The Beat Goes On
Re-issues put funk back on top
BY Paul Corupe
In 1967, the same year Canada opened its immigration policy to a host of new countries, an intoxicating mix of syncopated drums, percussive guitar and penetrating saxophone began bubbling up from basement studios and cramped nightclubs across Toronto. Only recently have modern listeners been able to get acquainted with Canada’s rich funk heritage, however, with several obscure local gems by notables like Frank Motley and Wayne McGhie finally being released on CD courtesy of premiere re-issue labels Jazzman and Light in the Attic. These albums provide a snapshot of the blistering Toronto funk scene in its prime, as newly arrived Caribbean musicians came together with those born in Canada to develop a unique, multicultural take on the funk sound.
Various Artists, Canada’s Message to the Meters (Jazzman) On relocating to Toronto in the early 1960s, members of the DC-based R&B band The Motley Crew joined forces with recent Jamaican immigrants like singer The Mighty Pope Earl Heedram and famed Studio One drummer Joe Isaacs to form three smaller heavy-funk outfits: King Herbert and the Knights, Frank Motley & The Bridge Crossings, and Frank Motley & The Hitch-Hikers. Canada’s Message to the Meters collects 11 down-and-dirty funk platters from these distinctive bands, including covers of early dance-floor igniters like “Hook & Sling” and “Sissy Strut.” Originally recorded live in-studio by Paragon Records honcho Jack Boswell in the early 1970s, these tracks maintain a gritty flavour despite proficient blasts of brass and accomplished organ grooves.
Wayne McGhie & The Sounds of Joy, Self-titled (Light in the Attic) Jamaican-born musician Wayne McGhie came to Canada in 1968 to pen songs for future Sattalites founder JoJo Bennett and The Hitch-Hikers. After performing at Toronto’s Caribana festival in 1969, McGhie headed to the studio with fellow expats Alton Ellis and Lloyd Delpratt to cut his one and only album, Wayne McGhie & The Sounds of Joy. The re-issue of this extremely rare LP is padded out with covers and a little filler, but McGhie’s originals, including the swelling “Fire (She Need Water)” and “Dirty Funk” are defining tracks of the Toronto funk sound—an appropriately blissful intersection of the Memphisbased Stax sound and sun-kissed island rhythms.
