Chimo

Chimo!’s roots can be traced back to the early 1960s, when guitarist Jack Mowbray (ex of David Clayton Thomas‘s Bossmen), 1964 (Inuit for “Hello”) was a Canadian rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It grew out of the Georgian People in 1969. The band recorded an album for Revolver Records. They signed with Mort Ross and Revolver Records (Motherlode, Diane Brooks, Leigh Ashford) and in ’69 released the single, “Quicksilver Woman” b/w “Day After Day.” The band played Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens with sister group Chicago to a full house, and opened the second day of the Festival Express with The Band and Janis Joplin that was held at Canadian National Exhibition Stadium on June 28, 1970. They also appeared at the Midsummer Night Rock Festival at Michigan State Fairground in Detroit on July 4 with shock-rocker Alice Cooper, the Electric Circus, and others. Following the release of the band’s album in November 1970, Andy Cree left (later to do sessions for the likes of David Wiffen and spend several years with Anne Murray’s band) and was replaced by former member Pat Little, who had spent the interim doing sessions for Van Morrison, Peter, Paul & Mary and playing with a reformed Luke & The Apostles. The new line-up was responsible for one single, Little’s “In The Sea” and “Mowbray Cross Country Man”. The songs were written on a flight to Rome to negotiate a European tour and to secure a song writing contract with Chapel Publishing Milan with Mowbray’s previous assistant and former drummer Silvino Desemoni, and bass player Franco Deljudich from a 1967 Italian tour with Nicola Di Bari and RCA-Victor/Rome. After disbanding However, the group’s career was flagging and in mid-1971 Raby, Johnson and Collocot dropped out, leaving the power trio of Mowbray, Laboeuf and Little to play at Butchers Arms, Yonge Street clubs like Zanzibar Tavern and others. Little departed to join Heaven and Earth for two singles before forming Flag, while LeBoeuf joined a re-formed Motherlode. Recordings 45 Quicksilver Woman c/w Day After Day (Revolver 006) 1969 45 Silken Silver Melody c/w Lonely Girl (Revolver 009) 1970 45 In The Sea c/w Cross Country Man (Revolver 1070) 1971 LP Chimo! (Revolver 503) 1970 Chimo’s roots can be traced back to Parry Sound band The Georgian IV who formed in 1964 and comprised Ross Raby (vocals, organ, piano), John Johnson (vocals, guitar), Stewart McCann (bass), and Rick King (drums). They toured extensively for several years throughout Ontario, Quebec and New York State. Following the break-up of The David Clayton-Thomas Combine (itself a holdover from Clayton-Thomas’s The Bossmen), guitarist Jack Mowbray joined the Georgian IV and they changed their name to The Georgian People. Soon Mowbray called upon his old Bossmen bandmate Tony Collacutt for additional piano chops. The group made the rounds on the Southern Ontario bar scene and in their downtime, worked on a repertoire of original material. Soon, the act was signed to Mort Ross’s new Revolver Records. The line-up changed again when McCann quit John Johnson took over duties, relinquishing his role as guitarist to Mowbray. The band also lost King on drums who was replaced by former Combine member Pat Little. With the final addition of vocalist Breen LeBoeuf and their name was changed to Chimo! (Inuit for ‘hello’) but not before one last member change with Andy Cree replacing Pat Little on drums. In the spring of 1970, Revolver released the band’s remake of the old Bossmen song “Quicksilver Woman”, followed that summer by their own “Silken Silver Melody”. Neither single did particularly well, but Mort Ross pushed forward and managed to get the band’s self-titled debut released in the US on Epic Records. Cree left after the album’s release to be replaced by the man he had originally replaced — Pat Little. But, cracks were already beginning to show with Johnson and Raby departing at the end of 1971 around the same time as their final single, “Cross Country Man”, was released. It was only a matter of time before Collacutt also skipped out leaving Mowbray, Little and LeBoeuf to carry on briefly. Little went on to become a respected session drummer and a member of such Canadian acts as the Modern Rock Quartet, Fludd and Diamondback; LeBoeuf would move on to a brief reformation of Motherlode, then Southcote, Celie Dion,Offenbach and finally APril Wine, Mowbray turned to the dark sideMowbray formed a lounge act with his wife and then finally retired from the industry; Stewart McCann left the music business and is now a Professor of Psychology at an east coast University.

• With notes from Jaimie Vernon

  CHIMO! (1971) Silken Silver Melody Is That You Girl Hour Glass Lonely Girl Ect Blues Elephant Bath Sheba Time Waits For No Man Procession Of Mabs Day After Day

  CHIMO! (1995 re-release) Cross Country Man In The Sea Love Lady Pattie Love Silken Silver Melody Day After Day Lonely Girl Quicksilver Woman Hour Glass Elephant Bath Sheba Time Waits For No Man Is That You Girl Procession Of Mabs Ect Blues