Crowbar (Canadian band with King Biscuit Boy)

Crowbar was a Canadian rock band based in Hamilton, Ontario, best known for their 1971 hit "Oh, What a Feeling". The band was formed in 1969. Their music was described as a mix of rousing rock, blues and boogie. They were one of the most popular Canadian touring bands of the early 1970s. They were known for their popular singles, "Oh What a Feeling" and "Million Dollar Weekend". Between 1970 and 1972, the had three albums released on the Daffodil Records label. One vocalist that worked with the group was Pamela Marsh who had been a member of Everyday People. From 1969 to 1970, most of the members of the group had been a backup band for Ronnie Hawkins under the name "And Many Others". However, in early 1970, he fired them; as he later told a friend, "Those boys could fuck up a crowbar in fifteen seconds." They recorded their first album in 1970, called Official Music, as "King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar". King Biscuit Boy left the band later in 1970 but continued to appear off and on as a guest performer. In 1971, the band recorded a performance at Massey Hall, in Toronto, which was released as a double album, Larger than Life (and Live'r Than You've Ever Been). The concert, billed as "An Evening of Love with Daffodil Records", was co-produced by concert promoter Martin Onrot and Toronto radio station CHUM-FM. Numerous guests appeared with Crowbar at Massey Hall, including members of Lighthouse, Dr. Music, and Everyday People. King Biscuit Boy also returned to perform with his former bandmates. The recording and release of the album are significant as being the first time a Canadian band had recorded and released a "live in concert" album. It was also the first time that a live concert was broadcast simultaneous on CHUM-FM. Also in 1971, the band performed a concert in the Lord Beaverbrook Grand Ballroom in New Brunswick and entertained at the anniversary celebrations in Hamilton, Ontario. Due largely to Margaret Trudeau's enthusiasm for the band, Crowbar was featured as the opening act of Pierre Trudeau's 1972 re-election campaign rallies, including a notable stop at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. This association enhanced the band's reputation in Canada and garnered international interest from agencies such as A&M Records and figures such as Clive Davis. Despite this momentum, their second album did not capture the energy of their first and the band faltered. Crowbar disbanded in 1975 but was revived in 1977, without Jozef Chirowski, who had joined Alice Cooper's band. The band performed intermittently during the 1980s. More recently, Crowbar played shows around Hamilton, Ontario, including a performance at their induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2011. The band consisted of numerous players in various combinations over its lifetime, including: King Biscuit Boy (Richard Newell) – vocals, harmonica, guitars Roly Greenway – bass, vocals, percussion, guitars Kelly Jay (Blake Fordham) (December 1, 1941 – June 21, 2019) – piano, vocals, harmonica, bass. Jay was the subject of an episode of Hoarding: Buried Alive, originally aired on April 10, 2013. He also featured on the cover of Rush's 1981 Moving Pictures album John Rutter – vocals (1970) Ed Charron – guitar (1973–1974) Richard Bell – keyboards (1970) Jozef Chirowski – organ, vocals, piano, flute, vibes, percussion Larry Atamanuik – drums (1970) Tim Nantais – bass Sonnie Bernardi – drums, vocals Paul Nicholls – guitars Rheal Lanthier – guitars, vocals John Gibbard – guitars, vocals Sonny Del-Rio – saxophone Ray Harrison – piano, Hammond B3 organ John Dickie – vocals (2000) Russell Foreman – guitars Tim Thompson – drums (1978) Rick Waites (aka Rock Watts) – bass Terry Branagh – guitars Dwayne Pack - drums Paul Panchezak - drums (1984,1990) Official Music (as King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar) (1970, Daffodil SBA-16001; 1996, Stony Plain) (#40 Canada) Track listing "Highway 61" – 2:47 "Don't Go No Further" – 