Pukka Orchestra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | New wave |
| Years active | 1979–1988 |
| Labels | Solid Gold |
| Members | Graeme Williamson Neil Chapman Tony Duggan-Smith |
Pukka Orchestra was a Canadian new wave band based in Toronto, Ontario in the 1980s. The group released two albums, an EP and several singles, and won a CASBY Award in 1985.
The Pukka Orchestra was formed in Toronto in 1979. [1] The core of the band consisted of vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Graeme Williamson and guitarists/co-songwriters Neil Chapman and Tony Duggan-Smith. The band's name is derived from the Hindi word pukka, which means "Genuine", "Authentic", "First Class". The name was coined by Duggan-Smith's extremely British grandfather who had been the harbourmaster of Calcutta and had later worked for Marconi. When Duggan-Smith told him he was playing music for a living his grandfather replied, "That's all very nice Tony, but don't bother with any mediocre bands, get yourself into a Pukka Orchestra". The band made frequent use of numerous guest musicians which brings to mind the oft-used phrase, "Are you in the Pukka Orchestra? Why not, everyone else is." [2]
The band released an independent single, "Rubber Girl", in 1981 (B side "Do the Slither") and just after that they recorded "Wonderful Time To Be Young" and "Spies Of The Heart" with Danny Greenspoon at Inception Sound, all three making it on to the first album.
They performed regularly in Toronto's Queen Street West club scene, usually at The Bamboo, The Cameron House, The Horseshoe Tavern and Grossman's Tavern and signed to Solid Gold Records, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1984. [3] [4] In the summer of 1984, the band had a top 40 chart hit in Canada with a cover of Tom Robinson / Peter Gabriel's "Listen to the Radio". [2] Other singles "Cherry Beach Express" and "Might As Well Be on Mars" received widespread FM radio play. The Toronto Police Service attempted to block radio airplay of "Cherry Beach Express" due to its themes of opposition to police brutality. [5] [4]
The band had just received a U-Know/CASBY Award for 'Most Promising Group' [6] when they received two setbacks. Their record company Solid Gold went into receivership as the album was climbing the charts; [7] then, while visiting relatives in Scotland in late 1984, Williamson developed kidney problems. [8] Williamson ended up staying in a Glasgow hospital for several months, and in 1985, Chapman, Duggan-Smith, Robert Priest, Colin Linden, Gwen Swick and other Toronto musicians held a benefit concert at The Bamboo Club to help defray Williamson's living expenses while receiving dialysis treatment. [2] He eventually received a kidney transplant and returned to Toronto. The band recorded a four-song EP called Palace of Memory in 1987. [1] However, in the midst of recording their second full-length album in 1988, Williamson's health took another turn and he went back to Scotland for treatment.
In 1992, The Pukka Orchestra released their final album Dear Harry, a compilation of three tracks from the 1987 EP, and completed tracks from the temporarily shelved 1988 sessions. The first Pukka Orchestra album was reissued in CD format in 2000 by Solid Gold Records/Casablanca Media. [1]
The band regrouped, minus Williamson, for the Spirit of Radio Reunion show in 2003.
Williamson died in Glasgow in June 2020. [9]
Cherry Beach is a lakeside beach park located at the foot of Cherry Street just south of Unwin Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is on Toronto's outer harbour just east of the Eastern Gap. It was once connected with Toronto Islands as part of the former peninsula before 1852.
Rough Trade (1968–1988) was a Canadian rock band centred on singer Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples. The band was noted for their provocative lyrics and stage antics; singer Pope often performed in bondage attire, and their 1981 hit "High School Confidential" was one of the first explicitly lesbian-themed Top 40 hits in the world.
The CASBY Awards were a Canadian awards ceremony for independent and alternative music, presented annually by Toronto, Ontario radio station CFNY, currently branded as 102.1 The Edge. CASBY is an acronym for Canadian Artists Selected By You.
Sam Roberts is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has released seven albums. His debut EP The Inhuman Condition, reached the Canadian charts in 2002. He and his bandmates have released three albums as Sam Roberts and four albums as Sam Roberts Band. He is also a member of Canadian group Anyway Gang, who released their debut self-titled album in 2019. Roberts has been nominated, together with his band, for fifteen Juno Awards, winning six, including Artist of the Year twice and Album of the Year once (2004).
The Parachute Club was a Canadian band formed in Toronto in 1982. They released three top 40 hits in Canada between 1983 and 1987, including "Rise Up", "At the Feet of the Moon" and "Love Is Fire". The band was well known for being one of the first mainstream pop acts in Canada to integrate world music influences, particularly Caribbean styles such as reggae and soca, into their sound.
