Doug and the Slugs are 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 ...
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
group formed in 1977 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. The band enjoyed a number of Canadian top 40 hits in the 1980s, most notably "Too Bad" (1980), "Who Knows How To Make Love Stay" (1982), "Making It Work" (1983), "Day by Day" (1984) and "Tomcat Prowl" (1988). The song "Too Bad" served as the theme song for the 1999-2001
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
sitcom ''
The Norm Show
''The Norm Show'' is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from March 24, 1999, to April 6, 2001. Starting in September 1999, the show's title was shortened to ''Norm''. The series starred Norm Macdonald, who created the series with Br ...
'', starring
Norm Macdonald
Norman Gene MacdonaldThe capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as ''TV Guide''. Books that discuss him, such as ''Shales'' (2003) and Crawford' (2000), as well as other sources such as ...
.
Band history
Doug and the Slugs was founded in Vancouver in 1977 by Toronto-born
Doug Bennett, who had been a graphic designer in his home town before moving to British Columbia in the mid-1970s. Bennett served as the band's chief songwriter, frontman, and lead singer. Keyboardist
Simon Kendall
Simon Kendall is a Canadian rock musician and film composer. The longtime keyboardist for Doug and the Slugs, he won the Genie Award for Best Original Score at the 14th Genie Awards in 1993 for the film '' Cadillac Girls'', and was shortlisted fo ...
described Bennett's writing style: "He had some unique and very interesting lyrics. An anachronistic style, if you like. He was a bit of R&B, he was a bit 1940s, he was a bit Tex-Mex. As a writer, I think he deserves more credit than he gets for being intelligent. He wrote some beautiful and quite provocative songs."
After some turnover amongst Slugs in the early months, the lineup stabilized by 1978, and for the entirety of their recording career (1978–1992), Doug and the Slugs consisted of lead vocalist Doug Bennett, guitarists Richard Baker and John Burton, keyboardist Simon Kendall, bassist Steve Bosley, and drummer John "Wally" Watson.
In their early years, Doug and the Slugs had trouble getting club owners to book them due to their name. They entered a battle of the bands in Vancouver at the Body Shop, but lost.
Hardly discouraged, the enterprising Bennett forged an underground following of dedicated fans by promoting his own dances at community halls (most notably the Commodore Ballroom) in Vancouver, and giving these dances attention-grabbing names like "Beach Blanket Bungle," "Secret Agent Man," and "The Last Upper."
These Dances became hot ticket items due to their guaranteed-good-time status
[Dr. Buie, K. M. (June 9, 2014). Personal Interview.] during 1978-1979.
Doug and the Slugs also put on an annual outdoor dance festival known as "Slugfest."
The band built a solid following in the Vancouver area through constant live performances. Determined to exert control over their own music and artwork, the band founded their own record label, Ritdong Records, and worked out a distribution deal with
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
for their recordings (Bennett chose the name "Ritdong" because he described it as the sound produced by an out of tune guitar).
Their debut 45 single "Too Bad" was issued on Ritdong in February 1980, and became a substantial hit in Vancouver, rising to #2 on local Top 40 station
CKLG. Shortly thereafter, the track entered the Canadian hit parade, becoming a top ten hit. The song would also be used in the late 1990s as the theme song to the sitcom ''
The Norm Show
''The Norm Show'' is an American television sitcom that ran on ABC from March 24, 1999, to April 6, 2001. Starting in September 1999, the show's title was shortened to ''Norm''. The series starred Norm Macdonald, who created the series with Br ...
''.
That same year, Doug and The Slugs' manager, Sam Feldman mortgaged his house to make The Slugs debut album, ''Cognac & Bologna'',
that was recorded at
Metalworks Studios
Metalworks Studios is a music recording studio in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 by Gil Moore of the Canadian rock group, Triumph. Over a span of 40 years, Metalworks has been the recipient of Canadian Music Week's ' ...
in
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
.
Throughout the 1980s, a string of singles and albums followed. Their biggest success was 1982's ''Music For The Hard Of Thinking'', which in Canada peaked at #22, and spun off two top 40 singles: "Who Knows How To Make Love Stay" and "Making It Work". However, the band didn't break through internationally, and RCA ended their distribution deal with Ritdong in 1984, after the release of the best-of compilation ''Ten Big Ones''.
Ritdong then entered into a distribution deal with
A&M Records
A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...
. Two Doug and The Slugs albums were issued via this deal, 1984's ''Popaganda'' and 1988's ''Tomcat Prowl'', as well as a Doug Bennett solo album, 1986's ''Animato'', on which all the Slugs played. The 1988 single "
Tomcat Prowl
"Tomcat Prowl", written by Doug Bennett and John Burton, is a song performed by Doug and the Slugs
Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The band enjoyed a number of Canadian top 40 h ...
" became the band's final top 40 entry, peaking at #23.
Ritdong's deal with A&M expired after ''Tomcat Prowl'', and the group didn't record for several years. Doug and The Slugs' final album, 1992's ''Tales From Terminal City'', came out on their own Tomcat Records label. It is the only Doug and The Slugs album not to have hit the Canadian charts.
Most of the Slugs left the band after 1992, although Kendall stayed until 1994. After this time, Bennett toured with an ever-rotating cast of new musicians, still billing their act as Doug and the Slugs. The original Slugs reunited to back Doug for two "25th anniversary" shows in Vancouver in 2003.
Bennett acknowledged the fact that he was a heavy drinker, and eventually all of the years of playing bars and heavy drinking onstage compromised his health. He succumbed to liver cirrhosis
after falling into a coma in October 2004, passing through
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
from
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
.
Kendall remarked that Bennett "hadn't been looking after himself. His health
adnot been good for the last couple of years, so it wasn't a total surprise. But nobody realized how sick he was."
