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Simon Caine

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Nick Warburton (talk | contribs) at 07:49, 22 August 2006 (→Transfusion). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Simon Caine was a short-lived Toronto funk/soul band, which recorded a solitary album in 1970. Most of the musicians went on to become top session players on the Canadian music scene throughout the 1970s and 1980s working with the likes of Bruce Cockburn, David Wiffen and Murray McLauchlan.

Early years

Singer Peter Shields (aka Simon Caine) first came to prominence in January 1967 with his group, Simon Caine & The Catch, which included former Luke & The Apostles bass player Dennis Pendrith. The group made regular appearances on the Toronto club scene throughout the early part of the year, performing at notable venues like Boris’, Boris’ Red Gas Room and the Gogue Inn and sharing the stage with local bands like Jon and Lee & The Checkmates and The Paupers. By July, Pendrith had moved on to play with Livingstone’s Journey and the Catch eventually dissolved.

Caine next may have briefly sung with The Diplomats, a Toronto rock band that contained future rock promoter, John Brower. Caine and Brower composed a song, “Introspection”, which Caine later used for the second incarnation of his band.

Transfusion

Around July 1968, Simon Caine re-emerged as lead singer with rock band, Tranfusion. The group, which also included future Chris de Burgh sideman, Danny McBride on guitar; former Luke & The Apostles and David Clayton-Thomas Combine drummer Pat Little; bass player Rick Shuckster and keyboard player Tom Sheret became the house band at the Rock Pile, one of Toronto’s top live venues.

Throughout the latter part of 1968, Transfusion opened for Blood, Sweat & Tears (September 20), Country Joe & The Fish (September 29), Procol Harum (October 5), the Jeff Beck Group (October 27) and Iron Butterfly (November 9) among others. Caine left the band before the year was out and maintained a low profile musically.

Simon Caine returns

He formed a new version of Simon Caine (dropping The Catch) in October 1969 with original member, Dennis Pendrith, who had spent the interim playing with Olivus, 3’s a Crowd and Ugly Ducklings spin-off group, GNU. The other members included pianist Pat Godfrey (born 1948 in Toronto) from The Diplomats, drummer John Savage, wind instrumentalist Bruce Pennycook (born October 5, 1949 in Toronto) and American guitarist, Bill Palmer.

The new line up signed to RCA Victor and issued a lone single, “Walked Out The Door”, written by Pat Godfrey and Dave Richardson, which coincided with an appearance at Toronto’s Electric Circus (December 12-14, 1969). The following year, the group gigged intensively throughout southern Ontario and also completed sessions for an album at RCA Recording Studios in Toronto with producer George Semkiw, which was released in October 1970. That same month, the band returned to Toronto’s live scene with a show at the Night Owl, followed by an appearance at Ryerson Great Hall alongside Leigh Ashford on November 6, 1970.

Simon Caine saw out the new year at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens, appearing at a prestigious show that also featured Johnny Winter, Rare Earth, Poco, The James Gang and fellow Canadians, Chilliwak.

Despite a positive write up in the Toronto Telegram in its October 1 issue, the album didn’t sell well and in early 1971 the band broke up.

Aftermath

Dennis Pendrith subsequently became an integral member of both Bruce Cockburn and Murray McLauchlan’s backing bands and later appeared on David Wiffen’s 1973 album “Coast To Coast Fever”. Godfrey, Pennycook and Savage also participated in this project and appeared as studio session players on an array of other albums throughout the decade.

Savage and Godfrey spent a brief period with Bruce Cockburn while the latter also did sessions for Tom Rush. Godfrey later moved to Vancouver Island and worked as a film animation composer. He continues to play piano and compose.

Palmer returned to United States and was last hear renovating old houses in the Florida Keys. Shields became a teacher at a Catholic school and lives in Toronto. Savage also lives in Toronto and was last heard working in the construction/renovation industry. Pennycook lives in Austin, Texas where he teaches in the Department of Composition at Austin University and is a successful composer.

Discography

  • Walked Out The Door c/w Scarlet Skies (RCA Victor 1044) 1969
  • LP Simon Caine (RCA Victor 4410) 1970

Sources

  • Interviews with Pat Godfrey, Bruce Pennycook and Danny McBride, 2006
  • Album review, Toronto Telegram’s After Four section, October 1, 1970
  • Album sleeve notes provided by Ritchie Yorke.
  • The Toronto Telegram’s After Four section on Thursdays list live dates
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