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Billy Pinton
Steven Leckie
FYI
Obituaries: Canadian Punk Pioneer Steven Leckie, Rock & Roll Hall of Famers Brian Wilson & Sly Stone
This week we also acknowledge the passing of Juno-nominated country artist Lee Marlow, Kobo Town guitarist Patrick Giunta and Nitzer Ebb frontman Douglas McCarthy.
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Steven Leckie, leader of the legendary Toronto punk band The Viletones, died on June 12, at age 67, after a long battle with cancer. He had faced many health challenges in recent years, including multiple sclerosis.
News of his death fuelled an eruption of tributes on social media, and comments confirmed Leckie's status as a genuine pioneer of Canadian punk rock, one whose reputation and work also had an impact and influence internationally.
Leckie founded the Viletones in 1976, alongside Freddie Pompeii on guitar/vocals, Chris Hate (Chris Paputts), on bass guitar/vocals and Mike Anderson (aka Motor X), on drums/vocals. The original line-up was active in 1976 and 1977, and thereafter featured Leckie as the only original member, with various backing musicians. Later Viletones lineups comprised leading Toronto players of the day, including bassist Screamin' Sam Ferrara, drummers Tony Vincent and Jeff Zurba, and guitarists Steve Koch, Steven Stergiu, Conrad Wiggins, Ian Blurton, Scott McCullough, Myke Adaptiv and Steve Scarlet.
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In 1977, the Viletones released their first single, "Screamin Fist" b/w "Possibilities" and "Rebel," on their own label Vile Records. In 1978, they released the EP Look Back In Anger, which featured the songs "Don't You Lie" and "Dirty Feeling" b/w "Back Door To Hell," "Swastika Girl" and "Danger Boy." The same year Pompeii, Hate and X left The Viletones to form The Secrets.
That year, the new lineup of the Viletones appeared at the legendary concert and documentary The Last Pogo, filmed at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto, May 1, 1978. In 1983, the Viletones released their first full-length album, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, recorded live at Larry's Hideaway in Toronto. In 1994, the record label Other Peoples Music released a retrospective collection, A Taste Of Honey.
After a reunion, a new lineup of the Viletones recorded and released the 1998 album What It Feels Like To Kill, featuring live material and three new tracks written by Leckie and Stergiu, their first new material since the early 1980s. In 2023 Californian label Artifix Records released a collectors edition vinyl retrospective, Fleurs du Mal.
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Leckie's discography with the Viletones may not have been extensive, but those early cuts are now recognized as genuine punk rock classics. Nirvana once jammed a segment of "Possibilities" in a live show. A reference to another classic, "Screamin’ Fist," is found in the pages of Neuromancer, a best-selling novel by William Gibson.
Perhaps even more than this material, the Viletones reputation was based upon their infamous live shows. Steven Leckie is rightfully viewed as one of the most charismatic performers in punk rock, and his onstage antics certainly generated publicity. He routinely cut himself onstage, with a broken bottle or razor blade, and fights with audience members were not rare. Couple that with his adopted stage name of Nazi Dog (one he reportedly later regretted), and Leckie made great tabloid fodder.
After quickly making a splash on the Toronto club scene, Leckie and the Viletones made their initial foray to New York City in 1977, right in the midst of the punk rock conflagration there. In a post on the Queen Street West Music Scene, 1975-1989 Facebook page, filmmaker Peter Vronsky set the scene this way: "I shot my CBC documentary Crash'n'Burn with Steve and the Viletones in the New Yorker and the Crash'n'Burn in Toronto and at CBGBs on the Bowery in New York City on his first tour in July 1977 in the Summer of Sam.
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"When Steve got up on stage at [punk mecca] CBGBs that hot summer night on July 7, (7-7-77) and he cut his arms open with shards of beer glass picked off the floor, he blew away all the New York poser punk rockers. They had never seen anything like that! He was what they were pretending to be. Steve and I laughed about that night often in the years to come."
