Sump Oil

The brainchild of Lance Chalmers, Sump Oil was a 2001 side project during some off-time while touring as Trooper‘s drummer. The Ottawa native grew up with music in the household, and his father played guitar and sang lead for the band The Rhythmnaires. “I’ve always had music in my blood. I can remember seeing reel …

Sword

In the mid 1980s, singer Rick Hughes and his drummer/brother Dan decided to seek their rock and roll fame and fortune, and formed Sword with fellow St Bruno, Quebec natives guitarist Mike Plant (real name Michel Plante) and bassist Mike Larock (real name Michel Larocque) – not to be confused with a short-lived American metal …

Syrinx

Formed in Toronto in the late ’60s, Syrinx consisted of John Mills-Cockell on keyboards, Doug Pringle on saxophone, and percussionist Alan Wells. Mills-Cockell was classically trained in composition, studying at the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of Toronto, and won a BMI Award in 1967 given to student composers, for his specialization in …

Tal Bachman

Born in Winnipeg in 1968, Talmage Bachman learned to play the guitar, piano, and drums at an early age, but lost interest in music all together as a teen, instead studying political philosophy in Utah once he’d graduated from high school in Vancouver. He did Mission work in Argentina for a few years before returning …

Tapestry

One of the leading folk groups to call Montreal ‘home’ at the dawn of the 1970s, Tapestry was the brainchild of Jack Winters, Along with Judy Harmon and Heather Woodburn, the trio worked their way into a deal with Polydor, releasing their self-titled debut album, and the single, “Love Me Brother”. Produced by The Bells‘ …

Surrender

By the time Italian-born Alfie Zappacosta realized that white bell bottom pants and disco balls were on their way out, he’d already been in several pseudo disco groups, lastly with the Janette Brant Lee. The group featured three women singers, a three piece-horn section, and had melded into Toronto’s disco/R & B scene. They played …

Susan Aglukark

Born in Churchill, Manitoba in 1967, Susan Aglukark’s family spent most of her youth moving around the Keewatin Region of the Northwest Territories, eventually settling in Arviat, a community of about 1,300 people in what is now Nunavut. After finishing high school, she moved to Ottawa and worked with the government as a linguist, and …

Susan Jacks

One of eight children, Susan Pesklevits first began singing on local radio programs at 7 years old. Her family moved from Saskatoon to Vancouver when she was 9, where she joined the school and church choirs. She had her own radio show at 13 and made her first buck (literally) at age 14 singing at …