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Music Store: Sound Shop
City: Chatham Ontario Canada
Opened: Circa 1958
Closed: Jan. 1983
Notes: Sound Shop, one of Chatham’s first music stores, is closing after 25 years. The store on four King Street was owned by Gwen and Paul Beardsal.
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Above pic from 1983
Band: Driftwood
Home: Chatham Kent
Circa: 1981 – 1989
Style: Modern Country Music
Members:
Back Row L-R
Carlos Vinagre – Drums
Dennis Soliginy – Bass Guitar / Vocals
Roger LaPointe – Acoustic Guitar / Vocals
Front Row L-R
Jack Sullivan – Lead Guitar / Vocals
Gary Stocking – Drum / Vocals
Other Members:
Tim Gardner: Lead Guitar / Vocals
Bob McIntyre: Lead Guitar / Vocals
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Band: Ground Zero
Circa: 1983-84
Style: Popular music of the times
Home: Chatham Kent Ontario
Members:
(From left to right)
Mark Tremblay – Keyboards
Tom Lockwood – Guitar
Diane Sasso – vocals
John Mcmahon – Drums
Marc Haslip – Bass, Vocals
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Band: River Road
Year: 1983
Home: Chatham Ontario
Genre: Uptown Country Music
Members:
Ray Violot – Keyboards and Guitar
Mike Crone – Bass
Dan Noordermeer – Guitar
Ron Baldwin – Drums
River Road performed at the Kingsway allot and were all highly skilled players.
At about this time, Ray began to slow down with the band performances and took on single shows in piano bars. Ray was very talented and played several instruments. He began playing in the Chatham Concert band in 1985 playing the stand up sting bass, percussion, and guitar. He also became busy with University.
Mike Crone would join Manpower in 1985, who would become one of the longest running bands in Chatham.
Dan chose to leave town to pursue music full time. He eventually joined Jeff Healey’s blues band touring Europe and elsewhere. He was the second guitar player on a couple Jeff Healy CD’s released before Jeff’s tragic loss to cancer in 2008. Dan was also in the house band at Jeff Healy’s bar in Toronto which saw famous special musical guests almost every weekend. Noted as one of the best bar bands in the world for their diversity and skill in musicianship, Dan’s skill has landed him some of the finest jams with many stars.
2007 – Dan Noordermeer in the Jeff Healey Blues Band
If video does not appear, watch it here.
2009 Update: Guitarist extraordinaire Dan Noordermeer continues to dazzle audiences with his formidable talents. Originally from Chatham, Dan now resides in Hamilton. Dan is known for his Samson-like mane of hair and his wicked sense of humour. Unlikely as it seems, Dan was a full time country musician for many years before joining the band. But for those familiar with his playing it’s no surprise, since he has an uncanny ability to play every style of music with incredible authenticity, passion and virtuosity. Dan Noordermeer has been with The Dave Murphy Band for almost a decade.
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Artist: Bradley J. Preston
Release: 45 RPM Single
Year: 1983
Home: Chatham Ontario
Genre: Country vocalist
Born: 1951
Note: This is Bradley’s first professional recording.
Tracks
Side A: In The Spring The Roses Always Turn Red (Dorsey Burnette)
Side B: You Gave Me A Mountain (Marty Robbins)
Bradley J. Preston is currently a singer with the popular local country band “The Melody Ramblers”.
He has taken an extra step by recording a single and producing 1000 copies at his own expense of $5,000. This effort to branch out has taken Mr. Bradley to a career touring the U.S.A., Canada, and over seas.
In the 1970’s, Chatham was a hot spot for musicians with around 400 people in the local Union. There were more venues (Clubs, bars, legions etc) to play in Chatham than most surrounding cities offered. Bands would play six nights a week at a venue than move on to the next. They would have the calendar year booked solid before the year started.
Then, the drinking laws changed and venues were only able to offer bands two to three nights in a row to play. If you wanted to make a living playing music, you now had to travel to find the work. Bradley chose to pursue music and this took him on a journey into places he had never been before. It was a risk, a chance, and an adventure. Bradley went for it. S. Beaulieu
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Band: Advanced Green
Release: two song 45 record.
Home: Chatham Ontario Canada
Year: 1983
Formed: 1983
Music: Covers and originals
Style: Rock
Members:
Jeff Parker (28) – Vocals, Guitar
Steve Fowler (29) – Guitar
Brent Hunter (30) – Bass
Pat Crone (28) – Drums
History :
• Pat & Brent were members of ‘The Force’ that would later name change to Manpower
• Jeff was the front man for ‘Hat Trick’ and his solo projects
• Steve is best known for his solo work, collaborations with major acts and performing in Quadrant
The band made waves quickly, drawing attention for their song writing. They captured first place and the rock category for their song “Long Nights”. They also received an honorable mention for their song “Get to the Point”.
