Buckstone Hardware was a Canadian rock group who had a hit in 1969 with " Pack it In". It did well on the

RPM 100 ''RPM'' ( and later ) was a Canadian music-industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. ''R ...

chart as well as the Canadian Content chart.

Background

The group's origins go back to 1967, with a four-piece North Bay band called The Riffkin. They added a fifth member and moved to Toronto. In 1969, they changed their name to Buckstone Hardware. In the summer of 1969, Buckstone Hardware appeared at a concert that was opened by Motherlode. The

Guess Who Guess Who may refer to: *Guess Who (B.B. King album), ''Guess Who'' (B.B. King album), 1972 *Guess Who (Slim Whitman album), 1971 *Guess Who (EP), ''Guess Who'' (EP), a 2021 EP by South Korean girl group Itzy *Guess Who (film), ''Guess Who'' (film) ...

were also at the event. When Buckstone Hardware came on to do their set, guitarist Jake Thomas broke the high E string of his guitar within the first minute. He didn't have a spare guitar and had to finish the song. After the song finished, he had a tap on his shoulder and it was Randy Bachman offering him the use of his guitar. After the next song Bachman returned his guitar to him with the new string installed. After the show, he wanted to thank Bachman and went to the tent where the Guess Who were in but he was stopped by security. During their time they shared billing with acts such as Manchild and Brutus. They were referred to by ''Billboard'' as one of Toronto's leading bands. Their manager was Michael Watson.

Career

1968 to 1969

In 1969, the North Bay group, having appeared recently on the ''Sunday Morning Show'' on CBC-TV and their week run at '' Electric Circus'', along with appearances local and further afield had set a good scene for their record release. The single, " Pack it In" which was cut at Sound Canada Studios was released on Apex 77098. It was recorded by Greg Hambleton for Meatworm Productions. ; Hit single For the week of May 19, 1969, the group's single, "Pack It In" entered the RPM Canadian Content Chart at #9. The following week (week of May 26, 1969) "Pack It In" entered the RPM 100 chart at #99. By June 9, the single got to #2 on the Canadian Content Chart. On June 20, the single was in the "Hit Bound category on the CKLG Boss 30 chart. It was still holding the Canadian Content position of #2 until June 23. That week the CHUM report had the record as the third voted for simultaneous play by the Maple Leaf System. It peaked on the RPM 100 at #33 on July 21. ;Further activities The group along with

The Mid-Knights The Mid-Knights, also known as Richie Knight and the Mid-Knights, was a Canadian rhythm and blues band, active in the 1960s. Part of the Toronto Sound scene of that era, the band are best remembered for their single "Charlena", which was a List of n ...

and The Five Shy appeared at Toronto's El Zorro discotheque on July 25. They were booked to appear at the "Freak Out" festival. A 72-hour event that ran on the Labor Day period from August 29 to September 1, held at Rock Hill, 16 miles north of Orangeville. Other acts booked to appear were

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

, Motherlode, The Guess Who and

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

etc. Also, that year the group appeared at the Wonderland Pavilion in London, Ontario to open up the show for

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 April 30, 1983), known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago b ...

1970

They were booked to play at the Transcontinental pop festival 70 fest. that ran from June 27 to June 28. Other groups to appear were, The Band, Janis Joplin, Delaney, Bonnie & Friends, The Grateful Dead, Cat, Eric Andersen, Ten Years After, Traffic, Ian & Sylvia, The Great Speckled Bird, Sha Na Na, Buddy Guy, Tom Rush, James & The Good Brothers and Sea Train. The group was having differences in ideas musically and by May 1970 they had broken up.

Post Buckstone Hardware

Jake Thomas would later become a member of

Aaron Space Aaron Space was a Canadian rock group that had a national hit with "Keep On Movin' (Aaron Space song), Keep on Movin" in 1971. They had evolved out of a band called Mudflat. Background The history of the group can be traced to two members of the ...

. Manager Michael Watson would later do well as a promo rep for CBS and then Capitol.

Members

* Russell Franklin - drums * Charlie “Jake” Thomas - lead guitar * Ralph Wiber - drumsThe Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia
BUCKSTONE HARDWARE
/ref> * Jocko Chartrand (Jacques Chartrand)

References

{{reflist

External links

* 45Cat
Buckstone Hardware - Discography
* iHeartMedia, Inc., April 19, 2022
Episode 84 Jake Thomas guitar talk (Audio 40 min)

File containing: sound recording of the Toronto-area rock. group Buckstone Hardware (Russ Franklin, leader; Jack. Chartrand; Jim Thomas; Ralph Wiber; ...
Canadian rock music groups Apex Records artists