Brother was a short-lived rock trio from

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

, best known for the fact that all three members later joined

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 ...

. They are only known to have recorded three songs.Einarson, John: "American Woman: The Story of the Guess Who"; (1995) Quarry Press

History

Brother was formed in 1969 by guitarist/singer

Kurt Winter Kurt Frank Winter (April 2, 1946 – December 14, 1997) was a Canadian guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of The Guess Who. Biography Winter was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute. John Ei ...

, bassist/singer Bill Wallace, and drummer/singer Vance Schmidt (later known as Vance Masters). In the summer of 1970, the band members organized and headlined the Niverville Pop Festival, Manitoba's first rock festival. Through the Winnipeg rock scene, the members of Brother were longtime acquaintances of

, and the two bands often attended each other's gigs. Guitarist

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...

left The Guess Who in mid-1970, and that band's leader Burton Cummings recruited Winter as Bachman's replacement. Winter took some unrecorded Brother songs with him, including "

Hand Me Down World "Hand Me Down World" is song written by Kurt Winter, performed and released in 1970 by The Guess Who, for whom Winter served as lead guitarist from 1970 to 1974 and 1977 to 1978. It reached #10 in Canada, #17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and #6 ...

" and "Bus Rider" which appeared on the 1970 Guess Who album '' Share the Land''. Some later Guess Who songs including "

Rain Dance Rainmaking is a weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke rain. Among the best known examples of weather modification rituals are North American rain dances, historically performed by many Native American tribes, particularly in the ...

" and "

Runnin' Back to Saskatoon "Runnin' Back to Saskatoon" is a song written by Burton Cummings and Kurt Winter. The song was recorded by the Canadian rock group The Guess Who on May 22, 1972, for the album '' Live at the Paramount'' and is also included on their 1974 album ...

" were also based on Brother songs. Brother ceased to exist after Winter's departure, with Wallace and Schmidt joining other Manitoba bands. The three members of Brother briefly reunited in 1971 to record the singles "Second Time Around The Woodpile" and "Sending Money"; the recording was financed by Winter but failed to attract notice.Vance Master's Brother page https://vancemasters.ca/bands/brother.html The Guess Who's bassist

Jim Kale Michael James Kale (born August 11, 1943) is a retired Canadian musician, best known as the original bassist for the rock band The Guess Who. He also served in the band Scrubbaloe Caine. In 1987, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of ...

departed that band in 1972 and was replaced by Wallace, the second member of Brother to move to The Guess Who. Winter and Wallace were members of The Guess Who simultaneously for about two years; Winter left that band in 1974, and Wallace remained until the band split in 1975. After The Guess Who broke up, various former members of that band attempted reunion tours with floating line-ups. Winter briefly joined a line-up led by Jim Kale in 1977-78. Schmidt, now known as Vance Masters, joined Burton Cummings's solo band in 1978 and, in 1979, briefly participated in a different reunion line-up of The Guess Who, again led by Kale. Wallace contributed to a Guess Who reunion show in 1979 and a lengthy nostalgia tour from 2000 to 2003. Brother reformed one more time for a charity performance in 1994. Winter died in 1997. Masters (Schmidt) is still active in the Manitoba music scene.

References

{{Authority control Musical groups established in 1969 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 Musical groups from Winnipeg Canadian rock music groups 1969 establishments in Manitoba 1970 disestablishments in Canada