Queen City Kids (QCK) was a hard rock band from

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

, who scored a number of Canadian hits in the early 1980s including "Girls", "Dance", and "Black Box." The band was active from 1969 to 1983 and consisted of vocalist Alex Chuaqui, guitarist Kevin Fyhn, bass player John L. Donnelly, and drummer Jeff Germain. Queen City Kids formed in Regina in 1969 under the name Cambridge, while members were still in high school. After 11 years together, the band relocated to

Winnipeg 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 ...

and released their first self-titled album in 1981. The album reached the number one spot in Regina and Winnipeg and was later certified gold. Queen City Kids then toured with

April Wine April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 and based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Led by singer-guitarist-songwriter Myles Goodwin since its inception, April Wine's first success came with its second album, '' On Record'' (1972), which reac ...

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

, Streetheart,

Joan Jett Joan Jett (born Joan Marie Larkin, September 22, 1958) is an American singer, guitarist, record producer, and actress. Jett is best known for her work as the frontwoman of her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and for earlier founding and per ...

and

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American Rock music, rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla ( ...

. Their second album, ''Black Box'', was released in 1982 by CBS records (Columbia records at the time) and spawned a Canadian hit with "Dance." The same year, the band caused a stir in the small conservative

Mennonite Mennonites are groups of Anabaptist Christian church communities of denominations. The name is derived from the founder of the movement, Menno Simons (1496–1561) of Friesland. Through his writings about Reformed Christianity during the Radic ...

town of

Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () ( Plautdietsch: /ˈʃte̞nbah/ or /ˈʃte̞nbax/) is a city located about south-east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Steinbach is the third-largest city in Manitoba, with a population of 17,806, and the largest community in the Eas ...

, after a scheduled rock concert at the local

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

was cancelled by the

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

a day before the show. The cancellation of the concert was protested by hundreds of students, made national news, and was alluded to years later in the work of novelist

Miriam Toews Miriam Toews (; born 1964) is a Canadian writer and author of nine books, including ''A Complicated Kindness'' (2004), '' All My Puny Sorrows'' (2014), and '' Women Talking'' (2018). She has won a number of literary prizes including the Governor ...

. The album failed to chart in the United States and the band was dropped by the label. The band broke up in 1983, but continues to play reunion shows. In October 2007, QCK was inducted into the Western Canada Music Hall of Fame. In 2015, the band released a live album recorded in 1981 called ''1981 Live''.

Members

* Alex Chuaqui (vocals, guitars, keys) * Kevin Fyhn (guitars, vocals) * John L. Donnelly (bass, vocals) * Jeff Germain (drums)

Discography

Singles

* "Down Again"/"Kids World" (1981, Columbia) * "Dance"/"Black Box" (1982, Columbia) * "Girls" (1982, Columbia)

Albums

* ''Queen City Kids'' (1981, Columbia) * ''Black Box'' (1982, Columbia) * ''1981 Live'' (2015, self-released)

References

External links

CanConRox bio

at

Jam! Jam! was a Canadian website which covers entertainment news. It was part of the Canoe.com online portal, formerly owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division, and now owned by Postmedia Network. Jam! was the only media outlet ...

* http://www.queencitykids.com
Queen City Kids
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allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Queen City Kids
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Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen City Kids Musical groups established in 1969 Musical groups from Regina, Saskatchewan Canadian rock music groups 1969 establishments in Saskatchewan