Lawrence Henry Gowan is a Scottish born Canadian singer and keyboardist. Gowan is a solo artist and has also been vocalist and keyboardist of the band Styx since May 1999. His musical style is usually classified in the categories of pop and progressive rock.
Blue Peter was a Canadian new wave synthpop band founded in 1978 in Markham, Ontario, by Chris Wardman and Paul Humphrey. In their heyday, Blue Peter opened for major international acts such as the Police and Simple Minds. The video for "Don't Walk Past", directed by Rob Quartly, was No. 85 on MuchMusic's top videos of the century list, and was played on MTV in the United States, in spite of the lack of American record distribution for the band. Humphrey died on April 4, 2021, after a long illness.
Spoons is a Canadian new wave band, formed in Burlington, Ontario in 1979. They recorded several Canadian chart hits between 1982 and 1989, and in 1983, they were nominated for Most Promising Group of the Year at the Juno Awards. Their most popular songs include "Romantic Traffic", "Nova Heart", "Old Emotions", and "Tell No Lies".
Claire Lawrence is a Canadian musician who was a founding member of the Canadian band The Collectors, and remained with the group when it transitioned to Chilliwack in 1970. He performed on keyboards, flute, saxophone, and piano. He left Chilliwack in 1971 after several albums with the band and subsequently produced albums for a number of Canadian artists and groups including Ferron, Susan Jacks, Valdy, Shari Ulrich, Roy Forbes, 1979-, UHF and Connie Kaldor.
Luba is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and recording artist from Montreal. She was professionally active from 1980 to 1990, 2000 to 2001, and is active again as of 2007. At the beginning of her career, Luba performed with the traditional Ukrainian music group Via Zorya, with whom she released a self-titled album in 1973. In the 1980s, she sang with her own band, Luba, which released the album Chain Reaction in 1980. She went on to have a solo career using the mononym Luba. Two of her albums have been certified Platinum by the Canadian music industry. She has had nine top-40 hits on the Canadian pop charts. Her most successful song is a cover of Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman", which reached number 6 on the Canadian pop chart and number 3 on the Canadian adult contemporary chart, in 1987.
Images in Vogue is a Canadian new wave group formed in 1981 in Vancouver. It originally consisted of vocalist Dale Martindale, guitarist Don Gordon, synth players Joe Vizvary and Glen Nelson, bassist Gary Smith, and percussionist Kevin Crompton. The band's manager was Kim Clarke Champniss, who later became a MuchMusic VJ.
Chalk Circle was a Canadian alternative rock band formed in 1982 in Newcastle, Ontario. The band originally consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait, bassist Brad Hopkins, keyboardist Tad Winklarz and drummer Derrick Murphy.
The Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble is an ensemble of traditional Chinese musical instruments based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The ensemble performs both at concerts and at community events. Their music encompasses both traditional Chinese pieces and modern music by composers from around the world.
Martha Johnson is a Canadian rock singer, keyboardist, and songwriter. She is best known as the vocalist of the 1980s rock band Martha and the Muffins.
The Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good (guitar), his twin brother Bruce Good (autoharp) and younger brother Larry Good (banjo).
"A Criminal Mind" is a song by Scottish-born Canadian artist Lawrence Gowan. Released in January 1985 as the lead single from second studio album, Strange Animal, it reached number five in Canada. Gowan refers to it as one of his signature songs.
Singing Fools was a short-lived Canadian non-performing musical group based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, composed of musicians Tim Dunlop and Kevin Murphy. The pair wrote and recorded hip hop-style songs with politically focused lyrics.
Rick Herbert Richard Wilkins is a Canadian composer, conductor, and tenor saxophonist. He is primarily known for his work as an arranger. He has worked extensively for CBC and CTV arranging, rehearsing, and often conducting music for television and radio programs of pop-music and variety entertainments. He has arranged music for television specials featuring Julie Amato, Tommy Ambrose, Guido Basso, the Canadian Brass, Burton Cummings, Anne Murray, and Wayne and Shuster among others. In 1976-1977 he worked as a music director for CBS in Los Angeles, where among his projects was directing music for a number of specials starring the Jackson Five.
Roger Matton OC was a Canadian composer, ethnomusicologist, and music educator. As a composer his works are characterized by their association with folklore and folk music.
"I'm an Adult Now" is a song by Canadian band The Pursuit of Happiness (TPOH). It was written in 1985, and produced independently and first released in 1986 as a 12-inch single. Later that year, the band released a self-produced music video. As a result of the video viewership, all copies of the 12-inch single the band had pressed sold out. The song was nominated for "Single of the Year" at the 1987 CASBY Awards. The band became an "independent success story" because of the song and video, and owing to this popularity was signed by Chrysalis Records in 1988. In 1988, a rerecorded version of the song was released.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
