Barry | Garage Hangover

Our Generation Barry 45 Run Down Every Street - some similarity to "Season of the Witch" — Some similarity to “Season of the Witch”

Jim Robertson (Vocals) (circa May 1966-circa July 1969)

Tim Forsythe (Keyboards, Harmonica) (circa May 1966-August 1967)

Domenic Angelicchio (Drums) (circa May 1966-circa July 1969)

Danny Barrucco (Bass) (circa May 1966-December 1966)

Dave Hanna (Guitar) (circa May 1966-July 1966)

Don Duncan (Guitar) (July 1966-September 1966, May 1967-August 1967)

Jean Pierre Lauzon (Guitar) (September 1966)

Richard Lasnier (Guitar) (circa October 1966)

Gary Marcus (Guitar) (circa October-December 1966)

Bob Burgess (Bass) (December 1966-May 1967)

Louis McKelvey (Guitar) (December 1966-May 1967)

Ken Duffy (Bass) (May 1967-circa July 1969)

Les Kozichinsky (Guitar) (August 1967-July 1968)

Don Hay (Keyboards) (August 1967-December 1967)

Jerry Carruthers (Keyboards) (December 1967-July 1968)

Dick Stenstrum (Keyboards) (July 1968-circa July 1969)

Roald Longhi (Guitar) (July 1968-circa July 1969)

The original band was formed in the summer of 1966 by former Haunted members Jim Robertson and Tim Forsythe. Robertson was originally from Edinburgh, Scotland where he’d played sax in a group during 1964 before moving to Montreal.

Based in Lachine, Quebec, the band made its debut at the local YMCA.

Hanna left soon after the band started playing live. However, the group went through a succession of lead guitarists, starting with Don Duncan, who left in September 1966, before McKelvey joined in December.

McKelvey’s arrival coincided with that of Bob Burgess from The Haunted. In between Duncan leaving and McKelvey joining, Our Generation featured temporary stopgap guitarists, J P Lauzon, who went on to The Jaybees, Richard Lasnier and Gary Marcus from Oven.

The line up with Duncan, however, was responsible for the first single, a cover of the Muddy Waters blues favourite ‘I’m a Man’, backed by Forsythe’s ‘Run Down Every Street’.

Irish-born and British raised guitarist Louis McKelvey, who had arrived in Montreal around October 1966 after playing with west London band Jeff Curtis & The Flames and later South African groups The Upsetters and The A-Cads, appeared on the band’s second single, before forming Influence in late May 1967.

Prior to joining Our Generation, McKelvey had played with Les Sinners for a few weeks and was later given co-production credit for The Haunted’s third single with fellow ex-A-Cads member Hank Squires.

This line up of Our Generation provided the soundtrack to the Canadian Film Board film, ‘It’s Not Jacques Cartier’s Fault’. McKelvey wrote ‘Cool Summer’ while Burgess composed the A-side, ‘Out to Get Light’.

Burgess left Canada in late 1967 to spend some time in the UK where he recorded, and then returned to form a new band Lilac. In the ‘70s he led Aean.

Angelicchio, Forsythe and Robertson kept the band going bringing back guitarist Don Duncan and adding new bass player Ken Duffy. This line-up lasted until August 1967 when Forsythe left to join Peter & The Pipers and Duncan moved on.

Angelicchio, Duffy and Robertson brought in keyboard player Don Hay and guitarist Les Kozichinsky for a few months. Then in December Jerry Carruthers took over keyboards from Hay.

This line-up settled and performed into the summer of 1968 before further changes.

Keyboard player Dick Stenstrum and guitarist Roald Longhi joined Jim Robertson, Dominic Angelicchio and Ken Duffy and also played Our Generation’s most significant concert date, the Summer Pop Festival held at The Autostade, Montreal on 17 July, which was headlined by The Who, The Troggs, Mitch Ryder & Detroit Wheels and The Ohio Express. The Haunted also appeared at the festival.

The band continued on for another year or so before splitting.

After The Jaybees, Lauzon went on to play with The Carnival Connection, Life, Mylon Le Fevre and ultimately The Wackers. Marcus joined The Haunted.

Recordings

45 I’m A Man/Run Down Every Street (Barry 3461) 1966
45 Cool Summer/Out To Get Light (Trans World 1678) 1967

Selected advertised gigs

February 17 1967 – West Hill High, Montreal
February 18 1967 – Stanstead College, Montreal
February 24 1967 – Malcolm Campbell High, St Laurent, Quebec
February 25 1967 – The Barn (on Du Hamel)

March 3 1967 – Gig in Hudson (Quebec?)
March 4 1967 – Salle Espangnola, St Therese, Quebec
March 10 1967 – The Jail, Montreal
March 11 1967 – Gig in Huntington, Quebec
March 18 1967 – St Hubert Inn Club, St Hubert
March 25 1967 – Caveman’s Hive, Montreal
March 27 1967 – St Augustine’s NDG (Montreal?)

April 8 1967 – The Jail, Montreal
April 14 1967 – St Willabroads School (Montreal?)
April 22 1967 – St Bartholemew (Montreal?)
April 28 1967 – The Barn, Ile Perrot
April 29 1967 – Roxboro Chalet, Roxboro
May 5 1967 – Hot Spot, Rosemere
May 6 1967 – Town and Country, Cote de Liesse with Munks
May 7 1967 – Town and Country, Cote de Liesse with The Jaybees

September 24-30 1967 – Garden of Stars, Montreal

Live dates taken from the Montreal Star newspaper.

Many thanks to Bill Munson, Carny Corbett, Louis McKelvey, Bob Burgess, Ken Duffy.

