Born: John Paul Young July 16, 1956
John Paul Young began his music career in 1977 as the frontman for The Cardboard Brains who helped define the Toronto Queen Street circuit with their tireless work ethic playing clubs like The Edge and The Horseshoe Tavern.
The band released a 7" four song EP called, simply, 'The White EP' in 1977 as they performed alongside such notorious acts as The Viletones, Teenage Head and The Ugly among other notables. With several line-up changes the band continued developing its unique cross of King Crimson-inspired art-punk which led to the release of a 12" 1979's four song follow-up called 'The Black EP' -- which contained the 7" single as a free bonus. That same year the band would achieve its biggest claim to fame when they were immortalized on film and record for their performance as part of the 'The Last Pogo' movie and soundtrack recording.
But, by the following year, John Paul Young yearned for a more stable and reliable format to produce his music and went solo at which time he performed all his own instrumentation in a new set of recordings in 1980 entitled 'The Life Of Ermie Scub' which won a CASBY Award.
The band reunited for The Edge's brief resurrection and anniversary celebration April 26, 1981. Recordings from this performance were released as a live album in 1982 before the band split up for good.
John Paul Young is a successful actor in many Canadian television productions such as 'Earth: Final Conflict' and movies such as 'Sanctuary' & 'Sabotage', as well as contributing to movie soundtracks such as 'The Gate' and 'Metal Messiah'. He has since resurrected the Cardboard Brains on several occasions for club dates in Toronto, initially to coincide with the John Paul Young And Cardboard Brains 'best of' compilation CD, and then in 2000 as a prelude to a possible new Cardboard Brains recording project.
Singles
as JOHN PAUL YOUNG
1980 Our Time Escapes/Fire; Incensed As In Rage (Canadian Music Development Corporation)
with THE CARDBOARD BRAINS
1977 The White EP [7"] (Brainco/Guilt)
[I Want To Be A Yank/Can Stress Kill//Stepping Stone/Living Inside My Head]
Albums
as JOHN PAUL YOUNG
1980 The Life Of Ermie Scub (CMDC)
with THE CARDBOARD BRAINS
1979 The Black EP [12"] (Brainco/Guilt)
[Caesar Drives A Fast Car/Out, Out, Out/And So I Hide/The Rescue Crew]
1982 Live At The Edge (Canadian Music Development Corporation)
1998 John Paul Young And Cardboard Brains (MEG Entertainment)
Video
Compilation Tracks
with THE CARDBOARD BRAINS
1979 "Jungles" and "Babies Run My World" on 'The Last Pogo' (Bomb)
19?? "Stepping Stone" on 'Killed By Death #26' (???)
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