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Included on that visit were two other leading Canadian punk bands, The Diodes and Teenage Head, but it was the Viletones who grabbed the attention of legendary rock critic Lester Bangs. In a 1981 feature for the Village Voice, Bangs recalled that "This guy Nazi Dog hung from the rafters, crawled all over the stage, and hurled himself on the first row until his body was one huge sore." That concert was even spoofed in an early episode of the cult hit television comedy show SCTV.
Dull moments were absent from Viletones gigs, and Leckie's showmanship and ability to grab attention definitely influenced other bands on the scene. Hamilton punk rocker Chris Houston played in Forgotten Rebels then, and, to Billboard Canada, he recalls one infamous gig featuring both bands. "In 1980 the Forgotten Rebels played with the Viletones [and other bands including DOA and Stark Naked and the Fleshtones] at Toronto City Hall for an event called Rock Against Radiation.. Backstage Steve Leckie said he was going to steal the show by going pro nuclear."
"Since the Rebels were on before the Viletones, [lead singer] Mickey DeSadist did everything Leckie said he was going to do and more. The New Music shot the magic moment when we introduced winos as our parents. Thanks to Steve Leckie's ideas, the Rebels got to get the outrage press that day!"
Houston adds that "the Viletones were simultaneously the worse and best band in the world! This was the purest form of nihilism that could be conjured up on the Yonge Street fun street strip of the 1970s. Astonishing charisma while refereeing destruction."
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Between sporadic reunions of the Viletones, in the '90s Leckie ran a storefront art gallery/clothing store in Toronto called Fleurs Du Mal, named after a book of poems by Charles Baudelaire, a Leckie favourite. Fleurs Du Mal helped boost the careers of emerging local artists like John Nobrega and its patrons included Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren.
Over his long career, Leckie did occasionally wander beyond the confines of punk rock. There was a convincing detour into rockabilly, and a 2009 performance at The Cameron House in Toronto that featured a cabaret style take of Velvet Underground classic "Venus In Furs."
In 2008, legendary Band keyboardist Garth Hudson produced and performed on a riproaring version of a Bob Dylan tune, "Million Dollar Bash," one featuring Leckie on vocals. Leckie recently told Billboard Canada that "To think that Garth wanted me and knew who I was, that sure said a lot about the man. He wasn’t stuck working only with Blue Rodeo types."
A Dec. 2013 Viletones show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto was billed as the band's final concert, but Leckie resurrected the band for two more shows. One was in Toronto on August 15, 2015, filmed in 3D by Reg Hartt for Cineforum, and the swansong came in 2016 at This Ain't Hollywood in Hamilton.
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For a fuller picture of the man and the myth, here are tributes to Steven Leckie collected from social media or provided to Billboard Canada.
Veteran Toronto concert promoter Gary Topp had a major impact on Leckie's life and career, right from Leckie's teenage years and before Topp booked numerous Viletones shows. On Facebook, he offered this tribute: "'No more Beatles, no more Stones, we just want the Viletones!' Steve and I go back since the early days of The Original 99-cent Roxy [an influential Toronto cinema Topp ran].
"He came regularly as an avid film buff. He wasn't very old and it was years before he, his band and punk rock ignited Toronto and Canada. He was a performance artist and media machine by trade, on stage and off, and no dummy. He made friends as easily as he made enemies, our relationship was no different.
"We held a mutual admiration for each other and that lasted on and off forever. I had a 2-hour breakfast with him a few months ago and he was strong, talkative and hungry. I was optimistic.
"In 2012, I was promoting [legendary French singer] Jane Birkin. Steve wanted to present her with a bouquet of flowers. At the right moment before the first encore, I signalled to Steve to deliver the the flowers on stage. He nervously and affectionately struggled / hobbled up the centre aisle and presented his gift to the stage. I'd never seen him so happy.
