"The Casa Loma Stomp" by The Casa Loma Orchestra

LISTEN: "The Casa Loma Stomp" by The Casa Loma Orchestra

1930s swing music

By 1927, when The Orange Blossoms started an eight month stint as the house band at Casa Loma, they had already featured an impressive line-up of musicians over the years — including the Dorsey brothers and the alcoholic trumpet genius Bix Beiderbecke. But it wasn't until after their time at the then-classy-hotel-and-nightspot now-cheesy-tourist-trap that they changed their name to The Casa Loma Orchestra and went on to become one of the most popular swing bands in North America. Their biggest hits included "No Name Jive", "Maniac's Ball" and "The Casa Loma Stomp". They would stay together in one form or another for decades to come; they didn't break up until 1963.

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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.

"We Were Meant To Be" by The Plague

LISTEN: "We Were Meant To Be" by The Plague

1960s rock 'n' roll

The Plague were formed in Thunder Bay, but ended up spending enough time living in Toronto that they're considered to be part of "The Toronto Sound" — what people called our city's particular brand of 1960s garage rock. The Plague released "We Were Meant To Be" in 1965 and would break up soon after. Lead singer Lyn McEachern went on to record a few singles as a solo artist and the other members of the band would keep playing together, but eventually rename themselves Lexington Avenue.

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Listen to more songs associated with the Toronto Sound 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.

"Bright Lights, Big City" by Scales Empire

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1990s Toronto hip hop

Beat Factory was one of Toronto's most important early hip hop labels and management companies. It was founded all the way back in the early 1980s — when hip hop was just beginning — and quickly made its mark thanks to popular acts like Dream Warriors and Michie Mee. The label side of the business was especially well-known for their RapEssentials compilations. Volume One came out in 1996 and featured singles by Rascalz and Kardinal Official, along with this mellow track from Scales Empire, which spent some time in rotation on MuchMusic.

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Listen to more early Toronto hip hop 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.