Wonderful Grand Band
| The Wonderful Grand Band | |
|---|---|
 Image from Living in a Fog back cover. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Genres |
Rock Folk Rock |
| Years active | 1978–1983 (Reunion 1997) 2009–present |
| Labels | Grand East Records |
| Associated acts |
Ron Hynes Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers Figgy Duff The Fables |
The Wonderful Grand Band is a Canadian music and comedy group formed in 1978 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
The group had a short-lived eponymous television musical variety show on CBC Television, producing over 40 half-hour episodes between 1980 and 1983.[1] The show starred Hynes, Morris, Perry (later replaced by Warden, who died in 1999), Simmons (later replaced by Annan, who died in 2010), Russell (later replaced by Snider), and Wiseman (later replaced by Stamp), as well as CODCO comedians Greg Malone and Tommy Sexton, who died in 1993. The show combined original and traditional music with topical comedy sketches and satire, some of which was directed at the CBC itself. The band reunited in 2009 for a series of concerts throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, in conjunction with the release of two DVDs containing 12 episodes of the TV show. A second, one-off reunion was held in August 2012 at a Ron Hynes concert held before Hynes entered treatment for throat cancer.[2]
Members
The following members are listed on the groups albums:
- Ron Hynes – lead vocals, guitars, mandolin, banjo (1978–1983) (1997)
- Greg Malone –
- Tommy Sexton – vocals
- Kelly Russell - fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer
- Sandy Morris - acoustic & electric lead guitars, backing vocals
- Bryan Hennessey - electric bass, harmonica on 'Take a Chance'
- Bawnie Oulton - vocal harmony
- Glenn Simmons - acoustic & electric guitars, vocal harmony
- Rocky Wiseman - drums
- Jamie Snider – vocals, guitars, mandolin, fiddle
- Sandy Morris – guitars, backing vocals
- Ian Perry – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Paul "Boomer" Stamp – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Declan O'Doherty – keyboards
- John Jonson – saxophone
- Dave Rundle – percussion
Discography
- Wonderful Grand Band (1978)
- Living in a Fog (1981)
References
- Citations
- ↑ http://www.heritage.nf.ca/arts/television.html
- ↑ 'Magical' Ron Hynes performs before cancer treatment; CBC News; August 11, 2012 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/08/12/nl-hynes-performs-before-cancer-treatment-811.html
External links
- Too Foolish To Talk About? — The Independent article by Ryan Cleary.
- Still Wonderful Grand - The Independent article by Ivan Morgan
- Wunnerful Grand - The Telegram (St. John's, Newfoundland) Geoff Meeker's blog
- Wonderful Grand Band Wonderful Grand Band official site