Crowbar (Canadian band)

Last updated

Crowbar
Also known asKing Biscuit Boy with Crowbar
Origin Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genres Rock
Years active1970 (1970)–1975 (1975)
Labels Daffodil Records
Epic Records
Stony Plain Records
Past members King Biscuit Boy
Roly Greenway
Kelly Jay
John Rutter
Ed Charron
Richard Bell
Jozef Chirowski
Larry Atamanuik
Tim Nantais
Sonnie Bernardi
Rheal Lanthier
John Gibbard
Sonny Del-Rio
Ray Harrison
John Dickie
Russell Foreman
Tim Thompson

Crowbar was a Canadian rock band based in Hamilton, Ontario, best known for their 1971 hit "Oh, What a Feeling". [1]

Contents

History

From 1969 to 1970, most of the members of the group had been a backup band for Ronnie Hawkins under the name "And Many Others". However, in early 1970, he fired them; as he later told a friend, "Those boys could fuck up a crowbar in fifteen seconds." [2] They recorded their first album in 1970, called Official Music, as "King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar". King Biscuit Boy left the band later in 1970 but continued to appear off and on as a guest performer. [3]

In 1971, the band recorded a performance at Massey Hall, in Toronto, which was released as a double album, Larger than Life (and Live'r Than You've Ever Been). The concert, billed as "An Evening of Love with Daffodil Records", was co-produced by concert promoter Martin Onrot and Toronto radio station CHUM-FM. Numerous guests appeared with Crowbar at Massey Hall, including members of Lighthouse, Dr. Music, and Everyday People. King Biscuit Boy also returned to perform with his former bandmates. The recording and release of the album are significant as being the first time a Canadian band had recorded and released a "live in concert" album. [4] It was also the first time that a live concert was broadcast simultaneous on CHUM-FM.

Also in 1971, the band performed a concert in the Lord Beaverbrook Grand Ballroom in New Brunswick and entertained at the anniversary celebrations in Hamilton, Ontario. [5]

Due largely to Margaret Trudeau's enthusiasm for the band, Crowbar was featured as the opening act of Pierre Trudeau's 1972 re-election campaign rallies, including a notable stop at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. This association enhanced the band's reputation in Canada and garnered international interest from agencies such as A&M Records and figures such as Clive Davis. Despite this momentum, their second album did not capture the energy of their first and the band faltered. [6]

Crowbar disbanded in 1975 but was revived in 1977, without Jozef Chirowski, who had joined Alice Cooper's band. The band performed intermittently during the 1980s. [3]

More recently, Crowbar played shows around Hamilton, Ontario, including a performance at their induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. [7]

Members

The band consisted of numerous players in various combinations over its lifetime, including:

Discography

Albums

Official Music (as King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar) (1970, Daffodil; 1996, Stony Plain)

Track listing
  1. "Highway 61" – 2:47
  2. "Don't Go No Further" – 3:38
  3. "Unseen Eye" – 2:54
  4. "I'm Just A Lonely Guy" – 2:29
  5. "Key To The Highway" – 3:15
  6. "Corrina, Corrina" – 4:18
  7. "Biscuit's Boogie" – 9:26
  8. "Hoy Hoy Hoy" – 5:20
  9. "Badly Bent" – 2:05
  10. "Cookin' Little Baby" – 2:25
  11. "Shout Bama Lama" – 2:25

Personnel

Bad Manors (1971, Daffodil SBA-16004)

Track listing
  1. "Frenchman's Filler #1" – 1:13
  2. "Too True Mama" – 2:52
  3. "Let The Four Winds Blow" – 2:20
  4. "The House Of Blue Lights" – 2:44
  5. "Train Keep Rollin'" – 2:49
  6. "Baby Let's Play House" – 3:02
  7. "Oh What A Feeling" – 4:18
  8. "Frenchman's Filler #2" – 0:32
  9. "Frenchman's Filler #3" – 0:35
  10. "Murder In The First Degree" – 5:10
  11. "In The Dancing Hold" – 3:48
  12. "Mountain Fire" – 3:56
  13. "Prince Of Peace" – 4:07
  14. "Frenchman's Filler #1" – 0:45
Personnel

Larger than Life (and Live'r than You've Ever Been) (1971, Daffodil 2-SBA-16007), recorded in concert at Massey Hall, Toronto

