48:
as vocalist and Barry Lloyd was added at the piano where he later switched to Organ. The band was popular and successful from the start, playing at dance halls in
Toronto and surrounding towns. In 1961 Donoghue submitted a tape of the Mid-Knights playing âSummertimeâ to jazz pianist Oscar Petersenâs ASCM (Advanced School of Contemporary Music) and won a partial scholarship. He quit Grade 13 at TCI (Thistletown Collegiate Institute) to attend the ASCM. At this time the "Mid-Knights" band was playing on weekends only as most of the musicians were still in high school. After a brief time at Petersenâs school, due to a lack of finances, Donoghue had to leave his band and the ASCM and join a Canadian band working full-time in Michigan. Under the stewardship of Semkiw the âMid-Knightsâ band went on to ever increasing success, ultimately branding itself âRichie Knight and the Mid-Knightsâ, undergoing changes in musicians over the years.
92:'s band. The band then added Dave Stilwell and Rick Cairns on trumpet, Jerry Shymansky on sax, Mark Smith on trombone and Bill Pinkerton on drums, recording one further single, "Soul Man", before Newell left in 1968 to join Hawkins's band. He was replaced by vocalists Frank Querci and Karen Titko; this final lineup recorded several songs, but none were released as singles before the band broke up.
47:
The "Mid-Knights" band was formed and named in 1959 by saxophonist and poet James Leo
Donoghue. His close friend from De La Salle âOaklandsâ College, Toronto, George Semkiw, guitarist, joined him, followed by Jim Gwilliams on drums, and guitarist John McCanliss. Richard Hubbard later joined the band
76:
The band recorded the followup single "The Joke" in late 1963, following which Lloyd left the band and was replaced by Ray Reeves. The band released a number of further singles between 1963 and 1966, although none were as successful as "Charlena". Brough and
Hubbard left the band in 1966, and were
72:
By late 1961 the "Mid-Knights" had added saxophonist Mike Brough, bassist Doug
Chappell and drummer Barry Stein, comprising the lineup who would be featured on "Charlena". The song was a cover of a 1961 single by the Los Angeles R&B group The Sevilles, although the Mid-Knights' recording was
263:
227:
402:
412:
32:
417:
407:
242:
59:, published by The Macmillan Company of Canada, Edited by M. G. Hesse, a resource book used in Canadian high schools during the 1980s.
206:
178:
284:
107:
The second wave of band members played a reunion show in 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Charlena" topping the charts.
78:
321:
190:"Tales from the Matador: If you can't remember where you've been, but you remember having a good time..."
73:
significantly more successful. They were the first
Canadian band to have a #1 hit on the Canadian charts.
289:
364:
347:
383:
304:
96:
257:
221:
174:
82:
24:
31:
scene of that era, the band are best remembered for their single "Charlena", which was a
143:
136:
89:
396:
28:
192:
170:
117:
99:
and The Five Shy appeared at
Toronto's El Zorro discotheque on July 25, 1969.
36:
333:
387:
88:
Bell stayed with the band for only a short time before leaving to join
55:, York University, Edited by Irving Layton; also in the 1979 anthology
149:"Soul Man"/"Somebody Somewhere Needs You" (1968, as The Mid-Knights)
85:
on vocals. They changed their name at this time to The Mid-Knights.
167:
Axes, Chops & Hot Licks: The
Canadian Rock Music Scene
262:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
245:. Archived from the original on November 7, 2006
226:: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
135:"One Good Reason"/My Kind of Love" (1965) (#33
285:"Oh Charlena: 50 years and still going strong"
209:. Archived from the original on July 15, 2006
116:"Charlena"/"Youâve Got The Power" (1963) (#1
8:
322:Page 96 From The Music Capitals of the World
207:"CHART NUMBER 328 â Monday, June 24, 1963"
57:Childhood and Youth in Canadian Literature
280:
278:
276:
274:
142:"Thatâs Alright"/"Work Song" (1966) (#41
243:"CHUM HIT PARADE: Week of July 1, 1963"
158:
27:band, active in the 1960s. Part of the
403:Canadian rhythm and blues music groups
255:
219:
365:"RPM Top 100 Singles - July 11, 1966"
126:"Homework"/"Come Back, Try Me" (1964)
7:
348:"RPM Play Sheet - November 15, 1965"
129:"Think It Over"/"You Hurt Me" (1965)
132:"Packinâ Up"/"Iâll Go Crazy" (1965)
123:"The Joke"/"My Kind of Love" (1964)
413:Musical groups established in 1959
14:
334:"CHUM Hit Parade - June 24, 1963"
21:Richie Knight and the Mid-Knights
1:
418:1959 establishments in Canada
51:Donoghueâs poetry appears in
408:Musical groups from Toronto
434:
302:"Bluesman made his mark".
