54-40 (often stylized 54•40) is a Canadian
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
group from
Tsawwassen
Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. The band take their name from the
slogan "54-40 or Fight!", coined to express the unsuccessful expansionist agenda of
James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
's presidency, which was intent upon controlling a contested U.S.-Canada border area in the
Oregon boundary dispute
The Oregon boundary dispute or the Oregon Question was a 19th-century territorial dispute over the political division of the Pacific Northwest of North America between several nations that had competing territorial and commercial aspirations in ...
. 54-40 has had a successful career, with four of their albums being certified Platinum in Canada. The band has been nominated for eight
Juno Awards
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...
. Between 1996 and 2016, 54-40 were among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 50 selling Canadian bands in Canada.
History
Neil Osborne and Brad Merritt met in 1978 at
South Delta High School
South Delta High School is a public high school in Rolling Fork, Mississippi (United States). The school serves students in grades nine through twelve.
South Delta High is part of the South Delta School District; the district serves all of Shar ...
in
Tsawwassen
Tsawwassen ( ) is a suburban, mostly residential community on a peninsula in the southwestern corner of the City of Delta in British Columbia, Canada. It provides the only road access to the American territory on the southern tip of the peninsul ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
. After studying at the
Berklee College of Music in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Osborne returned home and formed the band 54-40 with Merritt and drummer Ian Franey. The band played their first gig in
Coquitlam
Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. ...
on December 8, 1980, the night
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
was killed. That same year, they made their first recordings for the
Mo-Da-Mu label, with four tracks appearing on the independent compilation LP ''Things Are Still Coming Ashore'', which also featured music by Vancouver bands Animal Slaves and Junco Run. In June 1982, the band released the EP ''
Selection
Selection may refer to:
Science
* Selection (biology), also called natural selection, selection in evolution
** Sex selection, in genetics
** Mate selection, in mating
** Sexual selection in humans, in human sexuality
** Human mating strateg ...
''. Shortly after the release of ''Selection'', Franey left the band. Franey was replaced by
Darryl Neudorf
Darryl Neudorf (born June 7, 1964 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) is a Canadian musician, record producer and audio engineer.
He was the drummer for 54-40 from 1982 to 1986. He is best known during this time for co-writing the hit song "I Go Blin ...
and Phil Comparelli was added on guitar, trumpet and vocals. The band recorded the album ''
Set the Fire
''Set the Fire'' is the debut full-length album by Canadian alternative rock band 54-40, released in 1984 on Mo-Da-Mu.
Although no longer in print, ''Set the Fire'' and its predecessor ''Selection
Selection may refer to:
Science
* Selec ...
'' in 1983, releasing it in 1984. Neudorf, frustrated with the band's prolonged time in the studio and away from the road, left the band in 1985. He was replaced by Matt Johnson.
The band's
self-titled second album, released in 1986 through Warner/
Reprise Records, began to attract attention from radio and record buyers across Canada, with the singles "Baby Ran" and "
I Go Blind
"I Go Blind" is a song by Canadian alternative rock group 54-40. The song was released in Canada as the second single from the band's 1986 self-titled album, '' 54-40''. It has since become one of the band's most popular songs.
Hootie & the Blow ...
" gaining significant college radio airplay. Dave Osborne (keyboards, harmonica), toured and recorded with the band from 1987 to 1993. The band's third album, ''
Show Me'', became their commercial breakthrough in Canada, with the hits "
One Day in Your Life" and "One Gun".
Although the band was popular on
college radio in the United States, they never had a commercial breakthrough, and Warner dropped 54-40 in 1990. In 1991, the band released the compilation album, ''
Sweeter Things''. Also during that year, the band signed a deal with Sony and released ''
Dear Dear
''Dear Dear'' is an album by Canadian rock band 54-40, released in 1992. It was their most successful album in their native Canada, spawning the singles " Nice to Luv You", "She La", "Music Man", "You Don't Get Away (That Easy)" and "We Are, We ...