Track listing
  1. "Introduction" – 0:33
  2. "Prince Of Peace" – 3:37
  3. "Murder In The First Degree" – 3:36
  4. "Newspaper Song" – 2:36
  5. "Corinna Corinna" – 4:40
  6. "Fly Away" – 3:41
  7. "Tits Up On The Pavement" – 7:47
  8. "Mummy And Daddy" – 1:39
  9. "Ask Me No Questions" – 5:46
  10. "Over The Mountain" – 5:18
  11. "Cane On The Brazos" – 5:15
  12. "Rock Around The Clock / Shake, Rattle And Roll" – 2:05
  13. "In The Dancing Hold" – 3:45
  14. "Oh What A Feeling" – 8:50
Personnel

Heavy Duty (1972, Daffodil SBA-16013)

Track listing
Side one
  1. "Trilby" – (Kelly Jay) – 2:41
  2. "Listen Sister (A Mutual Liberation Ballad)" – (Kelly Jay) – 2:07
  3. "Hey Baby" – (Bruce Channel) – 2:55
  4. "Dreams" – (Josef Chirowski, John Gibbard) – 2:49
  5. "Where Were You" – (Kelly Jay) – 3:56
Side two
  2. "Dead Head Out Of St. John's" – (Kelly Jay) – 3:45
  3. "The Beaver And The Eagle" – (Kelly Jay) – 3:07
  4. "Cluckie's Escape" – (Roly Greenway) – 3:10
  5. "Snakes And Ladders" – (Kelly Jay) – 2:50
  6. "Lay One Down" – (Roly Greenway, LOVE) 4:28
Personnel

KE32746 (1973, Epic KE-32746)

Track listing
Side one
  1. "Million Dollar Weekend" – 3:04
  2. "Something Happened Yesterday" – 4:20
  3. "Trumpet Rose" – 3:25
  4. "All The Living Things" – 3:11
  5. "Go For The Throat" – 4:42
Side two
  2. "Kilroy" – 2:23
  3. "Rocky Mountain Tragedy" – 5:52
  4. "The Killing Time Trilogy" – 7:06
    1. "Killing Time
    2. "It Really Doesn't Matter
    3. "Hard On You
    4. "Killing Time – Reprise
  5. "Nothing Lasts Forever" – 3:27

Crowbar Classics: Memories Are Made of This (1975, Daffodil SBA-16030) [8]

Singles

Related Research Articles

<i>Decade</i> (Neil Young album) 1977 compilation album by Neil Young

Decade is a compilation album by Canadian–American musician Neil Young, originally released in 1977 as a triple album and later issued on two compact discs. It contains 35 of Young's songs recorded between 1966 and 1976, among them five tracks that had been unreleased up to that point. It peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and was certified platinum by the RIAA in 1986.

<i>King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band</i> 2002 live album by Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band

King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band is a live album by Ringo Starr released on 6 August 2002.

<i>Rock On</i> (Humble Pie album) 1971 studio album by Humble Pie

Rock On is the fourth album by the English rock group Humble Pie, released in March 1971. It reached #118 on the Billboard 200. It is the last Humble Pie studio album to feature guitarist/singer Peter Frampton, who left the band towards the end of the year.

<i>Dog of Two Head</i> 1971 studio album by Status Quo

Dog of Two Head is the fourth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released by Pye Records in November 1971.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral Reefer Band</span> Touring and recording act of Jimmy Buffett

The Coral Reefer Band is the touring and recording band of American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. The band's name alludes to both coral reefs and "reefer".

<i>Dreams</i> (The Allman Brothers Band album) 1989 compilation album by The Allman Brothers Band

Dreams is a compilation album by the Allman Brothers Band. Packaged as a box set of four CDs or six LPs, it was released on June 20, 1989.

<i>Blue Ridge</i> (album) 1985 studio album by Jonathan Edwards and The Seldom Scene

Blue Ridge is the sixth studio album released by the singer-songwriter Jonathan Edwards. It features the Bluegrass band, The Seldom Scene.

<i>Evening Moods</i> 2000 studio album by RatDog with Bob Weir

Evening Moods is the only studio album by the band RatDog, featuring former Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. Released on 26 September 2000, it consists of a number of new songs introduced by RatDog during the previous year and a Grateful Dead song, "Corrina". Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart makes a guest appearance on a few tracks. "Ashes and Glass" and "Two Djinn" are both included on Weir Here – The Best of Bob Weir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Biscuit Boy</span> Canadian blues musician

Richard Alfred Newell, better known by his stage name, King Biscuit Boy, was a Canadian blues musician. He was the first Canadian blues artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US Newell played guitar and sang, but he was most noted for his harmonica playing. Newell's stage name, given to him by Ronnie Hawkins, was taken from the King Biscuit Time, an early American blues broadcast.