39:for two weeks in 1963.
95:The group along with
320:, August 9, 1969 -
305:The Globe and Mail
97:Buckstone Hardware
81:on keyboards and
23:, was a Canadian
425:
372:
371:
369:
361:
355:
354:
352:
344:
338:
337:
330:
324:
315:
309:
308:, June 16, 2003.
300:
294:
293:, July 15, 2013.
290:Whitby This Week
282:
269:
267:
261:
253:
251:
250:
239:
233:
231:
225:
217:
215:
214:
203:
197:
196:, June 16, 1994.
188:
182:
163:
25:rhythm and blues
19:, also known as
433:
432:
428:
427:
426:
424:
423:
422:
393:
392:
386:discography at
384:The Mid-Knights
380:
375:
367:
363:
362:
358:
350:
346:
345:
341:
332:
331:
327:
316:
312:
301:
297:
283:
272:
254:
248:
246:
241:
240:
236:
218:
212:
210:
205:
204:
200:
189:
185:
165:Ritchie Yorke,
164:
160:
156:
113:
105:
70:
65:
45:
17:The Mid-Knights
12:
11:
5:
431:
429:
421:
420:
415:
410:
405:
395:
394:
391:
390:
379:
378:External links
376:
374:
373:
356:
339:
325:
310:
295:
270:
234:
198:
183:
157:
155:
152:
151:
150:
147:
140:
133:
130:
127:
124:
121:
112:
109:
104:
101:
90:Ronnie Hawkins
83:Richard Newell
69:
68:1950s to 1960s
66:
64:
61:
44:
41:
33:number-one hit
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
430:
419:
416:
414:
411:
409:
406:
404:
401:
400:
398:
389:
385:
382:
381:
377:
366:
360:
357:
349:
343:
340:
335:
329:
326:
323:
319:
314:
311:
307:
306:
299:
296:
292:
291:
286:
281:
279:
277:
275:
271:
268:. CHUM Chart.
265:
259:
244:
238:
235:
232:. CHUM Chart.
229:
223:
208:
202:
199:
195:
194:
187:
184:
180:
179:9780888300522
176:
172:
168:
162:
159:
153:
148:
145:
141:
138:
134:
131:
128:
125:
122:
119:
115:
114:
110:
108:
102:
100:
98:
93:
91:
86:
84:
80:
74:
67:
62:
60:
58:
54:
49:
42:
40:
38:
34:
30:
29:Toronto Sound
26:
22:
18:
359:
342:
328:
317:
313:
303:
298:
288:
247:. Retrieved
237:
211:. Retrieved
201:
193:Toronto Star
191:
186:
171:M. G. Hurtig
166:
161:
106:
94:
87:
79:Richard Bell
77:replaced by
75:
71:
56:
52:
50:
46:
20:
16:
15:
111:Discography
103:Later years
53:Anvil Blood
397:Categories
249:2016-01-21
213:2016-01-21
154:References
43:Background
37:CHUM Chart
318:Billboard
258:cite web
222:cite web
173:, 1971.
388:Discogs
35:on the
177:
63:Career
368:(PDF)
351:(PDF)
264:link
228:link
175:ISBN
144:CAN
137:CAN
118:CAN
399::
287:.
273:^
260:}}
256:{{
224:}}
220:{{
169:.
370:.
353:.
336:.
266:)
252:.
230:)
216:.
181:.
146:)
139:)
120:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