'' in 1992. It was the band's first album to be certified Gold in Canada and was certified Platinum in 1993. The band released ''
Smilin' Buddha Cabaret
''Smilin' Buddha Cabaret'' is an album by Canadian rock band 54-40. The album is named after a live music club in Vancouver, British Columbia. The club's iconic neon sign, now found at the Museum of Vancouver
The Museum of Vancouver (MOV) (for ...
'' in 1994 and ''
Trusted by Millions'' in 1996, both of which would later be certified Platinum.
The band's song "
I Go Blind
"I Go Blind" is a song by Canadian alternative rock group 54-40. The song was released in Canada as the second single from the band's 1986 self-titled album, '' 54-40''. It has since become one of the band's most popular songs.
Hootie & the Blow ...
" was covered in the mid-1990s by American band
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish are an American soft rock band that were formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band w ...
, and was featured on the first soundtrack to the TV series ''
Friends''. The song also appears on two compilations released by the band: 2000's ''
Scattered, Smothered and Covered
''Scattered, Smothered and Covered'' is a covers album by American rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, released in 2000. The album was named in honor of Waffle House, a Southern restaurant chain. One of Waffle House's advertising campaigns used t ...
'' and 2003's ''
The Best of Hootie & the Blowfish (1993 Thru 2003)''. Royalties from the Hootie and the Blowfish cover enabled the band to build their own recording studio in Vancouver.
Dave Genn
David Robert Madison Genn is a Canadian musician, producer, and songwriter. He is a member of the rock group 54-40, and a former member of the Matthew Good Band.
Early life
Genn was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, on 2 March 1969. He is the ...
, formerly of
Matthew Good Band
Matthew Good Band was a Canadian alternative rock band formed in Coquitlam, British Columbia in 1995. The band consisted of singer-songwriter/guitarist Matthew Good, guitarist/keyboardist Dave Genn, drummer Ian Browne and bassist Geoff Lloyd. Ll ...
, joined 54-40 in 2003. In February 2005, it was announced that Comparelli left the band due to personal reasons. That same year, 54-40 signed with
True North Records
True North Records is a Canadian independent record label.
History
True North Records was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. By 1971, True North was producing albums for various Canadian musicians, including Bruce ...
.
In 2010, to celebrate the band's 30 years together and almost 25 years since their first commercial album ''
The Green Album'', the band went on a promotional
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
with a two-set act. The first set was "
The Green Album" from start to finish. The second set was one song from every album since, with the exception of ''
Dear Dear
''Dear Dear'' is an album by Canadian rock band 54-40, released in 1992. It was their most successful album in their native Canada, spawning the singles " Nice to Luv You", "She La", "Music Man", "You Don't Get Away (That Easy)" and "We Are, We ...
'' where they played two songs. 54-40 also performed a new song from their upcoming record, "Lost In The City", which was released on June 14, 2011.
In January, 2016, the band released a greatest hits album titled ''La Difference: A History Unplugged''. Tracks included "
One Day In Your Life", "
I Go Blind
"I Go Blind" is a song by Canadian alternative rock group 54-40. The song was released in Canada as the second single from the band's 1986 self-titled album, '' 54-40''. It has since become one of the band's most popular songs.
Hootie & the Blow ...
", and "
Ocean Pearl". The album was released through
eOne Music
MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...
. The band then set out on a month-long theatre tour across Canada to support the album. In 2017 they played at Peachfest in Penticton.
In 2018 54-40 performed with fiddler
Daniel Lapp, both locally
["54-40 pull all the right strings"]
Paul Dwyer, March 22, 2018 and also as the opening band at Ottawa's
CityFolk Festival
CityFolk Festival (known until 2014 as the Ottawa Folk Festival) is a folk music festival held annually in Ottawa, Canada.
Format
The festival is held on the Lansdowne Park redevelopment, Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park each September as a 4- or ...
