Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Great White North Retro Podcast

Chilliwack is one of the most enduring and beloved classic rock bands in Canadian music history, with numerous hits and were rock radio staples throughout the 70s, 80s, and beyond.

Lead singer Bill Henderson has been there from the beginning, back in 1970, and even before that with The Collectors, one of the first bands to ever make it big out of Vancouver.

Henderson is a member of the Order of Canada and along with Brian ‘Too Loud’ Macleod won a Juno for Best Producer for the 1982 Chilliwack album ‘Opus X.’

In 2019, Chilliwack was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

The band has tour dates still scheduled in late 2026 as part of their cross-country "Farewell to Friends" tour.

(Courtesy REO Speedwagon, photo credit: Randee St. Nicholas)

REO Speedwagon is an American band that formed back in the late 1960s in Champaign, Illinois.

The band began with a hard rock sound but eventually became more pop-oriented thanks to the huge success of 1980’s “High Infidelity,” which spawned the mega-hits “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It On The Run” as well as two other singles.

The 1984 album “Wheels Are Turnin” also produced the #1 hit “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

REO Speedwagon has sold over 40 million records and has had 13 songs hit the top 40 on the charts.

Lawson, who is also Ewan McGregor’s uncle, returned to the character of ‘Wedge Antilles’ for the final installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.

Celebs are always a big draw at the expo, and 2024 was no different. There were cast members from Scream, Young Guns, Letter Kenny, a handful of other Star Wars guests, and Calgary’s own Todd McFarlane.

The 2024 Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo ran from April 25-28 at Stampede Park.

Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1997’s “As Good As It Gets,’ as well as four Primetime Emmy Awards and four Golden Globe Awards.

Hunt also made her feature film directorial debut in 2007’s ‘Then She Found Me.’

Some of the highlights of the 2025 Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo included a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Shell-a-bration,” marking the 35th anniversary of the 1990 movie with all four turtles, Shredder, and April O’Neil on hand.

Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, and other cast members also gathered for “An Evening With Marty And Doc,” celebrating 40 years of “Back To The Future.”

The 2025 Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo ran from April 24-27 at the BMO Centre.

An artist like William Shatner needs no introduction…he’s played the iconic Captain Kirk in Star Trek, a police sergeant in T.J. Hooker, and has hosted a number of TV shows.

The 95-year-old from Canada has also been known to dabble in music with a heavy metal album set to be released this year and even went to space in 2021 aboard the Blue Origin NS-18 on a sub-orbital mission.

The 2026 Calgary Comics and Entertainment Expo ran April 23-26 at Stampede Park.

Prism has been rocking out since releasing their first of eight studio albums in 1977 and took home the Juno Award for ‘Group of the Year’ in 1981.

The band has found most of its success in Canada but also managed to hit the US top 40 charts in 1981 with the song “Don’t Let Him Know.”

Prism is also known for launching the careers of several former group members, including international record producer Bruce Fairbairn, songwriter Jim Vallance, Powder Blues Band frontman Tom Lavin and Headpins and Chilliwack musician Ab Bryant.

Canadian music icon Bryan Adams also contributed as a songwriter on a number of early Prism songs.

Saga’s fourth album, 1981’s ‘Worlds Apart,’ saw the band break into the Top 40.

The first single, ‘On The Loose,’ peaked at No. 22 on the Canadian Charts in January 1982, and then in the US, where it peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard chart in February 1983.

A second single, "Wind Him Up", also fared pretty well down south with the help of heavy video rotation on MTV.

Saga has released a total of 22 albums, including the latest, 2021’s acoustic ‘Symmetry.’

Known for their 60s-inspired pop-rock, The Grapes of Wrath enoyed their greatest commercial success in the late 1980s and early 90s thanks to 1989’s ‘Now and Again’ and 1991’s ‘These Days.’

The song ‘All The Things I Wasn’t’ peaked at #19 on the Canadian charts in 1989 while ‘I Am Here’ hit #8 and ‘You May Be Right’ made it to #7 on the charts in 1991.

