Chilliwack (band)
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Chilliwack is a
Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band centred on the singer and guitarist Bill Henderson. They were active from 1970 to 1988; Henderson re-formed the band in 1997. The band started off with a
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...
sound that incorporated elements of folk, indigenous, jazz and blues, before moving towards a more straight-ahead
hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
/
pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...
sound by the mid-70s. Their six best-selling songs were "
My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone) "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)" is a song that was performed by the Canadian group Chilliwack. Co-written by bandmembers Brian MacLeod and Bill Henderson, it was released on the band's 1981 album '' Wanna Be a Star''. In Canada, the song spent four ...
", " I Believe", "Whatcha Gonna Do", "Fly at Night", "Crazy Talk", and "Lonesome Mary". The band's line-up has changed many times.


History

The band originated in
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
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 members of the C-FUN Classics changed the band's name to The Collectors when Bill Henderson joined in 1966. Their psychedelic self-titled debut album yielded the minor hit "Lydia Purple". Their second album was based on the musical score written by the band for ''
Grass and Wild Strawberries ''Grass and Wild Strawberries'', released in 1969, is an album by the Canadian rock band The Collectors. The songs were written as part of prominent Canadian playwright George Ryga's stage play ''Grass and Wild Strawberries''. The distinctly l ...
'', a stage play by Canadian playwright
George Ryga George Ryga (27 July 1932 – 18 November 1987) was a Canadian playwright, actor and novelist. His writings explored the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, among other themes. His most famous work is ''The Ecstasy of Rita Joe''. E ...
. Vocalist Howie Vickers left the Collectors in 1969; the remaining members formed the band Chilliwack in 1970,
Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...
being a
Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...
term meaning "valley of many streams" and the name of a city east of Vancouver in the
Fraser Valley The Fraser Valley is a geographical region in southwestern British Columbia, Canada and northwestern Washington State. It starts just west of Hope in a narrow valley encompassing the Fraser River and ends at the Pacific Ocean stretching from the ...
. Chilliwack released its debut album ''Chilliwack'', in 1970. Lead guitarist Bill Henderson led the remaining former Collectors members: Glenn Miller (bass, guitar, backing vocals), Ross Turney (drums) and
Claire Lawrence Claire Lawrence (born 1939) is a Canadian musician who was a founding member of the Canadian band The Collectors, and remained with the group when it transitioned to Chilliwack in 1970. He performed on keyboards, flute, saxophone, and piano. ...
(flute, saxophone, keyboards, backing vocals); while he provided most of the vocals and did most of the composing. During 1970, Miller briefly left the band, who were joined on the road by Robbie King (keyboards, bass) and played at
Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...
in Japan and other gigs across Canada. In 1971 bassist Rick Kilburn played live with Chilliwack for a short time before Miller returned later that same year when Lawrence departed. New member Howard Froese (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) joined in 1973. The band released several moderately successful records. Hit singles in Canada included "Lonesome Mary", which entered Cashbox January 22, 1972 (and was their first US charting single, peaking at #75 on the
Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
in February 1972), "Crazy Talk" (#98 in the US in January 1975), and "Fly at Night" (#75 in the US in May 1977). The track "Rain-o", a blues-based composition that appeared in different versions on their debut album, ''
Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...
'' (June 1970) and the later '' Dreams, Dreams, Dreams'' (January 1977), was a well-known concert favourite. Chilliwack's debut was followed by two more albums: ''
Chilliwack Chilliwack ( )( hur, Ts'elxwéyeqw) is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. Chilliwack is surrounded by mountains and home to recreational areas such as Cultus Lake and Chilliwack Lake Provincial Parks. There are numerous outdoor ...
'' in September 1971 and ''All Over You'' in December 1972. In April 1974 their album ''Riding High'' on Goldfish Records (
Terry Jacks Terrence Ross Jacks (born March 29, 1944) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer and environmentalist, best known for his 1974 hit song " Seasons in the Sun". Early life Terry Jacks was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His fa ...
' label) contained one of their biggest hits, "Crazy Talk", which was produced by Jacks. This album was not released in the US until early 1975 (on the
