The Halifax Three (or The Halifax III), originally The Colonials, was a
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
band in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
in the 1960s. The band performed in Toronto and Montreal before becoming part of the New York folk scene and recording an album.
History
Denny Doherty, Pat LaCroix and Richard Byrne formed The Colonials in 1960 in Halifax NS where they hosted a CBC TV program. After performing in Toronto and Montreal, the band changed its name to The Halifax Three in 1963, and, with the addition of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
born Zal Yanovsky, toured with The Journeymen and played
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th and 57th Streets. Designed by architect William Burnet Tuthill and built ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. The band signed with Epic Records and released two albums.
The band broke up in 1965."Charming Doherty was friend for life" ''Toronto Star''. James Keller, Jan. 29, 2007 Doherty and Yanovsky formed The Mugwumps with
Cass Elliot
Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...
and
Jim Hendricks
Jim Hendricks was an American actor and former disc jockey best known for his role as movie host Commander USA on USA Network's '' Commander USA's Groovie Movies'' that ran from 1985 to 1989.
Hendricks also acted in theater and on television i ...
. When that band ended, Yanovsky, with
John Sebastian
John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and harmonicist who founded the rock band The Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969The Lovin' Spoonful while Doherty joined The Journeymen's John Phillips and his wife Michelle, to, later, along with
Cass Elliot
Ellen Naomi Cohen (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), known professionally as Mama Cass and later on as Cass Elliot, was an American singer and voice actress. She was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group brok ...
, form The Mamas & the Papas.
LaCroix became a Toronto photographer and jazz vocalist. Byrne returned to Halifax where he formed the short-lived New Halifax III with Scott McCulloch and Michael Stanbury from CBC-TV's Singalong Jubilee.
In 2001 music from The Halifax Three was included in the retro compilation album ''The Magic Circle''.
Discography
Singles
* 1963: ''Bull Train / Come On By'' (Epic Records)
* 1963: ''The Man Who Wouldn't Sing Along With Mitch / Come Down the Mountain Katie Daly'' (Epic Records)
* 1963: ''San Francisco Bay / All the Good Times'' (Epic Records)
Albums
* 1963: ''The Halifax Three''
* 1963: ''San Francisco Bay Blues''
* 2002: ''Complete Halifax Three'' compilation of both albums and the single ''All the Good Times''