Leigh Ashford was a 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...

 group formed in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, 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....

, 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...

, and which existed between 1966 and 1974.

History

The group was formed in 1967 by, the guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 Gord Waszek, drummer

Drummer

A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...

 Dave Cairns, bassist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 Joe Agnello and keyboard player Newton Garwood. In 1969, record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Jack Richardson

Jack Richardson (record producer)

Jack Richardson, CM was a Juno Award-nominated Canadian record producer and Order of Canada recipient. He is perhaps best known for producing the biggest hit records from The Guess Who from 1969 to 1975...

 took the band to New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 to record. A single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 "Country Place" was released on the Nimbus 9 label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, but the album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

 itself was never issued.

The band kept busy in the clubs in Toronto until 1970. At this time Garwood was replaced by keyboardist Bruno Weckerle, Craig Kaleal (of The Witness) became the permanent drummer and a new vocalist Buzz Shearman was added. The band was invited to appear at three day long, Strawberry Fields Festival

Strawberry Fields Festival

The Strawberry Fields Festival was a rock music festival held at Mosport Park Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, about 100 kilometers east of Toronto, between August 7 and the early morning hours of August 10, 1970. Although accounts vary, the audience has been estimated at between 75,000...

, in August 1970. In 1971, they recorded their debut album called Kinfolk in the RCA

RCA Records

RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

 studios in Toronto. Things were looking good for the band with a US

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 tour. In addition, the album's first single, "Dickens", began gaining attention of US radio stations. However creative differences due to member turn-over rate was breaking the band up. It fell to singer Buzz Shearman to pick up the pieces and soldier on in 1972, when founding members Gord Waszek joining Fludd

Fludd (band)

Fludd was a Canadian rock band in the 1970s, best known for their 1973 hit "Cousin Mary".The band had its roots in a band called The Pretty Ones, formed by Ed Pilling and Greg Godovitz. The band was briefly part of Toronto's Yorkville scene in the 1960s, but broke up before achieving much...

 and Joe Agnello joining Grant Smith & The Power

Grant Smith & The Power

Grant Smith & The Power were a popular Canadian rock-soul outfit from the 1960s that had a hit with a cover of Jackie Edwards' "Keep On Running" and was also a training ground for musicians who went on to the likes of McKenna Mendelson Mainline, Motherlode, Crowbar and Leigh Ashford.- Group...

. Wally Cameron and Doni Underhill also decided to leave in 1974, with Underhill also joining Fludd. Shearman recruited Earl Johnson

Moxy (band)

Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1974, from previous members of the rock group, Leigh Ashford — which included singer Douglas "Buzz" Shearman Earl Johnson , Bill Wade Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in...

 (guitar, and former member of the King Biscuit Boy

King Biscuit Boy

King Biscuit Boy was the stage name of Richard Alfred Newell a Canadian blues musician. He was the first Canadian blues artist to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.....

 band), Kim Fraser, then Terry Juric (bass guitar) and Bill Wade (drums), the latter being former members of Outlaw Music. This group ultimately evolved with a harder sound into the hit recording act Moxy

Moxy (band)

Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1974, from previous members of the rock group, Leigh Ashford — which included singer Douglas "Buzz" Shearman Earl Johnson , Bill Wade Moxy was a Canadian hard rock and heavy metal band, formed in Toronto, Ontario in...

in late 1974.

In 1997, Pacemaker Records re-issued the sole Leigh Ashford album, Kinfolk, on CD.

Members

• Dave Cairns (vocals, drums)
• Joe Agnello (bass)
• Newton Garwood (keyboards)
• Gord Waszek (guitar)
• Wally Cameron (drums; replaced Cairns 1970)
• Lance Wright (drums; replaced Cameron)
• Craig Kaleal (drums; replaced Wright)
• Buzz Shearman (vocals; replaced Cairns in 1971)
• Bruno Weckerle (organ; replaced Garwood)
• Don Elliot (bass; replaced Agnello)
• Doni Underhill (bass; replaced Elliot)
• Kim Frased (bass; replaced Underhill 1973)
• Earl Johnson (guitar; replaced Waszek 1973)
• Terry Juric (bass; replaced Underhill 1974)
• Bill Wade (drums; replaced Kaleal 1973)

Singles

• 1970 (Nimbus 9) - "Country Place" (with David Cairns on vocals)
• 1971 (Revolver) - "Dickens" (with Buzz Shearman on vocals)
• 1971 (Revolver) - "Never Give Myself" (with Buzz Shearman on vocals)
• 1971 (Revolver) - "Good Day" (with Buzz Shearman on vocals)
• 1972 (Revolver) - "Workin' All Day" (with Buzz Shearman on vocals)
• 1972 (Revolver) - "The Country's Got A Soul All Its Own" (Hopi) (with Buzz Shearman on vocals)

Albums

• Kinfolk
  • 1. "Dickens" 2:40 (Sherman, Waszek)
    2. "Mighty Fine Cookin'" 3:15 (Waszek)
    3. "Never Give Myself" 4:27 (Waszek)
    4. "Juicy Lucy" 3:25 (Waszek)
    5. "County Country" 3:24 (Sherman, Waszek)
    6. "Good Day" 4:00 (Agnelio, Kaleal, Shearman)
    7. "Lee Oompa Kum Pah Pah" 3:10 (Agnello, Shearman, Waszek)
    8. "Lady" 4:44 (Sherman, Waszek)
    9. "Sicawine, Pt. 1" 3:27 (Sherman, Waszek, Weckere, Agnello)
    10. "Sicawine, Pt. 2" 6:39 (Sherman, Waszek, Weckerle, Agnello)
    11. "Workin' All Day" 2:05 (Sherman)- Bonus track on 1997 re-issue CD
    12. "The Country's Got A Soul" 3:14 (Sherman)- Bonus track on 1997 re-issue CD

External links

• Bio at Pop Encyclopedia CANOE.ca