455:"They were not the first to write about Canada," writes Gary Cristall in his history of Stringband, "Stompin’ Tom Connors and a host of regional writers had been doing that for years... But Stringband went further. Bob researched his songs like they were books. He made them sound simple, but underneath, they were complex pieces of art, not ditties. Bob’s songs were humane, evocative and literate, welding together sentiment, history and landscape as few songwriters have done.
458:"Marie-Lynn brought to her songs a contemporary feminist voice, one that predated what, in the late 1970s would be called “women’s music”... These songs are some of the best stories of women’s lives written anywhere. If Bob, like a ventriloquist, projected his voice into his characters, Marie-Lynn used her talent like a ouija board to tap into the past and bring to life women who never got to tell their stories."
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work together for the next two decades, battling behind the scenes while, on stage, they delighted hundreds of thousands of listeners from
Tuktoyaktuk to Toronto, Mexico City to Moscow. Stringband laid down the roots of independent recording in Canada; they inspired scores if not hundreds of musicians, and they left behind a dozen of the best songs ever written in this country."
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took the time to explain to Bossin and
Hammond that they could actually make more money selling a few thousand copies of the album on their own label than they could selling 10,000 albums on someone else's. Bossin took the advice to heart, and Stringband remained a totally independent band, with all
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Cristall concludes: " is a story of victory against the odds; of how an intrepid band of dissidents confronted the dominance of foreign mercenaries to carve out a niche for homegrown music. It is the story of two important creative talents who disliked each other upon first meeting and proceeded to
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Looking back over
Stringband's career in 2001, writer and broadcaster Stuart McLean wrote, "Like Gordon Lightfoot or Monique Leyrac, like Margaret Atwood or Robertson Davies, Stringband made you proud to be Canadian. They skated through the coffee houses and concert halls with the grace of Bobby Orr
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After the departures of Ahern and King, Bossin quickly invited
Hammond to re-join the group. She agreed, on the proviso that Stringband would become a part-time enterprise that would allow her time to pursue her solo career, as well as her playwriting and other interests. Bossin, looking to pursue
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Stringband's songs created for their authors a loyal cult following. Bossin's titles include "Tugboats", "The Maple Leaf Dog", "Show us the Length", "Lunenberg
Concerto", and "Daddy Was a Ballplayer." Hammond's songs include "Vancouver", "Flying/Spring of '44", "I Don't Sleep with Strangers
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and Marie-Lynn
Hammond. Founded in 1971, Stringband recorded four studio albums between 1973 and 1978, and was an active touring ensemble through 1986. There have been periodic reunions since then, the most recent occurring in 2013. Passing through Stringband's ranks at various times were
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Stringband briefly reunited in
Toronto in January 2007. The occasion was a benefit for Hammond, whose eyesight was damaged in a riding accident in 2006. In July 2013, the group (still with the same line-up from 2002) reunited once more to play five dates in western Canada.
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some solo endeavours of his own, agreed. Adding new violinist Zeke
Mazurek and the group's first permanent bassist, Dennis Nichol, beginning in January 1980 Stringband resumed touring and playing folk festivals a few months each year. A live recording from the new line-up (
309:(1975), contained two of their best-known songs, "Dief Will Be The Chief Again", and the risque "Show Us The Length". Bossin attempted to shop the album to several Canadian labels, but they all passed, as they felt that the record had little commercial potential (and
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The group pioneered independent recording and artist-controlled album releases in Canada, and was noted for songs that explored
Canadian themes, often with a humorous bent. No Stringband songs became commercial hits, though several became widely known, including
302:(1973), was released independently on their own 'Nick Records' label, and through aggressive promotion and constant gigging, managed to scrape into the RPM Canadian album charts, peaking at #97. Lewycky left after this album, and was replaced by Ben Mink.
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Stringband initially played in
Ontario coffeehouses and universities, later touring across Canada and internationally. The group was singularly activist among Canadian bands, performing frequently for anti-war, environmental and other causes.
291:. The group chose "Stringband" as a temporary place-holder name until they could figure out exactly what sort of String Band they were—but a "first name" for Stringband never materialized, and so the unmodified name "Stringband" stuck.
439:, a CD box set of 46 of their recordings. This compilation was released on Nick in 2002, and was funded with $ 25,000 contributed by friends and fans. The line-up for the new tracks was Bossin, Hammond, Cairns, Nichol and Mink,
283:, (b. 1946 in Toronto), along with violinist Jerry Lewycky. The name "String Band" was a common appellation amongst folk groups, usually with an identifying characteristic or location attached, as with the
337:). However, Mink would return to the group's orbit in later years to produce and mix projects by Stringband, as well as solo material by Hammond. Mink was replaced by new violinist Terry King.
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Meanwhile, Bossin recruited singer-songwriter Nancy Ahern as a replacement for Hammond—but at Hammond's insistence, this trio was not initially allowed to bill themselves as Stringband.
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Stringband effectively dissolved, with Hammond and Bossin electing to concentrate on their solo careers. Bossin has continued to record on Nick Records, Hammond on her own label.
343:(1977), Stringband's third album, was financed by advance subscription orders from fans of the group. These subscribers and investors' names appear on the LP's front cover.
262:. As well, Stringband's feminist anthem "Show Us The Length" became an international, underground "hit", despite having little airplay due to its explicit language.
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Stringband continued to play gigs on a steady part-time basis through 1986. Calvin Cairns replaced Mazurek on fiddle just prior to a 1983 tour of the
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Hammond left Stringband at the very end of 1977 to establish a solo career. Early the following year, Stringband licensed several tracks to
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In 1979, Ahern and King both left the group, drawing to a close the era of Stringband being a full-time group.
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was issued. This is the only Stringband material not issued on the Nick Records label.
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In 1991, Stringband performed a few "20th Anniversary" reunion shows, and released
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Anymore", "La jeune mariee" and, with Bossin, "Mrs. Murphy".
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The band was founded in Toronto in 1971 by the core duo of
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Hammond's return; 'part-time' touring era (1980-1986)
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Hammond leaves; "Whilom" Stringband era (1978-1979)
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313:commercial potential outside Canada). However,
377:was produced by ex-Stringband member Ben Mink.
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537:Stringband 20th Anniversary, The Old Masters
365:Bossin's solution was to bill the trio as
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113:Learn how and when to remove this message
581:Bob Bossin's Old Folk Singer's Homepage
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411:After a series of gigs at Vancouver's
618:Musical groups disestablished in 1986
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462:and the passion of Rocket Richard."
271:Founding and early years (1971-1977)
51:adding citations to reliable sources
613:Musical groups established in 1971
579:"Whatever Happened to Stringband?"
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638:1986 disestablishments in Ontario
419:Reunions (1991, 2001, 2007, 2013)
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591:"Stingband - Digitized At Last"
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289:The Iron Mountain String Band
543:The Indispensable Stringband
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567:The Canadian Encyclopedia
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493:Thanks to the Following
341:Thanks To The Following
518:Across Russia by Stage
406:Across Russia By Stage
285:Incredible String Band
241:ensemble, fronted by
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298:Their first album,
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45:Please help
40:verification
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506:Live albums
470:Discography
353:CBC Records
226:Nancy Ahern
18:string band
607:Categories
550:References
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243:Bob Bossin
239:folk music
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211:Terry King
197:Bob Bossin
129:Stringband
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429:CBC Radio
447:Tributes
413:Expo '86
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248:Ben Mink
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315:Al Mair
266:History
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