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LaBarge was born in Ottawa, Ontario. His family then moved to Burlington, Ontario, and he grew up in a musically inclined house, listening to everything from show tunes to Motown. While he dropped music lessons after six months, he explained "When the Beatles and the British Invasion came around, I'd hang around a record store, Music Village in Burlington, and learned guitar from listening to records. That store shaped who I am. Much of that time—Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘10,000-Hour Rule’—was spent alone in my parents’ basement with a record player and a guitar."[5]
He was inspired by seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show with hundreds of girls screaming. He recalls, “I was no different than a million other guys when I saw The Beatles— the band blew our minds. But my desire to become a musician was really George Harrison’s fault. I loved the way he hung back and played all the interesting parts—a guitar solo and the little licks here and there. That's when I knew I wanted to be a guitarist and make a career of it. Even though I'd never picked up a guitar, I wanted to be just like George Harrison.”[6]
LaBarge was mostly self-taught.
Career beginnings
LaBarge states: “The Mandala was the first live band I ever saw, and guitarist Domenic Troiano and the band changed my life." Inspired by The Rogues opening for the Rolling Stones in 1966 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto,[7] Labarge moved to Toronto, recalling “I wanted to be the small fish in a big pond, just to see if I could cut it”.
The first band he formed in Toronto was Stingaree, explaining: “I knew what I wanted to see; dual guitars, endless solos, playing covers and originals. So, I went about putting together a dream band. I scouted good players, and I coaxed them to quit their bands. I bought a truck, and had an agent lined up. In the process, I had a motto—I strived to be worst guy in the band. I have always looked for situations where I would be challenged on stage by players who made me play to the best of my ability. Players who also forced me to push the envelope, and Stingaree certainly accomplished that. It was the best way to improve.”[5]
1970s
He began playing professionally in 1967, and then during the 1970s into the early 1980s, LaBarge toured with various bands as a guitarist/frontman. While he enjoyed being on the road and reaching out to people in performance, he didn't want to be a rock star, suggesting, “I have an ego, but it goes in another direction. It's more about listen to me as opposed to watch me.” So, the last years of the 1970s saw him start to segue into an area he had always wanted, session and studio work.
He recalls that as a kid, while he was learning to play guitar, he wanted to be a session musician. His father had an interest in tape recorders, so with the equipment in the family basement, LaBarge figured out how to tape songs off the radio, opening up another track and playing along with it: “I wanted to be that session guy playing that great cover, and embellishing the tune like George Harrison did to Beatles tunes. And I ultimately wanted to work with the professionals and get it on tape.”[5]
1980s
By 1980, LaBarge was performing with Kearney, King, McBride and LaBarge at El Mocambo.
He stopped touring in1981, watching how Steely Dan had chosen to retire from live performances to become a studio-only band. He wrote “Dream Away,” produced by Lanois, and it was originally released as a single in 1981. Bernie continued to write for himself and others, landing a contract with Sony Records to record Barging In. The record earned him that Canadian Juno Award nomination in 1984 for Most Promising Male Vocalist. He admits he was shocked, having “no concept that he was even nominated for a Juno Award.”
LaBarge had no desire to go out on the road: “I felt that it's a whole other thing on the road. It's hard to write and hard to live your life. The record was a wonderful addition to my expanding career, so I decided to let it speak for itself with radio airplay. I was now thinking of myself as a studio guy who had a record out there but who didn't want to have a solo career and be on the road.”
In the late 1970s, he started doing jingles at Grant Avenue studio in Hamilton with Dan Lanois and his brother Bob. He sang and played on 200 jingles for local companies. He later went on to performing on hundreds of worldwide jingles (Coke, Pepsi, GM, Ford) and countless recording sessions with producer Jack Richardson. LaBarge also played for TV series Smith & Smith (1979–85), Party with The Rovers (1983–86), Danger Bay (1985–1989) on CBC, and The Doodlebops. He recalls: “Everything came together in that decade. It was a great time on a great run —I was confident, motivated, and I was not going to stop.” Recalling playing for Fraggle Rock (1983–87), he stated “When I passed the audition, I realized then that I was in the big leagues.”
1990s to 2000s
In the 1990s, LaBarge performed with The Irish Rovers, Mind Over Matter, The Danny B Blues Band, Cassandra Vasik, and The Incontinentals. He also became the lead guitarist for The Dexters in 1994, and began playing at The Orbit Room, a local Toronto bar co-owned by Rush's Lifeson, who often jammed with the band. LaBarge played at The Orbit Room for more than 1000 appearances. In November 2014, The Dexters completed their twentieth anniversary at The Orbit Room with a farewell appearance.
In 2015, LaBarge suffered a fall and injury, requiring a surgery which kept him from practicing guitar. LaBarge recalls “I couldn't even make a fist for more than four years, but with physio, relearning guitar, and a whole lot of support from friends and family, I slowly got most of my chops back. The Dexters reunion in January 2020 was my first concert in five years, and now I'm back recording. Like I always say—just keep practicing.”
Influences
LaBarge described Jack Richardson as a “surrogate father” to him after they met: “I got booked to do my first session, with the legendary Jack Richardson around 1983, for singer/songwriter Christopher Ward. Jack and I, along with David Greene, Jack's favorite engineer, hit it off immediately, and I guess I did a good job. Jack started booking me for all sorts of sessions, and he, David and I became quite the team. Jack introduced me to The Irish Rovers—and I worked with them on their television show, Party With The Rovers. Jack also recommended me for the audition for Fraggle Rock. So his influence has been immense. I loved Jack and his wife Shirley, and I still keep in close touch with his kids.”
Another major influence was guitarist Domenic Troiano, who inspired LaBarge in high school: “Donnie's band, The Mandala, was the first live band I saw at high school, and they changed my life. Around 1980, Donnie and I later became close friends, and I first got to hold his Tele shortly thereafter, due to a great deal of persistence on my part. Fast forward many years, coupled with the untimely passing of Donnie, his brother Frank asked me if I'd like to hold on to the guitar for a bit. I can't describe what it felt like to have come full circle from that high school to actually playing his guitar, which oozes The Toronto Sound. It IS that sound, although Donnie was the only one who could squeeze those sounds from it. I am merely a facsimile of what I learned from my friend. Not a gig or session goes by where I don't try to ask him for guidance. That guitar should be in every soul and music museum everywhere. I wouldn't have had the capacity to be any more thrilled if I had the chance to play Hendrix's Strat or George Harrison's Gretsch.”[8]
David Clayton-Thomas, lead vocalist of Blood, Sweat & Tears, said of working with LaBarge: “I’ve known Bernie LaBarge for decades. We’ve recorded and toured the world together, and working with him was always a joy. The ultimate groove player and one of the finest blues players alive.”[8]
Danny Weis of Lou Reed, Iron Butterfly, Bette Midler, and Rhinoceros stated “If you have Bernie LaBarge on your gig, you know you're covered. He always knows the right thing to play, and always has a smile. When he played with me on the Rhinoceros reunions gig in 2009, it felt like the original band was back together as he covered that guitar part perfectly. When you've got Bernie on stage, you're in for a good time. He's a great guitar player and a great friend.”[8]
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