The Nylons
Encyclopedia
The Nylons are an a cappella
group founded in 1978 in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. Best known for their covers of The Turtles
' "Happy Together
", Steam's
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
", and The Tokens
' version of the traditional "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
".
The band gained exposure from the mid-1980s syndicated sitcom
Throb
by singing (with the show's lead actress Diana Canova) the theme to the show.
Also, on April 28, 1989, the band's cover of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was featured on The Jim Henson Hour (Episode 3 - Monster Telethon).
In 1986, the group appeared on the critically acclaimed children's television show "Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show" featuring children's entertainers, Sharon, Lois & Bram
. The Nylons appeared in Season 3 of the show on the Treasure Island episode singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight
. These songs appeared on the band's albums, 1987's Happy Together
and 1989's Rockapella.
The Nylon's current lineup includes Claude Morrison (tenor
), Garth Mosbaugh (tenor), Gavin Hope (baritone
) and Tyrone Gabriel (bass
).
The band recently has reissued all their albums on CD
through Unidisc Music Inc.
), Paul Cooper (baritone), Marc Connors (tenor), and Denis Simpson
(bass). In April 1979 Simpson left the group to perform in a musical and was replaced by Ralph Cole (bass). Cole left the band in late 1979 and was replaced by Arnold Robinson (bass). Cooper retired from the band in 1990 and was replaced by Micah Barnes
(baritone). Connors died in 1991, from AIDS related complications, and was replaced by Billy Newton-Davis
(tenor). In 1994 both Newton-Davis and Barnes left the group to pursue solo careers and where replaced by Garth Mosbaugh (tenor) and Gavin Hope (baritone) respectively. In 1997 Hope left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mark Cassius (baritone). In 2005, Cassius left the group and Tyrone Gabriel replaced him. After Robinson's retirement in early 2006, Gavin Hope returned as baritone Tyrone Gabriel moved to the bass position to replace Robinson.
A listing of the members tenure follows:
* Denotes the four founding members.
in Canada and Windham Hill in the United States, albums from 1989-1996 were released on BMG
's Scotti Brothers
imprint, and albums after 1997 were released on Shoreline Records
.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group founded in 1978 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Best known for their covers of The Turtles
The Turtles
The Turtles are an American rock group led by vocalists Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman. The band became notable for several Top 40 hits beginning with its cover version of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" in 1965...
' "Happy Together
Happy Together (song)
"Happy Together" is a 1967 song from The Turtles' album of the same name. Released in February 1967, the song knocked The Beatles' "Penny Lane" out of the #1 slot for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the group's only chart-topper. "Happy Together" reached #12 on the UK Singles Chart in...
", Steam's
Steam (band)
Steam was a pop-rock music group best known for the 1969 number one hit song and perennial favorite "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." The song was written and recorded by studio musicians Garrett DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer, and producer/writer Paul Leka at Mercury Records studios in New York City...
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye
"Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" is a song written and recorded by Paul Leka, Gary DeCarlo and Dale Frashuer, attributed to a then-fictitious band they named "Steam". It was released under the Mercury subsidiary label Fontana and became a number one pop single on the Billboard Hot 100 in late 1969,...
", and The Tokens
The Tokens
The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...
' version of the traditional "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...
".
The band gained exposure from the mid-1980s syndicated sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Throb
Throb
Throb was an American television sitcom broadcast in syndication from 1986 to 1988. It revolved around thirty-something divorcee Sandy Beatty who gets a job at a small New Wave record label, Throb. Beatty's boss is Zach Armstrong , who looks like Michael J. Fox but dresses like Don Johnson...
by singing (with the show's lead actress Diana Canova) the theme to the show.
Also, on April 28, 1989, the band's cover of the song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" was featured on The Jim Henson Hour (Episode 3 - Monster Telethon).
In 1986, the group appeared on the critically acclaimed children's television show "Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show" featuring children's entertainers, Sharon, Lois & Bram
Sharon, Lois & Bram
Sharon, Lois & Bram is the name of a Canadian children's musical trio composed of Sharon Hampson , Lois Ada Lilienstein , and Bramwell "Bram" Morrison .-Group formation:Sharon Hampson, Lois Lillenstein, and Bram Morrison began their singing...
. The Nylons appeared in Season 3 of the show on the Treasure Island episode singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...
. These songs appeared on the band's albums, 1987's Happy Together
Happy Together
Happy Together may refer to:In music:* "Happy Together" , a 1967 song by The Turtles that has been covered several times* Happy Together * Happy Together * Happy Together...
and 1989's Rockapella.
The Nylon's current lineup includes Claude Morrison (tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), Garth Mosbaugh (tenor), Gavin Hope (baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
) and Tyrone Gabriel (bass
Bass (voice type)
A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
).