"He passed away on Thursday. Rest In peace, your pain is over. I'll miss our friendship, we were both on the same track. We were like family."
To Billboard Canada, Topp recalled that one film the teenaged Leckie loved was the French classic, Children of Paradise. He also noted that a show he promoted by British rockabilly star Crazy Cavan 'n' the Rhythm Rockers had a big influence, sparking Leckie's detour into rockabilly for a spell.
Veteran Toronto musician and singer-songwriter John Borra gave Billboard Canada this tribute: "It was an honour to play with Steven in an early 2000s version of the Viletones alongside Cleave Anderson (Battered Wives) and Kurt Schefter (Raving Mojos). Steven was well known for being difficult to work with but I found him and the whole experience to be most enjoyable and a whole lot of fun.
"Being a Toronto native I considered it a career high to play those songs behind the guy who had a hand in writing them. The Viletones were true pioneers and their contribution to music and culture can't be understated. They and the other first wave bands paved the way for people like me - who came along a few years later - and made a life in music possible - something that was unimaginable for me prior to the advent of punk rock."
Steve Koch, another Toronto guitarist who played with Leckie in the Viletones, told Billboard that "The only real job Steve Leckie ever had was Rock Star which is a lonely and exhausting occupation not much appreciated in well mannered and deferential Canadian culture. Bridge burner, red line crosser, always ready for his close-up, always ready with a provocative quote, he gave us the devil of Screaming Fist and the angel of Possibilities and on those foundations a new and exciting music culture grew up."
Toronto musician (Shadowy Men), photographer and author Don Pyle paid his respects on Facebook: "It’s impossible to underestimate the significance of the Viletones at the time of their birth. Ferocious, sometimes violent, often sweet, theatrical and shockingly new; mythological in their singer's self-destructive path of unfulfilled ambitions.
"They were the most dramatic and exciting of the first Toronto bands and I loved them so much, seeing them 70+ times in their original incarnation. They were a perfect band for the burgeoning teenage angst of a 16-18 year old, a great reason to go out on a Monday when you had school the next day. Their first single is the most perfect record from the beginning of punk in Canada, the pinnacle from which there were few directions to go but down. I always had deep respect for his being focused on being who N@z! Dog/Steven Leckie was until the end. My gratitude is immense for how he shook things up in sleepy 1977 Toronto. RIP to the legend."
Original Viletones guitarist Chris Hate (Paputts) tells Billboard Canada that "Steven was a unique personality whose bizarre stage antics left a lasting impression. His inspiration helped kickstart many local bands highlighting Toronto's distinctive style. "
Veteran Hamilton concert promoter Lou Molinaro offered this reminiscence on Facebook: "Over a decade ago, I was a student of Lori Yates' songwriting class. One of my fellow classmates with Steve's sister Suzi. On a cold February night, Suzi brought Steve in for the visit. Lori and I were pleasantly surprised to see him. While we were taking our class, Steve walked around Lori's neighbourhood and came back with such an appreciation of Hamilton's architecture. He commented on how the bricks were a 'rich red.' We later told him about Hamilton Brick Co.
"As Suzi and Steve were about to leave, Mr Leckie pulled out a Viletones T-shirt for both Lori and I. That moment was beautiful because I saw Lori's 'fangirl' side come out. Once they left, Lori looked at me and said.."LOU! How fucking cool was that?'
"I had the opportunity to work with Steve several times over the years. November 2016, the Viletones played my club, This Ain't Hollywood. Gord Lewis [Teenage Head] was next to me during that Viletones show @ TAH. Gordie also told me how inspired he was from Steve Leckie's handbills that he made. He said that they really captured the essence of the Punk Scene. My heartfelt condolences to Steve's family and friends. 'Never Feel Sad.' RIP Steve Leckie."