Kane left the band in 1992 while brothers Tom and Chris Hooper continued on under the name “Ginger.”

The band has reunited numerous times throughout the years and are still playing together at times even today.

Kane also began playing with The Northern Pikes in 2017 while also finding time to keep writing songs and says there’s certainly enough material for another album.

Singer Cathy Richardson opens up ahead of Jefferson Starship playing the River Cree Resort and Casino in Enoch in October 2025 as part of the band’s 50th anniversary Runaway Again tour.

The original band has roots going all the way back to the original Woodstock and has seen several personnel shifts and name changes over the years, including Jefferson Airplane and Starship.

The band will also be releasing a new album in 2027 with the first single “Jetpack” now out.

Chicago, the legendary rock and roll band with horns has been pumping out the hits for over 50 years.

In 2018, Canadian vocalist Neil Donell got the call to replace Jeff Coffey on lead vocals and he jumped at the chance.

Donell, who’s originally from Montreal but moved to Toronto in the mid-1980s has worked extensively as a session musician and has been nominated for several Juno Awards.

He has also sung on roughly 11,000 to 12,000 recording sessions, commercials, and TV projects.

Eight Seconds formed in Ottawa in 1982 and are best known for their 1986 single "Kiss You (When It's Dangerous)" which peaked at #14 in 1987 and was on the charts for 28 weeks in Canada

April Wine have been icons on the Canadian music scene since 1969 and have had 21 songs hit the charts.

Original April Wine lead singer Myles Goodwyn died in late 2023.

Parent took over lead vocals and guitar in 2022 with Myles’ blessing.

Even a 23 year breakup couldn’t keep the fans away, proving good music stands the test of time.

Blvd released their debut album in 1988, spawning three singles, ‘Never Give Up,’ ‘Far From Over,’ and ‘Dream On.’

Their 1990 follow-up ‘Into The Street’ led to two more singles including ‘Lead Me On,’ the band’s highest charting single, peaking at #21 in Canada.

Their 4th studio album, ‘Talk Without Speaking’ came out in May before heading overseas to play the Malmö Melodic Festival July 24-26 in Sweden.

The Northern Pikes have achieved one Platinum and four Gold albums in Canada and are marking their 42nd anniversary as a band in 2026.

Some of their hits include ‘Teenland,’ ‘Things I Do For Money,’ ‘Girl With A Problem,’ and ‘Kiss Me You Fool.’

1990’s ‘She Ain’t Pretty’ is the band’s top-selling single in the US and Canada.

This year’s ‘Rock The River’ runs August 14-16 at Rotary Park

The Northern Pikes open day 2 on Saturday, followed by Default, The Tea Party, and Collective Soul.

For more, head to: rocktheriversaskatoon.ca

Rock The River runs August 14-16 at Rotary Park in Saskatoon.

Some of the other bands this year include Collective Soul, The Northern Pikes, Haywire, Colin James and Sloan

Find out more at

https://rocktheriversaskatoon.ca/

Goodwyn’s album “Long Pants” includes the single “Will The Last Voice I Hear Be An Angel.”

He’s joined on the track by Jim Henman, another original member of April Wine, who, along with David Henman and Ritchie Henman founded the band in 1969.

The album is described as an eclectic collection of personal songs, some previously released and dating back as much as 40 years.

April Wine, one of the most successful rock bands in Canadian music history, rose to stardom in the 1970’s and ’80s and is still active today with guitarist Brian Greenway the longest active member, joining the band in 1977.

Since 1971, April Wine has released 16 studio albums, while Goodwyn himself has also put out three other solo efforts, including blues-based albums in 2018 and 2019.

Exploding onto the music scene in the early ’80s, the Go-Go’s are arguably the most successful all-female bands ever.

Released in 2020, ‘All I Ever Wanted’ is a candid, raw, and sometimes intimate look into not only the everyday life of a rock band finding their way to global success but also a glimpse into Valentine’s personal life.