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehrer ...
label), where it was retitled ''Chilliwack'' (their third U.S. release to bear that title). Chilliwack had a difficult time sustaining success because of constant changes of label. The two Collectors albums were on Warner Brothers and Chilliwack's first five albums were on four different labels in Canada:
Parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoid ...
, A&M, Goldfish and Casino Records. '' Rockerbox'', their fifth album, was released in December 1975 on Sire Records in the US and (with a different cover) on the little-known Casino Records label in Canada. It was Chilliwack's least successful album in Canada. The band was then signed to Vancouver's
Mushroom Records Mushroom Records was an Australian flagship record label, founded in 1972 in Melbourne. It published and distributed many successful Australian artists and expanded internationally, until it was merged with Festival Records in 1998. Festival Mu ...
, with distribution throughout North America. After completing one album for the label, '' Dreams, Dreams, Dreams'', Chilliwack began work on their seventh album, to be titled '' Lights from the Valley''. The first attempt at recording proved unsatisfactory, leading to discord among the band members. Froese was replaced by Brian MacLeod, who contributed guitar, drums, keyboards and backing vocals. The album was re-recorded; with some of Froese's vocal and guitar work, as well as percussion from session drummer Eddie Tuduri, included in the final mix. By the time of the record's release, bassist Glenn Miller and drummer Ross Turney had left the group. Mushroom was also having financial problems which hampered the promotion of the album after its release in June 1978. Drummer Skip Layton and former
Prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...
bassist Ab Bryant were recruited to perform with Henderson, MacLeod, and Jamie Bowers (guitar, keyboards) in Chilliwack's 1978 live gigs. Henderson, MacLeod and Bryant then began working on Chilliwack's eighth album in 1979, joined by John Roles (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals) and drummer Bucky Berger. The Mushroom label went bankrupt abruptly shortly after the album, ''
Breakdown in Paradise ''Breakdown in Paradise'' is the eighth album by the Canadian rock band Chilliwack, released in December 1979. The album was originally intended to be called ''Road to Paradise'', but the death of Mushroom Records head Shelly Siegel in January ...
'', was released in December 1979. Berger was replaced by Rick Taylor and the line-up of Henderson, MacLeod, Bryant, Roles and Taylor toured into 1980. Chilliwack then signed with Solid Gold Records in Canada and
Millennium Records Millennium Records is a defunct record label run by record producer Jimmy Ienner from 1976 to 1983. During its RCA-distributed years, a significant portion of its output was content licensed from Canadian record labels. Hits The label's best-sell ...
in the U.S. in 1981 as a trio (Henderson/MacLeod/Bryant) and enjoyed its greatest success with this line-up, releasing the albums ''
Wanna Be a Star ''Wanna Be a Star'' is the ninth album by the Canadian rock band Chilliwack, released in September 1981. At this point, the band had collapsed into a trio, without a full-time drummer, but leader Bill Henderson and guitarist/keyboardist/drummer ...
'' (September 1981) and ''
Opus X ''Opus X'' is the tenth album (hence the "X") by the Canadian rock band Chilliwack, released in October 1982. Producers Bill Henderson and Brian MacLeod received the Juno Award for " Producer of the Year" for their work on the songs "Whatcha Go ...
'' (October 1982). The singles "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)" (Their first US Top 40 hit, peaking at #22 in December 1981), "I Believe" (US #33 in March 1982), and "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)" (US #41 in December 1982) were popular both in Canada and in the U.S. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' wrote: Henderson, MacLeod and Bryant were joined by drummer Paul Delaney in the fall of 1981 through early 1982 for US promotional appearances on TV shows, like ''
American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
'', '' Solid Gold'' and ''
The Merv Griffin Show ''The Merv Griffin Show'' is an American television talk show starring Merv Griffin. The series ran from October 1, 1962 to March 29, 1963 on NBC, May 10, 1965 to July 4, 1969 in first-run syndication, from August 18, 1969 to February 11, 1972 a ...
'', before heading out on the road later in 1982 with an expanded line-up of Henderson, MacLeod, Bryant,
Joey Franco Joe "Seven" Franco (born 1951) is an American drummer best known for his work with the band The Good Rats in the late 1970s and later as a replacement member of Twisted Sister. Biography Joe Franco, a 1969 graduate of Brooklyn Technical High S ...
(drums), Glenn Grayson (keyboards, backing vocals) and Dennis Grayson (keyboards, backing vocals). Henderson and MacLeod received a Best Producer
Juno Award 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 ...
