"Charlena" by Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights

Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights at The Edison Hotel (Yonge & Gould), 1962

LISTEN: "Charlena" by Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights

1960s rock & roll from the Yonge Street Strip

This catchy tune from Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights was the very first #1 single in Canadian history. The band had been around since the late 1950s (originally formed with a different name and a different line-up), but as "Charlena" hit the airwaves during the spring of 1963, the group was launched into a whole new level of stardom. Now, they were one of the most famous bands in Canada. They were in high demand at high schools dances, got invited to play dance halls all over Southern Ontario, and even landed a couple of gigs at Maple Leafs Gardens — one of them opening for The Rolling Stones. Not only that, the fact that "Charlena" had climbed all the way up to the top of the CHUM Chart proved that Canadian bands could get air play too; the song marked the beginning of a whole new era for Canadian music.
And they didn't stop there. Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights were far from one hit wonders. After the success of "Charlena", they released a whole slew of excellent songs — from the rowdy rocker "That's Alright" to the slow burning ballad "You Hurt Me" to the bluesy chain-gang tune "Work Song."

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Listen to more songs from the Yonge Street strip here.

Photo via Garage Hangover. 

Special thanks to Richie Knight & The Mid-Knights bassist Doug Chappell for his help with this post.

"Honkin' At Midnight" by Frank Motley & His Motley Crew

LISTEN: "Honkin' At Midnight" by Frank Motley & His Motley Crew

1960s R&B from the Yonge Street strip

Frank Motley started off his career in the United States, learning to play the trumpet from jazz legend Dizzie Gillespie. And not only that: soon, he could play two trumpets at the same time. In the late 1950s, he headed north to Toronto, where he made a name for himself playing bluesy jazz and swinging R&B in downtown clubs like the Zanzibar and the Sapphire Tavern. That made him one of the pioneers of our city's very earliest rock scene, which would soon be shaking the Yonge Street strip to its foundations, earning Toronto a reputation as the hardest rocking city of its time.
"Honkin' At Midnight" may very well be Motley's greatest track, but it's far from his only memorable tune. His version of "Hound Dog" is at least as good as the version Elvis recorded — maybe even better. And when his next band — The Hitchhikers — backed singer and drag queen Jackie Shane at the Sapphire, the result was one of the best live albums Toronto has ever produced.

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You can buy Frank Motley's "Honkin' At Midnight" CD here.

Listen to more songs from the Yonge Street strip here.

All songs are posted to promote the artist and the history of Toronto. When possible, I've sought permission from artists, but if you're the copyright-holder and would like the song removed, please contact me here and I'll be happy to do so. 

"Big Town Boy" by Shirley Matthews

LISTEN: "Big Town Boy" by Shirley Matthews

1960s soul from the Yonge Street scene

Back in the 1960s, more than a few Toronto musicians made a name for themselves at the legendary Club Bluenote. It was an after hours soul club on Yonge Street just north of Gerrard. And for a while, Shirley Matthews was the singer with the house band. She'd gotten her start by performing at high school dances while she worked a full-time job as a switchboard operator for Bell. But before long she had a regular gig singing into the wee hours of the morning at the Bluenote, where some of the biggest names in the history of soul music — Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Edwin Starr, The Righteous Brothers, Jackie Wilson — would stop by to jam after their Toronto shows.

She recorded "Big Town Boy" in 1964 and it became a hit — selling more than a million copies.

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Listen to more songs associated with Club Bluenote here.

Listen to more songs from the Yonge Street strip here.

All songs are posted to promote the artist and the history of Toronto. When possible, I've sought permission from artists, but if you're the copyright-holder and would like the song removed, please contact me here and I'll be happy to do so. 

"That Big Old Moon" by Buddy Burke & The Canadian Meteors

LISTEN: "That Big Old Moon" by Buddy Burke & The Canadian Meteors

1950s rockabilly from the Yonge Street scene

In the late 1950s, Toronto was all about rockabilly. The early rock 'n' roll country sound was popular at the bars and taverns along the Yonge Street Strip. And one of the best songs to come out of the scene was "That Big Old Moon" by Buddy Burke & the Canadian Meteors. This was back in the days before CanCon regulations made the Canadian music industry a viable enterprise, so the band headed down to New York City to record the single. It came out in 1957 and it was a hit — it even scored a spot on the Billboard Top 100.

Eventually, Burke would move out of Toronto and head up into cottage country. He was still plugging away at music as recently as 2007, when he released a new jazz record from his new home in Muskoka.

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Listen to more songs from the Yonge Street strip here.

All songs are posted to promote the artist and the history of Toronto. When possible, I've sought permission from artists, but if you're the copyright-holder and would like the song removed, please contact me here and I'll be happy to do so.