Punk rock guitar star Scott McCullough (Rusty, The Doughboys) worked in a later incarnation of the Viletones. He tells Billboard Canada that "I spent quite a bit of time with Steven during the run up to that 'reunion' show in 2013. His rehearsal/work ethic was second to none. Just before COVID hit and I was living in Bayfield, he got ahold of me about doing some dates in Europe but nothing came of it. More recently, he had talked to me about getting together to do some new original music ('before he died' is how he put it) as he realized it might be his last chance to do so. Nothing came of it unfortunately."
Part of a later Viletones lineup, bassist Sam Ferrara (aka Screamin' Sam) told Billboard "I'm glad that we met and played together for many years and we wrote many cool songs that are still cool today. I'm sorry that he's gone. He will never be forgotten. R.I.P."
In an official Leckie obituary, Artifix Records’ Greg Artifix said, “Steven Leckie was one of the sonic gods of punk. He snarled venom on stage and took chances on pushing his creative endeavours, all the while taking inspiration from past greats like Rimbaud and transposing transgressive and surreal themes into his daily life and musical output. Steven was a badass motherf--ker who did not compromise...anything. He lived fearlessly and we are a sorrier world without him. Damn.”
The Diodes were close contemporaries of the Viletones on the original Toronto punk scene. Guitarist John Catto posted this affectionate homage on Facebook: "I REALLY dislike this piece of news, RIP Steven Leckie. Steve was there from the very beginning. In late ‘76 when we were rehearsing in the annex at OCA [Ontario College of Art] Steve and the ‘Tones started turning up at unrelated shows there wearing 'the jackets' and picking fights with Mike Ironside (now there’s a story)
"When we played our third show at the Masonic Temple it was the second night of the debut of the Viletones at the Colonial, so I guess I missed that one. I was there for the first night and inspired by the fun ambience of the evening. Threw a beer bottle at the stage to which Steven (then N’Dog) responded 'REALLY John?' and we were off ha ha. And like all those first 20 people before all this he was at all those glam rock shows, shopping at Long Johns and was a card carrying member of THAT subculture as well. So after nearly 50 years of banter I’m very sad to say this, Steven, you always rocked. Xx"
Miriam Linna, the Canadian owner of famed U.S. indie label Norton Records, posted her tribute on Facebook: "Steven Leckie has left the building. 49 years ago we were hanging outside of CBGB after the Cramps hosted the Canadian bands weekend with the Viletones, Teenage Head and the Diodes. In recent years we reconnected with scattered memories about those days. He was a smart, thoughtful person, whose stage persona defied his kind spirit."
Al Nolan, leader of Toronto punk group the Almighty Trigger Happy, posted this on Facebook: "I'm very grateful I became friends with Steven. Very helpful around my father's passing. Very enthusiastic & encouraging when I started the label. I was happy to spend the time I had with you....I'll miss you when I think of Toronto. Rest Easy Godfather...Steven Leckie forever/Viletones forever/Queen Street."
Veteran Toronto punk rocker David Quinton (The Dead Boys, The Mods) on Facebook: "Steven Leckie, RIP. You did it. You stirred it up. You blew it apart. We were entertained, infuriated, confused, amused, provoked, intimated, challenged, impacted...and sometimes frightened. Wasn't that the idea…? You did it. Nothing else matters."
A former Viletone, Myke Adaptiv, on Facebook: "No matter what anybody THINKS of Steven, he always remained true to his mission. A badass until the end."
Greg Godovitz (Goddo) on Facebook: "I always liked the Dog! He had passion and he was fearless. A great combination!"
Toronto musician/radio host Danny Marks on Facebook: "Rest In Power. Steven Leckie was the first one I ever heard use that variation of R.I.P. and so it's fitting to be said of him. He was a complex person who did things his own way. I can't claim that we were best friends but we were well acquainted and he was always respectful and kind. This is the time for our contemporaries to make a final bow and we can wish they die with dignity. Rest in Power Steve, you earned it."
