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The McAuley Boys are an R&B vocal quartet based in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
, Canada. The members include brothers Ronald (Gary) McAuley, George McAuley, Mark McAuley, and Randal (Randy) McAuley. They are most notable for their 1997 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 ...
nomination for Best R&B/Soul Recording, having their cover of the Andy Gibb
Andrew Roy Gibb (5 March 1958 – 10 March 1988) was an English singer, songwriter, and actor. He was the younger brother of Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin and Maurice Gibb, Maurice, who went on to form the Bee Gees.
Gibb came to pr ...
song "I Just Want To Be Your Everything
"I Just Want to Be Your Everything" is a song recorded by Andy Gibb, initially released in April 1977 as the first single from his debut album '' Flowing Rivers''. It reached number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on the ...
" released on BMG Music Canada's Beat Factory Music GROOVEssentials Volume One
''GROOVEssentials Volume One'' is a Canadian R&B compilation album, released in 1997 on Beat Factory Music, and distributed by BMG Music Canada. Three songs from the album—" The Thing to Do" by Glenn Lewis, "Don't Leave Me Hangin" by Camille Do ...
, and performing the Canadian National Anthem "O Canada
"O Canada" (french: Ô Canada, italic=no) is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the mus ...
" at the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 68th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July ...
. They cite The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
as being their main influence.
The early years
The brothers were born to Rita and Winston McAuley, a schoolteacher and social worker respectively, who immigrated to Canada from their nativeGrenada
Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...
where both parents performed music professionally. Rita McAuley sang with her sisters as ''The Mark Sisters''.
In 1992, while attending the University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...
(UWO) in London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
, Gary McAuley began songwriting with a then-unknown Stephan Moccio
Stephan Moccio is a Canadian composer, producer, pianist, arranger, conductor and recording artist. He co-wrote and co-produced the two end credit songs for ''Fifty Shades of Grey'' and its soundtrack: "Earned It" (The Weeknd) and " I Know You ...
. In an interview with Billboard magazine, Moccio states that the pair had written a song for Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...
, which they used as an introduction to Dion and her husband/manager René Angélil
René Angélil (; January 16, 1942 – January 14, 2016) was a Canadian musical producer, talent manager and singer. He was the manager and husband of singer Celine Dion.
Early life
Angélil was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, to a father of ...
during a visit to the campus. In the same interview, Moccio states that throughout his four years at UWO, he and Gary McAuley would play jazz and R&B in local clubs around London. In a 2016 interview with Shad
The Alosinae, or the shads,Alosinae
on
Their appearance at the
The video for the single "My Heaven"
hit #5 on the MuchMusic Playlist for the week ending June 10, 2000, as reported by Billboard Magazine's "The Clip List".
The video for the single "By The Way"
hit #7 on the MuchMusic Playlist for the week ending October 14, 2000, as reported by Billboard Magazine's "The Clip List". They remained in that spot the following week (October 21, 2000).
on
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...
's Q, Moccio said the song "How Do I Win Your Heart" (co-written with Gary) earned praise from David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...
after they sent him a demo on cassette. The multi-platinum producer praised their strong songwriting skills, saying "You have the talent to go all the way." For Gary, this led to a brief mentorship session in L.A. with Foster.
The McAuley Boys' first album, ''Wonderful Christmas Time'', was self-released and entirely financed by their mother for Christmas 1995 using her own $13,000. The group credits the demand for the disc, which promptly recouped Rita's investment, as the catalyst for their professional approach to music.
Victor (Vic) Sinclair, then music director for CFPL in London, recognized the brothers' potential and left his tenured position at one of Canada's largest radio stations to manage the group, founding 80/20 Records and 80/20 Management. It was on the fledgling 80/20 Records that the album ''In Another Lifetime'' got its release, distributed across Canada through a regional Canadian distributor, 'Nuff Entertainment, otherwise known primarily for importing music from the Caribbean islands into Canada.
The first song pushed to radio stations from ''In Another Lifetime'' was the dance-floor friendly "Down, Down, Down", which after some success was included in the compilation album ''All Stars Dance Hits 97'' released by Warner Music Canada-owned Popular Records. The momentum continued when their 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 ...
nomination for Best R&B/Soul Recording was announced on January 29, 1997.
After the Juno Awards broadcast on March 9, 1997, the video for the single "Down, Down, Down" hit #10 on the MuchMusic
Much (an abbreviation for its full name MuchMusic) is a Canadian English language specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults.