Bennett and the band were profiled in the documentary film ''
Doug and the Slugs and Me
''Doug and the Slugs and Me'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Teresa Alfeld and released in 2022.Tom Zillich"Singer’s journals are key in the poignant Vancouver music story ‘Doug and the Slugs and Me’" ''Peace Arch News'', May ...
'' by director Teresa Alfeld, which had its world premiere at the 2022
DOXA Documentary Film Festival
The DOXA Documentary Film Festival is a documentary film festival based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is held annually held for 10 days in May, and is presented by The Documentary Media Society, a non-profit organization.
The festiva ...
.
[Steve Newton]
"Teresa Alfeld found herself in Doug and the Slugs and Me"
''The Georgia Straight
''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...
'', May 3, 2022.
Band member timeline
The initial band members were (based on available information):
ImageSize = width:600 height:auto barincrement:25
PlotArea = left:100 bottom:60 top:0 right:50
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1977 till:16/10/2004
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Colors =
id:lead value:orange legend:Lead Singer
id:guitar value:tan1 legend:Guitarist
id:bass value:gray(0.8) legend:Bass
id:drums value:yellowgreen legend:Drummer
id:keys value:powderblue2 legend:Keyboards
Legend = orientation:horizontal position:bottom
ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1977
PlotData=
width:20 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Richard Baker text:"guitar" from:01/12/1978 till:31/12/1992 color:guitar
bar:Doug Bennett text:"lead vocals" from:01/01/1977 till:16/10/2004 color:lead
bar:Keith Merritt text:"tambourine, vocals" from:01/07/1996 till:end color:bass
bar:Steve Bosley text:"bass" from:01/10/1978 till:31/12/1994 color:bass
bar:John Burton text:"guitar" from:01/01/1977 till:16/10/2004 color:guitar
bar:Chris Murray Driver text:"drums, vocals" from:01/10/2001 till:end color:drums
bar:Marc Gladstone text:"keyboards, vocals" from:01/05/1998 till:end color:keys
bar:Dennis Henderson text:"bass" from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1978 color:bass
bar:Simon Kendall text:"keyboards" from:08/12/1978 till:31/12/1994 color:keys
bar:Logan Dunster text:"keyboards" from:01/12/1995 till:31/01/1998 color:keys
bar:Ted Laturnus text:"drums" from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1978 color:drums
bar:Drew Neville text:"keyboards" from:01/01/1977 till:01/01/1978 color:keys
bar:John Watson text:"drums" from:12/08/1978 till:31/12/1994 color:drums
bar:Jay Wittur text:"bass, vocals" from:01/07/1996 till:end color:bass
bar:Graham Francis text:"guitar, vocals" from:01/06/1996 till:01/09/1996 color:guitar
bar:Doug Grant text:"drums, bg vocals" from:01/09/1995 till:15/10/2002 color:drums
Other performers with the band (timelines unknown):
* drums
**
Vince Ditrich
** Larry MacGillvary
** Jake Adams
** Pat Steward
* guitar
** John Ellis
** Danny Latham Bass many years
** Graham Francis Guitar and vocals 1996
** Elio Martelli
** Al Rodger
** Tony Jenks
* keyboards
** Darrell Havers
** Dale Wallace 1995-1997
** Logan Dunster 2 Canadian tours 1995-1998
*saxophone
**
John Doheny
John Steven "Pip" Doheny (born December 17, 1953), is a jazz tenor saxophonist and band leader, who also plays flute, clarinet, and alto saxophone.
Born in Seattle, Washington, Doheny studied with prominent Canadian saxophonist and bandleader Fra ...
Graham Francis is alive and well and has played in numerous bands and has written many songs as well.
Dennis Henderson retired from being a high school electronics teacher at
Hugh McRoberts Secondary School
Hugh McRoberts Secondary School, officially "École Secondaire Hugh McRoberts Secondary School", is a Canadian school in Richmond, British Columbia.
Named after Hugh McRoberts, an early settler on Sea Island, this secondary school (grades 8-12 in ...
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 ...
, Canada. He also taught guitar at Hillcrest and Killarney Community Centres for 10 years. He still performs original roots-based folk music with his longtime partner, Barb Fraser, as "Fraser/Henderson".
The Season 3 episode of ''
Da Vinci's Inquest
''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...
'', "It's Backwards Day" includes Simon Kendall' composition "Hymn For Unbelievers" from his album ''Sweet Compassion'', as the episode closes, in place of the customary ending theme.
After a gap of several years, the original Slugs (Baker, Bosley, Burton, Kendall, and Watson) reunited in 2009 and invited singer Ted Okos to be their new frontman.
The group still performs live dates as Doug and the Slugs, although now none of them is named Doug.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
*1984: ''Ten Big Ones''
*1987: ''Doug and the Slugs''
(U.S. release only)
*1993: ''Slugcology 101''
Singles
Awards and recognition
*1981: multiple nominee,
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 ...
:
** Composer of the Year, "Too Bad"
** Best Album Graphics, ''Cognac and Bologna''
** Single of the Year, "Too Bad"
*1983: nominee,
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 ...
, Most Promising Group of the Year
References
External links
Official Doug And The Slugs websiteEntry for Doug And The Slugsa
CanadianBands.comDoug And the Slugs at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Doug And The Slugs
2003 in Canadian music
Musical groups established in 1977
Musical groups disestablished in 2004
Musical groups reestablished in 2009
Musical groups from Vancouver
Canadian pop rock music groups
Doo-wop groups
Articles which contain graphical timelines
1977 establishments in British Columbia
2004 disestablishments in British Columbia
2009 establishments in British Columbia