CANADA

I am now retired from 55 years in the music business in Canada, although I was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1950.  As an audio engineer I was production assistant for Art Snider at Sound Canada and production manager at Papillion Productions in Toronto.  I was President of The Jade Entertainment Corporation running the independent label Coral Disc and JAPA Publishing.

As a producer in Toronto I produced everything from “ERECT” – A New Wave band to “Piney The Talking Tree” – A Childern’s Christmas CD and Live Play.  At Papillion I was on the production team headed by Darryl Peterson doing the corporate audio for such clients as IBM, Scotia McLeod and too many commercials to count for memory Bank Advertising.  In between we managed to record many groups including “Dutch Mason” – Prime Minister of The Blues Album and The Phantoms and even several episodes of “ED The Sock” recorded live for TV at Papillion.

As a musician in Canada I started playing in a variety of bands in Kirkland Lake on keyboards and Sax, including Latin in “The Cavalleros” to Rock in “Christopher Khan” and don’t forget tons of marches in the town band to name a few.  I spent 15 years on the road after that starting in 1970 mainly on the Ontario Bar Circuit playing in many cover bands and revues such as “The Platters” with Norris Vines and George Cox, Comedy group “Strickly From Hunger”, Vocalist “Sonny Lee”, just to name a few.  I played Saxophone in “Atlantis” a well known Toronto R&B Dance Band in the 70s and The Jade Group in the 80s.  Later I performed only in Toronto with “The Jade Group” doing corporate and golf and country clubs, playing keys.   My last group project was “The Couchmen”.  I partnered up with another Sound Canada Alumni, Bob Johnston, in my return to Kirkland Lake.  We produced and released many of our own songs but also many other guest artist from up North on two CDs and one DVD of videos.  We were also the house band at “The White Eagle” night club for three years. In 2023 I retired from performing but I have been producing material from the past that I just never got the time to complete, including the instrumental compilation “Themantcs 2” containing the Latin Dance Instrumental,“Baila”,  for release in 2026.