Gary Taylor (drums)
Tom Baird (keyboards)
Claire Lawrence (sax, flute)
Brian Russell (guitar)
Howie Vickers (vocals, trombone)
Glenn Miller (bass)

This Vancouver, BC band formed as the CFUN Classics in 1961 to help public promotions of the radio station around the Vancouver area playing a collection of jukebox cover tunes. As The Classics they soon incorporated their own songs and put out two singles on the Jaguar label -- "Ace's High" in 1963 and "Till I Met You" in 1964.

Having appeared as a back-up band to local DJ Fred Latremouille on his single "Latromotion"/"Good Lovin'"), The Classics traveled to Los Angeles to cut another single, "I Don't Know", in 1965 for the Valiant Records label under the name The Canadian Classics (to avoid confusion with other acts with the name Classics). The single was released in Canada, again, by Jaguar.

The group were featured as the house band on weekly CBC TV show 'Let's Go'. They lasted through early 1966 with another single on the GNP Crescendo label.

Vickers, Lawrence and Miller would join Ross Turney's house band at the new Torch Cabaret. After some member changes - including the addition of Bill Henderson - they would record two LPs as The Collectors before ultimately mutating again into the internationally successful Chilliwack.

Tom Baird began writing for Motown Records (as did R. Dean Taylor before him). Baird convinced Motown to take a chance on Canada's Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers; Miller still perform and records; Russell would relocate to Toronto and join Doug Riley's Dr. Music along with Brenda Gordon (who would find international fame as Brenda Russell).

with notes from Glenn Miller and Greg Simpson.


Singles
as THE CLASSICS
1963 Aces High/Comin' Home Baby (Jaguar) J-2001
1964 Til I Met You/It Didn't Take Much (Jaguar) J-2002

as THE CANADIAN CLASSICS
1965 I Don't Know/Gone Away (Jaguar) J-2003
1966 Why Don't You Love Me/Goodbye My Love (G.N.P. Crescendo) 342

Albums


Video


Compilation Tracks







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