The beginnings of the kings of Toronto harmony's musical adventures starts with two popular bands in Nova Scotia merging together. John Yorke (Vocals), Grant Fullerton (Guitar), and Bob Murphy (Keyboards) were playing in The Untouchables, but wanted to branch out and do something new. They joined bassist Donnie Morris and drummer Pinky Dauvin of The Continentals, and moved to Toronto in 1966.
Originally choosing the name \"The Golden Earring\" they changed it when they learned a group from The Netherlands was already using it. Also of interest, a year earlier in 1965 another Toronto group chose the name \"The Golden Earring\" for their band and released a lone single for ARC Records (also the same label as the Stitch In Tyme)which is now super rare!
Only a few months after moving to Toronto, Bill Gilliland, vice-president of Arc Records, liked the potential of the band and agreed to manage them, signing the band to his label. Original plans were to record and release an album, but the lifestyle of an up and coming rock band took its toll on the young members. They instead released the single, \"Dry Your Eyes/Point of View\" to a lukewarm response, but scored a national hit later that year when they recorded a cover of The Beatles' \"Got To Get You Into My Life\" for the ARC subsidiary Yorkville Records.
In late 1967, John Yorke left the group and was swiftly replaced by Bruce Wheaton (Guitar/Vocals).
Bruce had once been in The Continentals with Morris and Dauvin, but had been living in Toronto for the last few years bouncing around in different groups, including The Vibrasonics and Chester & The Rogues (later Chester and The Unknowns).
They started showing up on several TV shows while they played the local circuit, and became a fixture on CTV's weekday program, \"After 4.\" For the next year or so they branched out and started playing throughout eastern Canada, making a few stops along the way in the US. They played at the official opening of Expo '67, as well as week-long gigs at Ontario Pavilion and at The Garden of Stars on La Rhonde.
They recorded their next single in New York in the summer of '67, \"New Dawn\" b/w \"Don't Make Promises.\" The song was doing well enough they decided to open their own coffeehouse and hang-out joint called The Flick. Situated in the heart of Yorkville, it was opportunity for them to always have a place to play, and it also became a popular venue for other up and coming groups and artists at the time, including Lords of London.
By that fall they formed Flick Entertainment Corporation, which was their new record label and publishing company. The band had been writing and recording some material and released \"Stop Wastin' Time.\" But when Gilliland and company filed an injunction claiming they'd broken a contract, the song went nowhere. Ultimately this was the death knell of the group, the band called it quits by the fall of 1968.
Dauvin and Fullerton went on to join the first inception of Lighthouse, switching to vocals and bass respectively. Wheaton formed Rockin' Chair, but when it was going nowhere, he moved back to Nova Scotia and joined SOMA with Murphy and Morris. Murphy then left a short time later and assembled a country band called Big Buffalo. After SOMA's run was over, Wheaton went on to form Everyday People, releasing one album, and then Molly Oliver, releasing another LP.
A beautiful blast of psychedelic whimsy. This was a forward thinking track in their discography. (both musically and lyrically).
