The Payolas
| Payolas | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Genres | New wave, rock |
| Years active | 1978–1988 2003–2008 |
| Labels |
A&M EMI |
| Associated acts | Rock and Hyde |
| Past members |
Paul Hyde Bob Rock Alex 'A-Train' Boynton Chris Taylor Gary Middleclass Lawrence Wilkins Lee Kelsey Taylor Nelson Little Christopher Livingston Ian Tiles Marty Higgs |
The Payolas (or just Payola$) were part of Vancouver's new wave of bands and active in the Canadian music scene for a decade from the late 1970s, recording several albums and singles that were Canadian chart hits. They disbanded in 1988, but reformed again from 2003 to 2008, issuing a new EP in 2007.
The band's name is a reference to the payola scandal in the United States in the early 1960s. The group was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and recorded mostly at Vancouver's Little Mountain Sound Studios. Through several lineup changes and name changes (the band also played as The Payola$, Paul Hyde and the Payolas and Rock and Hyde), the Payolas core members remained Paul Hyde and Bob Rock, who together wrote virtually all of the band's songs, occasionally with co-writers. As well, Rock engineered and mixed virtually every Payolas recording.
Although in the 1980s the Payolas always seemed poised for a big international breakthrough, the band never quite broke out despite their artistic growth and popular success in Canada. They were, however, one of the most prominent and successful platinum-selling Canadian bands of the early 1980s.
Vocalist Hyde, a British emigrant, met guitarist Rock (originally from Winnipeg) during high school in Langford, B.C. Shortly after they joined with drummer Ian Tiles and bass player Marty Higgs to form a pop-punk band. As the band got started, Bob Rock simultaneously started his career as a recording engineer at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver, B.C., allowing the Payola$ the time to record their first single, "China Boys" (1979). This single was sold at their gigs and in local music stores.
Higgs and Tiles left shortly after the single was recorded, and in the first of many personnel changes for the band, were replaced by drummer Taylor Nelson Little and sax/bass player Gary Middleclass (né Gary Bourgeois). Spotted by A&M Records, the band was given the budget to record four songs, which were issued as Introducing Payola$ in 1980. The major-label EP included a new version of their signature song “China Boys”, early versions of “Jukebox” and “Rose”, and the profanity-laden working class anthem “T.N.T.”
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