Partland Brothers
Encyclopedia
The Partland Brothers, comprising brothers G.P. and Chris, are a Canadian rock
band/duo
formed in 1983, in Toronto, Ontario, best known for their 1987 hit single, "Soul City."
”), a Toronto bar staple for years. In 1982, they entered and won the “Q107
Homegrown” contest, which attracted the attention of Capitol Records. Their first album as the Partland Brothers, "Electric Honey," was released in 1986, and the first single, "Soul City," a soaring anthem featuring the brothers' distinctive close-harmony
vocals, went Top 10 in Canada and Top 30 in the US. This success earned them tours with the Moody Blues and the Beach Boys in the US, as well as headline gigs of their own at home in Canada. They also appeared on American Bandstand and The Late Show with Arsenio Hall, which helped raise their visibility even more.
Their live band engaged seasoned live performers, including Tom Lewis (bass), John Bride
(guitar), Richard Evans (keyboards), Greg Critchley (drums), and Mike Skiner (sax). They were also nominated for Most Promising Group at the 1987 Juno Award
s. Produced by Vini Poncia, and featuring the talents of countless studio favorites, the album was reissued in 1987 with the Jim Vallance-produced song "One Chance," which is still played on many adult radio stations today.
Management struggles ensued, and it took until 1990 for them to record and release their second album, "Between Worlds," produced by Jon Goldsmith (Bruce Cockburn). Gone was the slickness of Electric Honey, replaced with a more acoustic rock and roll sound. With contributions from studio veterans such as Rob Piltch, bassist Steve Webster (Alannah Myles), drummer John Anderson, guitarist Bill Dillon (Robbie Robinson, Daniel Lanois), Anton Fig (David Letterman's studio band), Shawn Jackson, Ken Greer, Hugh Marsh, Jorn Anderson, and Lisa DalBello, “Between Worlds” moved the Partlands closer to their roots.
The brothers played occasionally, highlighting the talent of, among others, Refugee's lead guitarist Rob Kennedy. It was another three years and a label change before their last studio album, "Part Land, Part Water," was released on Kinetic Records. Production was given over to Ken Greer (Red Rider guitarist, Tragically Hip producer), who also played lead guitars, pedal steel, mandolin, bass, and all keyboards on the album. With this offering, the revolution moved forward with another giant step. The Partland Brothers spiritual roots come shining through in songs like “Lift Me Up," while songs such as “Lean Into It” tell a story of commitment and believing in the idea that the first to succeed are the last ones to quit.
Occasional dates ensued, but the band chose to stay close to home rather than tackling an all-out tour. These days, the brothers Partland, now including Robin Partland on Drums, can be found backing up Ronnie Hawkins on the road in Canada and the US.
An interesting bit of Parland trivia is that G.P. Partland served for a brief time as a Police Constable with the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force at 31 Division.
Canadian rock
Canadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
band/duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
formed in 1983, in Toronto, Ontario, best known for their 1987 hit single, "Soul City."
Biography
The Partlands come from the small community of Colgan, north of Toronto. They played in many area bands before moving their act to Toronto in 1979 and forming Oliver Heavyside (ostensibly named after the British engineer, “Oliver HeavisideOliver Heaviside
Oliver Heaviside was a self-taught English electrical engineer, mathematician, and physicist who adapted complex numbers to the study of electrical circuits, invented mathematical techniques to the solution of differential equations , reformulated Maxwell's field equations in terms of electric and...
”), a Toronto bar staple for years. In 1982, they entered and won the “Q107
CILQ-FM
CILQ-FM is a radio station, broadcasting at 107.1 FM in Toronto, Ontario. The station broadcasts a classic rock format branded as Q107 and is also available through streaming audio....
Homegrown” contest, which attracted the attention of Capitol Records. Their first album as the Partland Brothers, "Electric Honey," was released in 1986, and the first single, "Soul City," a soaring anthem featuring the brothers' distinctive close-harmony
Close harmony
Close harmony is an arrangement of the notes of chords within a narrow range. It is different from open harmony or voicing in that it uses each part on the closest harmonizing note , while the open voicing uses a broader pitch array expanding the harmonic range past the octave...
vocals, went Top 10 in Canada and Top 30 in the US. This success earned them tours with the Moody Blues and the Beach Boys in the US, as well as headline gigs of their own at home in Canada. They also appeared on American Bandstand and The Late Show with Arsenio Hall, which helped raise their visibility even more.
Their live band engaged seasoned live performers, including Tom Lewis (bass), John Bride
Cameo Blues Band
The Cameo Blues Band is a Toronto-based blues band, originally formed in 1978. It is particularly notable for its association with several of Canada's leading blues singers, including Richard "Hock" Walsh, Tony Flaim and Chuck Jackson, all of whom were also associated with the Downchild Blues...
(guitar), Richard Evans (keyboards), Greg Critchley (drums), and Mike Skiner (sax). They were also nominated for Most Promising Group at the 1987 Juno Award
Juno Award
The Juno Awards are presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music...
s. Produced by Vini Poncia, and featuring the talents of countless studio favorites, the album was reissued in 1987 with the Jim Vallance-produced song "One Chance," which is still played on many adult radio stations today.
Management struggles ensued, and it took until 1990 for them to record and release their second album, "Between Worlds," produced by Jon Goldsmith (Bruce Cockburn). Gone was the slickness of Electric Honey, replaced with a more acoustic rock and roll sound. With contributions from studio veterans such as Rob Piltch, bassist Steve Webster (Alannah Myles), drummer John Anderson, guitarist Bill Dillon (Robbie Robinson, Daniel Lanois), Anton Fig (David Letterman's studio band), Shawn Jackson, Ken Greer, Hugh Marsh, Jorn Anderson, and Lisa DalBello, “Between Worlds” moved the Partlands closer to their roots.
The brothers played occasionally, highlighting the talent of, among others, Refugee's lead guitarist Rob Kennedy. It was another three years and a label change before their last studio album, "Part Land, Part Water," was released on Kinetic Records. Production was given over to Ken Greer (Red Rider guitarist, Tragically Hip producer), who also played lead guitars, pedal steel, mandolin, bass, and all keyboards on the album. With this offering, the revolution moved forward with another giant step. The Partland Brothers spiritual roots come shining through in songs like “Lift Me Up," while songs such as “Lean Into It” tell a story of commitment and believing in the idea that the first to succeed are the last ones to quit.
Occasional dates ensued, but the band chose to stay close to home rather than tackling an all-out tour. These days, the brothers Partland, now including Robin Partland on Drums, can be found backing up Ronnie Hawkins on the road in Canada and the US.
An interesting bit of Parland trivia is that G.P. Partland served for a brief time as a Police Constable with the Metropolitan Toronto Police Force at 31 Division.
Members
- G.P. Partland - (VocalsHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) - Chris Partland - (VocalsHuman voiceThe human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
, GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) - Robin Partland - (Drums)
Albums
- Electric Honey (1986)
- Between Worlds (1990)
- Part Land Part Water (1993)
Singles
| Year | Song | Canadian Singles Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | "Soul City" | 10 | - | Electric Honey |
| 1987 | "Soul City" | - | 27 | |
| "Electric Honey" | ? | - | ||
| "One Chance" | ? | - | ||
| 1990 | "Honest Man" | ? | - | Between Worlds |
| 1993 | "Lift Me Up" | ? | - | Part Land Part Water |