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Max Webster was a Canadian
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 ...
band formed in
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 ...
in 1972. The band's founder,
Kim Mitchell Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...
, enjoyed a long and successful solo career in their native Canada.


Biography

Initially a trio for their first gigs in December 1972, the original members were guitarist and vocalist
Kim Mitchell Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...
, bassist Mike Tilka, and drummer Phil Trudell. The band were briefly called Stinky, then Special Delivery. They settled on Max Webster by early 1973, a name concocted by Tilka while playing with
Daryl Stuermer Daryl Mark Stuermer (born November 27, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, and producer best known for playing the guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most solo tours and albums. He has ...
in a Milwaukee band called Family at Mac's (Stuermer had written a song inspired by
Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...
called "Song for Webster"). The line-up was augmented to a quartet in early 1973 with Jim Bruton being added on keyboards. Paul Kersey replaced Trudell in April 1973, and Terry Watkinson replaced Bruton in February 1974. Max Webster were signed by SRO Management in 1975, and a year later their self-titled debut album, co-produced by Terry Brown, was released. After a Canadian tour opening for Rush, Kersey left the band and was replaced by Gary McCracken. After recording and touring for their second album, ''
High Class in Borrowed Shoes ''High Class in Borrowed Shoes'' is the second album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1977 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. This album was released in the US and Europe on t ...
'' (1977), Tilka would follow suit and leave the band, being replaced by Dave Myles (although
Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...
was Mitchell's first choice, who did pre-production for their next album while Tilka remained playing gigs). Myles had played with both Mitchell and McCracken in a series of pre-Max Webster bands, all based in their hometown of Sarnia, Ontario. Mitchell and lyricist
Pye Dubois Pye Dubois is a Canadian lyricist and poet. He has worked mainly with Kim Mitchell and Max Webster (with whom he was considered an unofficial fifth non-performing member), and occasionally Rush. Career Dubois accompanied Max Webster in the stu ...
wrote the majority of their material, with their collaboration beginning in Greece in 1972. Watkinson wrote one to three songs per album, and McCracken and Myles would eventually contribute material as well. Max Webster toured heavily from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, usually playing 200-250 dates a year in the bars, high schools, theatres, and arenas. Artists they opened for included
Bachman–Turner Overdrive Bachman–Turner Overdrive, often abbreviated BTO, were a Canadian rock band from Winnipeg, Manitoba, founded by Randy Bachman, Robbie Bachman and Fred Turner in 1973. Their 1970s catalogue included five top-40 albums and six US top-40 single ...
, Blondie,
The Cars The Cars were an American rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the new wave scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek ( rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards), ...
,
Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. The current lineup of the band consists of Zander, Nielsen and ...
,
Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...
,
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
,
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 ...
,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
,
Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony Nugent (; born December 13, 1948) is an American rock musician and activist. He initially gained fame as the lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist of The Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock an ...
,
Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...
, Rare Earth,
REO Speedwagon REO Speedwagon (originally stylized as R.E.O. Speedwagon) is an American rock band from Champaign, Illinois. Formed in 1967, the band cultivated a following during the 1970s and achieved significant commercial success throughout the 1980s. The ...
, Rush,
Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known fo ...
, and Styx. By 1978 the band were headliners in most major Canadian markets, although they continued to do extensive tours with Rush outside of Canada, supporting them over 200 times. Their third album, '' Mutiny Up My Sleeve'' (1978), was produced by the band and Terry Brown and their now ex-bassist Mike Tilka (who was now working in the Anthem/SRO office and was called in to finish the album after Brown quit). The Mitchell/Watkinson/McCracken/Myles line-up would last through their fourth album, ''
A Million Vacations ''A Million Vacations'' is the fourth album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The record was released in 1979 in Canada by Anthem Records and in the United States and Europe by Capitol Records. The hit songs "A Million Vacations", "Let Go the Lin ...
'', and a subsequent live album, '' Live Magnetic Air'', both of which were issued in 1979 (Brown reunited with the band for the latter). Though their albums had become FM radio staples in Canada, ''A Million Vacations'' was the first Max Webster album to generate hit singles that appeared in the Canadian top 100. The group's first hit was "Let Go the Line," written and sung by Terry Watkinson, and peaked at No. 41 on the Canadian charts. Follow-up single "A Million Vacations" was written by McCracken/Dubois, sung by McCracken, and peaked at No. 80 in Canada. The album's third and final single, "Paradise Skies" was a Mitchell/Dubois composition sung by Mitchell, and was a minor hit in both Canada (number 21) and the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
(number 43). With some international recognition having arrived, Max Webster then toured the UK and Europe backing Rush in 1979 and played successful dates of their own at the famed
Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue first located at 165 Oxford Street in London, when it opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. Its most famous period was from 1964 to 1988 at 90 Wardour Street in Soho, and it finally closed whe ...
in London. However, their career momentum was stalled when the band's American label
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
refused to finance a follow-up headlining European tour. The band returned to the UK over a year later, but poor ticket sales from a lack of promotion led to their shows being cancelled, and only two dates supporting
Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy met ...
were fulfilled. Prior to the recording of the band's fifth and final studio album, ''
Universal Juveniles ''Universal Juveniles'' was Max Webster's fifth and last studio album, released in 1980 in Canada by Anthem Records. It was released internationally on the Mercury Records label outside of Canada. The album was produced by Jack Richardson who wa ...
'' (1980), Watkinson exited, leaving Max Webster a trio of Mitchell, McCracken, and Myles. ''Universal Juveniles'' was recorded with the assistance of session musicians David Stone (who also briefly toured with the band) and Doug Riley. The song "Battle Scar" was recorded live with all three members of Rush playing alongside Max Webster (Watkinson briefly returned just for this session). Myles left the band immediately after the album was recorded, and Mitchell assembled a new touring line-up with Mike Gingrich on bass, Greg Chadd on keyboards, and Steve McMurray on second guitar. Watkinson eventually rejoined in December 1980 as a salaried touring member, but Mitchell nonetheless decided to dissolve the band after a gig supporting Rush in
Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...
,
Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
on April 16, 1981, primarily citing exhaustion and a lack of label support.


