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Turner & Porter
Steve Cranwell
FYI
Obituaries: Record Label Executive Steve Cranwell, Music Journalist and Broadcaster Chris Twomey
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Pittsburgh rock singer-songwriter Donnie Iris.
1h
Editor's Note: Head here for an obituary of Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins.
Steve Cranwell, a veteran Canadian record label executive and former executive director of MusiCounts, died on Oct. 17, at age 68.
An official obituary reported the news, noting that ''It is with great sadness to announce the passing of Steve Cranwell, a known and loved figure in the Canadian music industry, husband, father, brother and uncle.''
''Steve was born in Scarborough, January 4, 1958 before moving to San Francisco in his formative years as a teen. Living in California, Steve developed his enduring love of music and lifelong friendships. As a young adult, he moved to Calgary, where his parents and brother resided. In Calgary, he met his future wife, Joanne Winkelaar, and together they relocated to Toronto where they had their two beloved sons, Liam and Jules.''
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Cranwell's first record label position was in the mid-1980s, as a promo and sales rep for WEA in Calgary. He joined PolyGram on June 16, 1986 and had a 21+ year career at Polygram/Universal, in various roles.
After beginning as a promotion representative, he became a product manager in 1991, and then a director of product marketing at PolyGram in Oct. 1993. Cranwell's next step up was to vice president of marketing, Mercury/Polydor, in February 1996, followed by a promotion to senior vice president, U/I/D (Universal Island DefJam), in Oct. 2001. He retained that role until his departure from the company in Nov. 2007.
Randy Lennox, the former president/CEO of Universal Music Canada, was a close friend and colleague of Cranwell at the label. In a tribute he provided Billboard Canada, Lennox states that ''Steve was one of those rare music lovers who pursued his passion for music from the very beginning and ended up being an incredible senior head of marketing for Universal. A tremendously kind, passionate and generous man. We will miss Steve tremendously.''
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Former Warner Music Canada president Steve Kane worked closely with Cranwell and, alongside Randy Lennox, delivered one of the eulogies at the celebration of life event held on Nov. 1. He sent this tribute to Billboard Canada: '''I enjoyed a partnership with Steve when he was vp of marketing for divisions I ran at PolyGram and then later Universal. One of the things I remember fondly was how great it was to see shows with Steve. Watching Steve at a show made the show better. He’d dance, laugh uproariously, cry…sometimes he’d do them all at once. He was creative, joyful and kind.''
From 2008 to 2010, Cranwell was a judge on the YTV reality show The Next Star, alongside Suzie McNeil, Christopher Ward and Adamo Ruggiero. In a feature story in the National Post, Cranwell commented that the judges were looking for ''something called that 'it factor' or that 'X factor.' It’s this fourth dimension that emanates from certain people. You can’t manufacture it. It’s an innate quality that people have.''
From Aug. 2009 to July 2011, Cranwell also had a stint as executive director of MusiCounts, the music education charity affiliated with CARAS and the Juno Awards.
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His obituary candidly reports that ''As Steve’s career wound down, he began a difficult battle with mental illness and alcohol.''
It reflects that ''At this painful time, our grief is lessened by focusing on the happy time’s in Steve’s life. For decades, he touched so many people, helped establish careers and was an unfailingly loyal friend and colleague. He was kind and generous, charming and funny. An often heard refrain was 'I had the most fun of my life that night with Steve' (no hyperbole there). He lived at the extremes and his charisma and energy were infectious.''
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Those assessments were affirmed in a flood of affectionate tributes to Cranwell posted on social media or offered to Billboard Canada. Here is a selection.
Record label veteran and musician Scott Morin posted a tribute on Facebook that reads, in part: ''We lost our leader, our best friend, our amazing mo-fo of a music lover and one of the most passionate music people in any of our collective lifetimes.''
''He was also my best friend in Toronto for the 15 years I lived and worked there, and a dear mentor and supporter of me in my life, good times and not so good. We were laid off from our dream jobs at Universal Music Canada on the same day, which will forever be known as Black Friday to him and I and a few others, but we stayed in close touch for over 15 years after that day, and I loved him very, very much.
''Steve was a beautiful man inside and out who was innately kind, soulful, and blessed with an old school gut for great music and hit records that was second to none in my book.
''Like me with Prince, Steve had a deep, deep love for David Bowie. Steve told me on numerous times that he wanted me to play his favourite song, David Bowie's 'Wild is the Wind,' should he ever leave before i did. So, Stever, I'm gonna do that for you this weekend in Toronto in your private celebration of life. In the meantime, I love you bro, my dear friend and boss, and will never, ever forget you.''
