John Mars

Last updated
John Mars
OriginCanada
GenresPop, rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, percussionist
Years active1960s–present
Website www.johnmars.com

John Mars is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and percussionist.

Mars began his musical training at Sykes Music in Brantford, Ontario where he studied the drums with Carl Lemke. In the late 1960s, he played the drums in the band "John Mars and the Martians" with bassist Kevin Cosman and guitarist Stan Baka. The group disbanded after Baka was killed by a drunk driver. Mard then moved to Toronto where he met pianist Stuart Broomer and saxophonist Bill Smith. The three men formed the successful jazz trio "Broomer, Mars & Smith" which actively performed throughout the 1970s. In 1980 Smith left to pursue other projects and the duo "Stuart Broomer & John Mars" was formed. The duo performed up through 1986 and notably released the 1983 album Annihilated Surprise on Ugly Dog Records.

While performing in the jazz duo with Broomer, Mars performed concurrently in the rock band "Brian's Children" which he established with guitarist /songwriter Dave Templeton (Temps) and drummer Teddy Fury in 1979. For this group, Martin served as lead singer and the main songwriter. The group released one single "Cut Her Hair b/w Oh Yeah" which was produced by Daniel Lanois. In 1986 Mars shortened the band's name to "The Children" and formed a new band with guitarist/songwriter Aurelio Lanzalone and bassist Mark Sinkowski. The group performed up through 1991 and went through several membership changes.

In 1988 Mars began performing in the Ontario area with guitarist David Essig. In the mid-1990s he met guitarist Mike Ardelli and the two began performing with their mutual pal drummer Glenn Kimberley in an ad hoc group called the Natural Born Lovers'. The band played rockabilly/roots in concert series at various universities. The band disbanded when Ardelli died of a brain tumor at the age of 24.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenn Hughes (musician)</span> British bassist and singer

Glenn Hughes is an English musician, best known for playing bass and performing vocals in funk rock band Trapeze and in the Mk. III and IV line-ups of Deep Purple, as well as briefly fronting Black Sabbath in the mid-1980s. He is known by fans as "The Voice of Rock" due to his soulful and wide-ranging singing voice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Bruce</span> Scottish musician (1943–2014)

John Symon Asher Bruce was a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and ‍bassist ‍of rock band Cream. After the group disbanded in 1968, he pursued a solo career and also played with several bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Brown (musician)</span> American jazz double bassist (1926–2002)

Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist, known for his extensive work with Oscar Peterson and Ella Fitzgerald. He was also a founding member of the group that would later develop into the Modern Jazz Quartet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Blade</span> American jazz musician

Brian Blade is an American jazz drummer, composer, session musician, and singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhythm section</span> Group of musicians within a music ensemble or band

A rhythm section is a group of musicians within a music ensemble or band that provides the underlying rhythm, harmony and pulse of the accompaniment, providing a rhythmic and harmonic reference and "beat" for the rest of the band. The rhythm section is often contrasted with the roles of other musicians in the band, such as the lead guitarist or lead vocals whose primary job is to carry the melody.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casiopea</span> Japanese jazz fusion band

Casiopea, now known in its fourth iteration as Casiopea-P4, is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976 by guitarist Issei Noro, bassist Tetsuo Sakurai, drummer Tohru "Rika" Suzuki, and keyboardist Hidehiko Koike. In 1977, keyboardist Minoru Mukaiya and drummer Takashi Sasaki joined, replacing Koike and Suzuki. They recorded their debut album Casiopea (1979) with guest appearances by American jazz musicians Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, and David Sanborn. In 1980, drummer Akira Jimbo joined the band. Casiopea had released over 40 albums in Japan and around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jaimoe</span> American drummer and percussionist

John Lee Johnson, frequently known by the stage names Jai Johanny Johanson and Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holy Moses</span> German thrash metal band

Holy Moses is a German thrash metal band active from 1980 to 1994 and again since 2000. They are well noted for being fronted by Sabina Classen, who is the only constant member of Holy Moses, and for being one of the first German thrash metal bands. Holy Moses have released 12 studio albums to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Husband</span> British jazz/rock musician

Gary Husband is an English jazz and rock drummer, pianist, keyboard player and bandleader. He is also a composer, arranger and producer.

Grant Smith & The Power were a popular Canadian rock-soul outfit from the 1960s that had a hit with a cover of Jackie Edwards' "Keep On Running" and was also a training ground for musicians who went on to the likes of McKenna Mendelson Mainline and Motherlode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organ trio</span> Form of jazz ensemble

An organ trio is a form of jazz ensemble consisting of three musicians; a Hammond organ player, a drummer, and either a jazz guitarist or a saxophone player. In some cases the saxophonist will join a trio which consists of an organist, guitarist, and drummer, making it a quartet. Organ trios were a popular type of jazz ensemble for club and bar settings in the 1950s and 1960s, performing a blues-based style of jazz that incorporated elements of R&B. The organ trio format was characterized by long improvised solos and an exploration of different musical "moods".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T-Square (band)</span> Japanese jazz fusion band

T-Square, stylized in all-uppercase T-SQUARE, is a Japanese jazz fusion band formed in 1976. They became famous in the late 1970s and early 1980s along with other Japanese jazz bands. They are known for songs such as "Truth", "Japanese Soul Brothers", "Takarajima", "Omens of Love", among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dino Danelli</span> American drummer (1944–2022)

Dino Danelli was an American drummer. Danelli was best known as an original member and the drummer in the rock group The Young Rascals. He has been called "one of the great unappreciated rock drummers in history". He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with the (Young) Rascals.

Rick Stitch is a Canadian singer-songwriter best known as the singer for Ladyjack Hotel Diablo and Adler's Appetite.

Kevtone is an American musician, percussionist, and songwriter from Seattle, Washington. Performing live and in studio, his rhythm style may best be described as improvisational, melodic, progressive, and bluesy, over a wide variety of styles; reflecting influences from many genres of music.

George Earth is an American musician, guitarist, songwriter, composer, music producer, comic book artist, and talk show host from Echo Park, California. He is perhaps best known as the lead guitarist for both World Entertainment War and Switchblade Symphony, later touring and recording with Angel Corpus Christi, Stolen Babies, and other bands before forming Los Angeles-based Small Halo in 2008. He publishes a semi-regular comic book series and hosts a regular talk show, The Talk Show, in which he also leads The Talk Show Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Band (rock and pop)</span> Musical ensemble which performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre

A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer. Another common formation is a vocalist who does not play an instrument, electric guitarist, bass guitarist, and a drummer. Instrumentally, these bands can be considered as trios. Sometimes, in addition to electric guitars, electric bass, and drums, also a keyboardist plays.

References