Original Caste
Encyclopedia
The Original Caste is a Canadian folk-pop group. Its style is characterized by rich tight vocals and a clean sound; the group was compared to The Carpenters
, The Mamas & the Papas
, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver
and Peter, Paul and Mary
. The band formed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1966 under the name The North Country Singers. Because the name sounded too much like a folk group, it was changed in 1968.
The Original Caste today continues to exemplify the signature clean sound and rich, tight vocals of their four and five part harmony. Instrumentally the group consists of guitar, keyboard and bass.
In 1968, the band moved to Los Angeles and recorded the single “I Can’t Make It Anymore” for Dot Records
with limited success. In 1969, the band signed with TA Records, a label distributed by Bell Records
. The band did write many of their pieces but the writing and production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter wrote and produced The Original Caste’s two hit singles: “One Tin Soldier” and then “Mr. Monday”; both songs were from the 1969 LP The Original Caste. The songs employ the use of strings, horns, and organ which adds a swinging, pop-friendly sound. The tune was a hit in Canada and reached #34 on the U.S.
Billboard Hot 100
chart
in 1970. The two singles combined, worldwide, sold over three million copies and were certified gold in both Canada and Japan. The band toured extensively in Canada, the United States and Japan and made many television appearances. The band’s success allowed them the opportunity to open for both B. B. King
and Glen Campbell
. The follow-up single, "Mr. Monday", was a big hit in Japan
and Canada but not in the United States. Having amassed a large following in Japan, they toured there and recorded live album
s, in addition to releasing several further Japanese singles.
The initial members of The Original Caste separated in 1972 with Graham Bruce and Bliss Mackie parting. Married couple Bruce and Dixie Innes continued to perform as The Original Caste and released songs with an increased country influence, including the full-length album Back Home. The Original Caste finally split in 1980 as Bruce and Dixie divorced. Innes continues to perform as a solo artist and later revived the band name in the new millennium.
"One Tin Soldier
" was revived in 1971 when the song was featured on the Billy Jack
movie soundtrack; this version was performed by Jinx Dawson of the rock band Coven
along with the studio's orchestra. This recording was released to radio, then retracted; Coven later released a version on an album. Both versions billed as being by Coven were based on substantially the original arrangement, though some cover versions diverged widely. The popularity of the song has endured as very diverse covers have been recorded by punk rock group Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and by Sonny and Cher; Roseanne Barr also recorded a parody of the song.
A strophic ballad, “One Tin Soldier” tells the tale of the materialistic “valley-people” who kill and cheat in search of a rumoured treasure on a mountain. The only treasure though is a stone inscribed with “Peace on earth”; ironically, the valley-people, a metaphor for mankind, destroyed this treasure whilst in the pursuit of it. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus which is a common arrangement technique used to engrain a song in the listener’s memory.
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
, Simon & Garfunkel, John Denver
John Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
and Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
. The band formed in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in 1966 under the name The North Country Singers. Because the name sounded too much like a folk group, it was changed in 1968.
The Original Caste today continues to exemplify the signature clean sound and rich, tight vocals of their four and five part harmony. Instrumentally the group consists of guitar, keyboard and bass.
History
Songwriter and guitarist Bruce Innes formed the group in Calgary, Alberta in 1966. Initially, Bruce Innes, Graham Bruce and Bliss Mackie worked as a trio and Dixie Lee (Stone) Innes joined the group in 1967, contributing rich vocals. At that time, Dixie Lee Stone was a secretary at Pacific Petroleum in Calgary and she sang on the weekly television programme Calgary Safety Roundup on CFCN-TV. Bruce Innes sang and played by himself while Graham Bruce worked as an accounts executive at Royal Trust. Bliss Mackie had worked as a Coca Cola truck driver and a manager of a department store. In early 1968 Peter Brown (Seattle) became the first drummer in the group. Joe Cavender played with an acid rock group.In 1968, the band moved to Los Angeles and recorded the single “I Can’t Make It Anymore” for Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
with limited success. In 1969, the band signed with TA Records, a label distributed by Bell Records
Bell Records
Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 by Arthur Shimkin in New York, the owner of children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benny Bell who used the Bell name to issue risque novelty records. A...
