Ralph Murphy 2012 Hall of Fame

Ralph

Name: Ralph James Murphy
Year: 2012
Raised: Wallaceburg Ontario
Born: Saffron Walden, England, 1944.
Resides: Nashville
Position: performer, producer, songwriter, publisher, and most recently, Vice President, International and Domestic Membership, ASCAP.

Ralph Murphy inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

Canadian songwriter/producer/author Ralph Murphy is a lifetime achiever in the Music Business. Leaving Canada for Liverpool in 1965 led to his first #1 production/writing credit, “Call My Name” by James Royal in 1966. His early successes in Europe set the stage for his return to Toronto to produce platinum albums for April Wine (You Could Have Been A Lady) and in 1971 to have his first huge Country hit by Jeannie C. Riley (Good Enough To Be Your Wife). While in Nashville in 1972 to collect his first (of many) ASCAP Country Awards he felt excited by the creative environment and moved there to start a Publishing/production company with his pal Roger Cook. His songs have been recorded and released by dozens of artists like Randy Travis, Shania Twain, Ray Price, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Kathy Mattea, Micky Gilley and so many more. Having had chart success as a writer in every decade since the sixties puts him in a rare club. His newly released Murphy’s Laws of Songwriting, “The Book” has become a best seller with professional songwriters, universities and songwriter organizations worldwide. He is also the only Canadian to have been President of the Nashville Songwriters Association (NSAI), President of the Nashville Chapter of the Recording Academy (NARAS) and a National Trustee of NARAS. He has served on the Canadian Country Music Association Board, as well as the Songwriters Guild of America regional advisory board and the Southern Regional Writers Advisory board of ASCAP. Most recently he was presented the Jo Walker-Meador International Achievement Award by the Country Music Association (CMA) for services to Country Music worldwide. He is an active member of the CCMA, CMA, NARAS, Songwriters Association of Canada, SGA and ASCAP. – Caanadian Country Music Association.

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Email your info & pics to: chatham_music_archive@hotmail.com

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Lou Hooper Piano

Name: Lou Hooper (Louis Stanley)
Release: Piano
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Year: 1973
Genre: Jazz
Label: Radio Canada International
Catalog#: RCI 380

Role:  Pianist, composer
Home: Chatham Kent (North Buxton)
Life: May 18th 1894 – Sept 17th 1977

Album Track List
A1   Blame It On The Blues 
A2   In A Mist  
A3   Canadian Capers  
A4   South Sea Strut   
A5   Russian Rag   
A6   Scene From An Imaginary Ballet (SC. 4) 
B1   Scene From An Imaginary Ballet (SC. 2)  
B2   Black Cat Blues  
B3   Spring Fever 
B4   Cakewalk 
B5   Alaskan Rag 
B6   Uncle Remus Stomp

  His father took him at three to Ypsilanti, Mich, where he sang solos in church and at 12 played the trombone in the Hooper Brothers Orchestra.
  While he was studying piano 1911-21 at the Detroit Cons, he played in various local dance and theatre orchestras.

  He lived 1921-7 in Harlem (New York), studying 1923-4 at the Martin-Smith Music School (a subsidiary of the Damrosch Institute – later the Juilliard School). He recorded with Elmer Snowden (banjo) and Bob Fuller (clarinet) under several names, eg, the Three Jolly Miners, the Three Monkey Chasers, for Vocalion, Columbia, etc and also backed the trumpeters Johnny Dunn and Louis Metcalf, the singers Ethel Waters, Ma Rainey, Mamie Smith, and other leading jazz and blues performers of the day. Hooper accompanied Paul Robeson on tour in 1926 and travelled as a member of Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds of 1928.

Hooper returned to Canada in 1932, living first in Toronto – he performed at the 1932 CNE – and then, as of 1933, in Montreal, where he joined Myron Sutton’s Canadian Ambassadors, an all-black dance band active in Quebec and Ontario. Hooper formed and conducted a male choir, the Hooper Southern Singers, in concerts and on CKAC radio. He also played in local dance and jazz bands and taught piano. Oscar Peterson was one of his pupils. After a term in Europe during World War II with the Royal Canadian Artillery in which he served mainly as a pianist and entertainer in charge of Canadian concert parties, Hooper returned to Montreal, playing and teaching in increasing obscurity.

In 1962 he was rediscovered by Montreal jazz enthusiasts and subsequently celebrated as a surviving link to the early history of recorded jazz. He was honored by the International Association of Record Collectors in 1973 and by the Canadian Congress of Collectors in 1977. A new recording, the LP Lou Hooper (1973, RCI 380), a collection of ragtime pieces, included his own Black Cat Blues, The Cakewalk, South Sea Strut, and Uncle Remus Stomp. According to Tex Wyndam in Coda (March 1976): ‘Although slightly on the academic and restrained side, the solos have a firm, bright rhythm, are cleanly executed, and generate a mood of confidence and good cheer’. Other Hooper rags date to as late as 1975, the year in which he joined the faculty of the University of Prince Edward Island. He also wrote a ballet, Congo, staged in 1976. In the summer before his death he was a regular performer on CBC (Halifax) TV’s ‘The Old-Fashioned New-Fangled Vaudeville Show’.
Source.