Growing up in Austin, Texas, the daughter of a single mom, she moved to California to not only find success but also herself.

A need for acceptance and belonging are continuing themes throughout the book in addition to substance abuse and other realities of the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.

Thorogood’s career spans over 50 years and includes 15 studio albums with the Destroyers and one solo album.

Some of his songs, such as “Bad To The Bone,” “I Drink Alone,” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer have become iconic blues-rock anthems.

Born Beth Torbert in India in 1971 to a Canadian girl and British boy, neither family wanted anything to do with her.

Thus began a life of struggle, which has included alcohol abuse, a drug overdose, and breast cancer.

Her story is told in the 2016 book, ‘I, Bificus.’

Her 11th studio album ‘Champion’ came out in June 2024.

Pope was one of the first 80s artists to push the boundaries with provocative lyrics and stage antics during a decade of music known for gender fluidity and androgyny.

Combining pop music with politics and sexual innuendoes, the band’s biggest hit, 1981’s ‘High School Confidential’ is heralded as one of the first explicitly lesbian-themed Top 40 hits in the world.

Bentall has often drawn comparisons to John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty.

While mostly known for his pop/rock hits, he’s also known to dabble in bluegrass, roots, and folk music.

Barney Bentall and ‘The Cariboo Express’ were in town in November of 2021 for a very special show at the Bella Concert Hall for the 7th Annual Concert For Classrooms fundraiser.

You might not recognize him if you passed him on the street, but his voice has been featured on some of the biggest songs of the 1980s.

His name is Paul Carrack, and his resume reads like a who’s who of the music world, having worked over his 50-year career with the likes of Roger Waters, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics and Roxy Music.

Carrack’s 2021 album “One On One” was completely written, played and recorded by Carrack in his home studio in the UK.

Alternative rockers Soul Asylum rose up out of the punk scene in Minneapolis in the early 80s.

Lead singer Dave Pirner and the band broke out and won a Grammy for their 1992 album ‘Grave Dancer’s Union’ which features some of their biggest hits like ‘Runaway Train,’ ‘Black Gold,’ and ‘Somebody to Shove.’

Soul Asylum’s last gig in Calgary was on Friday, July 12th at The Big Four Roadhouse during the 2024 Calgary Stampede.

In ‘Reinvention Poems,’ the singer/songwriter/guitarist touches on a wide variety of topics in an autobiographical collection of poetry.

The collection came about after Emmett retired from touring and teaching in 2019.

68 at the time, he called it a ‘new and scary life chapter’ and uses poetry as ‘a way to cope and adapt to the ever-increasing complexity of modern culture.’

Emmett adds, while always having been a lyricist, poetry is a new avenue for him to flex his creative muscles while offering liberation from a lifetime of songwriting and lyric discipline.

‘Reinvention Poems’ is available online and in bookstores by ECW Press.

Triumph is a Canadian hard rock trio that formed in 1975 along with Mike Levine on bass/keyboards and Gil Moore and released 16 albums and received 18 gold and nine platinum awards in Canada and the United States until Emmett left to pursue a solo career in 1988.

The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame in 2007, into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2019.

Multi-platinum, award-winning, Canadian rocker Lee Aaron’s 2021 album entitled “Radio On!” is a collection of 12 originals touted as your favorite radio DJ coming over the airwaves on a hot summer night!

Lee Aaron invites you to set your dial for a genuine rock ‘n’ roll listening experience…12 tracks of commercial-free, uninterrupted, melodic rock at its BEST!

Aaron says, as a result of the pandemic, the songs were done with a mix of in-studio sessions and a digital upgrade to their home studio.

For the first time ever, the festival ran over two days, Wednesday, July 8 and Thursday, July 9 at Prince’s Island Park.

Day 1 featured Toque and Sloan, followed by Roth and then Billy Idol to cap off the night.

Day 2 included The Royal Foundry, The New Pornographers, Grouplove and Foster The People.