The Hometown Band was a Canadian folk music group. They are best known as the backup band for Valdy.
The Hometown Band | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | Rock, progressive rock |
| Years active | 1975–1979, 2016[1] |
| Labels | A&M Records |
| Past members | Doug Edwards Geoff Eyre Robbie King Claire Lawrence Eddie Patterson Shari Ulrich |
History edit
The Hometown Band was founded in 1975 by Claire Lawrence, a former member of The Collectors and Chilliwack, as the back-up group for Canadian folk artist Valdy. The band comprised Shari Ulrich (lead vocals, flute, fiddle), Geoff Eyre (drums, vocals), Robbie King (organ, piano, keyboard bass), and Doug Edwards (guitar, keyboards, bass).[2]
Their first LP Flying was released in 1976, and produced two hit singles, the title track and "I'm Ready" (both written by the Pied Pumkin's Joe Mock.)
In 1977 Eddie Patterson joined the group, and they recorded a second album, titled The Hometown Band.
The group toured with Valdy in 1977,[3][4] and continued to tour in 1978.[5] That year the band won the Juno Award for "Most Promising Group of the Year",[6]
The band's second album failed to produce a radio hit, and the band broke up soon after.
Following the band's breakup, Shari Ulrich played in several other groups as well as solo performances. She and Joe Mock continued to perform occasionally with The Pied Pumkin.
The Hometown Band reunited with Valdy in 2016 for a 40th anniversary tour.[7][8]
Discography edit
Albums edit
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1976 | Flying |
| 1977 | The Hometown Band |
References edit
- ^ "JAM! Music - Pop Encyclopedia - Hometown Band". Canoe. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
- ^ "The Garage: No Fun's David Matychuk delights in being out of step". Vancouver Sun, Tom Harrison November 14, 2016
- ^ Martin Melhuish (23 April 1977). "Juno 1977". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 76–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Valdy" Archived 2017-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, The Canadian Pop Encyclopedia, via Jam! Canoe.
- ^ David Farrell (27 January 1979). "Cross Canada Tours Spark Concert Scene". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 91–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Shari Ulrich At Millennium Place On May 11". Pique News, By Nancy Hyndman, May 03, 2002
- ^ "Hometown Band deciding whether it will play more shows". Mike Devlin / Times Colonist, August 4, 2016
- ^ "Valdy & the Hometown Band - 40th Anniversary Reunion". Island MusicFest. Retrieved 18 April 2017.