Aquarius Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

based in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada.

History

Aquarius Records was founded in 1969. The first president was Terry Flood and the other founding owners were

Donald Tarlton Donald K. Tarlton, CM (born 12 May 1943) is a Canadian record producer and promoter. He promoted many concerts and Canadian musicians under the name Donald K. Donald. Early life and education Tarlton graduated from Rosemere High School in the ...

, Bob Lemm, Dan Lazare and Jack Lazare. The label was initially distributed by London Records of Canada. Among the first acts signed to the label was the Halifax band

April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwin since its inception, April Wine's first success came with its second album, '' On Record'' (1972), which reac ...

, who had also worked with Much Productions. Other artists developed by Aquarius during their first decade included Montreal's Walter Rossi and a rock band from

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

called Teaze. While still with London, Aquarius released records by Mashmakhan, Freedom North, Ross Holloway, Roger Doucet, The Rabble and others. In 1978 Aquarius Records changed distribution to Capitol-EMI and it was early in this association that April Wine began achieving international success. In the 1980s Aquarius signings included Corey Hart,

Sass Jordan Sass Jordan (c. 1962) is a British-born Canadian rock singer from Montreal, Quebec. Her first single, "Tell Somebody," from her debut album of the same name won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. Since then, she has been ...

, Mindstorm, Sword and

Myles Goodwyn Myles Francis Goodwyn (born Miles Francis Goodwin on ) is a Canadian musician. He is the only original remaining member of the rock band April Wine, in which he is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Goodwyn has led the ba ...

and the label also released albums by

The Stampeders The Stampeders (sometimes shortened to Stampeders) are a Canadian rock trio consisting of lead guitarist and vocalist Rich Dodson, bassist Ronnie King and drummer Kim Berly. History Formed in Calgary, Alberta, in 1964 as the Rebounds. they h ...

and

The Guess Who The Guess Who are a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1965. The band originated in 1962 and achieved an international hit single with a cover of "Shakin' All Over" in 1965 under the name Chad Allan and the Expressions. After c ...

. In its first twenty years Aquarius sold over 5 million records in Canada and Aquarius artists sold a similar amount in the rest of the world. In the 1990s some of Aquarius' efforts were diverted by the launching of a French-language label called Tacca Musique which had success almost immediately with artists like

Kevin Parent Kevin Parent (born 12 December 1972) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Quebec. He is fluent in both English and French. Early life Although his first language is English, he was born in Greenfield Park, Quebec (now a borough of the city o ...

and

France D'Amour France D'Amour (born France Rochon on March 30, 1967, in Mont-Rolland, Sainte-Adèle, Quebec, Canada) is a French Canadian singer songwriter from Quebec. She studied music at Collège Lionel-Groulx in Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec specialising in ja ...

. On the English side, Aquarius would release new artists

Bif Naked Beth Torbert is a Canadian singer best known by her stage name Bif Naked. Between 1996 and 2016, she was among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada. Early life and education Bif Naked was born in New Delhi, India, to teenage parents a ...

and

Serial Joe Serial Joe was a Canadian band from Newmarket, Ontario which consisted of high school students Ryan Dennis (vocals, guitar), Ryan Stever (guitar), John Davidson (bass guitar), Dan Stadnicki (drums) and Jamie Fulcher (Back Up Vocals) .Glen Nott, "C ...

and also it licensed records by

Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadian New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of synthesizers ...

and

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

. By the end of the 1990s the ownership of Aquarius Records was acquired by

(Donald K. Donald). Starting in 2000 Aquarius began expansion through the development of new imprints, including DKD Disques (La Chicane, Danni Bedard) and through joint ventures like

Last Gang Records Last Gang Records is a record label formed by Canadian music industry lawyer Chris Taylor (businessman), Chris Taylor and concert promoter Donald K. Tarlton in the Fall of 2003 at the Pop Montreal Music Festival. Last Gang was nominated as Indepe ...

(

Metric Metric or metrical may refer to: * Metric system, an internationally adopted decimal system of measurement * An adjective indicating relation to measurement in general, or a noun describing a specific type of measurement Mathematics In mathem ...

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were know ...

