Headpins | |
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Origin | Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
Genres | hard rock |
Years active | 1980-present |
Labels | Solid Gold, MCA |
Associated acts | Chilliwack, Loverboy, Chrissy Steele, Denise McCann |
Website | http://www.headpins.net |
Members | Katrina Lawrence Ab Bryant Bernie Aubin Tony Dellacroce Alfie Galpin |
Past members | Brian "Too Loud" MacLeod Darby Mills Chrissy Steele Denise McCann Matt Frenette |
Headpins are a Canadian rock group, founded as a side project in the late 1970s by then Chilliwack members Ab Bryant and Brian MacLeod. Macleod was impressed by the vocal talents of Vancouver rock singer Denise McCann, and asked her to join his new venture. Originally, Matt Frenette played drums for The Headpins while Bernie Aubin played drums for a fellow Vancouver band, just before they took the name Loverboy. But within months, Aubin and Frenette swapped bands where each continues to play to the present. The Headpins began gigging around the Vancouver area throughout 1981, quickly building a fan base. McCann left at the end of that first year, and MacLeod brought in Darby Mills to provide lead vocals.
They released their debut album Turn It Loud in 1982, which quickly went platinum and topped the charts for six weeks, with the hit single "Don't It Make Ya Feel" (Sample "Don't It..." here). Their second release, Line of Fire, was another multi-platinum success, and included the hits "Just One More Time" and "Feel It (Feel My Body)", resulting in the band touring Europe with Whitesnake at the beginning of 1984. Mills received much attention and won accolades with fans polls voting her best singer. In 1985, the Headpins toured with many acts such as Kiss, Eddie Money and ZZ Top. The band was in middle of recording their third album, Head Over Heels, when their record company went bankrupt. They were part of ZZ Top's Afterburner Tour and were slated to go down the eastern seaboard (of the US) with the band. ZZ Top didn't like the attention that the opening act was getting, and the Headpins were told not to do an encore number. As it turns out, MacLeod decided not to listen, and they were removed from the bill. In 1986, Mills left for a solo project and was replaced by Chrissy Steele. Later, Steele went on to make her own band with MacLeod and signed with Chrysalis Records, although the outfit was soon dropped by the label. She ended up having two hits, "Love You 'Til It Hurts" and the ballad "Love Don't Last Forever".