Vance
                Masters Vance Masters
GALLERY

BIOGRAPHY MUSIC GALLERY CONTACT VISITOR COMMENTS

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THE EARLY YEARS

THE CRESCENDOS

THE FIFTH

BROTHER

DIANNE HEATHERINGTON & THE MERRY-GO-ROUND

ALAN SCHICK

PAPA PLUTO

BURTON CUMMINGS

THE GUESS WHO

YOGI & FRIENDS

THE WALSH TWINS

GUNS 4 HIRE

FREELANCE WORK

Most of the groups listed below were very short-lived, but provide context for the timeline of Vance's career.  Included are some memorable events along the way and things that weren't detailed elsewhere. 
Vance's first 'official' band ... The XLs.  April 1963.  This group rehearsed together for about 3 months, but never played a paying job.  It was, however, the precursor to THE CRESCENDOS.  Pictured here with Vance is Gary Squires and Chris Anderson.

Chris would go on to play with Wayne Walker, Dianne Heatherington (in both The Electric Banana and The Merry-Go-Round), Vance again in 1972 with So Fine, and later still with Graham Shaw, among others.

Gary had a short turn with THE FIFTH before Vance joined that group.  Gary and Vance would play together again in 1981 under the name of Old News.  He eventually settled into a career as a local agent, while still performing casually around Winnipeg.
The XLs April 1963
L-R: Gary Squires, Unknown Child, Vance Masters, Chris Anderson
(photo credit: Chris Anderson)

When THE CRESCENDOS disbanded in July 1967, Vance and Terry joined a new outfit called Clayton Square
  • Vance Masters - drums
  • Doug Love - guitar
  • Terry Loeb - guitar
  • Ron Adams - bass
  • Bonnie Hemming (later Wallace) - keyboards
Vance's time with Clayton Square was short - just over a month.  Near the end of September 1967, he was approached by THE FIFTH to replace Ron Savoie in the drum chair.
Clayton
                        Square promo Winnipeg Tribune 1967

Excerpt from the Winnipeg Tribune,
August 19, 1967. Full article
HERE.


1970 - Following Kurt's departure from BROTHER, Vance connected with John Hannah, Ralph James, and Tommy Ponce, to form Moon.  At the time, Tommy Ponce was accompanying his wife - Linda Holmes - on piano in the Viking Lounge at the Airliner Hotel in Winnipeg from mid-1970 through to 1971.

Moon was another venture where the members rehearsed and wrote yet never proceeded to play any paying gigs.  All four, however, went on to have illustrious careers.  Ralph James saw success with Harlequin and then as President of The Agency Group, John Hannah with Streetheart, Tommy Ponce went on to become a jazz legend in Chicago.

Tommy Ponce
                            with Linda Holmes 1970

Ad for Tommy & Linda's appearance

Manitoba's first pop festival, held on May 24, 1970 was the now legendary NIVERVILLE POP FESTIVAL.  The brainchild of BROTHER, Bill Wallace, Kurt Winter, and Vance Masters, together with the assistance of Harold Wiebe, put the event together as a fund raiser for the Lynne Derksen Oxygenator Fund.

The distribution of the funds remained a mystery for over 40 years, until in 2014 Bev Masters was able to uncover how the monies were finally utilized.
Niverville Pop Festival Poster

With the demise of MERRY-GO-ROUND, in the summer of 1972, Vance was hired into the backing band for former Sugar & Spice singer, Aileen Murphy.  So Fine was a transitional band, bridging the time period between Dianne Heatherington and The Merry-Go-Round and ALAN SCHICK.
  • Chris Anderson, lead guitar, later replaced by Duncan Wilson
  • Randy Hanker, bass guitar, later replaced by Melvyn Ksionzek
  • Vance Masters, drums
  • Fred Redekop, piano
  • Aileen Murphy, lead vocals
They played their last job together on May 26, 1973 at the Plaza Hotel in Winnipeg, MB.
So Fine is
                            Strictly Commercial

Excerpt from the Winnipeg Tribune,
October 14, 1972. Full article HERE.


Throughout the spring and summer of 1977, Vance performed with Jim Kale in a 4-piece band that couldn't seem to settle on a name.
  • Bill Ivaniuk - lead guitar
  • Sonny Harris - rhythm guitar
  • Jim Kale - bass
  • Vance Masters - drums
ARTICLE from the Winnipeg Tribune, dated May 19, 1977, introducing the new members.
Change in
                            Personnel Keeps Bands Fresh

As was the norm in the 60s, many entertainers performed under a name different from that of their birth name.  While Vance had always played under Masters, Schmidt remained his legal name until 1977, when it caused significant confusion with American authorities on the Cummings tour.

To avoid a repeat of that muddled state of affairs when crossing international borders
with The Guess Who, Vance had his name legally changed to Masters.
Name Change

On December 11, 2008, Joey Molland of Badfinger fame played at the Club Regent casino in Winnipeg, reuniting with Vance and Glenn after 42 years.

DETAILS OF THE EVENT as reported by John Einarson, author and music historian.  The article was published in The Winnipeg Free Press, January 2009.
Glenn MacRae, Joey Molland, Vance
                              Masters 2008

This page is a work in progress and additional entries are forthcoming.



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