Legacy and reunions

Max Webster were close friends of fellow Canadian musicians Rush. In a 1978 interview, Rush bassist and vocalist
Geddy Lee Geddy Lee (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the re ...
commented that he enjoyed their music, insisting "they're quite hard to describe, but they have amazing musicianship and very interesting lyrics." Although successful in Canada, Max Webster failed to achieve much success elsewhere. "Paradise Skies" was a minor UK hit, reaching No. 43 on the singles chart there. They also appeared on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'' in 1979, playing to a pre-recorded track that was recorded at
Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
. Kim Mitchell's subsequent solo career, however, reached a much broader audience and he achieved popularity beyond Canada during the 1980s. Among the highlights of the band's career were their New Year's Eve shows at Toronto's
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
. Geddy Lee joined the band onstage to sing and play his Teardrop bass guitar for "Battle Scar" on December 31, 1980. The band reunited in 1990 for a gig at the Toronto Music Awards, with the ''High Class in Borrowed Shoes'' line-up of Kim Mitchell, Terry Watkinson, Mike Tilka, and Gary McCracken. Max Webster did a proper reunion tour in 1995-96, with longtime Mitchell collaborator Peter Fredette joining the band as bassist in place of Tilka. On May 24, 2007, The Mitchell/Watkinson/Tilka/McCracken line-up of Max Webster reunited for a one-off gig as part of the Q107 30th anniversary concert and live radio special at The Docks in Toronto. McCracken sang "A Million Vacations" with his tech Robert Sibony on drums, and Fredette joined the band onstage to sing Geddy Lee's part on "Battle Scar." From April 2004 until August 2015, Kim Mitchell hosted the weekday afternoon drive slot (2 p.m.-6 p.m.) on Q107 (107.1) in Toronto, Ontario. In the 1990s Watkinson and Tilka formed the band Antlers, mostly playing Max Webster songs and classic rock covers. The band has continued on and off for more than 20 years, playing at various venues around southern Ontario. Gary McCracken teaches music in his hometown of
Sarnia Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron fl ...
, Ontario.Website for Gary McCracken
Rock Candy Records Rock Candy Records is an independent record label based in the United Kingdom. Founded by ex-''Kerrang!'' writers Derek Oliver and Dante Bonutto, the label primarily specializes in CD reissues of rock and heavy metal albums from the 1970s and ...
in England has re-released the first four Max Webster albums. In 2017 a box set package called ''The Party'' was released by
Anthem Records Anthem Records is an independent record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The company was formed in May 1977 by Ray Danniels and Vic Wilson with initial recording artists Rush, Max Webster, Liverpool and A Foot in Coldwater. The three ...
on vinyl, compact disc and digital formats. The release featured remastered versions of all the band's previously released material (with the exception of Hot Spots and Overnight Sensation, which had appeared on Diamonds Diamonds), unreleased live and studio songs, and Kim Mitchell's long out-of-print solo EP. The vinyl set includes a booklet, a poster and a sticker.
Paul Gilbert Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which h ...
cites Mitchell's playing on
Universal Juveniles ''Universal Juveniles'' was Max Webster's fifth and last studio album, released in 1980 in Canada by Anthem Records. It was released internationally on the Mercury Records label outside of Canada. The album was produced by Jack Richardson who wa ...
to have been a great influence on his guitar style. Music critic and biographer
Martin Popoff Martin Popoff (born April 28, 1963) is a Canadian music journalist, critic and author. He is mainly known for writing about the genre of heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has additionally ...
cites Max Webster as his favourite band.