. The band did write many of their pieces but the writing and production team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter wrote and produced The Original Caste’s two hit singles: “One Tin Soldier” and then “Mr. Monday”; both songs were from the 1969 LP The Original Caste. The songs employ the use of strings, horns, and organ which adds a swinging, pop-friendly sound. The tune was a hit in Canada and reached #34 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in 1970. The two singles combined, worldwide, sold over three million copies and were certified gold in both Canada and Japan. The band toured extensively in Canada, the United States and Japan and made many television appearances. The band’s success allowed them the opportunity to open for both B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
and Glen Campbell
Glen Campbell
Glen Travis Campbell is an American country music singer, guitarist, television host and occasional actor. He is best known for a series of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for hosting a variety show called The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour on CBS television.During his 50 years in show...
. The follow-up single, "Mr. Monday", was a big hit in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Canada but not in the United States. Having amassed a large following in Japan, they toured there and recorded live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
s, in addition to releasing several further Japanese singles.
The initial members of The Original Caste separated in 1972 with Graham Bruce and Bliss Mackie parting. Married couple Bruce and Dixie Innes continued to perform as The Original Caste and released songs with an increased country influence, including the full-length album Back Home. The Original Caste finally split in 1980 as Bruce and Dixie divorced. Innes continues to perform as a solo artist and later revived the band name in the new millennium.
"One Tin Soldier
One Tin Soldier
"One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. The Canadian pop group Original Caste first recorded the song in 1969. The track went to No. 6 on the RPM Magazine charts and hit the No.1 position on Canada's most influential radio chain, CHUM-AM, in Canada...
" was revived in 1971 when the song was featured on the Billy Jack
Billy Jack
Billy Jack is a 1971 action film. It is the second, and highest grossing, in a series of motion pictures centering on a character of the same name, played by Tom Laughlin who also directed and co-wrote the script. Filming began in Prescott, Arizona, in fall 1969, but the movie was not completed...
movie soundtrack; this version was performed by Jinx Dawson of the rock band Coven
Coven (band)
Coven is an American rock band formed in the late 1960s, composed of vocalist Jinx Dawson, bassist Oz Osborne , Chris Neilsen on guitar, Rick Durrett and later John Hobbs on keyboards, and drummer Steve Ross...
along with the studio's orchestra. This recording was released to radio, then retracted; Coven later released a version on an album. Both versions billed as being by Coven were based on substantially the original arrangement, though some cover versions diverged widely. The popularity of the song has endured as very diverse covers have been recorded by punk rock group Me First and the Gimme Gimmes and by Sonny and Cher; Roseanne Barr also recorded a parody of the song.
A strophic ballad, “One Tin Soldier” tells the tale of the materialistic “valley-people” who kill and cheat in search of a rumoured treasure on a mountain. The only treasure though is a stone inscribed with “Peace on earth”; ironically, the valley-people, a metaphor for mankind, destroyed this treasure whilst in the pursuit of it. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus which is a common arrangement technique used to engrain a song in the listener’s memory.
Members
- Bruce Innes- Lead Guitar; Keyboard, and Vocals. Founder and Current Member. While in college, Innes played guitar with blues legend Josh WhiteJosh WhiteJoshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
. In the late 1970’s Innes worked on John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's Rocky Mountain HighRocky Mountain High"Rocky Mountain High" is a folk-rock song written by John Denver and Mike Taylor about Colorado, and is one of the two official state songs of Colorado. Recorded by Denver, it went to number nine on the US Hot 100 in 1973...
album and supplied songs to Ray StevensRay StevensRay Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
and Mickey GilleyMickey GilleyMickey Leroy Gilley is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as...
