looking for an assistant/secretary. The ad was placed by local musician and producer Greg Hambleton, who had just founded his “Tuesday Music Production” company and was looking for employees. 

 

    Greg Hambleton was the eldest of five siblings, many of whom were musically gifted. At the time, Greg was developing quite the resume. After a few years performing and writing songs in Toronto’s Yorkville district, he grew interested in production and publishing in 1967. He began work as an independent recording engineer at Sound Canada and RCA Studios in Toronto, recording legendary singles by The Midnight Angels, The Boodly-Hoo, The Fringe, A Passing Fancy, The Humble Sponge, and The Eighth Day, among others.

 

Greg's “Tuesday Music Production” was housed in an office at 9 Sultan Street, across from The Windsor Arms Hotel. Suzanne enjoyed working with and for Greg. Early on in her employment, there was talk around the office of Greg getting hired as a producer and talent scout by a new local label known as Birchmount Records.

A sub-label of Toronto’s Quality Records, Birchmount Records was a budget label that was born out of a want of their parent label to offload some of their deleted or out-of-print vinyl records. Though this may have been the initial intention, about half of the first eighty releases were unique Canadian content, exclusive to the label. Instrumental to these homegrown musical beginnings was Greg Hambelton. In tune with the local scene and its various happenings, they tasked Greg with finding local talent to record. Who was the first person on his list? Suzanne Filion.

Suzanne was never known for writing original songs, but Greg was. So with that in mind, four of the ten tracks that were rehearsed and recorded for Suzanne's album were songs written by Greg (“Weather (later popularized by Gloria Kaye),” “Shendah,” “You Try,” and “Island”). Notably, "You Try" is a vocal version of what appears as an instrumental track on the Tuesday's Children later album on Birchmount Records (BM-508). Additionally, Greg's younger brother Fergus contributed a song to the session ("Without You").

The rest of the Suzanne album were cover songs chosen from pop hits of the current era. Suzanne sings “Traces,” “I Love How You Love Me,” “(Do You Know The Way To) San Jose,” “This Girl’s In Love,” and “Anyone Who Had A Heart” in her own distinct style. The latter three cover choices are all Burt Bacharach/Hal David compositions. "Burt Bacharach and Hal David were probably my favorite songwriting duo at the time," says Suzanne. "Greg and I chose what were, in our opinion, the duos' three best songs." 

    The recordings took place at Art Snider's Sound Canada Studios in Toronto over a two-week span, during the summer of 1969. "We recorded the songs late at night as the studio's high demand meant this was the only available time slot," says Suzanne. Greg Hambleton brought in local psych-rockers The Magic Cycle (soon to be Cycle) to record the bed tracks for drums (Kevin Barry; brother of Paul Clinch), guitar (Stan Theriault & Paul Clinch), piano/organ (Peter Goodale), and bass (Joey Rome). It’s unknown who plays trombone on Fergus Hambleton’s “Without You,” but a likely guess is Larry Crawford.

 

    Greg used the band that backed Suzanne to record a number of other projects he did for Birchmount, including Candy Rock Fountain, Tuesday’s Children, and The Sultan Street Nine (which I suspect Greg sang uncredited on). He later used some of the same musicians as session players when he started his own record label. Sessions include Fergus Hambleton, Gary & Dave, etc. 

 

    With the songs recorded, the album was ready for release. During September 1969, the announcement came down in RPM's weekly magazine and a few other music publications that Quality Records was launching their new label, "Birchmount Records." Suzanne's album (simply called "Suzanne") was released simultaneously with twenty-one other Birchmount releases before October. The Suzanne album bears the “BM-501” catalog number and was the first album released by the label, receiving minor local buzz due to its inclusion in the initial announcement of Birchmount’s founding in RPM and other publications. The album was released locally and stayed that way. Unfortunately, it was the first in a long line of causalities on the label. As a budget label, Birchmount did minimal promotion for its albums, making it very hard for any of these artists to get picked up or receive airplay. 

 

    Shortly after Suzanne’s album was released, she gave copies to friends and family as Christmas gifts. Suzanne soon noticed that she gave away all the copies she owned. Upon the realization of her mistake, Suzanne went to Sam The Record Man on Yonge Street to buy a copy. “The look on the salesman’s face was priceless when he realized I was the gal on the back cover who had to buy her own album. I had to eat crow that day,” says Suzanne.

    After the album debacle was over, Suzanne retired from music all together. She quit working at The Riverboat in 1972. Afterwards, she worked at the infamous Julies on Jarvis Street in the Bombay Bicycle Club for seven years as a bartender and waitress. She stayed in the city as a legal assistant until around 1980. "By that point, I had had my fill of Toronto and was looking for something new," says Suzanne. She relocated to British Columbia during 1980-1981, where she got a job working in the office of the B.C. Attorney General. She remained there until her retirement, which she is currently enjoying in the golden British Columbia sun. 