Band members

*
Kim Mitchell Joseph Kim Mitchell (born July 10, 1952) is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to a solo career. His 1984 single, " Go for Soda", was his only charted song on the US ''Billbo ...
 – guitar, vocals (1972–1981, 1990, 1995-1996, 2007) *Terry Watkinson – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals (1974–1980, 1980-1981, 1990, 1995-1996, 2007) *Mike Tilka – bass, synthesizer, vocals (1972–1977, 1990, 2007) * Gary McCracken – drums, percussion, vocals (1976-1981, 1990, 1995-1996, 2007) *Dave Myles – bass, bass pedals, vocals (1977-1980) *Paul Kersey – drums, percussion (1973-1976) *Jim Bruton – keyboards (1973-1974) *Phil Trudell – drums, percussion (1972-1973) * David Stone – keyboards, synthesizer (1980) *Mike Gingrich – bass, bass pedals, vocals (1980-1981) *Steve McMurray – guitar (1980-1981; died 2014) *Greg Chadd – keyboards, synthesizer (1980) *Peter Fredette – bass, vocals (1995–1996) *
Billy Sheehan William Sheehan (born March 19, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for playing the bass guitar with acts such as Talas, Steve Vai, David Lee Roth, Mr. Big, Niacin, and The Winery Dogs. He is also known for his "lead bass" playing ...
 – bass (1977) *
Pye Dubois Pye Dubois is a Canadian lyricist and poet. He has worked mainly with Kim Mitchell and Max Webster (with whom he was considered an unofficial fifth non-performing member), and occasionally Rush. Career Dubois accompanied Max Webster in the stu ...
 – lyrics (1973–1981, 1995-1996)


