It’s been more than 50 years since Paul Dean’s old band, once called Canada, also called The Fox, were together.
Now, they’ve returned to the Canadian music scene with a new name and their old music. Canada-Fox has just released a self-titled album recorded about 54 years ago.
The group, which formed in 1969, toured around Canada, opening for acts including Steppenwolf and The Guess Who, getting to play as part of Festival Express, where the musicians involved travelled across Canada by train. The tour featured Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead and had dates in Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary.
They would eventually go on to their own projects.
Brian Newcombe became a successful session bassist. Clyde Harvey became a jazz musician in Vancouver. Billy McBeth drummed for groups like April Wine and The Guess Who, and Dean became a founding member of the Canadian rock group Loverboy.
As a pandemic project, Dean decided to resurrect and restore his old band’s music, releasing it as a full album this spring.
Newcombe describes their sound as a little bit rock, a little bit R&B and a little bit psychedelic.
“We were a bit of everything,” he said.
The group recorded 10 songs in a Toronto studio in 1970 after being picked up by label RCA Canada, but they were quickly dropped.
They officially disbanded in 1971.
McBeth kept the original lacquer acetates of the album, and he later copied it onto a CD. He plays it every three years or so — and he said he’s always impressed with the music.
McBeth called up Dean, who was able to isolate the vocals and instruments from the original two-track stereo, and when it was finally ready, SONY Music agreed to distribute it to streaming services.
“It’s like a time capsule that’s just been opened,” Harvey said.
“It captures our our youth. It captures the music we were doing at that time, which was pretty energetic, pretty exciting.”
Before Loverboy, Paul Dean was the guitarist for the band Canada, also called The Fox. Now, that band, renamed Canada-Fox, has reunited and released an album recorded over 50 years ago.
Then …
The band started out in Vancouver, where drummer McBeth and guitarist Dean had a house gig in the late 60s at a place called Oil Can Harry’s. The pair played six nights a week with another bassist.
Eventually, the bassist was replaced with Newcombe, and Harvey joined the band as an organist, vocalist and their main writer, Dean said. Their regular gig ended, and they officially formed their band — The Fox.
“There were so many places to play live,” Dean said, speaking about the band’s early days in Vancouver. “We played around the clubs for a long time.”
But when they moved to Toronto, they struggled to find clubs to play in.
They also had a tough time finding what would be considered adequate and affordable housing; the four band members and their manager all lived together in a house with six or seven bedrooms, Dean said. The house had electricity but no plumbing — luckily, they were able to use a nearby gas station washroom.
“You put up with a lot of stuff to get that buzz of playing live.”
Dean said Loverboy has never had a band house. But for Canada-Fox, that’s how they got by.
“Somehow, I was able to keep us alive, at least housing-wise,” Dean said.
It was rock and roll in the 70s: Dean remembers leaving the stage one night when someone, he thinks, was offering the band a record deal.
“I was too excited when we got off stage,” he said. “I wasn’t in any condition to be discussing my future business with this guy.”
McBeth said he felt “free” in those days.
“It was just kind of a whirlwind. When you’re young, you just kind of go for the next day, the next gig,” he said.
He remembers a show at the Apollo in Calgary where the band got their long hair cut.
“We got our hair cut like Spock, like Star Trek,” McBeth said.
The band later moved to Edmonton, where they played in clubs and did some recording until they split.
And now
Now in their 70s, the band is living in Western Canada — Dean, Newcombe and Harvey in B.C., and McBeth in Alberta.
Dean is still active with Loverboy, which continues to tour and play shows whenever they get the chance.
Newcombe is semi-retired — but still plays the occasional bass sessions.
Harvey has been enjoying his solo career, having recorded four albums since 2007.
McBeth plays with the band TR3, which plays weddings and parties in the Calgary, Banff and Edmonton areas.
With the launch of the album, all four are looking forward to what may come of it.
“Even if nothing happens with it, I was quite proud of what I did on it, and the other guys, too,” McBeth said.
While there aren’t currently plans to tour on this album or get back together for a live show, they all say they’d be up for it.
“Everyone is still alive and kicking,” Dean said. “My manager Jonathan Wolfson suggested putting the band together and touring, and well, maybe. It was a pretty rockin’ band back in the day.”
