Band/Songwriter Biographies
April Wine
April Wine originally formed in 1969 in Halifax and is considered an iconic Canadian band. They relocated to Montreal and were one of the first to sign a publishing deal with Summerlea Music by Brian Chater as part of CHUM's venture into the record business as Much Productions. The original members were David and Ritchie Henman, their cousin Jim Henman and Myles Goodwyn. The principal songwriters for their first three albums which were released by Summerlea on the Aquarius label:
April Wine - 1970
Myles Goodwyn, David Henman, Jim Henman
April Wine - On Record
Myles Goodwyn, David Henman, Jim Clench
April Wine - Electric Jewels
Myles Goodwyn, Jim Clench
Freedom North
Band Member Biographies:
Rick St. Jean
Rick St Jean was born February 5, 1947 and started playing guitar at age 12 at family functions and private parties. At age 16 he joined friends Tagg Hindsgaul (lead guitar), René Boileau (bass) and Eddy Kaye (drums) in a group they called the Rivieras 4. After achieving local success, they decided to change their name to The Munks and wore monk habits on stage, creating considerable curiosity. A photo shoot attracted the attention of legendary Montreal manager Ben Kaye, who soon had the boys recording the original songs they had always written and performed. They were subsequently pressed as 45s and leased to labels such as London, Regency, and Columbia (Long Time Waiting B/W Heartaches over my Head can still be heard on YouTube). Shortly after a one-week engagement at Expo ‘67 in Montreal the group went their separate ways.
In early 1969 Rick decided to reform the band and along with Eddy and René recruited Del Derosier to play bass while René switched to Hammond B3. A short while later Frankie Hart joined the band and later still, when Bill Hill was added, Freedom North was formed. Once signed to a publishing deal with Summerlea Music by Brian Chater, the band started recording their first album that was released on the Aquarius label in 1970, with Bill producing and writing the bulk of the songs together with Rick.
Les Leroux had replaced Del before the band started recording and the group travelled extensively throughout Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, and achieved modest success with singles “Dr. Tom”, “Losing You”, and “Ordinary Man”. In 1971 however, several members decided to pursue solo endeavours and the group disbanded. Rick, Eddy and bass player Bob Burgess spent a year in Japan backing up popular Japanese singer I George and recorded an album with him while there. Returning home, Rick pursued a solo career as a singer/songwriter and opened across Canada for bands such as Lighthouse, April Wine, and Chilliwack. After moving to Toronto in 1973, Rick played guitar and was lead singer in Toronto bands Synergy, and After Hours. Today he is a member of a group called The Keepers along with Bill, Bob, and drummer Nick Saraceno and also performs solo in his home town of Prescott Ontario.
Frankie Hart
Frankie Hart has enjoyed a rich and varied career as a musician across a range of musical styles from folk to jazz. She has participated as a vocalist on the albums of several groups including April Wine, Life, and The Wackers in the early ‘70’s, as well as playing in a variety of venues from coffee houses to arenas, and including Place des Arts, Massey Hall and Place des Nations. Frankie has also recorded and toured as part of Freedom North and Riverson, and opened for Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kris Kristofferson and other well-known acts. More recently in July 2015, she played and sang with Rayburn Blake at the Niagara Jazz Festival.
Frankie’s career as a musician began in 1967 when she started a folk group called The Sirocco Singers that was comprised of Frankie, Francine Jarry and Helene Vanier. The group was active touring across Canada and the U.S. They also recorded a number of singles on the Polydor label, performed on radio and television, and gave interviews.
After the Siroccos disbanded, Frankie joined Bill Hill, Rick St. Jean, Eddy Kaye , René Boileau, Del Desrosiers, who was replaced by Les Leroux, to form Freedom North. The groups’ songwriters were signed to Summerlea Music by Brian Chater as part of CHUM radio’s Much Productions, and toured in Canada and the United States. They recorded and released their album on the Aquarius label as well as and a few singles on the Much label, including their hit song "Dr. Tom".
After Freedom North, Frankie worked solo playing guitar and piano in Montreal and Ontario, until joining up with Rayburn Blake and Brian Edwards formerly of Mashmakhan, to form a band called Riverson. Riverson recorded its first album at Manta Sound in Toronto with Graham Lear as drummer. Following the release of the album as well as a few singles on the Columbia and Aquarius labels, the group toured in Canada and the US.
Frankie relocated to Vancouver in 1980, and worked as a singer and guitar player. After moving to Toronto in 1986, she recorded projects with Richard Citroen as the original voice of "Lola Dutronic", with a few of their original songs being used on television programs. More recently in Toronto , she spent seven years hosting a jazz jam at Birds and Beans Coffee House, The Gallery and Tartistry located in Etobicoke, writing charts for the players and practicing her skills as a jazz musician.
In 2016, Frankie began performing in different venues in Toronto, including Musideum and the Tranzac, with various artists, such as Bob Cohen, David Woodhead, Doug Wilde, Liz Acker and Ambrose Pottie, singing and playing different styles of music including jazz standards, bossa novas, folk and pop. Currently, she is also writing songs and doing recording projects using her home studio.
