Text © by Al Walker Original article appeared in the owen sounder. Click photos to enlarge. The Rembrants beginnings were in 1965 when the Beatles were still considered mop tops and not the gurus of Sgt Pepper, which was still 2 years away. The British Invasion was in full swing with the Dave Clark Five, Zombies, Kinks, Animals all conquering armies of American fans. And in Canada Chum Charts were the pulse of our favorite 45's. Burton Cummings and the Guess Who were still four years from releasing "These Eyes". Joni Mitchell was beginning to play coffee houses but it would be three years before her first album release. Buffalo Springfield with Neil Young, would not release their first hit for another two years. These were early times for Canadian Rock and anything could happen. In Owen Sound the British Invasion was not overlooked by Gord Cottrill (lead-rythmn), Ray Hewitt (bass guitar), Warren Carr (drums-vocals), Pat Haley (vocals-harmonica), Bob Becker (guitar-keyboards-vocals) and Doug Monahan (vocals). They formed the original lineup called the Rembrants in 1965. When forming a band in these primitive times you could not just go to the music store and choose your favorite amplifier, guitar, favorite strings, rent a P.A. and go play a gig, no! Equipment was primitive, even bizarre, compared to today's standards. PA systems put out less volume than today's home stereo systems. And the Rembrants where still considered loud! Colourful Harry Parker a talented fiddle player and musician, supplied some of the early equipment right out of his home. If you forgot a mike or had blown an amp, you could always call on Harry. It was much easier to be a country band playing acoustic guitars, fiddles, and harmonica. And easier to play dances at the Legion with a country and western repertoire. But the Rembrants boldly went where no-one else had gone. Oh by the way Star Trek was still 2 years away. The Rembrants were smitten by the English sound, and particularly the guitar sounds of the Yardbirds and Rolling Stones. The thick distorted sound was difficult to reproduce. But for Gord Cottrill, the challenge was to make it happen, live! Gord is from Paisley and his natural musical abilities included violin, banjo, piano, harmonica as well as electric guitar. There was something special at this time about the electric guitar, it was the main instrument in a revolution of expression that swept up hordes of baby boomers. Gord pioneered a multi-amp setup that overdrove a signal and fed that signal into a clean 2nd amp (Fender Super Reverb) this gave him the same thick distorted sound that Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, and other English guitar pioneers where putting on vinyl. And the audiences in Ontario loved it! Bars where not the mainstay of groups in the mid-sixties, bands played high school dances, and discotheque clubs, resorts and arenas. The Rembrants played Orillia, Collingwood, Wiarton, Kimberly, Markdale and Owen Sound. The high school dances of the 60's trigger many memories, first dance, first date, first time you heard guitar feedback! The pavilion at Sauble Beach was in it's heyday, Copper Penny, Mandella, Livingstone's Journey, Major Hoople's Boarding House and The Ugly Ducklings just to mention some, rocked the beach. The Rembrants were house band at "The Tunnel", for a short time, a coffee house ran by Warren Carr in the 200 block, on the north side of 8th St. E. Warren was self proclaimed leader of the band according to a Owen Sound Herald March 2nd 1967 article on the band, and definitely a young entrepeneur according to Bill Murdoch who helped with the club for a while. "Cuban" combined percussion duties with business duties and here the band could rehearse their material for bigger venues. Toronto was on the horizon! The Rembrants played the infamous Yorkville area specifically the "Night Owl" and the "El Patio", newsworthy enough for "The Sun Times" December 29, 1967 edition. In the article it says that the Rembrants agent Bill Murdock forged a connection with Dram Productions of Kitchener, ground breaking for an area group! But the biggest thrill was to come. An appearance on "Canadian Bandstand" a TV show video taped in Kitchener and shown in the southwestern Ontario area. The itinerary for the show went like this: Canadian Bandstand March 10th 1967 Live from studio, intro Band 1st set commercial Band 2nd set commercial Feature Cath and fashions with models commercial band 3rd set Pete re: tickets etc LPS. upcoming talent band 4th set feature Cathy talks with Gord Lightfoot commercial Band 5th set Pete talks with band extro band with last number to go out on. Five live sets of music on national TV with Gord Lightfoot on the side! Amazing! anything could happen. Bob Becker it was said could listen to a song, pick out the chord changes, remember the arrangement and teach it to the others after only a couple of listens. Bob is currently still an active musician. Ray Hewitt was a accomplished bass player for his time. He was also the cultural leader of the group. New fashions, hair styles, boots, jackets were as important at that time as money, relationships, school and music. Ray felt the pulse of his generation, a challenge living in Owen Sound. In a band, there is a unwritten rule, a rule that like the forces of the universe is timeless, that rule is, the moment a band photograph is taken the members will change. And so it was with the Rembrants. Doug Monahan came and went, eventually leaving altogether, Bob Becker left and re-joined the band. Bob Rouse joined the fray to help Pat Haily with his singing duties. Bob was more in the style of R&B singers of the time where Pat was interested in the stylings of the Jefferson Airplane and the west coast sound. Bob left and close to the end of the Rembrants Neil Glenn (Rob), took on singing duties. It was still a time for celebration in music, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison where alive and burning, the Beatles were at their commercial and artistic best, and still a band. Mankind had not yet been to the moon. Although vanguards of Owen Sound's baby boomer generation the big step to fame and fortune eluded the group. The Rembrants defeat was in possibly they did not write many songs. Sure they wrote instrumentals, all bands at the time seemed to have little intro pieces before the singers came on stage, and when it was time for a set to finish, but you needed hits with words and hooks and a record deal. It could have been Owen Sound's isolation, perhaps if the group was from Toronto, New York, or England … The death of Warren Carr in the summer of 69 was the herald of change for the Rembrants. "Cuban" an avid motorcyclist was killed just outside of Hepworth. The Rembrants faded and the next musical incarnation arose. "Straw" with Gord and Ray joined by Neil Glenn (vocals) and Gary Edmonstone (drums) were a exceptional band with a powerful sound. They played only a short time before running out of steam. An era of naivete and wonder was gone. Rock and Roll stars were killing themselves with drugs and booze, the moon was not cheese and the Beatles had lives. From a series of articles written by guitarist Al Walker, for the owen sounder. HOME
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