Barney Bentall (vocals, guitar)
Doug McFetridge (lead guitar; BRANDON WOLF)
Brad Kilburn (bass; BRANDON WOLF)
Jack Guppy (drums)
Will Froese (keyboards)
Kevin Swain (bass)
Barry Muir (bass; replaced Swain)
Cam Bowman (keyboards; replaced Froese)
Colin Nairne (guitar); replaced McFetridge)
Barney Bentall (aka Franklin) spent his teenage years holed up on Keat Island, British Columbia with songwriter Gary Fraser. By the late '70's Bentall was fronting a band under his new pseudonym Brandon Wolf doing slashing satire and throwing in healthy doses of the Fraser/Franklin originals.
With quirky tunes like the Dylan send-up "Blonde On Blonde On Blonde" Brandon Wolf was signed to A & M Records. They issued a 4 song EP on A & M's short-lived Debut Series which suffered at retail because retailers were charging full album prices for these mini albums.
Bentall went back to the drawing board with Nairne and Guppy to form the trio The Legendary Hearts (a name taken from a Lou Reed album title) in 1983. As time passed they added Bowman and Muir.
Soon Bruce Allen's management company was handling the case but they intended the Hearts material to go straight into the hands of slick production whizzes Bruce Fairbairn or Bob Rock. And despite caving into releasing a much ignored indie album with Bob Rock, Bentall wanted the material to mature and waited until Jehanne Languedoc at Finklestein Management approached with Finklestein and CBS Records fully behind them before committing any more material to tape.
In under a year the band's eponymous debut was out and burning up the charts with the first hit "Something To Live For". A succession of albums, tours and rave reviews finally landed Bentall some US exposure.
with notes from Barb Kilburn.
Singles
as BRANDON WOLF
1979 Excerpts From The Montmartre Letters (Possible Worlds)
[Blonde On Blonde On Blonde/Montmartre Letters//The Perfect Crime/Fabulous Days]
as BARNEY BENTALL & THE LEGENDARY HEARTS
1987 Something To Live For (CBS)
1988 Come Back To Me (CBS)
1988 The House Of Love (CBS)
1988 Something To Live For [re-issue](CBS)
1989 She's My Inspiration (CBS)
1990 Crime Against Love (CBS)
1991 Life Could Be Worse (Sony)
1991 I Gotta Go (Sony)
1991 Nothing Hurts Like The Words (Sony)
1992 Livin' In The '90s (Sony)
1992 Doin' Fine (Sony)
1993 If This Is Love (Sony)
1993 Belly Of The Sun (Sony)
1993 Family Man (Sony)
1995 Do Ya (Sony)
1995 I'm Shattered (Sony)
Albums
as BRANDON WOLF
1979 Brandon Wolf (A & M)
1980 Losing Control (independent)
as BARNEY BENTALL & THE LEGENDARY HEARTS
1988 Barney Bentall And The Legendary Hearts (CBS/Epic)
1990 Lonely Avenue (CBS/Epic)
1992 Ain't Life Strange (Sony)
1995 Gin Palace (Sony)
1996 Greatest Hits 1986-1996 (Sony)
1997 Till Tomorrow (Sony)
Video
1988 Come Back To Me
1988 The House Of Love
1988 Something To Live For
1989 She's My Inspiration
1990 Crime Against Love
1991 Life Could Be Worse
1992 Livin' In The '90s
1992 Doin' Fine
1993 If This Is Love
1993 Belly Of The Sun
1993 Family Man
1995 Do Ya
1995 I'm Shattered
Compilation Tracks
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