Corey Hart
Corey Hart began writing songs in his teens and, at 17 years old, endeavored to sell his early efforts in New York. Hart became an instant hit with his rebellious looks, and his debut album, 1983's First Offense, featured the hit song "Sunglasses at Night". The track made it into the US Top Ten and the album sold well in both Canada and the United States. This success brought Hart a Grammy nomination in 1984 for Best New Male Vocalist. Hart's follow-up album, Boy In The Box, was released in 1985 and went on to become his most successful album, featuring the smash "Never Surrender," which would be his highest-charting single (#1 in Canada and #3 in the US). Boy In The Box sold one million copies in Canada alone and was certified Diamond (10x Platinum), equalling a mark established by Bryan Adams' Reckless. Between 1984 and 1990 Hart sold over 10 million records and earned nine US Top 40 Billboard hits.
Check out www.coreyhart.com for more info.
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April Wine
April Wine, Montreal's premiere 1970s hard rock band, was formed in 1969 in Halifax. April Wine was a leading touring band in Canada during the late 1970s and early 1980s, eventually headlining arenas and outdoor stadiums The band made its US debut in 1978, initially opening for the Rolling Stones, Rush and Styx.
April Wine's repertoire was characterized by a certain melodic strength and included hard rock material that worked well in concert and ballads that were suited to pop radio. The band's Canadian hits included "Bad Side of the Moon" (1972), "Lady Run, Lady Hide" (1973), "Weeping Widow" (1973), "You Could Have Been A Lady" (1974), "I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love" (1975), "Oowatanite" (1975), "Tonight Is A Wonderful Time To Fall In Love" (1975), "The Whole World's Going Crazy" (1976), "You Won't Dance with Me" (1977), "Roller" (1979), "I Like To Rock" (1980), "Say Hello" (1980), "Sign of the Gypsy Queen" (1981), "Just Between You And Me" (1981), and "Enough is Enough" (1982). Of April Wine's LPs released between 1971 and 1985, Stand Back, Greatest Hits and Nature of the Beast each sold more in excess of 200,000 copies (earning Double Platinum certification) in Canada, and The Whole World's Going Crazy, Harder... Faster and Power Play sold more than 100,000 (earning Platinum certification).
Check out www.aprilwine.com for more info.
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Deep Purple
Deep Purple survived a seemingly endless series of lineup changes and a dramatic mid-career shift from grandiose progressive rock to ear-shattering heavy metal to emerge as a true institution of the British hard rock community. Once credited in the Guinness Book of World Records as the globe's loudest band, their revolving-door roster launched the careers of performers including Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, and Ian Gillan.
Deep Purple was formed in Hertford, England, in 1968, and during the 1970s Deep Purple in Rock heralded the beginning of the group's most creatively and commercially successful period. Plans to record an album at the Casino in Montreux, Switzerland, were derailed after the venue burned down during a live appearance by Frank Zappa, but the experience inspired Deep Purple's most enduring hit "Smoke on the Water." The song reached the U.S. Top Five in mid-1972 and positioned Deep Purple among rock's elite. Despite numerous lineup upheavals during their career, Deep Purple remains alive and well in the 21st century. Aquarius Records released Deep Purple's Abandon in Canada in 1998.
Check out www.deep-purple.com for more info.
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Helix
Helix was formed in 1975 in Kitchener, Ontario and worked the bar circuit first in southern Ontario and then across Canada. Helix's initial, self-produced LP from 1979 and 1981's White Lace and Black Leather brought Helix attention in the US. Walkin' the Razor's Edge (1984), Helix's most successful LP to 1990, sold more than 100,000 copies domestically (400,000 internationally) and included the Canadian hits "Rock You" and "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want". Other tracks associated with Helix include "Heavy Metal Love," "Deep Cuts the Knife," "The Kids Are Shakin'", "'The Storm," and "Good to the Last Drop". Several were collected on Over 60 Minutes with Helix. Helix, by 1984, was known for its fundamentally sound metal style and its exuberant live performances; the band has maintained a rigorous touring schedule in Canada and in the US. Helix also toured on several occasions in Europe (including a tour with KISS), where it has a particularly strong following in Sweden.
Check out www.planethelix.com for more info.
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Sass Jordan
Sass Jordan's solo debut album,Tell Somebody, was released in 1988 and went on to reach Platinum certification as well as win Jordan the Most Promising Female Vocalist Juno Award in 1989. In 1992, Jordan released Racine, which reached Double Platinum status in Canada and earned Jordan the title of Female Rock Artist of the Year by the American music magazine Billboard. That year she also performed a duet with Joe Cocker for The Bodyguard soundtrack, which sold more than 27 million copies worldwide. After selling almost a half-million records in Canada and more than a million worldwide, Aquarius released Sass...The Best of Sass Jordan in 2003. This greatest hits compilation featured two new songs, including "Brand New Day" which acted as the compilation's single.
Check out www.sassjordan.com for more info.
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Serial Joe
After relentlessly playing in their parents' basements, Serial Joe eventually decided it was time to go public. As such, the ambitious young group independently released its first album, Kicked, in 1998. In 1999 the band made ripples with the hit "Mistake" on Face Down, the group's first recording for Aquarius . Face Down went Platinum, selling over 100 000 units in Canada. This enabled Serial Joe to play Woodstock '99 and Edgefest '99 (alongside Silverchair and Hole) and even open for KISS. Serial Joe has earned a number of prestigious nominations, including a 2000 Much Music Award nomination (People's Choice Award for Best Canadian Band) and a Juno nomination for Best New Band. In the summer of 2000, Aquarius released the band's second album, Serial Joe . On Serial Joe, the band got a chance to work with Dave "Rave" Ogilvie, producer of such artists as Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Jane's Addiction, and Skinny Puppy. In 2002, Aquarius released Serial Joe's Last Chance At The Romance Dance which spawned the hit "Completely".
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ALL SYSTEMS GO!
ALL SYSTEMS GO!'s latest album is so beautiful and mighty that it could only be named Mon Chi Chi. The band headed to Los Angeles to make the album, with Mon Chi Chi being recorded at famed stoner chateau Donner and Blitzen by Daniel Ray (Ramones, Misfits, Entombed). Ray and All Systems Go! have known each other for years, and that symbiotic relationship allowed Ray to understand exactly what All Systems Go! wanted to do on Mon Chi Chi. And what, exactly, did the band want to do? Have a lot of fun making a rock and roll album, of course. Mon Chi Chi was recorded in two weeks and captures a band at the peak of its powers, doing what it loves.
Check out www.asgcentral.com for more info.
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FUBAR
FUBAR is a 2002 mockumentary film, directed by Michael Dowse, based on the lives of two lifelong, heavy metal loving friends. It first debuted at the Sundance Film Festival where it won the award as the Official Selection of the Festival. Since its release, it has gained critical acclaim and a cult status in North America, but especially within Western Canada. It was both filmed and set in and around Calgary and outlying areas in the Canadian province of Alberta.
It was filmed entirely with digital film, on a shoestring budget that required many involved with the project to max out their credit cards in order to complete the movie (according to an interview on their official website). FUBAR features characters partly based on a comedy routine performed by David Lawrence and Paul Spence that they developed based on the head-banger subculture.
Check out www.fubar-themovie.com for more info.
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