Jason Sniderman

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Jason Sniderman is a Canadian musician and businessman. He was one of the chief executives of Sam the Record Man, [1] He also played keyboards on a number of rock music albums, performed with the band Blue Peter, and later released several albums under the name Ensign Broderick. He is also the father of Canadian musician Cos Sylvan.

Contents

Early life

Sniderman grew up in Toronto, Ontario, the son of businessman Sam Sniderman. [1] He was involved in the music industry from childhood through the family record store. [2]

Music career

Sniderman was a keyboard player in the new wave band Blue Peter, joining towards the end of their run in 1983, in time for the recording and release of their final album, Falling . [3] [4] He has appeared as a guest musician on albums by other Canadian artists, including contributing keyboards on Randy Bachman's album Any Road, [5] Chalk Circle's recording of 20th Century Boy, [6] and recordings produced by fellow Blue Peter member Chris Wardman. [5] He played keyboards on the albums Presto and Clockwork Angels by Rush and Don't Cry Too Hard by Leslie Spit Treeo, and played piano on 6 Blocks by Meryn Cadell.

Sniderman is an Advisory Board Member of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame [7] and plays shows with Blue Peter a few times a year.

In March 2018, Sniderman released the album Feast of Panthers under the pseudonym Ensign Broderick, a musical alter ego he had first created in childhood. [8] [9] By November, Sniderman had released three more albums of music recorded decades earlier, and one album of new material, Bloodcrush. [10] [11]

Sam the Record Man

Sniderman's father, Sam Sniderman, started selling records in his brother's radio store in the 1930s. [12] His company grew into a national chain, with a flagship store on Yonge Street in Toronto. [13] In the 1980s and 1990s the chain was operated by Roblan Distributors, with Jason Sniderman as Vice President. [14] Sam retired in 2000, [13] and the majority of the chain was closed in 2001 after filing for bankruptcy. [12] Jason Sniderman and his brother Bobby saved the store's iconic neon signs, and re-opened the Yonge St. location in 2002. [13] An attempt at building the Sam's brand with online sales was not enough, [15] however, with the rise of mp3 downloads and competition from chains such as HMV down the street, Sam's was forced to close in 2007. [16]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Sam the Record Man to shut its Yonge St. doors". The Toronto Star . May 29, 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Sam 'The Record Man' Sniderman dies at 92". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives, September 25, 2012 - Page 26
  3. ↑ "Artist: Blue Peter". Jam! Showbiz - The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia. canoe.ca. Archived from the original on December 8, 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ↑ "Blue Peter bounces back with stylish new album". Winnipeg Free Press, via Newspaper Archives, August 10, 1983 - Page 31
  5. 1 2 "Any Road". Bachman. artistdirect.com. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "credits". The Great Lake - Chalk Circle. allmusic.com. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  7. ↑ "People". About. Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Archived from the original on 16 February 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  8. ↑ Ottenhof, Luke (9 March 2018). "It's taken 47 years, but Ensign Broderick's debut album is here". NOW Magazine. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  9. ↑ "Jason Sniderman's glam-rock persona Ensign Broderick unleashed at 60". National Post, David Friend, November 22, 2018
  10. ↑ "Jason Sniderman's Glam-Rock Reinvention As Ensign Broderick". FYI Music News, Nov 28, 2018 by Kerry Doole
  11. ↑ "Ensign Broderick BloodCrush". Exclaim!, By Paul Blinov, Nov 08, 2018
  12. 1 2 Black, Debra (May 30, 2007). "Sam the Record Man finally signs off". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  13. 1 2 3 Miller, Adam D (June 29, 2007). "Goodbye, Sam The Record Man". Torontoist . Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  14. ↑ Larry LeBlanc (12 July 1997). "Changes at Sam the Record Man Shake Market" - Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 44. ISSN   0006-2510.
  15. ↑ Thompson, Robert. "Parking cash in Net ventures". News. itbusiness.ca. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  16. ↑ Ursi, Marco (July 4, 2007). "Whither the record store jerk?". Maclean's . Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
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