Indie record label veteran, musician and author Jaimie Vernon recounted his dealings with Leckie in a Facebook post. Vernon's attempts to license Viletones material for a release on his Bullseye label didn't work out, but Vernon explains that "the advance money became an un-recoupable gift to a guy that I felt helped create a music scene that I ultimately benefitted from (my punk band Swindled even released a song about him called 'Nazi Dog').
"Leckie was exceptionally well read, and I’ve always been in awe of his command of not only the English language, but how he used it in media manipulation and self-promotion. He’s the last hero of the original punk ethos and I respect that he never sold out. I still wear the Viletones shirt he gave me as a badge of honour. RIP - Steven. Glad to have known your fierce presence in this world."
Toronto cinema owner Reg Hartt on Facebook: "I filmed the Viletones 2015 concert at The Phoenix in 3D. When Steve saw it he said 'I had no idea it would be this good.'" In his honour, Hartt's movie house CineForum, will host free screenings of that concert 7 pm and 9 pm Saturday through Thursday, June 15 through Aug 31(463 Bathurst Toronto).
On their official Facebook page, another top original punk band, The Mods, posted this tribute: "It was in early 1978 that we first saw the Viletones. It was our initiation to the scene and the beginning of a favour and debt we owe to Steven. Later, Greg got to know Steven and worked to have us open for the Viletones. Steven wanted to hear us before he would commit. One spring evening we picked up Steven and drove him to Greg's house in Scarborough where we rehearsed. A few weeks later, in June 79. We opened for the Viletones at the Horseshoe. That doesn't happen without the nod from Steven and it opened the door a crack and we were able to squeeze through.
"I didn't know him well and most of what I do know is from that time period - he was complicated, that much I know. He would frequently show up at our shows and you never knew exactly where that would take things. He was smart and charismatic and I hope he is in a place that recognizes what he brought to staid, boring Toronto in the late '70s. From all of us, we bid goodbye to Steven who left an indelible mark on our lives - RIP from the Mods."
Renowned live concert recorder Doug McClement recorded the Viletones many times, including the live album Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. In an obituary, he states that "Steven Leckie had that element of danger that’s missing in today’s rock’n’roll. Jerry Lee Lewis had it, Jim Morrison had it, Lemmy had it, Stiv Bators had it, and Steven is the best example I can think of, when you go to a show knowing ANYTHING could happen on stage that night. A true artist who never strayed from his vision.”
Canadian music industry veteran Brian Hetherman (now of NXNE) posted this tribute on Facebook: "When I was a kid, I used to read about Steven Leckie aka “Nazi Dog” and he seemed frightening to me. I was too young to ever see the Viletones in action at the height of their reign and I never imagined crossing paths with him, but many years later for the Garth Hudson, Band tribute I did just that.I was both shocked and moved to find out that he was a very kind, sweet and thoughtful man. Long after the project we stayed in touch and he would send me very encouraging words and always had a pro comment for my “rock n roll” posts! We lost a beautiful bright light, wrapped in a true punk rock cover…. Rest easy Mr Leckie."On a personal note, I considered Steven Leckie a friend. Initially a major fan of the early Viletones [to me, they and Teenage Head were the most exciting Canadian bands of that era], I went on to interview him multiple times, including one three hour session over many pints in a British pub in Toronto that we recently both recalled with fondness. I attended his wedding and often visited Fleurs du Mal just to talk about music, art and literature with Steve. He was indeed the real deal, and his passing leaves a major void.
A memorial and celebration of life will reportedly be held at a future date and posted on Leckie's’ Facebook page.
Patrick (PK) Giunta, an Ottawa-based guitarist best known as a member of Juno-winning group Kobo Town, died on June 5, at age 58, of cancer.
Giunta was a very active and popular member of the Ottawa music community since the 1980s. His brother Mike informs Billboard Canada that "He played with so many people, so many sessions, so many gigs, that the list is endless. If you lived in Ottawa and were in music in the 80's, 90's or 2000's you knew Pat Giunta.
