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