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FYI

Toronto Singer's Chess Gambit Turns Into A Major Piece

Phil and Leonard’s groundbreaking ‘50s Chicago label imprint (heralded by their surname), Chess Records, provides the fixings for Elise LeGrow’s debut album that puts a new spin on standards by such greats as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Etta James, Chuck Berry, and The Moonglows.

Toronto Singer's Chess Gambit Turns Into A Major Piece

By FYI Staff

Phil and Leonard’s groundbreaking ‘50s Chicago label imprint (heralded by their surname), Chess Records, provides the fixings for Elise LeGrow’s debut album that puts a new spin on standards by such greats as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Etta James, Chuck Berry, and The Moonglows.


Impressively, LeGrow has found the Dap-Kings and, on the track "Long, Lonely Nights," Questlove and Captain Kirk Douglas from The Roots. Questlove's father, Lee Andrews, co-wrote that ballad in 1965.

"Etta James has been one of my favourite singers for a very long time and, of course, I was aware of Chuck Berry's hits. But I didn't realize that the common thread there was Chess," LeGrow told NPR's Scott Simon over the weekend.

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As she put together the tracklist, LeGrow says, old memories collided with some new surprises. Now 30, she'd heard Chuck Berry's "You Never Can Tell" for the first time as a child, playing behind Uma Thurman and John Travolta in Pulp Fiction's iconic dance sequence. When she put the song on her covers shortlist, her producer revealed he had written an original melody for the lyrics 40 years ago. Their combined efforts resulted in something all LeGrow's own: "I've had some people say it's completely unrecognizable until they hear the line, 'C'est la vie,' " she says.

Looking forward, LeGrow wants to record another set of standards with a live band in the studio. Her rediscoveries will, of course, include her own indelibly tasteful spin on past masters.

The debut is released by Awesome in Canada and in the US on S-Curve Records, an eclectic Chicago-based imprint helmed by Steve Greenberg in 2001 and that has had a stream of noteworthy hits that include "Who Let The Dogs Out?" by Baha Men, "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains of Wayne and Joss Stone's first two albums, The Soul Sessions and Mind Body & Soul.

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Triumph
Courtesy photo

Triumph

FYI

Thousands of Canadians to Join in Triumph's 'Hold On' As a Cross-Country Sing-Along to Celebrate Music Education

The 1979 hit song is this year's Music Monday selection, an annual event by the Coalition of Music Education that unites the country in performances of the same song, on the same day, at the same time.

"Hold On," one of the biggest hits of Canadian Music Hall of Famers Triumph, will gain fresh life from being chosen as the anthem for Music Monday 2025.

On May 5, 2025 Coalition for Music Education will celebrate Music Monday with a cross-country sing-along to raise awareness for music education. This annual event celebrates the unifying power of music as thousands of Canadians join in singing and performing its anthem at their schools and other community events.

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