Fellow Universal Music Canada executive Ivar Hamilton, to Billboard Canada: ''We worked together at PolyGram throughout the '90s and into the 2000s at Universal Music Canada. Not only was Steve one of the best bosses I ever had, he also really stepped out and became a very good friend.
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''At PolyGram and UMC, we were given exceptional freedom and creative ideas were always welcomed with open ears. Steve was a great record man and a very big music lover. Not only was he behind the big projects, he supported many of the new and up and coming bands, many that were on distributed Canadian labels, direct signings or Beggars Banquet & 4AD.
''Under Steve Kane and Steve Cranwell, we had one of the best marketing teams in the country. Livia Tortella, Tony Szambor, Shawn Marino, Paul Jessop, Donna Lidster, Tyson Parker, Chris Moncada, Jo Faloona, Sharon Douce, Mary Kazis, Thom McKercher, Laura Van Leest, Russ Prowse, Samantha Johnson, Sara Milne and many others all worked together at Mercury/Polydor and then later at Island Def Jam under Steve. He lived the music business, loved his music and loved his friends. We’ll miss him very much.''
Former UMC publicist Mima Agozzino (now with Massey Hall) on Facebook: ''So saddened to hear about Steve Cranwell's passing. Truly had some of my most favourite career memories during my Island Def Jam time at Universal Music Canada because of him. Sending love to those closest to him.''
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Guitarist/composer and author Sean Kelly, on Facebook: ''Steve was a such a nice man. He was a real champion for my classical guitar album at Universal, and I will always be grateful for the kindness he showed to me. My sincere condolences to his family and friends.''
Former label A&R exec Dave Porter, on Facebook: ''Such a damned shame. He was so supportive of my weird signings and was such a lover of life.''
Barry Roden, Toronto music industry photographer (Facebook): '':My heroes are all of you people in the industry who called me to capture the moment and are the people at the shoot as part of the epic moment. Steve was one of the people that I photographed at those epic moments He had a very warm demeanour and a great smile. I never got to know Steve, never had a drink or went out for dinner, but he is part of our industry family and it’s hitting hard right now of his passing as others we have lost recently. R.I.P.''
Veteran music journalist Larry LeBlanc, on Facebook: ''Steve was one of the brightest and most passionate people I’ve met in music. Always a bright moment in talking with him.''
Jason Olaine, music director, Fillmore Jazz Festival, on Facebook: ''I have fond memories of our Verve hangs and had a ton of respect for Steve as a pro’s pro with a kind heart and a deep love for the music and artists.''
A private Celebration of Life was held in Toronto on Nov. 1.
Chris Twomey, a music journalist, radio host, DJ, record retailer and promoter who had a major impact on the Toronto underground and experimental music scene, died on Oct. 14, of cancer, at age 66.
The news was posted on social media by Terry Costantino, who stated that ''Sadly, I can confirm the passing of Chris Twomey, my beloved partner of over 40 years. I'm comforted by the expressions of appreciation for his rich contribution to the music scene in Toronto. There will be a casual celebration of life at our home soon.''
In biographical notes forwarded to Billboard Canada, music journalist Phil Saunders termed his friend Twomey ''among the most influential music retailers and promoters in Toronto in the eighties and nineties. He graduated from the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson [now Toronto Metropolitan University] during a period of influence in both media and culture.
''As music director and assistant program director at Ryerson's campus station CKLN, he had a major influence in proto-industrial and experimental music during a vital period.''
Twomey's father, John E. Twomey, was a Professor Emeritus in the School of Radio and Television Arts at what was then known as Ryerson.
Later, Chris Twomey was a programmer for University of Toronto's CIUT-FM and online stations Virtually Canadian and 1Groove.com. CIUT's longtime station manager Ken Stowar informs Billboard Canada that ''Chris Twomey is fondly remembered by CIUT-FM. Chris hosted 'New Powers' on the station from early through to late 1990s. He brought an eclectic and at times dark feel and presentation to his radio program. I was one of the few that could make him smile or laugh. He was a big part of the fabric that made up the arts scene in Toronto.''
Twomey was active on many different fronts. As well as his influential shows on CKLN and CIUT and online stations, he wrote extensively on music for such publications as Exclaim!, Nerve, MusicWorks and Toronto Italian-Canadian weekly Tandem.
