Rock Wars

Last updated
Rock Wars
Genre variety
Starring Brad Giffen
Country of originCanada
No. of seasons1
Production
Production locations Vancouver, British Columbia
Release
Original network CBC Television
Original releaseFebruary 1, 1985 (1985-02-01) 
May 1985 (1985-05)

Rock Wars is a Canadian television variety series, which aired in 1985 on CBC Television. [1] A national "battle of the bands" competition, the series featured unsigned musical groups competing in a series of regional concerts held in various cities across Canada, with the winner of each episode advancing to another round of competition until the ultimate winner was named at a final concert staged in Vancouver, British Columbia. [1]

Hosted by Brad Giffen, [2] the program aired on Friday nights as a companion to the network's music video series Good Rockin' Tonite . [1] Judges over the course of the series included Keith Sharp of Music Express , [3] Samantha Taylor of CBC's Video Hits and CFNY-FM program director David Marsden. [3]

The winner of the competition was to receive a half-hour CBC Television special devoted to the band, [3] as well as a cash prize of CA$100,000. [3]

The series was won by Tchukon, a funk and rhythm and blues band from Montreal, Quebec, [4] over finalists Eye Eye, HB Concept and Peter Mann and the Lonely. [3] Other competitors over the course of the series included Monuments Galore, [5] The Instructions, [5] The Rage, [5] The Stilettos, [5] Eight Seconds, [3] The Waiting, [3] Haywire, [3] Mad Shadows, [3] Steps Around the House, [3] Apple Viper, [1] Zlatko [1] and The Micah Barnes Band. [1]

Tchukon later went on to win Best Vocal Group in the 1986 edition of the American series Star Search . [3]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "CBC opens fire with Rock Wars". The Globe and Mail , February 1, 1985.
  2. "CITY-TV rocks host revamps pop video show". Toronto Star , February 18, 1988.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Keith Sharp, Music Express: The Rise, Fall & Resurrection of Canada's Music Magazine. Dundurn Press, 2014. ISBN   9781459721951. p. 143.
  4. "Polished Tchukon charms fans". Montreal Gazette , June 17, 1985.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "From the CBC archives: Bands battle on CBC's Rock Wars in Winnipeg, 1985". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, February 20, 2015.