Rough Trade (band)
| Rough Trade | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | O (1968-70), The Bullwhip Brothers (1970-74) |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1968–1988 |
| Labels | True North |
| Associated acts | Wild T and the Spirit |
| Past members |
Carole Pope Kevan Staples Jo-Ann Brooks Michael Fonfara Rick Gratton Hap Roderman John Lang Marv Kanarek Luci Martin-Keyes Sharon Smith Jon Cessine Bucky Berger Patricia Cullen Terry Wilkins David McMorrow Howard Ayee Tony Springer Tony Craig |
Rough Trade was a Canadian new wave rock band in the 1970s and 1980s, centred on singer Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples. The band was noted for their provocative lyrics and stage antics; singer Pope often performed in bondage attire, and their 1981 hit "High School Confidential" was one of the first explicitly lesbian-themed Top 40 hits in the world.
The band began in 1968 in Toronto, when Carole Pope (vocals, guitars) and Kevan Staples (keyboards, guitars) began performing in a folk group known as "O". Their musical partner in this venture was Clive Smith.
In 1970, Smith left the group and Pope and Staples changed their name to "The Bullwhip Brothers",performing as a largely acoustic duo at Toronto art festivals and at private events. In 1973 they called themselves Rough Trade and added percussionist Chris Faulkner then bassist Bob Jennings followed by drummer Donny McDougal. In 1974, the lineup changed to Hap Roderman, Jane Cessine, Sharon Smith and Marv Kanarek. The band, through their combination of rock, R+B and raw sexuality (Pope often performed in bondage attire), became a popular draw on Toronto's live music scene through their regular shows at Grossman's.
They were the first rock band to record a direct to disc album with 1976's Rough Trade Live, which despite the title was actually a studio recording. Each side was performed live (without an audience) all the way through, and cut directly to the mastering disc for greater audio fidelity. By this time, the band's line-up was Pope, Staples, Brooks (vocals, percussion), Gratton (drums), Michael Fonfara (keyboards, arranger), and Peter Hodgson (bass). As would be the case throughout the band's entire career, the vast majority of the album's songs were written by Pope and Staples.
On December 19, 1977, the band presented a newly created live musical called Restless Underwear which co-starred Divine alongside the band (who by this time had added an additional back-up singer, Luci Martin-Keyes). The show, which played at Toronto's prestigious Massey Hall, was noted for its outrageous (for the time) sexual satire. However, aside from Pope and Staples the rest of the band quit after Restless Underwear had completed its one-show run, in a dispute over payment.
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