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John Cleveland Hughes (keyboards)
Bob Doughty (trumpet)
Denny Gerrard (bass, vocals)
Rick James (vocals)
Ian Kojima (saxophone)
Ed Roth (keyboards)
Norm Wellbanks (drums)

Following gigs in the late '60s around Yorkville, including a stint in The Mynah Birds with Neil Young, American Rick James formed Great White Cane in early 1972. The band was created from the ashes of Heaven And Earth with Gerrard and Roth.

James still had ties to Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Bruce Palmer of Buffalo Springfield stateside and managed to land a recording deal with MGM's subsidiary label Lion Records.

They recorded their self-titled debut album in Los Angeles in mid-1972 and then headed out on tour with B.B. King in 15-20 major centres.

On the eve of the tour the release of the album had to be postponed delayed while MGM sorted out rights issues with RCA - who controlled several of the compositions that James had written while still signed to RCA while in Heaven And Earth.

By the time the album finally saw a release later that year, the group had folded.

James went on to form The Stone City Band; Gerrard joined Mainline in 1973 in the midst of their 'Bump 'N' Grind Revue' tour; Hughes would go on to work with David Bendeth; Wellbanks joined GRT recording act Shooter; Kojima did session work for The Stampeders and toured with Chris De Burgh alongside fellow Canadian Danny McBride.

with notes from Nick Warburton


Singles


Albums
1972 Great White Cane (Lion/MGM) LN-1005

Video


Compilation Tracks