. Upon the band’s final split, Innes began jingleJingleA jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
and film scoreFilm scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
work. In 2003 Bruce Innes and Ian Tyson produced WMA Album of the Year for country artist Brenn Hill. Innes is remarried and currently resides in Alberta. - Julian Kerr - Guitar; Keyboard; Vocals
- Shelley Jones - Lead Vocals
- Bruce Mohacsy - Bass; Vocals; Keyboard
- Lori Mohacsy - Vocals
Past Members
- Bruce Innes- Lead Guitar and Vocals. Founder and Current Member. While in college, Innes played guitar with blues legend Josh WhiteJosh WhiteJoshua Daniel White , better known as Josh White, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and civil rights activist. He also recorded under the names "Pinewood Tom" and "Tippy Barton" in the 1930s....
. In the late 1970’s Innes worked on John DenverJohn DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's Rocky Mountain HighRocky Mountain High"Rocky Mountain High" is a folk-rock song written by John Denver and Mike Taylor about Colorado, and is one of the two official state songs of Colorado. Recorded by Denver, it went to number nine on the US Hot 100 in 1973...
album and supplied songs to Ray StevensRay StevensRay Stevens is an American country music, pop singer-songwriter who has become known for his novelty songs.-Early career:...
and Mickey GilleyMickey GilleyMickey Leroy Gilley is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as...
. Upon the band’s final split, Innes began jingleJingleA jingle is a short tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. The jingle contains one or more hooks and lyrics that explicitly promote the product being advertised, usually through the use of one or more advertising slogans. Ad buyers use jingles in radio and television...
and film scoreFilm scoreA film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
work. In 2003 Bruce Innes and Ian Tyson produced WMA Album of the Year for country artist Brenn Hill. Innes is remarried and currently resides in Alberta. - Dixie Lee (Stone) Innes - Vocals. After her divorce from Bruce Innes, Dixie left the music industry and found a new career as a social worker, living in Victoria, British Columbia.
- Bliss Mackie- Rhythm Guitar and Vocals.
- Graham Bruce- Bass
- Peter Brown- Drums; jazz drummer and classical percussionist-Currently performing and teaching in Skagit County, WA.
- Joseph Cavender- Drums; replaced Brown in 1970
- Gary Carlson- Bass; replaced Bruce in 1972
- Dennis Coats- Rhythm Guitar; replaced Mackie in 1972
- Richard Harrow- Later addition
- Glenn Mundy- Later addition
- Julian Kerr- Vocals; later addition
- John Dunn- Later addition
- Cheryl Morrell- Vocals; performed with in 2005
- Jilla Roberts- Vocals; performed with in 2006 – 2009
Albums
| Year | Album details | CAN |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | One Tin Soldier
|
14 |
| 1971 | Live in Japan Volume 1
|
— |
| Greatest Hits
|
— | |
| Live in Japan Volume 2
|
— | |
| 1974 | Back Home
|
— |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1968 | "I Can't Make It Anymore" | 99 | — | — | — | single only |
| 1969 | "One Tin Soldier One Tin Soldier "One Tin Soldier" is a 1960s era anti-war song written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. The Canadian pop group Original Caste first recorded the song in 1969. The track went to No. 6 on the RPM Magazine charts and hit the No.1 position on Canada's most influential radio chain, CHUM-AM, in Canada... " |
6 | 5 | — | 34 | One Tin Soldier |
| 1970 | "Mr. Monday" | 4 | — | — | — | |
| "Country Song" | 29 | — | — | — | ||
| "Ain't That Telling You People" | 43 | 2 | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "Sault Ste Marie" | 35 | 7 | 15 | — | Live in Japan Volume 1 |
| 1973 | "One Tin Soldier" (re-release) | 45 | 41 | — | — | Billy Jack Soundtrack |
External links
- http://www.theoriginalcaste.com
- “Mr. Monday” by The Original Caste at Youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PYA61HDbUM
- “One Tin Soldier” by The Original Caste at Youtube.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7jHp7OchP0&feature=related
- Original Caste - CanConRox entry - http://www.CanadianBands.com