Ian Danzig, founder/publisher at Exclaim! Media, tells Billboard Canada that ''Chris Twomey contributed to Exclaim! Magazine in the '90s as one of our fellow campus/community radio programmers instrumental in expanding our passionate media voice. Chris was well known as a DJ, music journalist, record collector and record seller who was singular in his relentless promotion and genuine passion for cultural obscurities.
''We were all deep fans of music culture, looking to further amplify our sonic interests but Chris was peerless as a legitimate scholar of industrial and experimental music that he carried with both attitude and a deep seriousness. Beyond his specific areas of expertise, his breadth of music knowledge was shockingly deep. I still remember some of our conversations connecting rock genres of the '60s and '70s to the socio-economic class of the people who created them. Chris's intensity had a lasting impact on both me and Exclaim! Media as a whole.''
In a Facebook tribute, Nerve publisher and editor Dave MacIntosh noted that ''Chris certainly knew an extraordinary amount about Industrial and experimental music. He wrote articles for my mag Nerve that were so detailed we had to print them in virtually unreadable 8-point type. I feel bad about that actually because the stuff he was championing was very much the future. How did he know so much obscure stuff before the internet?''
Twomey also worked as a tastemaking staffer at Toronto's Record Peddler store. After Record Peddler, he continued his DJ work, ran a stall of music at Seeker’s books and worked on his own music. In its profile, groovy.net reported that ''among his many highlights as a DJ was the first performance of his experimental Drone Mix at the record-setting concert atop the CN Tower by the British rock band Spiritualized in 1997.''
''Twomey's Drone Mix performances utilized four channels of vinyl and CD sound sources. Inspired by the techno and chill out DJ movement but working with experimental material Twomey set up a drone environment with frequencies from low to high. He did this evolving performance at concerts by Panasonic and Spiritualized; and at a Wabi collective event.''
Twomey hosted Toronto's first dedicated industrial music specialty night on Sundays at the famous Nuts & Bolts nightclub.
Phil Saunders reports that [legendary Toronto promoter Gary Topp ''frequently hired Twomey to open his shows in the nineties, because [in Topp's words] 'I hated the nineties. I was just burned out, so I hired Chris because I knew he’d do a good job and would enjoy it, and I was right. He was better than anybody else at doing that.'''
On social media, many Toronto musicians and listeners expressed their respect for Twomey and his musical knowledge. Here is a selection.
Music curator and critic David Dacks worked with Twomey at CIUT and encountered him while working at Exclaim! and as artistic and executive director at The Music Gallery. He recalled on Facebook that ''My radio show was sponsored by Record Peddler, so I would see Chris every week. Not sure I ever got a nod of approval from him, but that was half the fun. Nuff respect for his taste in music at the store and on New Powers, his radio show (i filled in for him once, had to bring my A+ game!). For me, he was the archetypical record store dude.''
Toronto DJ and musician Mike Gibbs (Kitten with a Whip, Pure) states that ''Chris Twomey's recommendations on New Powers radio and video shows led to people exploring music at the fringes while encouraging artists like myself to explore this burgeoning genre of creativity.”
Toronto radio host and promoter Myke Dyer, on Facebook: ''Chris worked at the Record Peddler on College. He was an important figure at CKLN and shaped some of the music I played while at the station in the 1980's. My memories of Chris include walking in to the Peddler looking for new music and underground vinyl for my show. I would walk up to the cash, Chris would look at my pick and just with a nod of his head and a no you don't want that he would walk me back to another row of records and tell me what I needed. He was always right.''
Phil Saunders, on Facebook: ''Chris was one of very few people who embraced my interest in new music, especially experimental music. I spent many hours with him both at the store we worked at, the warehouse where I worked and at his home. Chris Twomey was part of the central nervous system that was Toronto music between 1982 and the late nineties.''
Musician, composer and visual artist Kurt Swinghammer, on Facebook: ''We knew of each other through the CKLN scene and when he was working at a basement record shop on Bloor which carried the most obscure electronic imports you couldn’t find anywhere else. He always knew a lot about the labels and artists. Buying something came with a hint of self-generated judgement …. 'Twomey probably hates this'… 'Twomey might think this is cool.''
Peter Snell, on Facebook: ''So sad to hear this. Chris came to me when I was director of music programming to ask about doing a show at CIUT. He had already been doing a show at CKLN but had parted ways with them. Of course I gave him a show. He really knew his stuff and was dedicated to promoting industrial music and related genres. Many people thought Chris had a serious demeanour, but I enjoyed his dry sense of humour. He used to do great dj sets opening up for concerts. Rest in peace, Sir.''