 

    With that, you have the definitive "closing of the book" moment on one of Canadian pop/psych music's early cult figures. Recorded during summer midnight slots in the nook of one of Toronto's busiest recording studios, Suzanne and Greg Hambleton were able to cook up something special—a Bubble-Gum-Psych-tinged snapshot into the beginnings of one of Canada's most frustrating (but vital) music labels. The Suzanne album has found fans all over Canada, the United States, and spots in Europe. Wherever there are budget bins and music buyers willing to take a chance on an intriguing cover, that's where Suzanne and many artists like her can find their niche. 

                                            THANK YOU TO SUZANNE AND GREG HAMBLETON FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS   

The Demo Cates Story - Part I: The Counts

    Demo Cates is a name that moviegoers and music lovers alike should recognize. With over fifty years in the entertainment industry, living in both the US and Canada, Demo has amassed an impressive resume and has even won awards along the way. Although primarily a saxophonist, Demo Cates has flexed his vocal muscles on record multiple times (including one of Canada's first hip-hop recordings), also singing on countless radio jingles over the years. On top of the musical accolades, Demo has also had occasional supporting or guest roles as an actor, including in the television series Forever Knight, Goosebumps, and The Jane Show, and the films Blues Brothers 2000 and A Raisin in the Sun. Below is the story of where it all began for Demo. 

    Demo [Demetrius] Cates was born on November 13th, 1948. He was raised in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in a musical family. Demo didn't take up his first instrument until around the age of nine, when his mother encouraged him to try the saxophone and even offered to pay for lessons. Demo quickly took to the saxophone and excelled in his studies. He took lessons at a music shop in downtown Detroit known as Grenelles. At school, Demo received constant praise and encouragement from his music teacher. "I went to Nolan Jr. High in Detroit, and my music teacher, Mr. Paxton, really encouraged me," said Demo. "He thought that I had a great tone at such an early age." 

    While still in school, Demo started his first band, "Demetrius And The Gladiators." Granted, they were all around 13–14 years old at the time, so clubbing was out of the question. But they still had a lot of fun as a garage band, playing their favorite jazz, R&B, and rock and roll songs. "It was a cool name," comments Demo. "We didn't have any gigs; we just had fun practicing." 

    Throughout his teens, Demo continued to improve his playing. As he puts it, "I started lessons at nine and turned professional by the time I was fifteen." After the Gladiators, Demo got involved with some other local bands on the Detroit scene. It wasn't long before he was making some serious money. "I was making $250 a week and was able to afford to pay off a brand-new car." 

    During 1964, at the age of sixteen, Demo Cates co-founded The Fabulous Counts in Detroit with Mose Davis (keyboard/organ/bass), Leroy Emmanuel (guitar), and Andrew Gibson (drums). Demo was introduced to Mose by a mutual friend, and they quickly hit it off and began jamming. Mose invited Andrew to join, and one day after a jam session, they all went to Grenelles (the music store where Demo was taking lessons). "We went inside, and Leroy Emmanuel was sitting trying out some guitars, and we were all amazed by his playing," says Demo. "We convinced Leroy to join and called ourselves The Fabulous Counts." Jam sessions quickly grew to include their neighbors Raoul Keith Mangrum (Congas), Shelton Hill (saxophone), and Jim White (tenor sax). This completed the original line-up, as Mose opted to play keyboard bass with his foot pedals, allowing them to proceed without a bassist.

The Fabulous Counts quickly developed a repertoire of mostly instrumental songs—R&B, jazz, rock—you name it, they played it. This meant that the group were prime candidates to back up local and visiting singers at various Detroit music venues. Thankfully, they caught the attention of Fred McClure (a member of the Masonic Temple), who offered to manage them. One of Fred's first acts as manager was getting them a rehearsal space and regular gigs performing at the Elk's Hall in Detroit. They also performed at a number of other union halls across the city. Their main working relationship came from backing Detroit singer Spyder Turner. The Fabulous Counts' recording debut came from 1968 sessions for Spyder Turner's hit "Stand By Me." 

    The Fabulous Counts then caught the attention of Detroit producer Richard "Popcorn" Wylie by the end of 1968. Richard convinced the band to record some songs with him. From these sessions, the band recorded four songs: three originals ("Jan Jan," "Scrambled Eggs," and "Dirty Red") and one cover ("Girl From Kenya). Richard then set out trying to get the band a record deal and succeeded with Ollie McLaughlin's Detroit-based Moira Records. "Jan Jan/Girl From Kenya" was their debut release. Though "Jan Jan" was a strong single (featuring Demo Cates' debut sax solo on record), it narrowly missed cracking the Billboard R&B Hot 100 Singles Chart. Demo Cates reminisces about a local Detroit DJ's response to the song: "Ernie Durham [known as "Frantic Ernie"] used to play Jan Jan all the time, and right before my solo, he'd always say, 'Come on, Demo, blow, blow, Demo!'" 