for ''
Opus X ''Opus X'' is the tenth album (hence the "X") by the Canadian rock band Chilliwack, released in October 1982. Producers Bill Henderson and Brian MacLeod received the Juno Award for " Producer of the Year" for their work on the songs "Whatcha Go ...
''. However, echoing the Mushroom problems, Millennium Records then collapsed. In early 1983, MacLeod and Bryant left the band, to devote more time to their other project, the
Headpins Headpins are a Canadian rock group, founded as a side project in the late 1970s by then Chilliwack members Ab Bryant and Brian MacLeod. Macleod was impressed by the vocal talents of Vancouver rock singer Denise McCann, and asked her to join his ...
(with Denise McCann and then
Darby Mills Darby Phyllis Mills is a Canadian rock vocalist, former figure skater, and the past lead singer of the Headpins. She has embarked on a solo career, having signed a worldwide record contract and released both a remastered solo album and a live CD. ...
as lead vocalists). Chilliwack's last studio recording, ''Look In Look Out'', was released in July 1984 with Henderson as the only continuing member. He was joined by session players Ashley Mulford (guitar, backing vocals, from the band
Sad Café Sad Café are an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1976, who achieved their peak of popularity in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known for the UK top 40 singles "Every Day Hurts", "Strange Little Girl", " My Oh My" and "I ...
),
Richard Gibbs Richard "Ribbs" Gibbs (born December 5, 1955) is an American film composer and music producer whose credits include ''Dr. Dolittle'', ''Big Momma's House'', ''Queen of the Damned'', the television series ''Battlestar Galactica'' and the first s ...
(keyboards, from the group
Oingo Boingo Oingo Boingo () was an American new wave band formed by songwriter Danny Elfman in 1979. The band emerged from a surrealist musical theatre troupe, The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo, that Elfman had led and written material for in the ye ...
),
Mo Foster Mo Foster (born Michael Ralph Foster, 22 December 1944) is an English multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, solo artist, author, and public speaker. Through a career spanning over half a century, Foster has toured, recorded, and perf ...
(bass), Simon Phillips (drums) and
Tom Keenlyside Thomas William Keenlyside (born 1950) is a Canadian saxophonist and flautist from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Biography Born and raised in Vancouver, Keenlyside grew up hearing many genres of music on the radio that his parents left t ...
(saxophone), with additional vocals provided by Mark LaFrance,
Saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma and styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly as a seasoning and colouring agent i ...
&
Camille Henderson Camille Henderson is a Canadian pop singer. She played the role of Shirley in Sandy Wilson's 1985 Canadian film ''My American Cousin''. She went on to become part of the Vancouver-based pop group West End Girls from 1991 to 1993. Following her ...
, Dustin Keller and
Bob Rock Robert Jens Rock (born April 19, 1954) is a Canadian record producer, sound engineer and musician, best known for producing rock bands and music artists such as Metallica, Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Tragically Hip, the Cult, 31 ...
. By 1985, the band was without a record deal and Henderson cobbled together a touring line-up of former member Claire Lawrence (sax, backing vocals), Jerry Adolphe (drums), Brian Newcombe (bass), Robbie Gray (keyboards, backing vocals) and Dave Pickell (keyboards). Pickell was replaced almost immediately by another former member John Roles (guitar, keyboards). This grouping played mostly in Canadian clubs and smaller venues until Henderson disbanded the group in December 1988. The following year, Henderson formed the folk-rock supergroup UHF. On October 6, 1991, Henderson joined fellow rockers
Loverboy Loverboy is a Canadian rock band formed in 1979 in Calgary, Alberta. Loverboy's hit singles, particularly " Turn Me Loose" and "Working for the Weekend", have become arena rock staples and are still heard on many classic rock and classic hits r ...
,
Bryan Adams Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and photographer. He has been cited as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, and is estimated to have sold between 75 million and mor ...
,
Colin James Colin James (born Colin James Munn, August 17, 1964) is a Canadian rock and blues singer and songwriter. Biography Early years James was born in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. His grandpa was Serbian. He got his break opening for Stevie Ray V ...
and
Chrissy Steele Chrissy Steele is the stage name of Christina Southern,"Southern returns to normal state of mind". ''Victoria Times-Colonist'', August 23, 1997. a Canadian vocalist currently living on Vancouver Island. She is most noted for garnering a Juno Aw ...