MuchMusic launched on August 31 ...
Playlist for the week ending March 29, 1997, as reported by Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...
's "The Clip List".
Their appearance at the 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 1997 Major League Baseball All-Star Game was the 68th playing of the midsummer classic between the all-stars of the American League (AL) and National League (NL), the two leagues comprising Major League Baseball. The game was held on July ...
was cut out of the live television broadcast by Fox Sports, which led to many irate phone calls to the press. Fox spokesman Lou D'Ermilio was quoted as saying ''"Due to time constraints, and since we're a U.S.-based broadcaster, the decision was made just to air the 'Star Spangled Banner'".''
Their success was mentioned in a Billboard Magazine article about Carlos Morgan
Carlos Morgan is a Canadian soul and rhythm and blues singer.
, the winner of the Juno Award in their category that year, along with Choclair
Kareem Blake (born March 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Choclair, is a Canadian rapper. He was one of the most successful Canadian rappers in Canada in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Choclair has been nominated for six Juno Awards, winn ...
and Denosh as "a significant sign of the growing force of Canadian R&B".
To end off 1997's eventful year, they played twice on The Pamela Wallin
Pamela Wallin (born April 10, 1953) is a Canadian senator, former television journalist, and diplomat. She was appointed to the senate on January 2, 2009, where she initially sat as a Conservative.
Early life and career
Wallin was born in W ...
Show, once partnered with Canadian fiddle group Leahy
Leahy is a Canadian folk music group. The eight band members, all from the Leahy family of 11 siblings, are from Lakefield, Ontario and have been touring Canada and internationally since the early 1980s, when they were known as The Leahy Family ...
on December 19, and again with Dayna Manning
Dayna Manning (born April 27, 1978, in Stratford, Ontario) is a Canadian folk and pop singer-songwriter, as well as a producer and sound engineer. As a teenager she released her first album, ''Volume 1,'' on EMI and Nettwerk, with featured music ...
on December 24, as part of the show's Christmas music special: "Heavenly Duets".
On June 26, 1998, The McAuley Boys performed as part of the official launch to a $26-million entertainment expansion for the CN Tower
The CN Tower (french: Tour CN) is a concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976. Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National, the railway c ...
in Toronto, Ontario.
The Fall 1998 issue of Jr. Jays magazine, a promotional product of the Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...
organization, gave away "a compact disc from The McAuley Boys" as part of their contest prizing.
McAuley
In 1999, they signed with Aquarius Records, which meant distribution throughEMI Music Canada
EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
, but also a group name change to the truncated "McAuley". After releasing the album ''My Heaven'' at the CNE Bandshell on September 1, 2000, opening for Eiffel 65
Eiffel 65 is an Italian music group that was formed in 1997 in the studios of the Turin record company Bliss Corporation, consisting of Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte. They gained global popularity with their singles " Blue (Da Ba ...
, they joined Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian ''wikt:maestro#Italian, maestro'' , meaning "wikt:master, master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music ...
on tour in support of his album '' Ever Since''.The video for the single "My Heaven"
hit #5 on the MuchMusic Playlist for the week ending June 10, 2000, as reported by Billboard Magazine's "The Clip List".
The video for the single "By The Way"
hit #7 on the MuchMusic Playlist for the week ending October 14, 2000, as reported by Billboard Magazine's "The Clip List". They remained in that spot the following week (October 21, 2000).
Other projects
In 2002, Gary McAuley produced, arranged, and played multiple instruments on Jackie Ungar's album ''One Step''. Mark McAuley is also credited as a vocalist. The record was executive produced by Gary McAuley and released on his label Yel Records/Yel Entertainment. ''One Step'' was nominated for "Contemporary/Pop Album Of The Year" at the 2003 Gospel Vibe Awards in Calgary, Alberta. In 2007, Mark McAuley donned the stage name Mac Graham to release a solo EP "7 Grahams" and in 2010 an album entitled "Midnight". Gary McAuley contributed to the 2007 album ''The Reason'' released by Urban X Entertainment artist Rufus.Members
*Gary McAuley - (Vocals, Producer) *George McAuley - (Vocals) *Mark McAuley - (Vocals) *Randy McAuley - (Vocals)Studio albums
Compilations
Singles
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McAuley Boys, The Black Canadian musical groups Canadian pop music groups Canadian contemporary R&B musical groups Family musical groups Sibling quartets Musical groups from London, Ontario Musical groups established in 1995 1995 establishments in Ontario