3:38 "Unseen Eye" – 2:54 "I'm Just A Lonely Guy" – 2:29 "Key To The Highway" – 3:15 "Corrina, Corrina" – 4:18 "Biscuit's Boogie" – 9:26 "Hoy Hoy Hoy" – 5:20 "Badly Bent" – 2:05 "Cookin' Little Baby" – 2:25 "Shout Bama Lama" – 2:25 Personnel King Biscuit Boy – vocals, harmonica, acoustic (1) and slide (4) guitars John "Greyhound" Gibbard – electric and slide guitars Rheal "Ray" Lanthier – electric guitars Kelly J. – piano, percussion Roly Greenway – bass Larry Atamanuik – drums John R. – percussion Bad Manors (1971, Daffodil SBA-16004) (#77 Canada ) Track listing "Frenchman's Filler #1" – 1:13 "Too True Mama" – 2:52 "Let The Four Winds Blow" – 2:20 "The House Of Blue Lights" – 2:44 "Train Keep Rollin'" – 2:49 "Baby Let's Play House" – 3:02 "Oh What A Feeling" – 4:18 "Frenchman's Filler #2" – 0:32 "Frenchman's Filler #3" – 0:35 "Murder In The First Degree" – 5:10 "In The Dancing Hold" – 3:48 "Mountain Fire" – 3:56 "Prince Of Peace" – 4:07 "Frenchman's Filler #1" – 0:45 Personnel John "The Ghetto" Gibbard – lead and slide guitars, vocals Rheal Lanthier – lead guitar, vocals Jozef Chirowski – organ, vocals, piano Kelly Jay – piano, vocals Roly Greenway – bass, vocals, percussion Sonnie Bernardi – drums, vocals, percussion Larger than Life (and Live'r than You've Ever Been) (1971, Daffodil 2-SBA-16007), recorded in concert at Massey Hall, Toronto (#13 Canada) Track listing "Introduction" – 0:33 "Prince Of Peace" – 3:37 "Murder In The First Degree" – 3:36 "Newspaper Song" – 2:36 "Corinna Corinna" – 4:40 "Fly Away" – 3:41 "Tits Up On The Pavement" – 7:47 "Mummy And Daddy" – 1:39 "Ask Me No Questions" – 5:46 "Over The Mountain" – 5:18 "Cane On The Brazos" – 5:15 "Rock Around The Clock / Shake, Rattle And Roll" – 2:05 "In The Dancing Hold" – 3:45 "Oh What A Feeling" – 8:50 Personnel John "Ghetto" Gibbard – electric guitar, vocals Rheal Lanthier – electric guitar, vocals Josef Chirowski – organ, vocals, piano, harmonica Kelly Jay – piano, vocals, harmonica, bass Roland "Roly" Greenway – bass, vocals, acoustic guitar Sonnie Bernardi – drums, vocals, percussion Heavy Duty (1972, Daffodil SBA-16013) (#55 Canada) Track listing Side one "Trilby" – (Kelly Jay) – 2:41 "Listen Sister (A Mutual Liberation Ballad)" – (Kelly Jay) – 2:07 "Hey Baby" – (Bruce Channel) – 2:55 "Dreams" – (Josef Chirowski, John Gibbard) – 2:49 "Where Were You" – (Kelly Jay) – 3:56 Side two "Dead Head Out Of St. John's" – (Kelly Jay) – 3:45 "The Beaver And The Eagle" – (Kelly Jay) – 3:07 "Cluckie's Escape" – (Roly Greenway) – 3:10 "Snakes And Ladders" – (Kelly Jay) – 2:50 "Lay One Down" – (Roly Greenway, LOVE) 4:28 Personnel Rheal Lantier – lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals John Gibbard – lead, rhythm and slide guitars, backing vocals Kelly Jay – piano, lead and backing vocals Josef Chirowski – organ, lead and backing vocals, piano, flute, vibes Roly Greenway – bass, lead and backing vocals, cowbell, tambourine Sonnie Bernardi – drums, backing vocals, percussion KE32746 (1973, Epic KE-32746) (#37 Canada) Track listing Side one "Million Dollar Weekend" – 3:04 "Something Happened Yesterday" – 4:20 "Trumpet Rose" – 3:25 "All The Living Things" – 3:11 "Go For The Throat" – 4:42 Side two "Kilroy" – 2:23 "Rocky Mountain Tragedy" – 5:52 "The Killing Time Trilogy" – 7:06 "Killing Time "It Really Doesn't Matter "Hard On You "Killing Time – Reprise "Nothing Lasts Forever" – 3:27 Crowbar Classics: Memories Are Made of This (1975, Daffodil SBA-16030) 1970 "Corrina, Corrina" (Daffodil) (as King Biscuit Boy with Crowbar), #29 CAN 1970 "Uncle Pen" / "Roberta" (London 17385) 1971 "Oh What a Feeling" (Daffodil), #10 CAN 1971 "Happy People" (Daffodil) 1972 "Too True Mama" (Daffodil), #60 CAN 1972 "Dreams" (Daffodil) 1972 "Fly Away" (Daffodil), #48 CAN 1972 "Hey Baby" (Daffodil), #59 CAN 1973 "Million Dollar Weekend" (Epic), #22 CAN 1974 "All the Living Things" (Epic), #81 CAN 1977 "Run, Run Rudolph" (Puck) Graham Rockingham. "Branding Hamilton as a music city". Hamilton Spectator, November 9, 2016. The Canadian Encyclopedia - Crowbar