My Story

A long road short.

My story begins in March 1952, born in a the tiny town of Lytton up the Fraser Canyon. My family resided downriver at North Bend and Lytton was the closest hospital. Not much to remember for those days except that my dad was a Conductor for Canadian National Railways. Now one thing about North Bend, it is not without it’s opportunities for where else can an unremarkably looking baby win the local beautiful baby contest. Not that my mother was above the fix and I still have the trophy as proof.

My dad was an outstanding guy. Talented in so many ways. He was interested in music at a young age but his father Jacob did not support any thoughts of the family not supporting the farm in Yorkton where he grew up. I’m sure his fierce support of myself in music had so much to do with his father’s relationship and his unyielding discouragement for music.

The family had a piano in the home and only the girls were allowed to play. Hymns Only. Praise the Lord! My dad, like me, was self educated. He apparently crammed to get accredited so that he could be a band leader in the Airforce and did so on Lulu Island. He played every instrument but his love was guitar. He could write arrangements for large bands out of his head. In pen! That still baffles me today as I’m writing charts in pencil and a well used eraser.

My family moved to Vancouver not long after I was born and settled on the south east side. My dad taught music in the home 5 nights a week and held his community band practices on Sunday. I hated Sundays. Church in the morning and band in the afternoon while my buddies were playing ball hockey or baseball. My parents gave me everything although there was always a side deal that had to do with practicing music. Starting with Eb Alto horn, then on to trumpet and when the baby teeth left I was charged with learning the piano. I had no idea or appreciation at the time where all this was leading. I only knew that music was keeping me from the things I really liked to do.

There was a day when one of my dad’s community bands bought new instruments for the kids. They were in the basement of our home. Somehow I was drawn to the trombone. I opened the case and put it together and I felt something. I was comfortable with that huge mouthpiece. So much easier to play than that pea shooting trumpet. My dad was ecstatic and I guess I fell for his joy of my newfound interest. I was maybe 8 at the time. I couldn’t reach 7th position so I would hold the end of the slide between my two feet and somehow it worked.

After a few years, I was not enjoying the horn. I was missing my sports buddies and things between me and my dad were deteriorating. It was awful. I was awful. Finally we struck middle ground. I was around 12 when he made me a life changing deal. Keep up the trombone and he would get me that guitar that I was eyeing at Benmore Furniture on Hastings. Good to his word we got two Kent 335 like guitars and a single 12, Beltone amp. Joined my first band the Jesters. Gary McGuire was the other guitar player and being Ra McGuire’s (Trooper) brother, we had access to two of the greatest music minds you could ever wish for at 13. Ra McGuire and Brian Smith who at the time had a band called Winters Green. Gary would badger those guys for chord changes to so many great songs. Animals, Stones, Lovin Spoonful, Beatles, Monkees. Yes Monkees. Every phone call from Gary would start with him saying “I got the chords to…..” and just being so excited to share. We played for a few years at youth centres, schools etc. Learned a valuable music business lesson as one of the gigs we played was Friday nights for pop and donuts. We were let go after a few weeks as it seems our bass player was having more than his share of donuts. I was loving playing guitar.

About 1968 I got a call to form an R&B band and play guitar. I was hanging with my good friend Terry Iverson, who played trumpet. I asked the guy if there was going to be a horn section and offered to play horn with my buddy Terry. Talk about life changing. The band was called the Soul Review. Tommy Stewart (Trooper) was our drummer. Dana Howard sang, although never more than the first verse over and over. The band was good enough to play The Fifth Day Club which was produced by Drew Burns (Commodore) every other Friday. They would happen at a variety of big Hotel Ball rooms such as The Hotel Vancouver, The Bayshore, The Marco Polo. Fast forward 30 years and I’m playing the Commodore with the R&B Allstars. I go to Drew’s office to get paid and he’s there with a bunch of his buds. To get a laugh he says in front of everyone as he hands me the cash. “ Colin, you’ve been playing the same F*n songs for 30 years”. Much laughter. As I take his stack of cash, I reply to Drew, “That’s right Drew. And you’ve been paying me the same F*n money. He was a wonderful man. I’ve never heard anyone ever say anything untoward about Drew.

After Soul Review spilt up Terry Iverson and I joined a blues band where I first met my life long business partner John Pearson. JP played tenor and the band was called the Pearson Ellis (Lisle) Blues band. We practiced 1 set for nine months, played the Riverqueen on Davie and split up. It was eye opening as it was pretty creative and all the horn players got to solo.

