Sweeney Todd 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 ...

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was performed by musicians who wore outrageous costumes, makeup, and hairstyles, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists drew on diver ...

band formed 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 ...

in 1975. The band's original lead vocalist

Nick Gilder Nicholas George Gilder (born 21 December 1951) is a British-Canadian musician who first came to prominence as the frontman for the glam rock band Sweeney Todd. He later had a successful solo career as a singer/songwriter. Biography Born in Lo ...

left the band to start a solo career, and was replaced by a 16-year-old

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 ...

, who later enjoyed international success as a solo artist.

Overview

The band, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, originally consisted of vocalist

, guitarist Jim McCulloch, bassist Budd Marr, keyboardist Dan Gaudin and drummer John Booth. The single " Roxy Roller" became a No. 1 hit in Canada, holding the top position in the ''RPM'' national singles chart for three weeks beginning on June 26, 1976, and winning a Juno Award for the band. Gilder and McCulloch subsequently left the band to pursue solo careers. Gilder had hits with "

Hot Child in the City "Hot Child in the City" is a song by English-Canadian musician Nick Gilder. It was released in June 1978 as a single from the album '' City Nights''. It went to No. 1 both in Canada (October 14, 1978) and in the United States (October 28, 1978). ...

", "Here Comes the Night" and "(You Really) Rock Me". Clark Perry was brought in to replace Gilder on vocals, and Skip Prest replaced McCulloch on guitar. Though he did record a second version of "Roxy Roller", Perry did not work out, however, and was replaced within a few months by

, who was 16 at that time. That incarnation of Sweeney Todd also recorded a - third - version of "Roxy Roller". The new lineup recorded Sweeney Todd's second album, ''If Wishes Were Horses''. That album was unsuccessful and Adams left the band after less than a year. The band attempted to carry on with Chris Booth on vocals (and Grant Gislason replacing Prest in 1978), but broke up before recording any further albums. The band re-united in 2000 and began working on ''The Sweeney Todd LP''. The band followed up the completion of the record with a cross-Canada tour. In 2007, Sweeney Todd - along with ex-vocalist Nick Gilder - headlined the

Golden Spike Days The Golden Spike Days Festival is an annual family festival held in Rocky Point Park, Port Moody, British Columbia. The festival commemorates the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway to the city and the Confederation of Canada Canadian ...

Festival in

Port Moody, British Columbia Port Moody is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It envelops the east end of Burrard Inlet and is the smallest of the Tri-Cities, bordered by Coquitlam on the east and south an ...

. In 2008, they performed (again with Gilder) at the Merritt Mountain Musicfest in

Merritt, British Columbia Merritt is a city in the Nicola Valley of the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Situated at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered afte ...

Discography

Albums * ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet Stre ...

'' (1975) * ''If Wishes Were Horses'' (1977) Singles * "Sweeney Todd Folder" (1976) - Canada #36 * " Roxy Roller" (1976) - Canada #1, U.S. #90 * "Say Hello, Say Goodbye" (1976) - Canada #75 * "If Wishes Were Horses" (1977) - Canada #59

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweeney Todd Musical groups established in 1975 Musical groups disestablished in 1978 Musical groups reestablished in 2000 Musical groups from Vancouver Canadian hard rock musical groups Canadian glam rock musical groups Bryan Adams Sweeney Todd 1975 establishments in British Columbia 1978 disestablishments in Canada 2008 establishments in British Columbia London Records artists Juno Award for Single of the Year winners