BILLBOARD December 18, 2004

Marks Revisits '60s Hits
Toronto-Based Guitarist Covers Local Favorites On 'Big Town Boy'
BY LARRY LEBLANC

TORONTO - As a teenager, Danny Marks would lock himself in his room with a Seabreeze record player and a stack of 45s and try to play along on his guitar.

Today, as a seasoned and lauded guitarist, he has deftly captured the feisty spirit of vintage Toronto recordings on his album "Big Town Boy."

"I have carried these songs with me for years," says Marks, who also hosts the blues program "BLUZ.FM" on Toronto jazz station CJRT. "These were local hits. I remember where I heard a lot of them for the first time."

Set for release on Marks' Cabbagetunes label in January, "Big Town Boy" will be distributed by IndiePool in Canada.

Marks has previously issued three albums: "Guitarchaeology" (1997) and "True" (2003), both on Cabbagetunes, and "Surfin' Safari" (1999) on Avalon Records.

The new album draws mostly on Toronto radio hits from 1963 to 1965. It includes his renditions of such R&B-styled hits as "Charlena" (Ritchie Knight & the Mid-Knights), "Take Me Back" (David Clayton Thomas & the Shays), "Keep On Running" (Grant Smith & the Power), "Love-Itis" (the Mandala), "Any Other Way" (Jackie Shane), "Mary Lou" (Ronnie Hawkins) and "Big Town Boy" (Shirley Matthews).

There are also versions of such '60s rock hits as "Nothin' " (the Ugly Ducklings), "If You Don't Want My Love" (Jack London & the Sparrow, precursor to Steppenwolf) and "It Was I" (Big Town Boys). The album also features two non-Toronto covers from the era, "Tiger" (Fabian) and "I Only Want to Be With You" (Dusty Springfield).

Few Canadian companies recorded local talent in quantity in the '60s. Only a handful of singles for Arc, Red Leaf, Yorkville, Quality, Capitol, Apex and RCA remain as evidence of what was then hailed as the "Toronto Sound."

"I was too young to go to clubs, but I was affected by these records," Marks says. " 'Big Town Boy' was magic. I also loved 'Any Other Way' . . . 'Charlena' was a great party record. Every band in Toronto in the '60s had to play that song."

The Mid-Knights' "Charlena" reached No. 1 in 1963 on Toronto top 40 station CHUM, at the time a feat unheard-of by a local band. "That record changed the band scene in Toronto," claims Mid-Knight bassist Doug Chappell, who retired in 1997 as president of the Mercury Records division of PolyGram Canada. "It gave everybody hope."

Marks says guitarist Robbie Robertson, with Hawkins' backup band the Hawks, laid the R&B foundation of the city's scene in the '60s. He showed the way for such blues-styled guitarists as Domenic Troiano, Terry Bush and Freddy Keeler.

"My guy was Freddy Keeler, who played with the Shays," Marks says. "I can remember being in the back of my dad's car and hearing Freddy's guitar solo on 'Take Me Back' and remembering how great it was."

Keeler says, "Danny mentions me in interviews, which is neat. It's impossible that so many years have gone by since then."

Also included on the album is "You, Me and Mexico," a 1970 Canadian hit by Marks' blues rock band Edward Bear. "I felt it was important to address my past," Marks says. "It's a beautiful song."

DANNY MARKS: BIG TOWN BOY - Big Town Boy revisits Toronto’s Yonge St strip when R&B formed the musical bedrock. Ace guitarist Marks--also host of BLUZ.FM---has simulated a smile-inducing time capsule: a revival of musical memories not dissimilar from the nostalgia rush experienced when leafing through your high school yearbook. It was a vibrant era, stretching from 1958 to the early seventies. Local deejays (on stations CHUM, CKFH, and CKEY) helped spread the message. Anyone 40 years and over, and who grew up within a 100-mile radius of Toronto should fondly recognize many of these 14 selections.

The 'Toronto Sound' was destined to have a major impact internationally, witness The Band, Steppenwolf, David Clayton Thomas (Blood Sweat & Tears), Edward Bear, and so many others. Danny Marks was vital to that scene, and most satisfyingly, he’s assembled a tight little band to salute these blasts from the past and has captured the pure and simple fun that rippled through these classics. Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks crucial Mary Lou (1958) set the table, but Charlena (1963) became the rite of passage for any dance band, and Marks’ version perfectly captures its essence. Little Jackie Shane’s, Any Other Way was another groundbreaker (what a contagious hook!) that put Toronto on the R&B map. Big Town Boy by Shirley Matthews galloped to a thundering beat with a wall-of-sound reminiscent of Phil Spector, while Marks & pals fascinate by relying on a basic off-the-floor treatment. Splendid! Love-itis is a knockout rocker hearkening back to Roy Kenner of Mandala fame on vocals, and Danny does a righteous cover of this Toronto anthem. Got a hold on me yeah! America’s Skip & Flip did It Was I--a sock hop ballad to slow things down--and Tommy Graham & the Big Town Boys re-interpreted this ditty for Canadians. As with some other tracks, it’s a cover of a cover of a cover. Post 1964, the impact of the British Invasion somewhat altered the 'Toronto Sound', the example here being Danny’s cranked-up version of Spencer Davis' Keep On Running (E.G. Smith & the Power did it back then). Jack London, an ex-Brit, originally performed If You Don’t Want My Love, backed up by The Sparrows who soon became John Kay & Steppenwolf. There’s much more, including Danny’s heartfelt rendition of Dusty Springfield's I Only Want To Be With You. Completing the retro circle is a reprise of that major worldwide hit You Me And Mexico. Danny tips his sombrero to his former Edward Bear band mates: Larry Evoy and Paul Weldon). Ole! Thanks to Danny Marks for keeping the torch lit, and for reminding everyone why this Big Town became an influence on the Big World. MP3- Love-itis | surf to www.dannym.com