at a benefit show at Vancouver's 86 Street Music Hall to raise over $50,000 for Henderson's former Chilliwack bandmate, Brian MacLeod, who was fighting cancer and undergoing treatment at a Houston medical clinic. MacLeod died on April 25, 1992, aged 39. After the band had been dormant for nearly a decade, Henderson decided to launch a new Chilliwack line-up in 1997, made up of himself, Adolphe (drums),
Doug Edwards Douglas Edwards (born January 21, 1971) is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round (15th pick overall) of the 1993 NBA draft. Edwards played for the Hawks and Vancouver Grizzlies ...
(bass, backing vocals), and Roy 'Bim' Forbes (guitar, backing vocals, from UHF). Forbes was succeeded on guitar in 1998 by Bill's brother, Ed, and Chilliwack released a new live album, ''
There and Back - Live There may refer to: * ''There'' (film), a 2009 Turkish film (Turkish title: ''Orada'') * ''There'' (virtual world) *''there'', a deictic adverb in English *''there'', an English pronoun used in phrases such as '' there is'' and ''there are'' { ...
'', in 2003. Chilliwack performed at 2005's Voyageur Days Festival in
Mattawa, Ontario Mattawa is a town in northeastern Ontario, Canada on Algonquin Nation land at the confluence of the Mattawa and Ottawa Rivers in Nipissing District. Mattawa means "Meeting of the Waters" in the Algonquin language. The first Europeans to pass th ...
, where they appeared with
Moxy Moxy may refer to: * Moxy (airline), formerly proposed name for the airline Breeze Airways in the United States * Moxy (band), a Canadian hard rock band formed in the 1970s ** ''Moxy'' (album), 1975 ** '' Moxy II'', 1976 * Moxy Engineering, a No ...
,
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 ancho ...
, Trooper,
Goddo Goddo was a Canadian rock band formed in Scarborough, Ontario in 1975. Goddo had mixed major label success from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. After reforming in 1989, they revived their career with several new studio and 'best of' packages. ...
,
Killer Dwarfs Killer Dwarfs (stylized as KiLLeR DWaRfS) is a Canadian hard rock band that formed in late 1981 in Oshawa, Ontario, and enjoyed moderate success in their native Canada in the 1980s. The band is known for its offbeat sense of humour (all band m ...
and
Ray Lyell Ray Lyell (born 1962 in Hamilton, Ontario) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and vocal coach. Career Ray Lyell came to prominence with his band, the Storm, in the late 1980s. Ray Lyell and the Storm released their self-titled debut album in 1989. ...
for the thirtieth anniversary of Moxy's debut album release. On May 24, 2010, the band members (Bill Henderson, Ed Henderson, Doug Edwards and Jerry Adolphe) were joined by former members Roy 'Bim' Forbes, Ab Bryant and Claire Lawrence, plus Howard Froese's son Tyson on acoustic guitar (standing in for his father, who had died of cancer in the mid-1990s), and Collectors singer Howie Vickers for a Chilliwack 40th Anniversary show at the River Rock Show Theatre in
Richmond, British Columbia Richmond is a coastal city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. It occupies almost the entirety of Lulu Island (excluding Queensborough), between the two estuarine distributaries of the Fraser River. Encompassing the ad ...
. Chilliwack's original bassist, Glenn Miller, died on March 4, 2011, in Toronto after suffering from
muscular dystrophy Muscular dystrophies (MD) are a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of rare neuromuscular diseases that cause progressive weakness and breakdown of skeletal muscles over time. The disorders differ as to which muscles are primarily affe ...
. In 2015, a new music video by Chilliwack for the song "Take Back This Land" was released. The song became a rallying call during the
2015 Canadian federal election The 2015 Canadian federal election held on October 19, 2015, saw the Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, win 184 seats, allowing it to form a majority government with Trudeau becoming the next prime minister. The election was held to elect m ...
. Henderson occasionally does duo shows with Claire Lawrence. Chilliwack continues to play, mostly at outdoor gatherings and festivals. Doug Edwards died at his home in Vancouver at the age of 70 on November 11, 2016, after a long illness. He was succeeded in Chilliwack by Gord Maxwell (formerly with
Ian Tyson Ian Dawson Tyson (September 25, 1933 – December 29, 2022) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who wrote several folk songs, including " Four Strong Winds" and " Someday Soon", and performed with partner Sylvia Tyson as the duo Ian & Sylvia. Ea ...
and
One Horse Blue One Horse Blue was a Canadian country rock music group that existed from 1975 to 1981 and, as reconstituted, from 1988 to 1995, releasing five albums. History The band first formed as Pickens in 1975 in Edmonton, Alberta, with members Winston Que ...
), who began filling in for Edwards in 2013. Matt Bryant, son of former Chilliwack bass player Ab Bryant, is the singer/songwriter and founding member of Canadian roots/folk band
Headwater The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source. Definition The ...
. In 2019, Chilliwack was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame


