Paradox was a Canadian band formed in the 1980s by singer/guitarist Sylvain Cossette

Sylvain Cossette

Sylvain Cossette is a French-Canadian singer-songwriter from Grand-Mère, Quebec . Sylvain was a founding member of the Quebec-based English language band Paradox in 1984, before becoming a French language solo artist by 1994...

. The band's best known lineup featured Sylvain on vocals, Francois Cossette (guitar), Denis Lavigne (drums), and Jean-Francois Houle (bass). The band broke up in 1991.

History

Quebec-born Sylvain Cossette formed the Anglophone

English Canadian

An English Canadian is a Canadian of English ancestry; it is used primarily in contrast with French Canadian. Canada is an officially bilingual state, with English and French official language communities. Immigrant cultural groups ostensibly integrate into one or both of these communities, but...

 band Paradox with Denis Lavigne and Jean-Francois Houle as a cover band

Cover band

A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...

 in Grand-Mère, Quebec

Grand-Mère, Quebec

Grand Mère is a settlement and former municipality in central Quebec, Canada on the Saint-Maurice River. As a result of the municipal reorganization in Quebec which took effect at the beginning of 2002, Grand-Mère now forms part of the City of Shawinigan. Population in 2001 was...

 in 1984. After establishing a local reputation for their live act, the band received a FACTOR award

FACTOR

FACTOR is a "private non-profit organization, ... dedicated to providing assistance toward the growth and development of the Canadian independent recording industry" ....

 in June 1988. This grant allowed them to record a demo which eventually led to a record deal with MCA Music America

Music Corporation of America

MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...

. With Sylvain's brother Francois joining the lineup on guitar, the band recorded their self-titled debut album Paradox at Studio Victor in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

 in 1988. Produced by Pierre 'Baz' Bazinet

Pierre Bazinet

Pierre "Baz" Bazinet is a Canadian record producer, born on May 5, 1956 in Montréal, Québec. Over the course of his career, he has produced many popular Canadian albums from a variety of artists, including Les Frères à Cheval, Madame, Robert Charlevoix, Jean Leloup, Celine Dion, Boulevard, Luba,...

 (who was best known for his work with other Canadian acts including Luba

Luba (singer)

Luba is a Canadian musician, singer, songwriter and recording artist. She was commercially active from 1980 to 1990, 2000 to 2001 and is active again from 2007 to present. She was initially the vocalist for a band named Luba before signing as a solo artist under the one-name moniker...

 and Boulevard

Boulevard (band)

Boulevard was a Canadian band formed in the mid-1980s by Mark Holden and Randy Gould . The band broke up in 1991.-History:...

), much of the album was co-written with Sass Jordan

Sass Jordan

Sarah "Sass" Jordan is a Canadian, Juno Award winning, rock singer/songwriter who grew up in Montreal.- Biography :...

 whose own star was rising at the time. The band produced a couple of videos that saw regular rotation on MuchMusic

MuchMusic

MuchMusic is a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media. MuchMusic is dedicated to music-related programs, pop and youth culture.-History:...

 thanks to the catchy hooks and their video friendly looks. In recognition for their airplay and touring across Canada, they were nominated in 1990 for a Juno Award

Juno Awards of 1990

The Juno Awards of 1990, representing Canadian music industry achievements of the previous year, were awarded on 18 March 1990 in Toronto at a ceremony in the O'Keefe Centre...

 for "Most Promising Group of the Year

Juno Award for New Group of the Year

The Juno Award for the New Group of the Year has been awarded since 1974, as recognition each year for the best new group or band in Canada. The award was originally known as Most Promising Group of the Year, and from 1994–2002 it was known as Best New Group.-Most Promising Group of the Year...

".

A second album Obvious Puzzle followed in 1991, which didn't capture as much attention as their debut. After a final concert in 1991 at the Spectrum in Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, the band broke up and Sylvain continued his career as a French solo artist.

Singles

• "Waterline" (1989)
• "Another Day" (1989)
• "Catch Me in the Act" (1990)
• "Kiss Me on the Lips" (1991)

External links

• Paradox audio clips - Featured on Sylvain Cossette's official website - BROKEN LINK