Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Go to Blogger edit html and find these sentences.Now replace these sentences with your own descriptions.This theme is Bloggerized by Lasantha Bandara - Premiumbloggertemplates.com.
Keith Hampshire is very well known in Canada not only as a rock singer, but of a song that has become somewhat of a theme for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club. The song, "OK Blue Jays" recorded in 1983, is sung during the seventh inning stretch of home games. His version of, "The First Cut Is The Deepest" in 1973 reached number one on the Canadian charts. This song, which sounds a lot like fellow Canadian, David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears was the highest charting song of his career in the US reaching #51 in early 1973.
The Five Man Electrical Band began their existence as The Staccatos in 1963. The Ottawa, Canada-based band began charting in their home country by 1965. They were frequently in the Canadian top 20 over the next few years except for 1967's, "Half Past Midnight" which crept into the top 10. There was never a hit followup, and by the end of 1968 the group was seeking a new direction musically. With that change to a more rock sound, came a new name. the Five Man Electrical Band.
Even with a new name, the band continued their struggles and in early 1970 they left Capitol records and signed with MGM. Nothing much of not initially happened there either until the release of the single, "Hello Melinda, Goodbye". The A side did nothing, however, some DJ's in Canada and the US began to play the B side, "Signs". It immediately caught fire and before long became the #2 hit in the US. It's follow up, "Absolutely Right" cracked the top 40 here and did even better than "Signs" in their home country.
There some minor chart action here in the states, but their success continued until running out of steam in 1975....
My formative years listening to the radio was during a time I consider one of the best eras for rock music, the early/middle 70's. FM radio had taken hold in many cities with a devil-may-care attitude about everything but the music. KSHE radio in St. Louis in a studio that was about half the size of a single-wide trailer. the DJ's were fun, more than a little irreverent, and had a love for the music that was equaled by their fans. It was this radio station that formed my love of rock music.
This kind of leads me to our featured song for the day. Many of my favorite artists were rarely if ever heard on top 40 radio. Many of them would have one or two songs (like Yes, or Emerson, Lake, and Palmer), some never even bothered to aim for that market. A group out of Vancouver called Chilliwack was one that had some minor success on the charts in the 70's, but actually did better in that respect in the next decade with a hit that almost reached the top 20 called, "My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)".
It was in the late 70's that Chilliwack impressed me the most. Their album "Dreams, Dreams, Dreams" released in early 1977 was a great album that should have been more popular. The single off that album, "Fly at Night" (not to be confused with Rush's song of the same name), was their biggest hit in Canada at the time, and found a audience among American FM listeners as well. The group had it's origins as The Classics in 1964, had a name change to The Collectors in 1966, and after a change in lead singers, to Chilliwack in 1970. Guitarist Bill Henderson stepped up to the mike as well as taking over much of the songwriting duties at that time. A role in which he fills as they still play on the oldies circuit today. There are several gems with this group, but in my mind....start right here.
Listening to this song, I'm wondering where the genesis of the"power ballad" developed? From about this period until the early 90's, many a hard rock band grasped at the golden ring (i.e. hit single) for a nice payday while attempting to keeping their fans by rocking out on albums. Hair metal band made this into a bit of an art form in the late 80's. Of course, there was a danger in doing this as many a group found themselves typecast and would eventually lose fan base attempting that trick.
April Wine was smart (or lucky) in the fact that their base had long been established in Canada, with some varied success in the US since 1971. "Just Between You and Me" is a great song by the way (I do have a thing for power ballads despite of what you read above) and was their biggest single in the states. The US popularity was short lived, but they still continue to record and tour. April Wine along with Rush are Canada's most popular hard rock export.