Edward Kaye
Freedom North evolved from a previous group called The Munks, which existed from 1963 to approximately 1968. The original members were Tag Hindsgal, Rick St. Jean, René Boileau and Greg Law on drums, who was replaced by Ed Kaye. There were other personnel in the band at various times; Eddie Maxwell, Lorraine Zimmerman, Claudel Desrosiers. The Munks recorded three songs; “Long Time Waiting”, “Make It or Break It” and “Please Come Back Marie”. The group also appeared a few times on ‘Like Young’, a local television show aimed at teens.
When The Munks morphed into Freedom, the lineup included Ed Kaye, Rick St Jean, Claudel Desrosiers, Bill Hill and Franki Hart. Les Leroux eventually replaced Claudel on bass. Because there was already a group named Freedom in the U.S., the group’s name was changed to Freedom North. The group recorded one album called “Freedom North”, that included three singles that garnered airplay. One of these was “Dr. Tom”, which gained radio airplay in several U.S. markets as well as in Canada, where it debuted in #55 spot on RPM Magazine’s Top 100 chart on July 4, 1970, and attained the #2 spot on August 1, 1970. The group broke up in 1971.
After Freedom North, Ed played in various bands between 1971-72, including Country Fair, Graham County with Don Graham and Francine Jarry and participated in two recordings - “Shelter in the Sky” and “Soul Crusade”. He also participated in the recording of “Superstar” by George Bowser and in the St. Marc Street Band. Later in 1972, Ed joined Rick St. Jean, Bob Burgess and Freeman McClarty as back-up for a Japanese singer named George Ishimatsu aka. I George. They toured with him as well as doing some T.V. work. At one point Freeman left and René Boileau flew over to replace him. After about a year Bob and Rick went on to England, while Ed stayed on with René and couple of Japanese replacements. Six months later, René and Ed left. Their last gig was in Hawaii with I George, who flew back to Japan, while Ed and René stayed in Hawaii. Ed returned to Canada three months later.
Once back in Canada, Ed played with various bands, Lenny and the Jets, Robinson Fowler Band and did some session work at Montreal Sound which was Bill Hill's studio.
During the mid-1980’s Ed undertook a change in direction and became a carpenter, initially because he needed to build an extension on his house in the Laurentians and didn’t know how. He took courses and apprenticed on job sites and eventually received his Carpenter’s Card enabling him to work as a carpenter anywhere in Quebec. Ed kept up his interest in music by playing part time in two groups that perform locally. His investment in real estate has paid off well, and he is now retiring from the construction industry, and enjoying life with his love, Daniele.
The British North-American Act
Mantis
The group was signed by Brian Chater to Summerlea Music as part of CHUM Radio’s venture into the recording industry as Much Productions. Produced by Bill Hill, the album was released on the Sweet Plum label in December of 1973, a label started by Chater under Much Productions. Two tracks were released earlier on the Much label and through Chater’s UK connections, also on the Pye Label. The songwriters for the various tracks were Rick Elger, Martin Swerdlow, Christine Williams, Philip Aker, Mark Bajona, David Hutchison, André Deguire and Jean Nicolle.
The Five Bells
The group was signed to Summerlea Music by Bob Hahn in January of 1969, and recorded their first album ‘Dimensions’ on the Polydor label, which was released in March, 1969. This album included their first hit single “Moody Manitoba Morning” written by Rick Neufeld.
Tom Cahill
His passionate interest in Newfoundland was evident through the songs he wrote. Often collaborating with the late Newfoundland singer Joan Morrissey, his songs told stories from a distinctly Newfoundland perspective. Cahill was awarded the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2005, and passed away in August, 2006. He was signed to Summerlea Music by Brian Chater in 1972.
Ron Mahonin
After a period of time as a staff writer for a Los Angeles publishing firm, Ron returned to Canada to build a nationally distributed record company, Heart Records. In 1983, he received the PRO Canada Song of the Year Award for outstanding airplay of “You Came Into My Life”, while also developing a successful commercial music and jingle production firm in Kelowna, British Columbia.
Passage of time and personal experience has led Mahonin back to his roots in the Country / MOR genre. The messages of his songs are universal, and are relayed through a fine-tuned craft; a profound level of emotion intricately woven into impressionable lyrics and melodies.
Derrick Zuber
Derrick’s first album, ‘Like A Song’, features catchy, lyrical vocals that pull in the listener. The songs have a country flare, and tell you a story that is familiar to anyone who has ever been in love, whether they kept it or lost it. ‘Road Less Travelled’, Derrick's second studio release, picks up where ‘Like A Song’ leaves off; It's catchy, roots-based and adds breadth to Derrick's music that reflects passing time and life experience. Both albums were recorded at Haggarty Sound Studio in Peterborough Ontario and were co-produced by Derrick and veteran engineer Barry Haggarty.
His third studio album, ‘Built To Last’ was recorded at The Woodshed Recording Studio located on Danforth Avenue in Toronto, and released on December 18, 2020. In this album, Derrick’s music reaches yet further heights with assistance from Tim Vesely, best known as a founding member of the Canadian indie rock band ‘The Rheostatics’.
Derrick performs regularly around Southern Ontario and can be seen at various festivals, restaurants, bars, resorts, theatres, churches and private functions.