Timeline

ImageSize = width:1200 height:450 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:120 top:0 right:05 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy Period = from:22/12/1972 till:24/05/2007 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4 ScaleMajor = increment:2 start:1973 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1973 Colors = id:voc value:red legend:Vocals id:voc2 value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:g value:green legend:Guitars id:key value:purple legend:Keyboards id:b value:blue legend:Bass id:dr value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:session value:yellow legend:Session/touring_member id:lyrics value:lavender legend:Lyrics id:alb value:black legend:Studio_release id:alb2 value:gray(0.65) legend:Live_album id:bars value:gray(0.95) BackgroundColors = bars:bars LineData = color:black layer:back at:03/05/1976 at:16/05/1977 at:15/04/1978 at:05/03/1979 at:13/10/1980 color:alb2 layer:back at:22/10/1979 PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:Kim Mitchell from:01/01/1977 till:01/04/1977 color:b width:7 bar:Kim Mitchell from:start till:16/04/1981 color:voc width:3 bar:Kim Mitchell from:start till:16/04/1981 color:g bar:Kim Mitchell from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:g bar:Kim Mitchell from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:voc width:3 bar:Kim Mitchell from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:g bar:Kim Mitchell from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:voc width:3 bar:Kim Mitchell from:01/03/2007 till:end color:g bar:Kim Mitchell from:01/03/2007 till:end color:voc width:3 bar:Steve McMurray from:01/09/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:session width:3 bar:Steve McMurray from:01/09/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:g bar:Mike Tilka from:start till:31/12/1977 color:b bar:Mike Tilka from:start till:31/12/1977 color:voc width:3 bar:Mike Tilka from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:b bar:Mike Tilka from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:voc2 width:3 bar:Mike Tilka from:01/03/2007 till:end color:b bar:Mike Tilka from:01/03/2007 till:end color:voc2 width:3 bar:Billy Sheehan from:12/11/1977 till:30/11/1977 color:session width:3 bar:Billy Sheehan from:12/11/1977 till:30/11/1977 color:b bar:Dave Myles from:01/12/1977 till:01/08/1980 color:b bar:Dave Myles from:01/12/1977 till:01/08/1980 color:voc2 width:3 bar:Mike Gingrich from:01/09/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:session width:7 bar:Mike Gingrich from:01/09/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:voc width:3 bar:Mike Gingrich from:01/09/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:b bar:Peter Fredette from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:session width:7 bar:Peter Fredette from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:voc width:3 bar:Peter Fredette from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:b bar:Phil Trudell from:start till:31/03/1973 color:dr bar:Phil Trudell from:start till:31/03/1973 color:voc width:3 bar:Paul Kersey from:01/04/1973 till:13/11/1976 color:dr bar:Gary McCracken from:25/11/1976 till:16/04/1981 color:dr bar:Gary McCracken from:25/10/1978 till:19/02/1980 color:voc width:3 bar:Gary McCracken from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:dr bar:Gary McCracken from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:dr bar:Gary McCracken from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:voc width:3 bar:Gary McCracken from:01/03/2007 till:end color:dr bar:Gary McCracken from:01/03/2007 till:end color:voc width:3 bar:Jim Bruton from:01/02/1973 till:15/02/1974 color:key bar:Jim Bruton from:01/02/1973 till:15/02/1974 color:voc width:3 bar:Terry Watkinson from:16/02/1974 till:19/02/1980 color:key bar:Terry Watkinson from:16/02/1974 till:19/02/1980 color:voc width:3 bar:Terry Watkinson from:27/12/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:session width:7 bar:Terry Watkinson from:27/12/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:voc2 width:3 bar:Terry Watkinson from:27/12/1980 till:16/04/1981 color:key bar:Terry Watkinson from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:key bar:Terry Watkinson from:01/10/1990 till:05/12/1990 color:voc2 width:3 bar:Terry Watkinson from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:key bar:Terry Watkinson from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:voc width:3 bar:Terry Watkinson from:01/03/2007 till:end color:key bar:Terry Watkinson from:01/03/2007 till:end color:voc width:3 bar:David Stone from:16/04/1980 till:10/08/1980 color:session width:3 bar:David Stone from:16/04/1980 till:10/08/1980 color:key bar:Greg Chadd from:01/09/1980 till:21/12/1980 color:session width:7 bar:Greg Chadd from:01/09/1980 till:21/12/1980 color:voc width:3 bar:Greg Chadd from:01/09/1980 till:21/12/1980 color:key bar:Pye Dubois from:start till:16/04/1981 color:lyrics bar:Pye Dubois from:26/12/1995 till:16/08/1996 color:lyrics


Discography


Studio albums

A United Kingdom only release called "Magnetic Air" was released in 1979 by Capitol-EMI Records to showcase the band to a wider audience. It features live tracks from the Live Magnetic Air album as well as songs from the first two albums,
Max Webster Max Webster was a Canadian hard rock band formed in Toronto in 1972. The band's founder, Kim Mitchell, enjoyed a long and successful solo career in their native Canada. Biography Initially a trio for their first gigs in December 1972, the ori ...
and
High Class in Borrowed Shoes ''High Class in Borrowed Shoes'' is the second album by Canadian rock band Max Webster. The album was released in 1977 and has been certified gold by the Canadian Recording Industry Association. This album was released in the US and Europe on t ...
, as they were not released in the UK.


Live albums


Compilation albums


Singles


Boxsets


References


External links

* *
Max Webster bio on CanadianBands.com

Article about ''Live Magnetic Air''
a book on Max Webster by
Martin Popoff Martin Popoff (born April 28, 1963) is a Canadian music journalist, critic and author. He is mainly known for writing about the genre of heavy metal music. The senior editor and co-founder of ''Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles'', he has additionally ...
.
MaxWebsterlive.ca
Max Webster Concert Archive {{DEFAULTSORT:Max Webster Musical groups established in 1973 Musical groups disestablished in 1981 Musical groups from Toronto Canadian hard rock musical groups Canadian progressive rock groups Anthem Records artists 1973 establishments in Ontario 1981 disestablishments in Ontario