Thundermug was a Canadian rock band that was active from 1970 to 1976 and from 1991 to 2001. They released two top 40 Canadian

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

and five studio albums.

History

1970-1976

Thundermug was formed 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, and existed from 1970 to 1976. They regrouped in 1991 and officially disbanded in 2001.

Allan Day Allan E. Day is a retired United States Air Force major general who recently served as the director of logistics operations of the Defense Logistics Agency. Previously, he was the director of logistics, civil engineering, force protection, and ...

The Staccatos/Five Man Electrical Band and Thundermug
Classic Vinyl, cktimes.ca. Retrieved 2013-06-13. As a result of a signing facilitated by their manager, Wyn Anderson, their principal recordings were released by

Axe Records Axe Records is a Canadian record label founded by Greg Hambleton in 1972. After a number of years of inactivity, the label was revived in 2013. It is particularly notable as the original recording label of Canadian duo Gary and Dave. History ...

, an independent Canadian label that was distributed by

London Records London Recordings (or London Records and London Music Stream) is a British record label that marketed records in the United States, Canada, and Latin America for Decca Records from 1947 to 1980 before becoming semi-independent. The London nam ...

in Canada and various labels in the US and elsewhere.Carter, Adam
"Classic Canadian record label resurrected in Hamilton"
''CBC News''. July 29, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2016. Their music was initially distributed in the United States by the Big Tree and the

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

labels. In 1975, ''Ta-Daa!!'' was distributed in the United States by

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

.Uncredited
Axe sharpens sights in 3-pronged goal

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

, June 14, 1975, p. 47. Retrieved 2013-06-08. The band was initially composed of Joe de Angelis (guitar and vocals), Bill Durst (keyboards and guitar), James Corbett (bass) and Ed Pranskus (drums). Their first album, ''Thundermug Strikes'', recorded at Toronto Sound studios in the spring of 1972, was produced by Greg Hambleton, owner of Axe Records, and engineered by Terry Brown. The album resulted in a Canadian

Top 30 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...

hit, "Africa", based on radio interest in what was originally a non-single album song. The first single from the album had been a version of

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

' "

You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a song written by Ray Davies for English rock band the Kinks. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two versions of the song wer ...

". The album is described by reviewer

Richie Unterberger Richie Unterberger (born January 19, 1962) is an American author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing. Life and writing Unterberger attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he wrote for the university newspaper '' ...

as "...above average, early '70s hard rock... It's a minor entry in the style, but a decent minor entry, moving along with real guts and convincing riffs, but not at the expense of fair melodies, well-done vocal harmonies, and unusual progressions." In 1973, the band recorded its second album, ''Orbit'', at Toronto's

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. The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may al ...

was a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

Canadian single. The album is described by reviewer Richie Unterberger as "probably the best reflection of their straight-ahead, respectable-but-not-brilliant brand of early-'70s hard rock, muscular but reasonably melodic, with inventive interplay between lead and background vocals, ending with a rather impressive facsimile of Jimi Hendrix's noisiest guitar wiggles." Selections from the first two albums were released in 1973 in the United States by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

, using the title from the first album, ''Thundermug Strikes''. Review Richie Unterberger regarded the release as "confusing...(but) it did a reasonable job of representing the sound of this Canadian hard rock band, including some of its better-known tracks with 'Africa', 'Orbit', 'Garden Green', 'Jane J James', and a cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me." In 1974, the band returned to Toronto Sound and recorded their third album, ''Ta-Daa'', releasing a cover of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' " Drive My Car" as the first single. The album was released in the United States on

. ''Ta-Daa'' was not as successful as the band's two previous releases. Joe de Angelis quit the band following the release of ''Ta-Daa'', and the band continued through 1975 as a trio. The band released one final single in 1975, "Clap Your Hands and Stomp Your Feet", which was a

Top 50 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...

single in Canada. The band did not formally break up, but became inactive, as of 1976. Band members then commenced various solo projects. Bill Durst joined a

ZZ Top ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, they comprised vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and vocalist-bassist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top developed a signature sound ...