"Some of the groups and artists include Dancing Wu Li Masters, Charlie Sumner Band, CHEZA, Lynn Miles, Amanda Rheaume, Drifting Bird, Kobo Town and The Mighty Popo. He was as easy about playing bass and singing backup at a 'between Periods' bar gig at a Ottawa Senators hockey game as he was playing rhythm guitar in an eclectic world music combo like CHEZA or Kobo Town."
His work in Kobo Town earned Giunta a Juno Award in 2018, as that group's third album, Where the Galleon Sank, was named World Music Album of the Year. Kobo Town also won a Canadian Folk Music Award for World Group of the Year in 2017. Mike Giunta reports that "Patrick was quite proud of that Juno win."
Kobo Town leader Drew Gonsalves offered an eloquent tribute to his bandmate on social media. It reads, in part: "This past Saturday, we gathered at Beechwood Cemetery to bid farewell to our beloved brother and bandmate Patrick. We are crushed, and our minds and conversations are now swirling with memories of him - laughing at clips of the Muppet Show in a Berlin hotel room, waiting grumpily for a delivery of fish in the harbour of a Croatian town, sitting on the rocks by Fort Abercromby in Trinidad watching the rolling of the sea, riffing over a late dinner in Malaysia about our imaginary coffee company specializing in beans, um... predigested by monkeys, earning a free meal by fixing a hotel toilet in NYC, working out songs on the floor of a Montreal recording studio, leaving a trail of nuts and raisins (a trail of trail mix!) to his hotel room in Nelson BC...lest we forget the number, and - sweetest of all - sitting at his dining table having tea with him and the two people he loved most in the house that bears the stamp of his hard work and personality.
"Musically, Pat had an unrivalled tastefullness - his playing was never about him but always about serving the song...in other words, he played as he lived. He had an unfeigned kindness which made itself known, not in words, but in his constant readiness to be of service to anyone who needed him.
"To all of us in the band he was a rock - a protective older brother who had a solution for every problem and who made sure everyone was properly taken care of. We always felt that with Pat along we would be prepared for any eventuality. Well, we were not prepared for this eventuality, from which we are still reeling in loss and disbelief. Yet, along with the sorrow, there is also a deep gratitude that we had so many years of adventure together, roaming over the wide world with one who savoured life as he did. We will miss his unfailing decency, his honest advice, his playful sense of humour, and his calm reassuring gaze from across the stage. We pray for his spirit to find peace and light in the homeland to which we are all returning."
Kobo Town's longtime manager and a world music luminary, Derek Andrews offered this tribute to Billboard Canada: "Pat Guinta left us way too soon and will be dearly missed as he was a rock in the Kobo Town band. Pat was the calm “Mr. Fix It” presence and a problem solver par excellence, not to mention a tasty guitarist. The band and all those who knew Pat are in shock with the news of this sudden cancer attack. Pat was an erudite musician, his conversations on fixing air planes (his day job!) or finding good food around the world were always fascinating"
On Facebook, former bandmate Paul Weber reminisced that "I met Pat Giunta in the early 90's. Pat responded to a musicians-wanted ad for a band that was going to play Afro-pop (not too many people even knew what that was back then). This band became Cheza.
"Pat played both bass and guitar and sang in the band for many years, in addition to performing countless other roles (sound tech, driver, photographer, trouble-shooter, the list goes on). Pat had amazing energy and a get-things-done attitude that played a big part in making Cheza happen.
"Cheza recorded three albums and got to play at festivals like the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival and the Dawson City Music Festival. I'll never forget when we had two gigs offered to us on the same day just a few hours apart, one in the morning in Ottawa, and one in the early afternoon in Toronto. I didn't how we could make it happen. Pat did.
