Country On Tap 1988

Band: Country On Tap
Year: 1988
Home: Chatham Kent
Genre: Country
Formed: 1983

Members: 
center
Joyce Gagnon – keyboards & vocals

back row (left to right)
Ron Jubenville – acoustic guitar, 5 string banjo, Hammered Dulcimer & vocals
Gabe Gagnon – lead guitar &vocals
Jim Myers – Bass guitar & vocals
Rosaire Emery – Drums & vocals
Dale Rivard – Steel Guitar & vocals

Country On Tap has a long performance history in the area, mainly performing popular & classic country music covers of the day. The band is deep rooted in our musical history along side many others such as the Melody Ramblers, Gary Stocking, & the Jubilaires.

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Lyra

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Band: Lyra
Circa: 1987-1989
Genre: Rock Cover band
Home: Chatham

Members:
Scott Barnes – Vocals
Steve “Skull” Saunders – Guitar
Mark Devries – Guitar
Dave Davidson – Bass
Brad Ondrovcik – Drums

The above pictures were taken at the Aberdeen in Chatham.

  Notes:
  Brad went on to play with Sweet FA, Rockus (later called Blu Bones) and then Legend Killers. As of 2010, he drums for ’63 Monroe
  Steve  moved away and became a touring/gigging musician. Among others, he has played with Thunder Circus, The Flu, Killer Dwarfs, Fear Disorder, Mike Reno, Jimi Jamison, Alan Frew and Revolver. He has played in about 5o different bands over the years as of 2010.
  Scott Barnes plays for the band ‘Teethen Freeks’  Circa 2010.
  Dave went on to play in (among others) Tangled Puppet (mid 90’s), Manpower, and 7th Reign before moving away in the late 2000’s.

Visit Steve’s website here.
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Chris Rupert 1988 Release

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Artist: Chris Rupert
Release Title: Not That Far Away
Sub: Original music for the guitar
Release year: 1988
Format: Cassette Tape
Home: Chatham

Chris Rupert – Classical & steel string guitar

Tracks:
Side A
1. Achieving Orbit 2. Study #1, 3. Panic, 4. Tears, 5. Sometime Next Spring
Side B
6. To Be Continued, 7. Have The Animal, 8. 9/8, 9. Indian Summer Streetlamp, 10. What With Decay And All

Notes: Guitarist and composer Chris Rupert teaches all styles of guitar and composes music (primarily) for classical guitar. He began playing the guitar at age 13, but didn’t begin his focus on the classical guitar until age 17. He studied jazz harmony with Jim Howard while attending Wilfrid Laurier University and received his A.R.C.T. in classical guitar performance at age 25, when he was awarded a gold medal for achieving the highest mark in Canada.
  Chris also released a CD in 2000 entitled ‘Voice to the Soul’. Chris’s talent has made him one of the most respected and ‘referred to’ guitar teachers in Chatham-Kent, along side Tom Lockwood & Steve Fowler.

Visit Chris online here.

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Rough Edge Circa 1988

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Band: Rough Edge
Year Formed: 1988
Circa: 1988-1995
Home: Chatham

Members (L-R)
 Terry O’Hara – bass
Tom Robinson – guitar
Grayling Church – Drums
Pete Howlett (Church) – lead Vocals
Rick Balog – guitar

  Rough Edge played a mix of their own music, as well as cover songs. During the late 80’s, rock took on a life of it’s own with established visual media like MTV and Much Music. Bands again, became very visual and long hair with a touch of glam was perfectly in order and what was leading the scene at the time.
  The band played many venues in the circut, but were most often entertaining in Chatham, Wallaceburg, Sarnia and London. The rock scene was vibrant and Rough Edge was a good band that kept up with the feel good spirit of the time.