Mother Mother Mother Mother is a Canadian indie rock band based in Quadra Island, British Columbia. The band consists of Ryan Guldemond on guitar and vocals, Molly Guldemond and Jasmin Parkin on vocals and keyboard, Ali Siadat on drums, and Mike Young on ba ...

Chromeo Chromeo is a Canadian electro-funk duo from Montreal, formed in 2002 by musicians David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel. Their sound draws from blue-eyed soul, dance music, rock, synth-pop, disco and funk. , the band has rele ...

), Arts & Crafts International (

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

Amy Millan Amy Millan (born December 3, 1973) is a Canadian indie rock singer and guitarist. She records and performs with the bands Stars and Broken Social Scene as well as having a successful solo career. Her second solo album, '' Masters of the Burial'' ...

), Indica Records (

Les Trois Accords Les Trois Accords is a Canadian rock band from Drummondville, Québec. The band launched its first album, ''Gros Mammouth Album,'' in 2003. Some of the songs from that album, include "''Hawaïenne''", "''Saskatchewan''" and "''Lucille''". Their ...

, Dobacaracol, Priestess), Mensa Music (

Adam Gregory Adam Gregory (born July 12, 1985) is a Canadian country music singer-songwriter and actor. Active since 2000, he has recorded four studio albums to date, including '' The Way I'm Made'' (2000) and ''Workin' on It'' (2002), both on Epic Records, ...

), Moving Units (

Bless In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will. Etymology and Germanic paganism The modern English language term ''bless'' likely ...

, Platinumberg). The biggest selling new artist on Aquarius was

Sum 41 Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. Originally called Kaspir, the band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Dave Baksh (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jason "Cone" McCas ...

, and other artists, including

Danko Jones Danko Jones is a Canadian hard rock trio from Toronto. The band consists of Danko Jones (vocals/guitar), John 'JC' Calabrese (bass), and Rich Knox (drums).Jeremy Fisher Jeremy Fisher (born Jeremy Binns; December 15, 1976) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Fisher is based in Ottawa, Ontario, and was previously based on Vancouver Island, B.C., Montreal, Quebec, and in Seattle, Washington, US. Fisher's work is hea ...

, Gob and Mark Berube, came to the label. Also during this period, it began a distribution deal with

Unidisc Music Unidisc Music is a Canadian independent record label. The label is known for releasing rare music, that was made between the mid-1960s and late 1980s. Genres include rock, electronic, funk, soul, hip hop, jazz, reggae, Latin, disco and a cappel ...

. In 2006, Aquarius was one of six labels who resigned from the

Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada (formerly Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA)) is a non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, manufacture, produce, and distribute music in Canada. It a ...

, complaining that their interests were not being represented.

Notable artists released on Aquarius

* All Systems Go! *

Brown Brigade Brown Brigade was a reggae-influenced heavy metal band created by Sum 41 guitarist Dave "Brownsound" Baksh. The band's final lineup was Baksh (vocals, guitar), Vaughn Lal (bass guitar, backing vocals), Johnny Owens (drums), Chuck Coles (gui ...

* Corey Hart *

Rich Dodson Rich Dodson (born 1947) is a Canadian musician and songwriter who is the guitarist, vocalist and a founding member of the rock trio The Stampeders. He is best known for penning the group's biggest hit, "Sweet City Woman", which hit number 1 i ...

* Roger Doucet * Eleven Thirty (11:30)"McAuley brings show home"
. ''Canoe'', December 26, 2000 By JAMES REANEY * Evermore *

Fat Man Waving Fat Man Waving was a Canadian folk-rock band from Ottawa, Ontario,"Fat Man Waving goodbye". ''Ottawa Citizen'', June 3, 1996. active from 1987 to 1996. The band had a diverse, unclassifiable style which drew on folk, rock, Celtic and jazz influe ...

* The Flyers * Freedom North * FUBAR (soundtrack) *

Lewis Furey Lewis Furey, born Lewis Greenblatt (born 7 June 1949) is a Canadian composer, singer, violinist, pianist, actor and director. Career Born in Montreal, Quebec to French and American parents, Furey trained as a classical violinist, and at age 11 ...