"He explained that we'd play the Ottawa gig and then, through his aviation connections, we'd fly down to Toronto Island Airport in a small plane to play the afternoon gig, and so it was. Pat routinely made things like this happen. Pat was a consummate pro, a multi-talented, sharp witted dynamo who could plow through problems and come up with solutions before the rest of us got out of bed. He'll be missed by all who knew him and made music with him over the years. Condolences to Pat's wife and son and all the Giunta clan."
A musical Celebration of Life for PK Giunta will be held July 19th from 1-5 PM at Irene's on Bank St., in Ottawa.
Lee Marlow, a Juno-nominated New Brunswick-based country singer/songwriter, died on June 10, at age 70.
Country music authority Larry Delaney (CanCountry) reports that "Marlow's song 'Joanne,' written about his wife, attracted the attention of RCA Canada and in 1981 his debut album was released. Marlow toured the Maritime provinces and Ontario with his band Calico. A series of nationally charted singles kept him in the spotlight during the early 1980's."
Marlow's debut album, Lovin' Thru The Early Hours, was a major success, and he wrote nine of its ten songs. His first four singles, "Joanne", "Lovin' Thru The Early Hours", "Stop Right Now" and "Little Child" made the charts in 1981-82.
"Lovin' Thru The Early Hours" was a Top 10 hit on the RPM Charts, his best-ever showing. The album was produced in Nashville studios by Harold Bradley and featured top Music City session players.
Marlow followed-up his initial success with the albums Too Long Gone and Temptation, both of which delivered additional chart hits. Temptation was produced in Toronto studios by Mike Francis. His signature song "Joanne" was also featured on the 1982 K-Tel Compilation album Denim Country.
Lee Marlow was nominated for Country Male Vocalist in the 1982 and 1983 Juno Awards.
International
Brian Wilson, co-founder and primary songwriter for the Beach Boys and a true musical innovator, died on June 11, at age 82.
In an obituary, Billboard noted that the news "left the music world that he helped shape through his genius in mourning. The news of his death arrived Wednesday (June 11) via an announcement from his children following a difficult battle with dementia — for which he was placed under a legal conservatorship in 2024 — and years of mental health and substance abuse issues before that."
"But nothing can overshadow Wilson’s true legacy of masterful songwriting and immaculate production, both of which changed rock and pop music forever. That’s why so many stars are now flooding social media to share messages of grief and condolences and discuss his impact on music and culture."
Billboard reported that "Wilson’s musical footprint includes four No. 1 hits and dozens more entries on the Billboard Hot 100 as part of the Beach Boys, plus 13 top 10 albums on the Billboard 200. The composer also achieved chart success as a soloist, landing nine projects on the albums chart in his lifetime."
Writing in Billboard, Barry Walters noted that "Although an acclaimed 2014 biopic, Love & Mercy, chronicled the musician’s rise, fall and return to relative stability, the magnitude of Wilson’s work towers above his legend as a troubled genius. Equally adept at celebrating sun, surf, cars, and girls as well as his own vulnerability, Wilson broadened rock’s scope while deepening its spiritual impact. God only knows what we’ll do without him."
As word of Brian Wilson's passing spread, musical stars from around the globe were quick to pay tribute to him, citing his work as influential and inspirational. A feature in The Toronto Star included tributes from such Canadian artists as Ron Sexsmith, Steven Page (who actually wrote a Barenaked Ladies song called "Brian Wilson"), Burton Cummings, Jay Ferguson of Sloan and Moe Berg.
Read that feature here.
Sly Stone (Sylvester Stewart), the groundbreaking funk and psych-rock pioneer who led the iconic Sly and the Family Stone in the 1960s into the early 1980s, died on June 9. He was 82.
According to his family, Stone suffered from “a prolonged battle with COPD [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease] and other underlying health issues.” He had largely disappeared from public life by the 1990s, amid a career decline exacerbated by drug use.