Current members

* Bill Henderson – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals (1970–1988, 1997–present) * Jerry Adolphe – drums (1985–1988, 1997–present) * Ed Henderson − rhythm and lead guitar, backing vocals (1998–present) * Gord Maxwell – bass, backing vocals (2016–present)


Member timeline


Discography


Albums

As The Collectors (Pre-Chilliwack) Chilliwack


Singles


See also

*
Canadian rock Rock music of Canada is a wide and diverse part of the general music of Canada, beginning with American and British style rock and roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern po ...
*
Music of Canada The music of Canada reflects the diverse influences that have shaped the country. Indigenous Peoples, the Irish, British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has also subsequently been ...
*
Music of Vancouver Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of the Canada's largest cities and foremost cultural centres. History That music was for thousands of years an integral part of the culture of Vancouver's First Nations people is clear but was not documente ...
*
List of bands from British Columbia The following is a list of bands from British Columbia. By city Abbotsford * Hedley * You Say Party Burnaby * The Skulls Chilliwack * The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets * Mystery Machine * Pardon My Striptease *These Kids Wear Crowns Coquitla ...
*
Delbrook Senior Secondary School Delbrook Senior Secondary was a public high school from 1957 to 1977 in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, part of School District 44 North Vancouver. History Delbrook opened in 1957 as only the second secondary school ...


References


External links


Bill Henderson's websiteCanadian releases
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chilliwack (band) Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1988 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian progressive rock groups 1970 establishments in British Columbia 1988 disestablishments in British Columbia Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees