The Wonderful Grand Band 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 ...

music and comedy group formed in 1978 in St. John's,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

History

The group was founded in 1978, and included comedians Greg Malone and

Tommy Sexton Thomas Sexton (July 3, 1957 – December 13, 1993) was a Canadian comedian. Born in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland, he was the youngest member of the ''CODCO'' comedy troupe. Educated in ...

. They released their first album, ''The Wonderful Grand Band'', in 1979. The group had an eponymous television musical variety show on

CBC Television CBC Television (also known as CBC TV) is a Canadian English-language broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster. The network began operations on September 6, 1952. Its French-l ...

. This ran for six episodes under the title ''The Root Seller'' in 1978, before relaunching in 1980 as ''The Wonderful Grand Band'', which produced 40 more episodes between 1980 and 1983. The show starred Ron Hynes, Sandy Morris, Ian Perry, Glenn Simmons (later replaced by Steve Annan, who died in 2010),

Kelly Russell Kelly Russell (born December 7, 1986) was a Canadian rugby union player, and is a coach for the sport. She captained at the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup and was named to the Dream Team. International career Russell has also featured in two R ...

(later replaced by Jamie Snider), and Rocky Wiseman (who was later replaced by Paul Stamp), as well as Malone and Sexton, who died in 1993. The show combined original and traditional music with topical comedy sketches and satire, some of which was directed at the CBC itself. The band released a second album, ''Living in a Fog'', in 1981. The band reunited in 2009 for a series of concerts throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, in conjunction with the release of two DVDs containing 12 episodes of the TV show. A second, one-off reunion was held in August 2012 at a

Ron Hynes Ron Hynes (December 7, 1950 – November 19, 2015) was a folk singer-songwriter from Newfoundland and Labrador. He was especially known for his composition "Sonny's Dream", which has been recorded worldwide by many artists and was named the 41st ...

concert held before Hynes entered treatment for

throat cancer Head and neck cancer develops from tissues in the lip and oral cavity (mouth), larynx (throat), salivary glands, nose, sinuses or the skin of the face. The most common types of head and neck cancers occur in the lip, mouth, and larynx. Symptoms ...

.'Magical' Ron Hynes performs before cancer treatment; CBC News; August 11, 2012 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2012/08/12/nl-hynes-performs-before-cancer-treatment-811.html On December 7, 2017 The Wonderful Grand Band released a re-recorded version of Babylon Mall for the 50th anniversary of the Avalon Mall, with

Mark Critch Mark Critch (born May 14, 1974) is a Canadian comedian, actor, and writer. He is best known for his work on the comedy series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'', initially as a writer and then as a regular cast member beginning in 2003. Career Critc ...

from CBC's ''

This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...

'' on vocals.

Members

Current Members * Sandy Morris - acoustic & electric lead guitars, backing vocals (1978 - 1983, 1997, 2009 - present) * Greg Malone - comedian (1978, 1979 - 1983, 1997, 2009 - present) * Glenn Simmons - lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, bass, backing vocals (1978 - 1982, 1997, 2009 - present) * Jamie Snider - lead vocals, fiddle, guitars, mandolin (1980 - 1983, 1997, 2009 - present) * Paul "Boomer" Stamp - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1981 - 1982, 1982 - 1983, 1997, 2009 - present) * Ian Perry - bass, guitars, backing vocals (1978 - 1982, 1997, 2009 - present) Past Members * Bryan Hennessey - bass, harmonica (1978) (died 2021) * Bawnie Oulton - backing vocals (1978) (died 2010) *

- fiddle, mandolin, dulcimer, backing vocals (1978 - 1980) * Rocky Wiseman - drums (1978 - 1981) (died 2018) * Steve Annan - guitars (1982 - 1983) (died 2010) * Howie Warden - bass (1982 - 1983) * Kevin McNeil - drums (1982) *

– lead vocals, guitars, mandolin, banjo, backing vocals (1978 - 1983, 1997, 2009 - 2015) (died 2015) *

– vocals, comedian (1979 - 1983) (died 1993) *

Cathy Jones Catherine Frederica "Cathy" Jones (born April 6, 1955) is a Canadian actress, comedian and writer. She is known for her work for 28 years on the Canadian television series ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. Jones left the show in 2021. CODCO Jones w ...

- comedian (1982 - 1983) * Mary Walsh - comedian (1982 - 1983)

Discography

See also List of songs by the Wonderful Grand Band. * ''Wonderful Grand Band'' (1978) *'' Living in a Fog'' (1981)

References

;Citations

External links

Wonderful Grand Band
Wonderful Grand Band official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Wonderful Grand Band Musical groups established in 1978 Musical groups disestablished in 1983 Musical groups reestablished in 2009 Musical groups from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Canadian comedy musical groups Canadian folk rock groups 1980 Canadian television series debuts 1983 Canadian television series endings Television shows filmed in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador CBC Television original programming 1980s Canadian variety television series Television shows set in Newfoundland and Labrador