The band recently has reissued all their albums on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
through Unidisc Music Inc.
Unidisc Music Inc.
Unidisc Music Inc, is one of Canada’s largest independent record labels. The company has been expanding in growth and productivity since the late 1970s...
Members
The Nylons' original lineup consisted of Claude Morrison (tenorTenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
), Paul Cooper (baritone), Marc Connors (tenor), and Denis Simpson
Denis Simpson
Denis Simpson was a Canadian actor and singer, best known as a host of the TV series Polka Dot Door...
(bass). In April 1979 Simpson left the group to perform in a musical and was replaced by Ralph Cole (bass). Cole left the band in late 1979 and was replaced by Arnold Robinson (bass). Cooper retired from the band in 1990 and was replaced by Micah Barnes
Micah Barnes
Micah Barnes is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter. He has performed both as a solo artist and with the bands Loudboy and The Nylons....
(baritone). Connors died in 1991, from AIDS related complications, and was replaced by Billy Newton-Davis
Billy Newton-Davis
Billy Newton-Davis is a Canadian R&B, jazz and gospel singer-songwriter.Newton-Davis grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio a suburb of Cleveland. He was one of two lead singers in a local soul band called The Illusions. After working as a singer and dancer on Broadway, he moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1980...
(tenor). In 1994 both Newton-Davis and Barnes left the group to pursue solo careers and where replaced by Garth Mosbaugh (tenor) and Gavin Hope (baritone) respectively. In 1997 Hope left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mark Cassius (baritone). In 2005, Cassius left the group and Tyrone Gabriel replaced him. After Robinson's retirement in early 2006, Gavin Hope returned as baritone Tyrone Gabriel moved to the bass position to replace Robinson.
A listing of the members tenure follows:
- Marc Connors (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
1978-1991)* - Paul Cooper (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
1978-1990)* - Claude Morrison (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
1978–present)* - Denis SimpsonDenis SimpsonDenis Simpson was a Canadian actor and singer, best known as a host of the TV series Polka Dot Door...
(bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
1978-1979)* - Ralph Cole (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
1979-1981) - Arnold Robinson (bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
1981-2006) - Micah BarnesMicah BarnesMicah Barnes is a Canadian pop singer-songwriter. He has performed both as a solo artist and with the bands Loudboy and The Nylons....
(baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
1990-1994) - Billy Newton-DavisBilly Newton-DavisBilly Newton-Davis is a Canadian R&B, jazz and gospel singer-songwriter.Newton-Davis grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio a suburb of Cleveland. He was one of two lead singers in a local soul band called The Illusions. After working as a singer and dancer on Broadway, he moved to Toronto, Ontario in 1980...
(tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
1991-1994) - Garth Mosbaugh (tenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
1994–present) - Gavin Hope (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
1994-1997, 2006–present) - Mark Cassius (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
1997-2005) - Tyrone Gabriel (baritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
2005, bassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
2006–present)
Discography
Albums from 1982-1989 were released on Attic RecordsAttic Records (Canada)
Attic Records was a Canadian independent record label, founded in 1974 by Alexander Mair and Tom Williams. The label was known for developing Canadian talent, including Anvil, Lee Aaron, Maestro Fresh Wes, The Nylons, Teenage Head, and Triumph...
in Canada and Windham Hill in the United States, albums from 1989-1996 were released on BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
's Scotti Brothers
Scotti Brothers Records
Scotti Brothers Records was a California-based record label founded by Tony and Ben Scotti in 1974. Their first success was releasing albums from teen pop star Leif Garrett. They later helped launch the careers of Felony, Survivor, and "Weird Al" Yankovic...
imprint, and albums after 1997 were released on Shoreline Records
Shoreline Records
Shoreline Records is an independent record label based in Kingsville, Ontario, Canada. The music label was established in 1996 by Matthew Nettleton. It is distributed through the Universal Music Group.-Artist Roster:* Barra MacNeils* Chunk...
.
- The Nylons (1982)
- One Size Fits All (1982)
- Seamless (1984)
- Happy Together (1987)
- Rockapella (1989)
- Four on the Floor (1991, liveLive albumA live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
) - Live to Love (1992)
- The Best of the Nylons (1993)
- Illustrious (1993)
- Another Fine Mesh (1994)
- Harmony: The Christmas Songs (1994)
- Because (1994)
- Run for Cover (1996)
- Fabric of Life (1997)
- Hits of the 60's: A Cappella Style (1997)
- Perfect Fit (1997)
- A Wish for You (1999)
- Lost and Found (1999)
- Fabric of Life: Vocal Percussion Remix (2000)
- Play On (2002)
- Sterling (2006)
- "Skintight" (2011)
See also
- Official site
- CanadianBands.com entry
- [ AllMusic Guide's biography of the band]