<i>The London Howlin Wolf Sessions</i> 1971 studio album by Howlin Wolf

The London Howlin' Wolf Sessions is an album by blues musician Howlin' Wolf released in 1971 on Chess Records, and on Rolling Stones Records in Britain. It was one of the first super session blues albums, setting a blues master among famous musicians from the second generation of rock and roll, in this case Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman. It peaked at #79 on the Billboard 200.

<i>Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead</i> 1991 Grateful Dead tribute album

Deadicated: A Tribute to the Grateful Dead is a 1991 tribute album with music of the Grateful Dead performed by various artists.

<i>Great Days: The John Prine Anthology</i> 1993 compilation album by John Prine

Great Days: The John Prine Anthology is a compilation album by American folk singer John Prine, released in 1993.

<i>Liver Than Youll Ever Be</i> 1969 live album (bootleg) by the Rolling Stones

Live'r Than You'll Ever Be is a bootleg recording of the Rolling Stones' concert in Oakland, California, from 9 November 1969. It was one of the first live rock music bootlegs and was made notorious as a document of their 1969 tour of the United States. The popularity of the bootleg forced the Stones' labels Decca Records in the UK, and London Records in the US, to release the live album Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert in 1970. Live'r is also one of the earliest commercial bootleg recordings in rock history, released in December 1969, just two months after the Beatles' Kum Back and five months after Bob Dylan's Great White Wonder. Like the two earlier records, Live'r's outer sleeve is plain white, with its name stamped on in ink.

Bronco were an English five piece rock and country band, who were signed to Island and Polydor Records between 1969 and 1973. They released three albums during their existence, Country Home (1970), Ace of Sunlight (1971) and Smoking Mixture (1973).

<i>Bulletproof</i> (Reckless Kelly album) 2008 studio album by Reckless Kelly

Bulletproof is the fifth studio album by the band Reckless Kelly. It was released on June 24, 2008. The album features tracks critical of and reflecting on recent sociopolitical unfoldings, such as the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina.

<i>Gold</i> (The Moody Blues album) 2005 greatest hits album by The Moody Blues

Gold is a compilation album by The Moody Blues, released in 2005 by Polydor Records as part of Polydor's Gold series.

<i>Occupy This Album</i> 2012 compilation album by Various artists

Occupy This Album: 99 Songs for the 99 Percent is a four-disc compilation box set released in May 2012 through the record label Music for Occupy. The album concept, and initial production was initiated by Executive Producer Jason Samel. Jason Samel later recruited Producers Maegan Hayward, Alex Emanuel and Shirley Menard to assist with the project. The set consists of 99 songs inspired by or related to the Occupy movement. Proceeds from the album went "directly towards the needs of sustaining this growing movement."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Family (Willie Nelson's band)</span> Willie Nelsons touring and recording group

The Family is the lead singer Willie Nelson's touring and recording group. Nelson, who did not manage through the 1960s to succeed as a singer, retired after the failure of his 1971 album Yesterday's Wine. The following year, he returned from retirement rejuvenated by the burgeoning music movement of Austin, Texas.

Daffodil Records was a Canadian record label that existed from 1971 to 1978.

Shooter, originally known as Greaseball Boogie Band, was a Canadian rock music group active in the early 1970s. They were most noted for receiving a Juno Award nomination for Most Promising New Group at the Juno Awards of 1975.

References

  1. ↑ Graham Rockingham. "Branding Hamilton as a music city". Hamilton Spectator, November 9, 2016.
  2. ↑ Ronnie Hawkins: Last of the Good Ol' Boys. Ronnie Hawkins and Peter Goddard. Stoddart Publishing, Toronto (1989), p. 200.
  3. 1 2 "Crowbar". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved December 1, 2014.
  4. ↑ Billboard. October 9, 1971. Retrieved December 1, 2014– via Google Books.
  5. ↑ Ritchie York (July 17, 1971). "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 47–. ISSN   0006-2510.
  6. ↑ "CANOE -- JAM! Music – Pop Encyclopedia – Crowbar". May 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 29, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame" (PDF). Cansong.ca. Retrieved December 1, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  8. 1 2 "King Biscuit Boy". Encyclopedia of Music in Canada . Retrieved August 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Kelly Jay Fordham, founding member of Crowbar, dead at 77". Calgary Herald . June 21, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Kelly Jay was on the cover of Rush's Moving Pictures: he never listened to it". loudersound.com. March 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Larger Than Life (And Live'r Than You've Ever Been!) – Crowbar – Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved April 20, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.