Born: December 16, 1948
Denise McCann was born in Clinton, Iowa, and was a member of a very musical family. She cut her teeth, musically, first in the local church, then in high school musicals.
By 1967 she had moved to California and was part of the first Monterey Pop Festival. For five years she struggled as a folk artist in the dingy coffeehouse circuit, but by 1972 had joined her first band, Cat Mother And The All Night News Boys.
In 1974 she moved to Vancouver to become a mainstay at the folk lounge The Egress all the while writing material she hoped one day to release. She got paying gigs in jingle and commercial work and toured with Vancouver band Hot Crackers.
With a record deal on Polydor, McCann released an unsuccessful single in 1976 called "It Still Hurts". A sales rep recognized the potential of another tune McCann had written, called "Tattoo Man", and suggested she rework it from a rock tune to a dance number.
"Tattoo Man" was a huge club hit, while radio and press dubbed McCann the Disco Queen after the record pioneered the Canadian disco movement with a Top 20 showing on the charts. In the U.S. the record went to number one in some cities.
Her follow-up, "I Don't Wanna Forget You", was also a nominal success but subsequent records did not fair as well. He follow-up album, 'Midnight Man', featured a young Jim Vallance on drums but it too failed to crack commercially.
In an attempt to shed the 'disco' tag she had acquired, McCann became the first vocalist for Brian "Too Loud" McCloud's hard rock outfit The Headpins. She was married to and divorced from former Chessman (Terry Jacks' old band) Guy Sobell.
When this didn't work out she put together her own touring band called Denise McCann And The Dead Marines. McCann still lives in British Columbia, with second husband, Randy Bachman. She has appeared as backing vocalist on his many projects, including BTO's 1973 debut and Bachman's 'Any Road' album in 1995.
With notes from Denise McCann
Singles
1976 It Still Hurts (Polydor)
1977 Tattoo Man (Polydor)
1977 I Don't Wanna Forget You (Polydor)
1977 Cisco's Blaze (Polydor)
Albums
1976 Denise McCann (Polydor)
1977 Midnight Man (Polydor)
Video
Compilation Tracks
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