    The group reappeared in April 1969 with their sophomore release, "Scrambled Eggs/Dirty Red," but unfortunately, it failed to chart. Talks began about switching labels, and a lot was riding on the performance of their third release. 

     After returning to the studio with Richard Wylie during the spring/summer of 1969, The Fabulous Counts emerged with more recordings. Their final release for Moira Records was "Get Down People/Lunar Funk" (which features Demo Cates' first lead vocal on record), which hit #32 R&B and #88 on the US pop charts. The success of this single saw the band get contacted by Cotillion Records, who were interested in putting out a full-length album before the end of 1969. The Fabulous Counts left Moira and joined Cotillion. An album titled "Jan Jan" was released, cobbling together their six single sides as well as six unreleased tracks: two originals ("The Other Thing" and "The Bite") and four covers ("Simple Song," "Soulful Strut," "Hey Jude," and "Man's, Man's World"). 

     1970 brought about a few changes for The Fabulous Counts. First and foremost, they signed a new record deal with Detroit label Westbound Records. They also began touring extensively, doing West Coast promo tours as well as an established East Coast circuit. This consisted of Detroit, New York, Boston, Washington, Philadelphia, Toronto (plus many Ontario cities), and Montreal, among others.

    After their debut single with the Westbound label, "Rhythm Changes/Pack Of Lies," failed to chart, the band decided to shorten their name to simply "The Counts" and record the remainder of their sophomore album, "What's Up Front That Counts," in Toronto during early 1971 at RCA Studios. 

    September of 1971 saw the release of The Counts' debut (technically sophomore) album, "What's Up Front That Counts," and oddly enough, even though it was recorded in Toronto, the album never received a Canadian release. 

    The Counts were excited for the album and felt it had potential. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by labelmates The Ohio Players and Funkadelic. This was in part due to preferential promotions for the aforementioned acts that left The Counts somewhat neglected. Although the band was overshadowed at the time by their label mates, their "What's Up Front" album has gone on to garner significant praise in the funk community as well as become a hip-hop sample classic, with nearly a dozen noteworthy sections.

    The remainder of 1971 and early 1972 saw The Counts touring with Funkadelic across America. The band admits to having Funkadelic rub off on them stylistically speaking. "We were more conservative," says Demo. "But throughout the tour we started getting influenced by them—headbands, afros, the whole nine." 

    During the tour, while playing in Atlanta, The Counts caught the attention of entrepreneur Michael Thevis (who is infamous for funding the movie Deep Throat, among other things). He was Atlanta-based and was on the verge of launching a new record label known as Aware Records (a subsidiary of GRC). Michael really wanted The Counts to help launch his label with an album release. Though reluctant at first, the band were offered free studio time, a truck to make the arduous journey from Detroit to Atlanta, and spending money for their time there, to which they ultimately accepted Michael's offer. 

   The Counts made the cross-country journey from Detroit to Atlanta during late 1972 and began work on their second (technically third) album, "Love Sign." The band was no longer a six-piece due to Raoul Keith Mangrum (congas) and Jim White (tenor sax) leaving before the move. Nonetheless, the album was a wholly original affair, featuring contributions by the whole band, including Demo Cates' first original composition on record. "Mose and Leroy typically handled the writing," says Demo. "During the recording of this album, I was going through some things in my personal life, and I worked up this song called Sacrifice, with a little bit of help from Mose and Leroy." The album as a whole represents a more "far-out" style of funk than its predecessor, "What's Up Front." 

    Released in early 1973, Love Sign was not commercially successful. Though the band was happy to stick it out in Atlanta with Aware Records and try again the following year with another album (and multiple singles), Demo was growing restless. "At the time, I was getting really involved with religion and reading the Bible with the Jehovah's Witnesses. I grew dissatisfied with the "band" lifestyle and needed to get out," says Demo. "I moved back to Toronto as I really enjoyed the diversity there during the recording of "What's Up Front" and felt it was the perfect place to start my new life." And start a new life he did. Though Demo wanted to take a break from music, Toronto's bustling scene was too much to resist. A brief session with Wayne St. John's band back in Toronto (c. 1972) started a lifelong friendship with the singer, and he helped Demo get temporary and eventually permanent citizenship. 

                                                     STAY TUNED FOR PART TWO - THANKS TO DEMO CATES FOR HIS HELP!