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Social Code ROCK ‘N’ ROLL Release

Band: Social Code
Release: ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
Date: 2009
Style: Rock
Home: Alberta
Chatham Connection: Travis Nesbitt (vocals) was born and raised in Chatham Ontario Canada.

Band Members:
Travis Nesbitt – Vocals
Logan Jacobs – Bass
Ben Shillabeer – Drums
Morgan Gies – Guitar

Official band note: During the “freezing cold of an Edmonton winter” with producer John Travis, who made a name for himself working with such heavyweights as Kid Rock, Buckcherry and Sugar Ray.  It strips away the pop punk and radio flavour-of-the-day tracks that Social Code had been known for, and delivers the red meat of the music. From the gloriously grinding and noisy first single Satisfied and the catchy as all hell Buy Buy Baby to the heavy, boogie rocker Fight For Love and the surefire heartbreak, prairie rock anthem I’m Not OK, the 10 tracks draw on influences as seminal as Springsteen, Zeppelin, The Stones, Cheap Trick and The Black Crowes while being entirely true to the band’s own sound.

The band will be playing Chatham Sunday Nov.22 2009 at Encore.

Track Listing:
Rock ‘N’ Roll
Nothing Left To Lose
Satisfied
Buy Buy Baby
Real Girl
Fight For Love
You Never Know What You Got Until It’s Gone
Stay
I’m Not Ok
Too Late For Tomorrow

Credits:
Produced by John Travis
Mixed by Mike Fraser
Additional Production on “Satisfied” & “I’m Not Ok” by Logan Jacobs

Note: I have been lucky enough to share shows with Social Code a few times and I can tell you that they are a great bunch of guys who are appreciative of the scene.  Usually headliners get cocky and fill the stage with gear leaving opening bands with little room to do anything.  When playing with these guys, they offered to share drum kits and do whatever possible to make it easiest for all bands to get a fair shake in stage show and ease of transitions. These guys deserve your support and it is nice to see that they have maintained their Canadian courtesy & politeness despite such a jaded world they travel upon. I am not a band ass kisser by any means, these guys have worked hard and do it the right way. S. Beaulieu

Social Code Discography:
1999 – Binbox – as Fifth Season
2001 – Patiently Waiting – as Fifth Season
2004 – A Year at the Movies
2007 – Social-Code
2009 – ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

• Social Code disbanded in 2012.

  So what ever happened to Chatham’s Travis Nesbitt? See the pic below.
  

  
  Visit Social Code here.
  Listen to Social Code here.

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Quadrant band 1975

Click to enlarge

Band: Quadrant
Year: 1975
Style: Rock
Home: Chatham Ontario

Members
Steve Fowler – Guitar
Mark Tremblay – Keyboards
Bob Wilson – Bass
Rick Chrysler – Drums

  Quadrant was probably the most popular local band at this time and all that without any vocals. The band was a cast of brilliant musicians in an era where prog rock was coming to be championed.
 The cool story about this band is that they were being scoped out by the same management company as RUSH, who were on the verge of international success, but before anyone knew that Rush would ever achieve it. This music style was still new and the buzz around Quadrant was huge. The only problem with signing the band would be the fact that there is no vocalist. This creates a marketing block for the record labels who don’t know how to sell this creative music.

It is also worth noting that some of the bands original material sounds similar to what Rush would put out on their next record. It is true that Rush could have easily had Quadrant’s demo (passed to them by management) and took some thoughts from it.  It is best to leave that tidbit as a mystery, but the fact is Quadrant was an innovative and talented band from here. S. Beaulieu

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Chatham-Kent Mountaineers CD Release

 

 

Band: The Chatham-Kent Mountaineers
Debut Release: Feed ‘em Their Teeth
Release Year: 2009

Home: Chatham-Kent Ontario
Formed: 2008

 Notes:
The Chatham-Kent Mountaineers are a Celtic and East Coast influenced band that also play Irish drinking songs in good spirits and entertainment.

Members:
Dan Davidson – drums
Stew Morton – vocals, guitar
Kevin O’Brien – bass, vocals
Rob Rankin – banjo, mandolin
Mark Stacey – vocals, guitar
Alysson Storey – fiddle, flute, vocals

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Square Root Of Margaret Canadian Tour (2008).

Poster

Band

    Click the picture above to enlarge & see the dates for the Cross Canada Tour.