* Gob *

Goldenhorse Goldenhorse are a pop band from New Zealand. Release Goldenhorse's debut album ''Riverhead'' was released in October 2002, to a small fanfare. But over the next 18 months various singles from the album started to be played on the radio. The ...

Helix A helix () is a shape like a corkscrew or spiral staircase. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is formed as two intertwined helices, ...

Hot Springs A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by circ ...

* Hollowick * Hurricane Jane *

Jeremy Fisher Jeremy Fisher (born Jeremy Binns; December 15, 1976) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Fisher is based in Ottawa, Ontario, and was previously based on Vancouver Island, B.C., Montreal, Quebec, and in Seattle, Washington, US. Fisher's work is hea ...

* Jerry Jerry and the Sons of Rhythm Orchestra *

Danko Jones Danko Jones is a Canadian hard rock trio from Toronto. The band consists of Danko Jones (vocals/guitar), John 'JC' Calabrese (bass), and Rich Knox (drums).Jorane Jorane Pelletier (born October 12, 1975), known professionally as Jorane, is a French-Canadian singer/cellist, who performs pop and alternative music style on the cello, a typically classical instrument, while singing at the same time. She has r ...

* JT Soul * Lindy *

Marble Hall Marble Hall is a town in the south of the Limpopo province of South Africa. It was formerly in Mpumalanga province. Marble Hall is a village 26 km north-west of Groblersdal and 96 km south-south-east of Mokopane on the N11 National Rou ...

Mashmakhan Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. The band is best known for their 1970 hit single " As the Years Go By". The song reached No. 1 in Canada, and the Top 40 in the United States. The song was also a maj ...

McAuley McAuley, MacAuley, or Macauley may refer to: People *People with the surname: **McAuley (surname) (also ''MacAuley'' and ''Macauley''), derived from Gaelic patronyms *People with the given name: **Macaulay Culkin, American child actor Places ;Mc ...

Monkey House Monkey House is a musical group founded by Don Breithaupt, a Canadian-born pianist, singer/songwriter, composer, arranger, producer and author. The group got its name from a 1970 book by Kurt Vonnegut. History The band formed in 1992, performing ...

* Allan Nicholls *

The Operation M.D. The Operation M.D. (formerly The Operation) is a Canadian garage rock band created by Doctors Dynamite (Cone of Sum 41) and Rocco (Todd Morse of H2O) as a side project to their other bands. The band's debut album, ''We Have an Emergency'', was ...

* Michel Pagliaro * Pigeon-Hole *

Peter Pringle Peter Pringle (born September 7, 1945) is a Canadian musician and television personality, ...

Jodie Resther Jodie Lynn Resther (born November 28, 1977) is a Canadian actress and singer. In the 1990s she played Kiki in the children's live-action show ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'', and has been involved in various dramas including ''Extra! Extra!'', ' ...

Chad Richardson Chad Richardson is a Canadian musician from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. He released two Rock music, rock albums on the Aquarius Records (Canada), Aquarius label in the 1990s. Richardson also starred in the Canadian production of the musical ...

* Hollowick (formerly Rides Again) * Lindsay Robins *

Johnny Rodgers Johnny Steven Rodgers (born July 5, 1951) is an American former football player. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers and won the Heisman Trophy in 1972. Rodgers played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) ...

* Rubberman * Saints and Sinners *

Stevie Salas Stevie Salas (born November 17, 1964) is a Native American guitarist, author, television host, music director, record producer, film composer, and former advisor of contemporary music at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. ...

Sharp Edges ''Sharp Edges'' is a contemporary romance written by Jayne Ann Krentz. It was published in hardcover by Pocket Books in February 1998 and became Krentz's 20th consecutive novel on the New York Times Bestseller List. Background Jayne Ann Krentz ...

Silver Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

* Spek *

Sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...

* Tchukon * Teaze * Winston

References

External links

Aquarius Records website

Aquarius Records on MySpace

Aquarius Records on PureVolume
{{Authority control Record labels established in 1969 Canadian independent record labels Rock record labels Companies based in Montreal Netlabels Online music stores of Canada

History

Notable artists released on Aquarius

See also

References

External links