The band was recorded by Apex Records and tunes ranged from instrumental compositions by Denis Champoux, to the Ventures to Elvis to Ricky Nelson, etc. I was very proud of my Ludwig silver sparkle drums and metal snare drum.
photo: Me at 17 years old in my basement with my new Ludwigs !
Being a popular band at the beginning of the 60s, highlights were gigs like at Le Centre St-Sacrement in Quebec where we would play every Saturday to a full auditorium. Then came the gig on St-Jean street in the Old Quebec City region at La Boîte à Chansons . Sold-out crowds at every gig. The tour across Quebec and Ontario brought us to many smaller towns in sold-out venues. We had it all, and I was driving the 1963 car of the year, a Ford Falcon Convertible !
Some strange gigs came our way, like two weeks at Montreal's famous Esquire Show Bar, Le Casa Loma, and a Country music club in Pembroke, Ontario. The Esquire was a miss-match for us, being a Rhythm 'n Blues mecca, while our repertoire was Ventures-style music and pop rock. Happily for us, Denis Champoux was able to switch to a more funky style, along with Michel Roy, who sang blues tunes like "I got a Woman" and other blues-oriented songs. We managed to get through these two weeks, and learned a lot about other styles of music ! The opposite happened in Pembroke. Our first set was 100% Rhythm 'n Blues until the bartender told us, if we didn't play Country and western, we were out ! Again, because of our knowledge of classic Johnny Cash and Ricky Nelson songs, we switched to Country in one minute, to the surprise of the audience ! Great memories !
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