A Billboard obituary noted that "Stone, the guitar player, multi-instrumentalist, singer, lead songwriter and producer for the group, was known for such iconic hits as 'Dance To The Music,' 'Everyday People,' 'Family Affair' and 'I Want to Take You Higher.' The group’s 1971 album There’s A Riot Goin’ On is widely regarded as one of the best and most influential albums of all time, while its 1969 album Stand! is also widely considered a masterpiece."
"He and the band were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, and Stone appeared at the Grammy Awards ceremony in 2006 for a tribute to the group, which was his first public performance in nearly two decades. He was also the subject of the 2025 documentary Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), helmed by Questlove, and had released a memoir two years ago."
Beginning with “Dance To The Music” in 1968, which peaked at No. 8 on the chart, Sly and the Family Stone racked up 17 Hot 100 hits, including five top 10s and three number ones: “Everyday People,” which reigned for four weeks in 1968-1969; “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” which led for two weeks in 1970; and “Family Affair,” which led for three weeks in 1971. The group also had nine albums reach the Billboard 200, including Riot, which spent two weeks at No. 1 in 1971.After releasing its first album, A Whole New Thing, in 1967, Sly and the Family Stone would go on to release 10 official studio albums through 1982. Billboard notes that "The classic incarnation of the band — singer/guitarist Freddie Stone, singer/keyboardist Rose Stone, bassist Larry Graham, drummer Greg Errico, trumpeter Cynthia Robinson and saxophone player Jerry Martini — was in place from the mid 1960s through the early-mid 1970s, and was groundbreaking not just for their musical prowess, but as the first prominent American group to be both racially integrated and mixed gender. By 1975, the group had largely disbanded, though Sly continued to release albums through the early 1980s.""Stone’s work had a profound effect on American rock music, particularly psychedelic rock, and, along with George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic groups, helped to pioneer the guitar-driven, socially-conscious funk music that would become a major part of the 1970s music scene. Alongside Clinton, James Brown and Prince, he’s among the most important figures in funk music history." Stone's sound also had a major impact on early hip-hop, and his work has been extensively sampled.
In a statement, his family reported that "In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course, which follows a memoir published in 2024."
Douglas McCarthy, the frontman and chief lyricist of British industrial band Nitzer Ebb, died on June 11, aged 58. No cause of death has been revealed. A statement on the group’s social media reported the news of his passing.
A Guardian obituary noted that "With a style he succinctly described as 'shouting and pointing, McCarthy had an almost preacher-like quality as he sang full-throated commands and declarations, revelling in the body rapture' described on their song Hearts and Minds. Paired with the pulsating electronics of the group, their music became a major influence on artists such as Nine Inch Nails.
Born and raised in Essex, McCarthy met future Nitzer Ebb drummer David Gooday aged 10, and formed the group with fellow friends Bon Harris and Simon Granger in 1982. The Guardian reports that "With cheap synths and beats hammered out on a metal bin they dubbed “John”, the group gradually welded together their sound, releasing a demo in 1983 followed by debut single 'Isn’t It Funny How Your Body Works' two years later."
"Their ironically martial sound and aesthetic would be misinterpreted by some but it proved infectious on dancefloors, as tracks such as Let Your Body Learn and Warsaw Ghetto crossed over into the burgeoning worlds of techno and acid house."
McCarthy fronted Nitzer Ebb from 1982 until 2024. He also worked in collaboration with DJ and producer Terence Fixmer as Fixmer/McCarthy, and with musician Cyrusrex as DJM/REX.
McCarthy, Cyrusrex, and Nitzer Ebb bandmate Bon Harris formed the music collective Blackline along with such musicians as Paul Barker of Ministry, Mark Walk of Skinny Puppy, and Depeche Mode touring musician Christian Eigner. He released the solo album, Kill Your Friends in 2012.
McCarthy contributed as a guest vocalist on multiple tracks by Recoil, as well as recordings by Die Krupps, KLOQ, Client, Adult and Kenneth James Gibson's Reverse Commuter project.
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