Fergus Hambleton (guitar, vocals)
Bruce Mack (bass)
Ronnie Wiseman (keyboards)
Dave Norris (drums)
Gary Steed (drums; replaced Norris)

Following a long stint as a solo artist through the first half of the 1970s, Fergus Hambleton and Bruce Mack had a pick-up reggae, Meters style funk and instrumental rock act called Moonfood who played at Toronto clubs like the Beverly Tavern, The Black Bull between 1974 and 1976.

When the punk scene exploded on Queen Street the two formed the The Basics in 1977 with Ronnie Wiseman (brother of Blue Rodeo's Bob Wiseman) and Dave Norris.

Norris left to join Tony Malone's Drastic Measures and was replaced by the more funk-oriented Gary Steed which took the band away from a punk sound into a different musical direction.

The band became part of a scene at a place called the Global Village on St. Nicholas Street in Toronto run Dishes manager Roy Fleming who later managed the Dishes. The Basics also frequented The Edge, The Cabana Room, The El Mocambo and others around Toronto performing with The Diodes and Drastic Measures amongst others.

The Basics recorded one single entitled "I Can't Help" in 1980.

The band split up in 1981. Hambleton and Mack went on to form The Sattalites.

with notes from Fergus Hambleton.


Singles
1980 I Can't Help/Danger Zone (Axe) AX-58

Albums


Video


Compilation Tracks







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