The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian band. The band was most commercially successful in the late 1990s and have been nominated for five

Juno Awards 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 ...

, winning one in 1996 for "Best New Group". Most of the band members, current and former, have also had successful careers as songwriters and producers for several artists and performers. Between 1996 and 2016, The Philosopher Kings were among the top 150 selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 50 selling Canadian bands in Canada.

History

The Philosopher Kings formed in 1993. The name of the band is derived from

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

's '' Republic'', in which he outlines the design of an idealistic government, ruled by ''philosopher-kings''. The band released their debut album in Canada in 1994. The album was later released in the United States by Columbia. The group saw minor success in the United States with the single "

Charms Charm may refer to: Social science * Charisma, a person or thing's pronounced ability to attract others * Superficial charm, flattery, telling people what they want to hear Science and technology * Charm quark, a type of elementary particle * Ch ...

", which peaked at #36 on the '' Billboard'' Mainstream Top 40 chart in 1996. The band performed across Canada,"Heads Turning"
''Imprint'', University of Waterloo, 1996. and won the award for "Best New Group" at the 1996 Juno Awards. In 1997, the band released their second album, ''

Famous, Rich and Beautiful ''Famous, Rich and Beautiful'' is the second album by Canadian R&B band The Philosopher Kings, released in 1997. The band's most successful album, ''Famous, Rich and Beautiful'' earned the group several Juno Award nominations: for Best R&B/Sou ...

''. The album featured several singles which were hits in Canada, including "I Am the Man", "Hurts to Love You" and "

Cry Crying is the dropping of tears (or welling of tears in the eyes) in response to an emotional state, or pain. Emotions that can lead to crying include sadness, anger, and even happiness. The act of crying has been defined as "a complex secreto ...

". The album was certified Platinum in Canada in 1998 and is the band's best-selling album. The band was nominated for " Best Group" at the 1999 Juno Awards. In 1999, drummer Craig Hunter was replaced by Denton Whited. The band was inactive from 2000 to 2003 as members pursued different projects. In 2004, all of the band members (minus

Jason Levine Jason Brett Levine, also known as Jay Levine, is a Canadian musician, songwriter and music producer. Jason is the brother of musician/producer Jon Levine. Career In the 1990s, Levine was the bassist for the Juno Award-winning Canadian band The P ...

) reunited and the band released the album ''Castles'' in 2006, with their lead single, " Castles in the Sand" reaching the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary charts in Canada. After going on hiatus again in the 2010s, the band reunited again in 2016. In 2018, the band released the album ''Return of the Kings''.

Members

Current line-up

* Gerald Eaton – vocalist *

James Bryan McCollum James Bryan McCollum, also known as James Bryan, is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and music producer. McCollum is a guitarist for The Philosopher Kings and Prozzäk. Background McCollum was born in Ottawa, Ontario and was raised in St. Cathar ...

– guitarist * Brian West – guitarist *Denton Whited – drummer * Marc Rogers – bassist *Matt Giffin – keyboardist

Past members

* Craig Hunter – drummer on ''Philosopher Kings'', ''Famous, Rich and Beautiful'' *

– bassist on ''Philosopher Kings'', ''Famous, Rich and Beautiful'' & ''One Night Stand'' *Jon Levine – keyboardist

Discography

Albums

Singles

Awards

* 1996 Juno Award – Best New Group

Nominations

* 1996 Juno nomination – Best R&B/Soul Recording for ''Philosopher Kings'' *

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

Juno nomination – Best R&B/Soul Recording for ''Famous, Rich and Beautiful'' *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

Juno nominations – Best Pop Album for ''Famous, Rich and Beautiful''; Best Single for ''Hurts To Love You''; Best Group * 2001 Juno nomination – Best R&B/Soul Recording for ''If I Ever Lose This Heaven''

Side projects

Prozzäk Prozzäk (also known as Simon and Milo) are a Canadian pop music duo consisting of Jay Levine and James Bryan McCollum. Their recordings and animated music videos tell the tale of two friends, Simon (Levine) and Milo (McCollum), who are in search ...

and Lefthook Entertainment –

and Jason Levine *

Jarvis Church Gerald Eaton (born November 22, 1971) is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and music producer, also known by his stage name Jarvis Church. Career Eaton is the lead singer for the R&B-pop group The Philosopher Kings, which reached its peak popula ...

– Gerald Eaton *Track and Field – Gerald Eaton and Brian West *solo albums – Jon Levine; James Bryan

References

External links

Philosopher Kings official websiteReturn of the Kings
''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...

, November 15, 2005''
Marc Rogers websiteJon Levine Band websiteJames Bryan websiteJames Bryan's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philosopher Kings, The Canadian contemporary R&B musical groups Juno Award for Breakthrough Group of the Year winners Canadian soul music groups Canadian funk musical groups Musical groups from Toronto Musical groups established in 1993 1993 establishments in Ontario