The Paupers

The Paupers
The Paupers in 1967
Background information
Origin	Canada
Genres	Psychedelic rock
Years active	1965 (1965)-1968 (1968)
Labels	Verve Forecast

The Paupers were a Canadian psychedelic rock band from Toronto, Ontario who recorded between 1965 and 1968. They released two albums for Verve Forecast Records and appeared at the Monterey International Pop Festival.

The group was formed as The Spats in Toronto during 1964 by ex-Riverside Three drummer Skip Prokop (born Ronn Prokop, December 13, 1943 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Bill Marion aka Bill Misener (born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). The other original members comprised lead guitarist Chuck Beal (born April 6, 1944 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) and bass player Denny Gerrard (born February 28, 1947 in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada).

According to legend, The Spats rehearsed for 40 hours a week, sometimes on a 13-hour-a-day shift, and as a result became one of Toronto’s tightest acts. After changing their name to The Paupers in early 1965, the group attracted the attention of local manager Duff Roman, who signed them to Toronto’s independent label Red Leaf. In March 1965, the label issued Prokop and Marion’s "Never Send You Flowers" as the group’s debut single and it soon became a modest local hit, as did the follow-up "If I Told My Baby". During August, the group appeared at the Canadian National Exhibition's under 21 club with David Clayton-Thomas & The Shays.