Former CKLN program director Brad Reed, on Facebook: ''Chris and I were at CKLN together, and though we butted heads more than shook hands, I realize what a force he was. He showed me so much music that I never would have discovered on my own.''
International
Donnie Iris (born Dominic Ierace), the Pittsburgh rocker best known for his 1981 No. 29 Billboard Hot 100 new wave hit “Ah! Leah!” and his 1970s Hot 100 No. 2 song “The Rapper” with the group the Jaggerz, died on Oct. 26, at age 83. No cause of death has been announced.
Iris was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2023 shortly after his 80th birthday show,. He announced his retirement from the stage this October, stating that ''Music has given me far more than I could ever put into words. From the earliest days to every chapter of my life, your support has been a constant source of joy and inspiration.”
An extensive Billboard obituary notes that ''Iris got his start in grade school singing at weddings and talent contests. The man who would grow up to be dubbed Pittsburgh’s King Cool of Rock and Roll first played with the doo-wop group The Fabutons in high school, then with the R&B/rock cover bands the Tri-Vels and Donnie and the Donnells while at Slippery Rock State College.
''After dropping out to pursue a music career, he found success pretty quickly with 'The Rapper' from his group The Jaggerz. The song he recorded for Gamble Records for the band’s sophomore album, 1970’s We Went to Different Schools Together, rose all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
''After The Jaggerz split a few years later, Iris joined the group Wild Cherry — two years after they scored their most well-known hit, “Play That Funky Music” — to help them in the studio and play live guitar on the road. He performed on their 1979 album Only the Wild Survive, and then split the group with keyboardist Mark Avsec to form Donnie Iris and the Cruisers.''
The group broke big with their 1980 debut on Midwest Records, Back on the Streets, which featured their breakout hit “Ah! Leah!,” and that song became Iris’ defining recording.
The single reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 19 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and No. 34 on Australia’s Kent Music Report. It also reached the Canadian top 10. The album topped out at No. 57 on the Billboard 200 chart and spawned another chart hit, the doo-woppy “My Girl,” which topped out at No. 25.
The follow-up album, King Cool, arrived in 1981 and further established Iris’s identity as a solo-fronted rock act backed by a distinctive band. The title also supplied the nickname that followed him for the rest of his career.
Subsequent albums, including Fortune 410 and No Muss…No Fuss, maintained the Cruisers’ presence on American rock radio through the first half of the 1980s, even as their commercial profile gradually diminished.
The band’s relationship with MCA eventually ended, but Iris and the Cruisers continued recording and touring intermittently. Rather than disappearing with the commercial cycle of the early 1980s, the group sustained a following through concerts across Pennsylvania and Ohio, alongside further albums, live releases and compilations.
Avsec remained central to Iris’s musical world. The pair Iris also collaborated through Avsec’s Cellarful of Noise project, extending a songwriting relationship that had begun after Iris’s departure from the Jaggerz.
Later releases included Ellwood City in 2006, a tribute to Iris’s hometown, and the Christmas album Ah! Leluiah! in 2010. Anniversary performances marked the Cruisers’ 25th and 30th years, while Iris received recognition as a Pittsburgh Rock ‘N Roll Legend in 2015.
Billboard observes that ''Iris’s career connected several eras of American popular music, from the regional doo-wop and R&B scene of his youth to the national success of the Jaggerz, the melodic rock of the Cruisers and decades of live performances for a devoted regional audience.''
Canadian rock singer, guitarist and songwriter Todd Kerns was a major Iris fan. In a Facebook tribute, he posted that ''I received more messages about Donnie than any other artist that has passed in a long time. Mostly because people know I have covered his song 'Ah! Leah!' since 1989. I first saw Donnie on the music program Solid Gold as a kid back in 1980/81. That song sprang off of my screen and into my entire psyche. I immediately went out and bought Back On The Streets with my allowance money.
''I covered that song in every band thereafter. The Age Of Electric covered it in our club days turning people on to the music of Donnie even back then. When Brent Muscat and I formed the Sin City Sinners in 2007 we played 'Ah! Leah'! and eventually recorded our own version for the 2010 Exile On Fremont Street album.
''Once again music is the example of our favourite artists’ immortality. I always wanted to see Donnie but never did. My loss. For now I will crank his music and celebrate a life well lived. Go see all of your favourite artists. It’s all fleeting. Music is forever. Musicians are not. Big love, Donnie!''
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Published by ARTSHOUSE MEDIA GROUP (AMG) under license from Billboard Media, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation.
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