      This is also about the time that Ben Srokosz joined the band as the new drummer. 2008 also saw the release ‘Time Machines Box Set Volume 1’. I bought one and was impressed. It came in a custom box. It included a retro style zine, their first 3 CDs, stickers, SROM matches and a few other cool things.

   Below is a video interview with the boys on the Rogers Television Show. This “London Calling”, episode aired in early 2008.. This edited version talks a little bit about Chatham Kent & how the band came to be.

If Vid does not appear, watch it here.

CHRIS HART – Lonesome Blood (2000)

CD

Artist: CHRIS HART
Release: Lonesome Blood
Date: 2000
Home: From Merlin (Chatham-Kent), moved to London

Musicians:
Chris Hart – acoustic guitar and vocals
Dan Brodbeck – electric guitar and backing vocals
Joel Parkins – electric guitar
Shaun Sanders – electric guitar and acoustic
Jerry Fletcher – pedal steel
Mike Bonnell – hammond b3, wurlitzer and piano
Casey Peavoy – harmonica
Jeff Fountain – bass
Ted Peacock – drums

Tracks
Shoot Me To Sleep, Lonesome Blood, Dirt Beneath Your Feet, Drifting Away, Dead Savannah, The Simple Truth, The Perfect Ending, Wish I Could Turn Around, Eternally Blue

Digitally recorded At DB Studios in London, Ontario, Canada
Engineered and mixed By Dan Brodbeck at DB Studios

All songs written by Chris Hart, except Dead Savannah written by Theodore Hart. All songs registered Socan © 2001

* Watch CD preview below.

Listen to The CD here: http://chrwradio.com/lma/2001/Chris%20Hart%20-%20Lonesome%20Blood/hart.htm

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Demo Kid – Home Demos Volume 1 (2007)

CD Cover

Demo Kid

Artist: Demo Kid
Release: Home Demos Volume 1
Date: 2007
Home: Chatham Kent Ontario

Members:
Shawn B – All instruments, vocals

Notes:
* All music performed, written, arranged, produced & recorded by Shawn B.
* Jesse V. is also a contributor & writer to ideas and helps out doing vocals on some tracks.
* This is a collection of home demos/ first draft versions of songs written for fun. They are here in their most raw form, captured as ideas.
* Demo Kid previously wrote and played guitar for Foster Child, The Janet Theory and Dead Girls Union.

Watch the CD video preview below

If video does not appear above, watch it here.

Read a review of the album online here.

Tracks
1. The last day of summer
2. To die for
3. Never let you go
4. With someone else now
5. Another stupid love song
6. Best Friend
7. Guardian Angel
8. Drunk and Happy
9. Will you forgive me… (Free Download)
10. The things you didn’t know
11. Bad habits are hard to break
12. Dance like you mean it
13. Kid in the corner
14. Goth girl tragedy
15. Kiss and tell (Rumors)
16. Role model zero
17. Would you still love me if?
18. Never saw it coming
19. Keep your pants on
20. I want to be used by you
21. Our little secret
22. I don’t want to be like you
23. Told you so
24. Mom and pop stores (Free MP3 Download)

Watch & Listen to Demo Kid online at You Tube here.___________________________________

Michael Schatte – Hard Ticket (2006)

Artist: Michael Schatte
Release: Hard Ticket
Year: 2006
Home: Originally from Chatham

   Michael began his early career in music in a Chatham blues band called Midnight Mojo.
   Michael Schatte:  all vocals and instruments including electric, acoustic, and 12 string guitars; drums; electric bass; mandolin; violin; German button accordion; piano accordion; organ, piano, and electric piano synths; harmonica; and various percussive items
   All songs written by Michael Schatte except tracks 3, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 12

   Recorded at Mithrandir Studios, Chatham, ON, Canada between the months of May and August, 2005
Mastered by Bob Hiltz at Eyrespace Studios, Chatham, ON

   Though Hard Ticket is unapologetically guitar-driven, it also showcases Michael’s considerable chops on both the mandolin and violin, both of which add wonderful colour to the album’s already diverse palette. There’s something on this record for everyone – searing blues, rootsy pop-rock, bluegrass, New Orleans flavoured “feel-good music”, country, folk and even instrumental celtic-rock – it’s both difficult to categorize and easy to enjoy!

1. Turn
2. Room For Me 
3. Hey Pocky Way
4. Crying Uncle  
5. The Hardest Part
6. Tear Stained Letter
7. If You Be My Baby 
8. Slow Burn 
9. All Work and No Play
10. Tipsy On the Cork
11. Under A Stormy Sky
12. Big Chimney
13. Aspasia  mp3 snippet
14. Five Alive

Visit Michael Schatte on the web at www.michaelschatte.com.

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