Our Generation and Haunted article scans courtesy of Alex Taylor, provided by Ivan Amirault

Don Norman and the Other Four, Leonard Alexander Agency promo

RPM, January 3, 1966 The Esquires: original members Ric Patterson and Brian Lewis out, new members include Ted Gerow, John Cassidy and Doug Orr — RPM, January 3, 1966
The Esquires: original members Ric Patterson and Brian Lewis out, new members include Ted Gerow, John Cassidy and Doug Orr

Don Norman had been playing guitar and singing in Ottawa bands since 1961, with the Continentals, the Jades and the Esquires, who cut his song “Cry Is All I Do”.

Don described his early work:

I began playing guitar in 1958 and was composing songs by late 1959. Early influences were Elvis, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. The first time I was in a professional recording studio was September 1961 and I still have the master tape. The session was for two songs that I had composed and the band was known as the Continentals.
By the year 1963 I had joined a band by the name of the Esquires, which had already released two singles in Canada for Capitol Records. I became the vocalist for this group and some months later, in the early spring of 1964, we recorded an LP for Capitol. This was followed by three more single releases including “Cry Is All I Do”. I wrote the song in 1964 and it was recorded in early 1965 and released that spring.

Don had an acrimonious break with the Esquires in the summer of ’65, leading to a lawsuit when he named his new band Don Norman and the Esquires. He gave up the Esquires name, but his departure from the band cost the original Esquires their contract with Capitol. The band he formed became Don Norman and the Other Four: Gary Comeau (who had also been in the Esquires) on lead guitar, Bill Hellman bass, Ron Greene organ and Brian Dewherst on drums. With the addition of John Matthews on sax, the Other Four were five!

Don Norman and the Other Four Barry 45 The Bounce / All of My Life

At their first session at RCA’s Hallmark Studios in Toronto, they recorded two different singles. They backed Bob Harrington on “Changes” / “Country Boy” on REO 8947X, the A-side being a Heinz cut, the flip a Phil Ochs composition. It was released as “Bob Harrington with Don Norman & the Other Four”. Bob Harrington was the original lead vocalist of the Esquires who Don had replaced in the band.

Les Demi-Douzaines - actually Don Norman & the Other Four — Les Demi-Douzaines – actually Don Norman & the Other Four

The other single without Harrington was their upbeat cover of the Olympics’ hit “The Bounce”, with Don’s original “All of My Life” on the flip. It was released on the Barry label (a subsidiary of Quality) in the summer of ’66. Despite being picked up by MGM for distribution in the U.S., Quality failed to get behind the release and let it fade.

There is also a French version on the Solfege label, “Le Bounce” / “Je T’ai Cherche”. The band listed, Les Demi-Douzaines (“The Half-Dozen”) was actually Don Norman & the Other Four under a pseudonym. Ivan Amirault wrote to me: “I have a copy of it. Funny thing with mine is it doesn’t have the same Quality number as the one shown in your site. Mine has a one hundred series number which is what the label used for their Quebec French titles.”

Dissatisfied with Quality’s promotion of the band, their manager, DJ and CJOH-TV’s Saturday Date host John Pozer started the Sir John A label with Ron Greene to back Don’s songwriting and vocal talents. Gary Comeau left after “The Bounce” to join the Townsmen.

Don Norman and the Other Four Sir John A PS Low Man

Don Norman and the Other Four Sir John A 45 Low Man

The band’s first 45 on Sir John A was the amazing “Low Man”, definitely one of the great moments in Canadian rock. Don recalls recording it at Stereo Sound in Montreal while the studio was still under construction! Don used a Gibson fuzz box on the bass to get that distinctive sound. “Low Man” was released in November of ’66, backed by a cover of “Mustang Sally”, and featured their new guitarist Art Kirkby.

The picture sleeve that accompanied the 45 was printed with the opening for the record on the bottom, so most copies were cut up and pasted onto plain white sleeves.

Don Norman and the Other Four Sir John A 45 Your Place in My Heart

Next up was another Norman original, the fine “Your Place in My Heart”, featuring John Matthews on vocals, backed with “Trae Hymn 1”.

Their third and last 45 on Sir John A was just a pairing of the last two a-sides: the label scans I’m featuring here. Both songs were produced by Norman Greene.

Several factors have been mentioned as reasons for why this talented group didn’t make a bigger mark at the time: a disinclination of the band to tour, a lack of enthusiasm from Ottawa audiences, John Pozer’s departure to work for Variety Artists in Toronto, and the low distribution of Sir John A records.

In early 1967 the band went through a drastic line-up change, keeping Ron Greene on keyboards, but with Don moving to bass, and three members of the Bittersweet joining: John Winskell on lead guitar, Rick Paradis on vocals and Skip Layton on drums.

With a new pop sound, they recorded what was to be the band’s next single, “Nothing To Do, No Place To Go”. The band broke up without even recording a b-side, so it remained unreleased until the 1997 release of ‘Ottawa Rocks! The Sir John A Years’ compilation. Disillusioned and not seeing a future in music, Don retired from performing at the age of 23!

Sources include Erin Truscott’s interview with Don Norman in Misty Lane #15; the Sir John A site (link); Don’s own description of his career (link); and Glynis Ward and Alex Taylor’s history of the band.Special thanks to Ivan for his scans of record sleeves and promotional materials.

Don Norman and the Other Four, RPM, July 25, 1966 — RPM, July 25, 1966

"All of My Life" promoted in RPM, October 24, 1966 — “All of My Life” promoted in RPM, October 24, 1966

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