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Melody Ramblers 1988

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Band: Melody Ramblers
Home: Chatham Ontario
Year: 1988
Style: Country Music Covers
Sound man: Dan Barette

Above  Photo
(Left to Right)
Dan St.Pierre – Guitar
Eugene Beaulieu – Bass, Vocals
Wendy Jenkins – Vocal
Brad Preston – Guitar, Vocals
Larry St.Pierre – Drums
Rene Brousseau – Pedal Steel

Photo: St. Joachim, Ontario

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Rebel (1988)

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Band: Rebel
Year: 1988
Home: Chatham-Kent Area
Rock Cover Band

Members (L-R)
Steve Eyres – Guitar
Randy Young – Bass
Ken Bell – Vocals. Keys
Rick Chrysler – Drums

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Michelle Wright – Do Right By Me (1988)

Artist : Michelle Wright
Home : Merlin  Ontario Canada
Release Title : Do Right By Me
Music Style : Country
Date : 1988
Recording credits – 1988 Savannah

The Scoop : Wright grew up in Merlin, Ontario and began playing guitar at age 13. During her high school years she was the rhythm guitarist/singer in the band The Marquis, and played in the Melody Ramblers from Chatham.. Following graduation she struck out on her own playing clubs and touring for two years in the United States.

    In 1983 she returned to Canada and won a country music singing competition held in Sudbury, Ontario winning first prize over a competition of 100 people. Soon after she appeared on The Tommy Hunter Show but live performing was in her blood and she soon joined John McCabe And Utah to tour Ontario and Western Canada.

    After the split of the band in mid-1984, she decided to assemble her own group, Drivin’ Wheel, and toured Canada on her own.

    Soon she hooked up with Brian Ferriman of Supervision Management who sent her to two years of steady festivals, fairs and opening slots for some of Canada’s most prestigious country acts in Canada. One fateful gig was at the Maxville, Ontario Music Festival where she hooked up with songwriters Rick Giles and Steve Bogard who convinced here that she needed to get her act together in Nashville. They spent two weeks recording and the result was a three song demo.

    In February 1986 Wright won the CJBX-FM Country Roads Talent Contest in London, Ontario which raised the remainder of the funds for her to finish her recording project. Giles and Bogard flew to Toronto and produced new versions of her three demos and Savannah Records released the first single, “I Want To Count On You” in June of 1986 to critical and chart raves. It helped land her the coveted nomination of Rising Star Of 1986 from the Canadian Country Music Association.

    In early 1987 Savannah released a second single, “New Fool At An Old Game” which went Top-20 across Canada. This encouragement, along with a fistful of new Giles/Bogard tunes led Wright back into the studio to record her debut album ‘Do Right By Me’.

    The album spawned several more singles and it wasn’t long before Arista Records in Nashville flew to Toronto to catch her showcase at the Diamond Club at which time she was offered a US recording contract.
 

Track Listing.
1 The Rhythm Of Romance   2 Do Right By Me   3 I Want To Count On You   4 I Wish I Were Only Lonely   5 A Good Man Is Hard To Find    6 Rock Me Gently   7 New Fool At An Old Game   8 With A Love Like Yours   9 I Don’t Want To Wonder   10 Reaching For The Stars  

 

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M.A.D. – Decisions, Decisions (1988)

First Demo from M.A.D.

Artist: Mutually Assured Destruction
Home: Chatham
Release Title: Decisions, Decisions
Genre: Hard Rock / Metal
Date: 1988 ( possibly 1987)

Musicians:
John Fenton – Vocals
Rob Johnston – Guitars
Mat Davis – Guitar
Ted Hart – Bass
Walt Perin – Drums

The Scoop: This was their first demo. The band quickly became the areas favorite underground band. John Fenton moved out of town in pursuit of a music career leaving Rob to Take over the vocal duties for the next release. The band would go on to record a few records with Fringe.

Track Listing.
Side 1
Smile, Agitate, Social Decline, Dream Of Peace

Side 2
Into The Void, Waste, The Curtain Falls

 

 

Update: In 2004, John Fenton joined the Toronto band Automan.ca as the bass player. http://automan.ca/
Update 2016: Mat Davis heads the Doom Metal Band ‘Castle’, based in San Fran. U.S.A., busy touring Europe, Canada, & The U.S.A.
John Fenton recently joined as bass player for Canadian 80’s rock band ‘Killer Dwarfs’. They continue to tour USA & Canada.

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