Bobby Kris (vocals)
John Crone (saxophone)
Rick Dutt (bass)
Martin Fisher (keyboards)
Gordon MacBain (drums)
Gene Martynec (guitar)
Pat Riccio Jr. (percussion)
Jerry Shymanski (saxophone; replaced Crone)
Wayne Davis (bass; replaced Dutt)
Dave Konvalenko (guitar)
Larry Leishman (guitar)

Originally called J.S. And The Imperials, they changed their name in early 1965 when singer Bobby Kris (aka Bob Burrows) became their lead singer. Martin Fisher, who replaced original keyboard player Jim Snowden during the original J.S. And The Imperials line-up, led the R & B band throughout its short run.

The group's debut single, a cover of the Bacharach/David standard "Walk On By" was released in November 1965 and spent four weeks in the Top40 eventually reaching No. 8 in early 1966. Their follow-up single in 1966 was a cover of Dylan's "She Belongs To Me" but barely chrated.

Meanwhile, the band landed the opening slot for a gig with The Lovin' Spoonful at Toronto's Massey Hall. Shortly afterwards, Dutt left to play bass for Gordon Lightfoot and was replaced by ex-Just Us member Wayne Davis. The new line-up continued to play extensively in the Toronto area. With no new recording prospects, they still managed to become one of fourteen acts to play at a 14-hour pop festival at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens September 24th, 1966.

By the spring of 1967 the band started to fall apart. Martynec left to form Kensington Market and Crone joined The Majestics. Though most of the others carried on for a while by November 1967, Fisher and MacBain had left to join Bruce Cockburn's Flying Circus, Kris had jumped ship to replace Jimmy Livingston in Livingston's Journey, and Davis joined Three's a Crowd in December 1967.

A final line-up featuring Leishman (Jon And Lee And The Checkmates) played together briefly in mid-1968. Leishman then went on to join The Duke Edwards Cycle and Rhinoceros with his former Checkmates bandmates.

with notes from Gordon MacBain.



Singles
1965 Walk On By/Travelling Bag (Columbia) C4-2672
1966 She Belongs To Me/A Year From Today (Columbia) C4-2687

Albums


Video


Compilation Tracks







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