.
Lead singer Neil Osborne began playing shows with his daughter, singer-songwriter
Kandle, billing themselves as A Family Curse, self-described as "pure folk-art worked from found objects (something old, something new)." A
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
show took place May 8, 2019 at the intimate and tiny 20-capacity Radical Road Brewing Co. The father-daughter duo played later that year on August 7, 2019 as part of
Roy Thompson Hall's Live on the Patio series, also in Toronto. These shows were bookended by shows in Montréal, where Kandle resides, in February and August, 2019.
54-40 played The Legendary
Horseshoe Tavern
The Horseshoe Tavern (known as ''The Horseshoe'', ''The 'Shoe'', The 'Toronto Tavern' and The 'Triple T' to Toronto locals) is a concert venue at 370 Queen Street West (northeast corner of Queen at Spadina) in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and ...
's 72nd anniversary party
on December 6, 2019. Sam Cash, son of Toronto
post-punk
Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad music genre, genre of Punk Music, punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde s ...
musician turned city politician,
Andrew Cash, opened the show.
Members
Current
*Neil Osborne – vocals, rhythm guitar (1980–present), lead guitar (1981–1983)
*Dave Genn – lead guitar (2003–present)
*Brad Merrit – bass (1980–present)
*Matt Johnson – drums (1986–present)
*David Osborne - organ, saxophone, harmonica (2015-present)
Former
*Ian Franey – drums (1980–1983)
*Phil Comparelli – lead guitar, vocals, trumpet (1983–2005)
*Darryl Neudorf – drums (1983–1986)
Timeline
ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:22
PlotArea = left:90 bottom:80 top:5 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/2021
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ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1981
ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1985
Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Vocals
id:Trumpet value:yelloworange legend:Trumpet
id:Guitar2 value:teal legend:Lead_guitar
id:Guitar1 value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:album value:black legend:Studio_album
id:bars value:gray(0.95)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
BarData =
bar:Neil text:Neil Osbourne
bar:Phil text:Phil Comparelli
bar:Dave text:Dave Genn
bar:Brad text:Brad Merrit
bar:Ian text:Ian Franey
bar:Darryl text:Darryl Neudorf
bar:Matt text:Matt Johnson
PlotData=
width:11
bar:Brad from:start till:end color:bass
bar:Neil from:start till:end color:guitar1 width:3
bar:Neil from:01/01/1981 till:01/01/1983 color:guitar2 width:7
bar:Neil from:start till:end color:vocals
bar:Matt from:01/01/1986 till:end color:drums
bar:Dave from:01/03/2005 till:end color:guitar2
bar:Ian from:start till:01/01/1983 color:drums
bar:Phil from:01/01/1983 till:01/03/2005 color:guitar2
bar:Phil from:01/01/1983 till:01/03/2005 color:vocals width:3
bar:Phil from:01/01/1983 till:01/03/2005 color:trumpet width:7
bar:Darryl from:01/01/1983 till:01/01/1986 color:drums
LineData =
layer:back
color:album
at:01/01/1984
at:01/07/1986
at:29/10/1987
at:08/08/1989
at:12/05/1992
at:22/03/1994
at:30/04/1996
at:30/06/1998
at:07/09/1999
at:22/08/2000
at:17/06/2003
at:14/06/2005
at:30/09/2008
at:14/06/2011
at:26/01/2018
Discography
EPs
Albums
Singles
"How's Your Day Going?- Keep On Walking (2018)
"Northern Soul"- Northern Soul (2008)
Live
Compilations
DVDs
* 2006 – ''This Is Here This Is Now''
References
External links
*
54-40 entryat
Trouser Press
''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...
*
Entry at canadianbands.com*
{{Authority control
Canadian alternative rock groups
Musical groups established in 1980
Musical groups from Vancouver
1980 establishments in British Columbia
Reprise Records artists
True North Records artists