The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia is a two volume encyclopedia of Canadian pop music, available in hardcover and online, detailing Canadian music from 1949 onwards. [1] [2]
The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia was started by Jaimie Vernon on July 1, 1998, as an online service of the Toronto Sun newspaper website CANOE. [3] [4] Vernon had been advised by music journalist John Sakamoto that the Toronto Sun had licensed a music encyclopedia, but that the company was not satisfied with it. They hired Vernon to write a new online edition in 1998. [1]
The encyclopedia was originally based on Vernon's association with independent Canadian label Bullseye Records, [5] established by Vernon in 1985, [6] where Vernon began to collect information about notable Canadian bands. This led to the publication of a music magazine, Great White Noise , which became the blueprint for the eventual hardcover version of the Encyclopedia. [1]
Volume One of the Encyclopedia was released in hardcover March 1, 2012. Volume Two of the Encyclopedia was released in hardcover November 14, 2012. A double sized single edition was released to Long & McQuade Music stores in Canada in 2013 but has since been discontinued. A Volume One e-Book was released in 2013. A Volume Two e-Book was also released in 2013.
The primary criteria for inclusion in the encyclopedia is that a band has been in existence for at least a year and has released music in a commercial format or as a commercially released solo act. [1] Many Canadian music photographers have contributed material to the encyclopedia, including John Rowlands, Andrew MacNaughton, John Fraser and Allison Janzen. [1]
Klaatu was a Canadian rock group formed in 1973 by the duo of John Woloschuk and Dee Long. They named themselves after an ambassador, Klaatu, from an extraterrestrial confederation who visits Earth with his companion robot Gort in the film The Day the Earth Stood Still. After recording two non-charting singles, the band added drummer Terry Draper to the line-up; this trio constituted Klaatu throughout the rest of the band's recording career.
Prism is the debut album by Canadian rock band Prism, released in May 1977 on the Canadian record label GRT. It was produced primarily by Bruce Fairbairn, and the majority of songs were written by Jim Vallance. It achieved platinum status in Canada. Prism peaked at #137 on the Billboard 200 in November 1977.
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.
Headstones is a Canadian punk-influenced rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1989, but on hiatus from 2003 to 2011. Consisting of vocalist Hugh Dillon, guitarist Trent Carr, bassist Tim White, keyboardist Steve Carr and Jesse Labovitz on drums, and a reputation for high energy, 'more rock less super shock' stage presence, and interaction with the audience, they frequently draw capacity crowds at mid-sized venues. Their songwriting tackles many serious and controversial topics. Between 1996 and 2016, Headstones were among the top 150-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 35 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.
Lee Aaron is a Canadian rock singer. She had several hits in the 1980s and early 1990s, such as "Metal Queen", "Whatcha Do to My Body", and "Sex with Love".
Carleton Anthony "Carl" Dixon is a Canadian rock singer, keyboard player and guitarist. He has been a member of the bands Coney Hatch, April Wine and The Guess Who.
I Mother Earth, or IME, is a Canadian rock band. The band formed in 1990 and reached its peak in popularity in the mid-to-late 1990s. After an eight-year hiatus, the band reunited in 2012. Between 1996 and 2016, I Mother Earth was among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 40 selling Canadian bands in Canada.
Paul Valdemar Horsdal,, commonly known as Valdy, is a Canadian folk and country musician whose solo career began in the early 1970s. He is known for "Rock and Roll Song", his first mainstream single. Valdy is the winner of two Juno Awards for Folk Singer of the Year and Folk Entertainer of the Year, and has received seven additional Juno nominations. His fourteen albums, including four which are certified gold, have achieved sales of nearly half a million copies.
Sir Army Suit is the third album recorded by the Canadian rock band Klaatu.
Moxy is a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario, in early 1974. They toured Canada before having a hit in late 1975 with "Can't You See I'm A Star". Moxy then toured the United States on the strength of their radio airplay. Markets in which the band was very popular included Ontario, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, and San Antonio. Joe Anthony, "the Godfather of Rock" in San Antonio on KISS-FM was largely responsible for the popularity of the band in Texas and helped bring about their first headline appearance in the U.S. in 1977, appearing with AC/DC as their opening act.
Doughboys were a Canadian alternative rock band founded in 1987 that were active in the late 1980s and early/mid-1990s. The band was renowned for its musical blend of punk and pop-style melodies.
Robert Joseph "Bob" Segarini is a recording artist, singer, songwriter, composer and radio host. During a professional music career primarily developed between 1968 and the early 1980s, Segarini was particularly popular in Canada. He is also notable as one of the founding members of The Wackers.
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).
Lights Poxleitner-Bokan, known mononymously as Lights, is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. She is known for singles "Drive My Soul", "February Air", "Ice", "Second Go", "Toes", "My Boots" and "Up We Go", which have charted within the top ninety on the Canadian Hot 100. Her work has earned multiple Juno Awards and Canadian Independent Music Awards.
The Scenics are a band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, active from 1976 to 1982, and from 2008 to the present. Their style incorporates punk rock, post-punk, and art punk. The Scenics appeared both in the 1979 Colin Brunton documentary film The Last Pogo and on the accompanying soundtrack album And Now Live from Toronto The Last Pogo with two tracks.
Gary Pig Gold is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, author and journalist. His fanzine The Pig Paper was Canada's second independently published music magazine, and among the recording artists he has worked with are Pat Boone, Dave Rave, Endless Summer, Simply Saucer and Shane Faubert. Gold has written many books on popular music and has contributed to dozens of magazines as well as seven books in the multi-genre MusicHound album guide series. AllMusic describes him as "rock music's all-time hardest-working man ... with all apologies to James Brown".
Margo Isabella Davidson was a founding member of The Parachute Club, for which she was saxophonist, percussionist and vocalist. and an advocate for the homeless.
The Esquires were a Canadian band, based in Ottawa, active from 1962 to 1967. The band is notable as the recipient of the first Juno Award in Canada, as well as being one of Canada's earlier pop music recording acts. The first Canadian music video ever made is said to be that of an Esquires song. The band is also notable as having had Bruce Cockburn as a later member, and also for one of its hit songs, "It's a Dirty Shame", having been written by William Hawkins.
The Tenors are a vocal group consisting of Victor Micallef, Clifton Murray, Alberto Urso, and Mark Masri. They perform operatic pop music that is a mixture of classical and pop, featuring songs such as "The Prayer", Panis angelicus, and Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah.
Madrigal was a Canadian band who had a 1970 hit in two different charts with "I Believe in Sunshine". Their album also made the charts the following year.