tribute band A tribute act, tribute band or tribute group is a music group, singer, or musician who specifically plays the music of a well-known music act. Tribute acts include individual performers who mimic the songs and style of an artist, such as Elvi ...

called Tres Hombres, and later was a member of The Brains, a band that released one album in 1980, on Falcon Records. Joe de Angelis became involved in production work, acting as assistant engineer on Meat Loaf's 1981 album, '' Dead Ringer''. In 1983, Durst released a solo album, ''Call Billy'', on

Passport Records Passport Records was a U.S.-based independent record label that existed between 1973 and 1988. It was notable for popularizing such artists as Larry Fast, FM, Richard Barone, and Wendy O. Williams. It was distributed by Jem Records in the United ...

. Joe de Angelis contributed background vocals. In 1989, Durst released a cassette-only second solo album, ''Father Earth'', on the independent Cottage Records.

1991-2001

At the initiative of former manager Wyn Anderson, the band gave various reunion performances in the 1980s. The band formally reunited in 1991, with original members Durst and Corbett, plus new drummer Cory Thompson. The band's later releases were on

Raven Records Raven Records was an Australian record label that specialised in retrospectives and reissues or recordings by American, British and Australian artists. Raven Records was established in 1979 by Glenn A. Baker, Kevin Mueller and Peter Shillito ...

, a label owned by Wyn Anderson and run from a farmhouse outside London, Ontario. Anderson had personally financed the band's return to recording, resulting in the 1995 release of ''Who's Running My World'' and the 1997 release of ''Bang The Love Drum''. ''Who's Running My World'' had forty-two weeks of continuous airplay in Canada and resulted in three charting singles.Uncredited
Biography of Bill Durst
billdurstband.com. Retrieved 2013-06-29. Thompson was replaced on drums by Justin Burgess for the recording of ''Bang The Love Drum'', though original drummer Ed Pranskus returned for subsequent live performances.

Canadian Pop Encyclopedia The ''Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia'' is a two volume encyclopedia of Canadian pop music, available in hardcover and online, detailing Canadian music from 1949 onwards. History The ''Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia'' was started by Jaimie Verno ...

Profile of Thundermug
Retrieved 2013-07-17. With the death of Anderson in 1999, the band's recording career ended. Corbett left the band in 2000, for health reasons. Burgess rejoined the band, to replace Corbett on bass. During the 2000-2001 period, the band had a succession of drummers. The Thundermug name was formally retired in 2000, and the band continued as Big On Venus, a group with Durst and Pranskus, plus Justin Burgess and his then wife Sarah Burgess. The band formally disbanded in 2001.

Post-Breakup

In 2006, Thundermug was inducted into the London Music Hall of Fame. Following the breakup of the band, Bill Durst developed a solo career as an award-winning blues artist. In 2009, Durst released ''The Great Willy Mammoth'', which featured a number of reunion performances with former bandmate Joe de Angelis. Ed Pranskus continued his drumming career as Izzy Bartok. Justin Burgess developed a solo career as multi-instrumentalist "Just B".Just B. Discography
; justb.ca. Retrieved 2013-07-07.

Discography

* 1972 ''Thundermug Strikes'' –

* 1973 ''Orbit'' – Axe Records * 1973 ''Thundermug Strikes'' -

(U.S. release, with different track listing) * 1974 ''Ta-Daa'' – Axe Records - single "I Feel Lonely" / "Banga Banga" Axe 1975 * 1975 ''Ta-Daa'' -

(U.S. release, with different track listing) * 1995 ''Who's Running My World'' –

* 1997 ''Bang The Love Drum'' – Raven Records * 2013 ''Thundermug Strikes'' - Axe Records Re-issue * 2015 ''Thundermug Orbit'' - Axe Records Re-issue * 2015 ''Thundermug Ta-Daa!! - Axe Records Re-issue

References

{{Authority control Canadian rock music groups Musical groups from London, Ontario Musical groups established in 1970 Musical groups disestablished in 1976 Musical groups reestablished in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in 2001 1970 establishments in Ontario 1976 disestablishments in Ontario 1991 establishments in Ontario 2001 disestablishments in Ontario Axe Records artists