Bearfoot (Canadian band)
Encyclopedia
Bearfoot was a Juno Award
-nominated Canadian
rock
band, founded by Jim Atkinson, Terry Danko
, Dwayne Ford, Hugh Brockie and Brian Hilton. Initially going by "Atkinson, Danko and Ford", they changed their name out of practicality and because they didn't want to sound as though they were a law-firm. They released three albums and five singles through Columbia Records
.
, first meeting at the Graham Bell
Hotel in Brantford, Ontario
. Hawkins' group played the upstairs lounge that day while Danko and Atkinson's group, Tin Pan Alley, played downstairs. Hawkins hired the two as part of his group, which Ford, Brockie and Hilton were already part of.
Bearfoot eventually formed in 1969 and left Hawkins to sign with Columbia
. They released three albums and five singles through the label. Their first, 1972 album was released under the name "Atkinson, Danko and Ford (with Brockie and Hilton)". They were nominated for the 1974 Juno Award
for Most Promising Group of the Year, which Bachman-Turner Overdrive
would win. Danko and Atkinson left in 1973 to pursue work as musicians in California
. The group continued without them, releasing their final album as "Dwayne Ford and Bearfoot" in 1975. Danko and Atkinson returned to Canada
in 1985 and reformed the band for a time with Jerry Baird. The group is now presumably defunct.
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
-nominated Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band, founded by Jim Atkinson, Terry Danko
Terry Danko
Terry Danko is a Canadian musician and songwriter who has been active since childhood. He has written, performed and recorded his own material as a solo artist and as a member of a number of groups, such as Tin Pan Alley, Bearfoot and Terry Danko, Marty Grebb and Friends.Danko has also worked as...
, Dwayne Ford, Hugh Brockie and Brian Hilton. Initially going by "Atkinson, Danko and Ford", they changed their name out of practicality and because they didn't want to sound as though they were a law-firm. They released three albums and five singles through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
Biography
The founding members came together as part of Ronnie Hawkins' Rock and Roll Revival and Travelling Medicine ShowRonnie Hawkins
Ronald "Ronnie" Hawkins is a Juno Award-winning rockabilly musician whose career has spanned more than half a century. Though his career began in Arkansas, USA, where he'd been born and raised, it was in Ontario, Canada where he found success and settled for most of his life...
, first meeting at the Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was an eminent scientist, inventor, engineer and innovator who is credited with inventing the first practical telephone....
Hotel in Brantford, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. Hawkins' group played the upstairs lounge that day while Danko and Atkinson's group, Tin Pan Alley, played downstairs. Hawkins hired the two as part of his group, which Ford, Brockie and Hilton were already part of.
Bearfoot eventually formed in 1969 and left Hawkins to sign with Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. They released three albums and five singles through the label. Their first, 1972 album was released under the name "Atkinson, Danko and Ford (with Brockie and Hilton)". They were nominated for the 1974 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
for Most Promising Group of the Year, which Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Bachman–Turner Overdrive is a Canadian rock group from Winnipeg, Manitoba, that had a series of hit albums and singles in the 1970s, selling over 7 million albums in that decade alone. Their 1970s catalog included five Top 40 albums and six Top 40 singles...
would win. Danko and Atkinson left in 1973 to pursue work as musicians in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The group continued without them, releasing their final album as "Dwayne Ford and Bearfoot" in 1975. Danko and Atkinson returned to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1985 and reformed the band for a time with Jerry Baird. The group is now presumably defunct.
Albums
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Atkinson, Danko and Ford (with Brockie and Hilton) | Columbia | *as "Atkinson, Danko and Ford (with Brockie and Hilton)" |
| 1973 | Bearfoot | *re-issue of first album, as "Bearfoot" | |
| 1973 | Friends with Bearfoot | ||
| 1975 | Passing Time | *as "Dwayne Ford and Bearfoot" |
Singles
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Right On/Holy, Holy, Holy | Columbia | |
| 1972 | Right On/Mark Twain | *alternate B-side A-side and B-side A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or... *issued in the USA |
|
| 1973 | Only A Soldier/Life Goes Too Fast | ||
| 1973 | Molly/St. Augustine | ||
| 1974 | Passing Time/She Comes to Me | ||
| 1975 | Cable to Carol |
Compilation inclusions
| Year | Song | Album | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | "Passing Time" | Canada's Finest | K-Tel |