The Kingpins
| The Kingpins (Featuring Lorraine Muller "The Queen of Ska") | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Montréal, Québec, Canada |
| Genres | Ska |
| Years active | 1994–2004 |
| Labels | Stomp |
| Associated acts | Lo and the Magnetics |
| Website | www.thekingpins.com |
| Past members | Eric Boulanger (founding member) Jordan Swift (founding member) Ian Hodkinson (founding member) Lorraine Muller (founding member) Vượng Đào Bobby Beaton Nigel Goddard Jesse Radz Maithe Robert de Massis Paddy Walsh Nish Herat Dave Jager John Jordan Dave "JFK" Adams Chris Pung Mitch "King Kong" Gírio Josh Fuhrman Johnny Trudel Mike Gasselsdorfer Daryl Meili Chris Raz Dan Meier Sean Scanlan Oliver Crow Russ Cooper Liam O'Neil (guest) Josh Katz-Rosene (guest) Andy King (guest) Gord Hyland |
The Kingpins featuring Lorraine Muller - The Queen of Ska was a ska band from Montréal, Canada that created Stomp Records label with fellow Montreal Ska band The Planet Smashers. The last Kingpins tour took place in 2004, after which the members of the band reformed under the name Lo and the Magnetics founded by Muller in order to reflect the drastic line-up changes (and musical changes) that had taken place since the band's inception in 1994. During their ten-year reign, the band toured extensively in Canada, the U.S., France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, and Japan. They are known for their danceable ska rhythms, and their catchy song-writing abilities in both English and French.
The group formed in 1994 by founding members of the Kingpins were Eric 'Boum Boum' Boulanger on drums, Jordan Swift on bass, Ian 'Hot Tub' Hodkinson on organ, and Lorraine Muller (later given the nickname "The Queen of Ska" by Bobby Beaton), on alto saxophone (she later went on to play tenor and baritone saxes, and eventually became the lead singer and band leader.)
The band's first big break came with the release of their first single, "On the Run", written by Hodkinson and Muller which garnered them the 1995 Montreal Independent Music Industry award in the category of Best Single. The single was released with two B-sides, "Spy vs. Spy" (a cover) and "Leave My Girlfriend Alone" (by Nigel Goddard, alto sax). The Montréal ska scene took notice and Kingpins shows attracted increasingly larger crowds. The wave of support was continued with the release of the band's first full length album Watch Your Back in 1997, but it wasn't until 1999 that they broke out into the mainstream media with the release of their second album Let's Go To Work, a more traditional-based ska album. The success of the second album led to major exposure, such as performances on the Warped Tour, at the Montreal Jazz Festival and extensive touring in Europe.
...
Wikipedia