The
Stallion Thumrock band became a reality in March 1970 when
Brett, Garry and Basil moved into a cabin on the west bank of Cultus
Lake (sixty miles east of Vancouver, British Columbia [map]
) in the region of the Fraser Valley near the town of Chilliwack.
It was here that the nucleus of the group formed while temporarily
residing in one of the oldest cabins on Lindell Beach, which happened
to be owned by Brett's Grandparents. The eager musicians wrote dozens
of songs and jammed all hours of the day and night in front of the
massive stone fireplace in the cabin's living room. The picture
window in the large living room also provided a serene, picturesque
and unobstructed view of the lake.
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This
bronze horse was displayed on the mantle above the fireplace
at the cabin on Cultus Lake, BC. The plaster thumb impression
was Joel Wade's and as you can see, the broken leg of the
Stallion is proped up with a rock. Why "Thumrock"
is spelled without a "B" is still a mystery, or
bad spelling from the start. |
Three months passed when Brett finally walked to the Lindell
Beach bait shop and called Dick who was living in Colorado. Within
two weeks Dick met them in Vancouver. Both he and Brett had just
previously recorded two albums with the Electric Prunes. Now Thumrock
had its core of four solid musicians, with the added bonus that
each members was good vocalists in their own right. They set about
building their repertoire and arranging intricate vocals and writing
additional songs, at the same time performing and perfecting their
stage presents at area night clubs around Vancouver.
In the summer of 1971, STALLION THUMROCK headed for gigs in the
Detroit and other Great Lakes area venues as well as other mid-west
concerts before returning to Vancouver. At that point they added
their fifth member, Brett's brother Joel. Basil switched over
to keyboards and Joel took over bass guitar.
During their short time together the group created a significant
amount interest with several national record labels. It was early
1972, when Garry and Brett met with Claire Lawrence and Bill Henderson
(The Collectors & Chilliwack) to ask if they would consider
producing Stallion, if a suitable recording facilities be arranged.
Soon after their fateful meeting, Keith Lawrence would become
their manager and solidify the details for a recording contract.
Arrangements were made with A&M Records to utilize their Hollywood
studio to capture over a dozen songs that were well rehearsed
and had, for months, been performed live in clubs, auditoriums,
and concert halls across British Columbia and Alberta.
The album, 'Stallion Thumrock,' was recorded in
less than a week at the A&M studios in Los Angeles, California.
- allowing for three days to record all the album tracks and
another three days to finish overdub vocals and final mix-down.
The album was released under the Heida Records
label - distributed by A&M Canada. Two singles were released
along with two trans-Canadian concert tours which were launched
to promote the album.
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Brett - Lead Guitar, Flute, Piano, Vocals Age 25; Place of birth:
Vancouver, B.C. After four years at UBC School of Music in Vancouver.
Brett moved to Los Angles, California to play bass with the Electric
Prunes for two years, returning to Canada in 1970 to form 'Stallion.'
Dick
- Percussion, Vocals
[ Email
Dick/Richard] Age 26; Place of birth: Hutchinson, Kansas.
Was a percussionist for the Denver City Symphony in 1963 and then
went on to play with the Colorado All-State Symphony in 1964,
while still in high school. Dick spent time as a booking agent
in Denver as well as playing in local groups from '63-'67. In
1968 he joined the Electric Prunes where he recorded two albums
on Warner Bros/Reprise, touring until 1970, when he moved to Canada
to join the ST.
Garry
- Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals Age 23; Place of Birth: Penticton,
B.C. Performed with various groups around Vancouver prior to joining
Stallion Thumbrock. Started as a bass player but switched to acoustic
guitar a few years ago when he started writing songs - which in
turn led to his joining the group.
Basil
- Keyboards, Bass Guitar, Guitar, Vocals [ Email
Basil] Age 21; Place of Birth: Kelowna, B.C. Performed
with various groups around Vancouver playing at notable night
spots as Oil Can Harry's and the The Daisy. A gifted song writer
and player, Basil switched over to keyboards prior to recording
the bands first album.
Joel -Bass, Vocals
Age 16; Place of Birth: Chilliwack, B.C. Started out playing trumpet,
studying under Bobby Hales, then later was drawn to guitar. At
the urging of his brother Brett, Joel took up bass and was soon
recruited by S.T.[ Today
]
Stage Crew:
Frank "Red" Hare
and Peter Duncan - Their tireless dedication made live
performances happen and they were responsibile for getting us
safely to the next tour date....
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Mayday
- the groups first single released in Canada
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A
Bob
Masse concert poster from the 70's (ST
is Incorrectly spelled)
The above 'Kinks' poster, with Stallion Thumrock,
can be seen in the movie Music
and Lyrics.
(The
poster version in the movie has the words 'Kinks' colorized)
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Music
and Lyrics
Release Date: February 14, 2007
Cast: Hugh Grant, Drew Barrymore, Brad Garrett
Director: Marc Lawrence
Genre: Comedy, Romance
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Synopsis: Former
music superstar Alex Fletcher (Hugh Grant) used to pack
them in back in the 1980s, but now he is reduced to playing
nostalgia tours and county fairs. Alex scores a chance at
a major comeback when reigning pop diva Cora Corman asks
him to write a song for her, but Alex hasn't written anything
in years and cannot compose lyrics anyway. Noticing that
Sophie (Drew Barrymore), the plant lady, has a way with
words, Alex proposes that he and Sophie make beautiful music
together. |
June 2008
- A classic photo has surfaced from '72 (or '73) provided
by Hugh Plumleigh (Grand Jct, CO), who visited the Chilliwack,
BC farm house
that the band moved to from Vancouver in '72 or '73...
...communal
living in the heart of the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.
All
the names to follow...
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