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Band: Texas
Formed: 1980
Disbanded: 1985
Genre: Southern Rock and Country.
Members
(Clockwise from Left)
Les Hoffman – Lead guitar
Mark Wolfe – Drums
Waide Holland – Keyboards, Vocals
Randy Young – Bass, Vocals
Eddy Larsen (Ole) – Guitar, Vocals (Front)
Notes:
The band ran from 1980 to 1985 and was a road band. During this time, a new kind of country was emerging with bands like Alabama and the popularity of southern rock with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Texas was a popular cover band to see during this period of time. It was common for a band to play the same venue for six nights a week then move to the next.
Eddie Larsen and Waide Holland played together in their high school aged band “Zeke and the Moonshiners”. Zeke and the Moonshiners would later change their name to “The Missing Links”, the most popular rock and roll band to record a vinyl LP from this area in the sixties. Their old buddy drummer (from The Missing Links 1966) Bill McGrath became a booking agent in Toronto for high end acts and took on Texas as a client. This favour helped give Texas the ability to develop quickly and professionally into a solid band with greater opportunities.
Texas toured Ontario from Quebec to Michigan playing night clubs and shows which included a concert in The Royal York Hotel, Toronto. Texas also wrote and recorded several original songs slated for their first album.
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Band: Home Grown
Year: 1983
Home: Chatham Ontario
Formed: Late 70’s, ran for 4-5 years.
Members
(Top Row)
Clint Benoot – Pedal Steel, Guitar
Mark Buckwheat – Guitar, Vocals
Phil Hernandez – Bass, Vocals
(Bottom Row)
Gary Saunders – Guitar, Vocal
Tony Meriano – Drums
Notes: The band teamed up with Bothwell song writer Bonnie Kirschner Hind to record her song as a Terry Fox Tribute.
The song was released to radio stations across the country. 1000 rpm records were made.
Outside of the band, Clint and Tony were also the faces every musician in town knew. They were both partners at Musical Strings ‘N’ Things, who opened their doors for business in 1972.
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Notes: The CD contains a mix of original music and covers.
At age 21, Wendy is lucky to live two good lives as one. By day, she works as a quality control technician after graduating with honors from Ridgetown College. By night, she is a country singer with her single “Look out Love” that is in the top 50 of the country and western Charts.
Wendy has also been performing in ‘The Melody Ramblers’ for the past two years. They are a popular local country band that originally formed in 1953.
The new album was recorded in Nashville and Toronto.
Tracks:
01. He’s Cheatin’ On Me
02. One Big Happy Family
03. Walk Softly When You Go
04. (Just) Two Lonely People
05. Look Out Love
06. Turn The Light On
07. Rivers Of My Mind
08. I Did My Best (not to love him)
09. Blame It On The Rain
10. It’s Not Me
Photos: M. Martin
Music Samples in the video below
If video does not appear, watch it here.
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The Motives
Year: 1983 (article)
Style: New Wave
Home: Chatham Ontario
Members:
Marty Wright – Guitar
Tim Gilbert – Bass
Marty Spacil – Drums
The band plays covers and original music and is currently the only New Wave band in Chatham. All members are in their early twenties.
Wright moved here from Toronto about five years ago and played in local rock bands before forming this outfit.
The band plays about 45% original music while the rest is covers of new wave British bands. They do play a few beach style songs and some classics.
It is brought to my attention the band was circa 19080-81, but the newspaper clipping was in 1983, unless I documented it wrong.
(Photo from CDN)
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Band: Southern Comfort
Year: 1983
Home: Chatham, Wallaceburg and Windsor
Style: Top 40 and country rock
Members
(Back Row L-R)
Chuck Fitzgerald – Guitar, Vocals
Dave Holland – Guitar, Vocals
Dan O’Neil – Drums
Front Row
Diane Sasso
Note: The band was together from ’82 to ’85. Dan and Chuck are from Chatham.
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Band: Melody Ramblers
Home: Chatham Kent Ontario Area.
Year: 1983
Style: Top 40 country
Members (L-R)
Larry St. Pierre – Drums
Rene Brousseau – Pedal Steel
Weny Jenkins – Vocal
Brad Preston – Guitar, Vocals
Richard St.Denis – Bass
Dan St.Pierre – Guitar
Notes: Richard St. Denis joins the band on bass and Rene switches from bass to pedal steel.
Click the picture below to see the bands set list from 1983.
Set List
Chatham Music Archive 