Doug and the Slugs http://www.dougandtheslugs.ca Unquestionably, Doug and the Slugs are one of the most distinctive and entertaining Canadian bands of th
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last 30 years. Their upbeat musical style, musicianship and offbeat
stage antics have made them a staple of the Canadian music scene for
decades. Formed in Vancouver in the fall of 1977, the band originally
consisted of Doug Bennett, John Burton (guitar), Drew Neville
(keyboards), Dennis Henderson (bass) and Lawrence McGillveray (drums).
They began by promoting their own shows and soon developed an avid
underground following with their infamous ‘theme nights’, where the
audience was invited to show up in costume, as secret agents or Carmen
Miranda/Ricky Ricardos and watch the band do the same. After a year,
their notoriety was great enough that local clubs started to take a
chance on them.
In the fall of 1978 there were significant
personnel changes within the band. Doug and John remained - they were
joined by Simon Kendall, Richard Baker, Steve Bosley and John ‘Wally
Watson’. Within a few months the Slugs were the hottest attraction in
the Vancouver area. They were playing Monday through Saturday at the
most popular live music venues in the city that were lined up every
night.
This phenomenon did not go unnoticed by Sam Feldman; in
the fall of 1979 Doug and the Slugs and Feldman signed a management
deal. Local music impresario Peter McCullough offered to finance the
single ‘Too Bad’. The song was released in November 1979 and became an
overnight national hit reaching #1 in many major markets across the
country. On the strength of the single, it did not take Feldman long to
secure a record deal with RCA and the Slugs’ first album, ‘Cognac and
Bologna’, was released in the fall of 1980. The album had other
significant radio hits in ‘Chinatown Calculation’ and ‘Drifting Away’.
The rest is history - The Slugs toured relentlessly and went on to
produce 6 more albums (3 of them certified Gold) and proved to be a
‘national treasure’. The band also had international releases in the US,
Europe and Australia. They had underground success and critical acclaim
in America, and helped launch the video era with Slug videos among the
first getting heavy rotation on MTV, due to their film-like quality and
humour.
Tragically, on October 16, 2004, Canada lost one of its
greatest entertainers and songwriters when Doug Bennett passed away in a
Calgary hospital.
Indeed, the Slugs wondered if they could
ever continue without Doug. For several years they did not even consider
the idea, until Bernie Aubin suggested they call Ted Okos, a journeyman
rocker for many years with the band ‘Nick Danger’. Ted and the original
slugs, John Burton, Simon Kendall, Steve Bosley, Wally Watson and
Richard Baker, hit it off immediately. Ted’s high energy delivery and
warm, but slightly irreverent stage antics, and his keen understanding
of the essence of the songs, made him the obvious choice for a rebirth
of ‘Doug and the Slugs.’
NOW THEY ARE BACK!!!
Don’t miss the chance to see and hear The Slugs relive their glory when they visit your town!