After graduating from Killarney high school, I played the clubs around Vancouver with a few bands, mainly with Janis Ross. We were playing Image One on Hornby when Kenny the doorman says there’s a band up at Oil Can’s looking for a couple of horn players, you should check them out. I did. It was the Sonics from Seattle. Now, I, like most people, remember exactly where I was when I first heard the Witch and Psycho. That band was kick ass and their sound is still regarded as the seeds of the Seattle Garage sound. The band had somewhat evolved by the time I met up with them. They were a cover horn band, with a few originals and still a very impressive group. Randy Hiatt (singer/keys) and I immediately bonded as I was taken aback by his song writing abilities and his oh so high clean voice. Very soulful much like Daryl Hall. I’m still in touch with Randy and often seek his ear on my own writing. Almost 3 years, gruelling roadwork pretty much drove the band into the ground. That and two very strong leaders, Randy and Jim Brady were going in opposite directions. Randy was a writer and Jim was a showman. We did manage to record an albums worth of material. Some to reside on this site.

After coming back to Vancouver I played with a great group of players. Rick Cowie, Keith Kemp, Craig Hamblen, Aaron McNeil aka Brandywine. We played the Body Shop many times and a few other gigs. It was at the Body Shop that I met my wife Patti. It was a case of mistaken identity of another Patti. Fate can be great. After a year or so, I got a call to go back to Seattle and work with Jim Brady (rip) and the Sonics. I lasted about a year. Ridiculous road trips for very little money and a short longevity. It was time to rethink this whole music thing. I had played a few sessions and I just loved being in a studio. It was Star Trek with charts. I was hooked. About that time I was offered a sales gig at Long and McQuade by best friend John Pearson. Patti and I got married in 78. Son Joel born in 1980. We had a house in East Van where I built a small, garage studio and did lots of demos for various band. It was 4 track and a fantastic way to develop an ear as you had got make many live off the floor mix decisions. There are still recordings that I have to give my head a shake as I can’t say now how I recorded so much with just four tracks. It’s still some of the work that I am most proud of. At the time, Zingo was one of my favourite bands and I knew Frank Dato from the Pearson Ellis band. I was getting married in August 78 and I wanted to have lots of music and there would be so many musicians attending. I approached Zingo and offered to record 6 songs in my studio for their one set appearance at my wedding. They agreed. They played. It rocked. Those songs have recently been recovered and have been re mastered and released on a Zingo compilation album in Europe. Keith Scott, pre Adams was incredible. Dave Skinner, Frank Dato, Vince Nardulli (rip), Joey Alvero and Mike Skinner were all really fine players.

As I’m enjoying my new path and working at L&M, I’m writing original tracks and demoing on the four track. I met Russel Marsland as a new member of Mantra. Also in Mantra were Al Lynch and Rick Hill who later became the original members of R&B Allstars. Russell was phenomenal and I, now a hack guitar player, really appreciated his abilities to rip. As Mantra played many a gig, Russel and I formed a musical bond and started writing and recording with various guys. Bass player Dave Taylor (RBA, Adams) was also in the mix. Russell at the time was a sales rep for the Province newspaper. He played one of our tracks for one of his clients (local ski shop) and managed to get $300 from the guy to use in his radio ads.

So now I’m thinking, there has to be something more to this. How does that all work? About a year later I started Wave Productions with a few friends and started to solicit business for jingles. We realized there were advertising agencies that had clients. And Money! Eventually my “big brother” John Pearson bought out the original partners and he and I now owned Wave. Wave, over a 30 year period is now one of the top audio shops in Canada and certainly the go to shop in Vancouver. Many awards along the way for our work.

JP and I, along with partner Bob Smart, were able to sell our company to our employees at Wave in 2019 and they are still killing it. Very talented people.

www.waveproductions.com

At the inception of Wave , there was another launch taking place. The R&B Allstars. Formed in May 1979 and is still running today. So many great musicians who have become wonderful friends . So many stories to tell and you’ll find them here.

www.rbalive.com

While working at Wave I produced a number of singles and Albums on the side as my labour of love.

Alibi recorded 2 #1 singles on the Canadian Country Chart. Do You Have Any Doubts and Rollercoaster.

Doubts was written by myself with lots of help from Michael Rheault, my partner in Wave at the time.

Other projects….

Rebel Phoenix Band (formerly Alibi),

Pacheena,

Babyface,

Ross Mullin,

Clarke Perry,

Patricia Conroy,

Hans Stamer,

R&B Allstars,

Lyndia Scott ,

Fourth Floor,

Don Profili

Finally…

Over the years, I have met so many wonderful people. I’ve been fortunate to have worked with amazing talent both in music and advertising. Singers, musicians, actors, voice talent, writers, art directors, broadcast producers, promoters, club and bar owners, agents, and managers, all of whom have made me better. Generous people with their talents and time, all in the pursuit of creating something worthwhile. It doesn’t always turn out that way but you always learn something. From the great to the not so great, we are all just a work in progress aren’t we?

I would like to whole heartedly, express gratitude to my dad for all the things he taught me , and all the things he tried to teach me. I wasn’t his best student. He said I would thank him one day. I did before he passed. And I still do. Pretty much every day.

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