It is with much sadness that we look back on these past couple years and the many “Farewells” we’ve had to say to some of our dearest of friends. The loss of Kelly in 2019, Rheal in 2020, and most recently Roly 2020, has certainly redefined our reality as a band, strengthened our ties as friends, reinforced the gratitude we have for so many great years of rock’n’roll and has certainly reminded us of our positions as mere mortal humans on this spinning blue planet.
Our hearts are with the many friends & family who share in these collective losses. May you turn up the music in their memory & may you do your part to keep the groovy peace-loving beats going strong.
We hope to see you all soon on this spinning planet as it opens up again soon and safely.
Until then, keep rocking.
John, Sonnie & the Crowbar family
About The Band
Crowbar has a rich history coming in on the ground floor of the Canadian music scene. As Canada's true pioneers of rock and roll, Crowbar led the way to the heights of musical expression during the Trudeau 70s.
From 1969 to 1970, some members of the group had been a backup band for the legendary Ronnie Hawkins under the crafty name, "And Many Others." It was Hawkins who gave the band their name as he fired them, citing, “They’re a nice bunch of boys but they can f*#! up a crowbar in about fifteen seconds.”
The band, known from then on as Crowbar, hit the studio with their friend, Richard Newell, recording their first album, Official Music, in 1970 as “King Biscuit Boy & Crowbar.”
Over the years, there were a couple personnel changes with keyboardist Richard Bell leaving to join Janis Joplin's Full Tilt Boogie Band, Bell was replaced by Jozef Chirowski. Drummer Larry Atamanuik left to join Seatrain, a California-based band and was replaced by Sonnie Bernardi. They continued on to record a second album with Richard Newell called “Gooduns.”
With the basic membership of the band achieved and after Richard left the band they then recorded the album, 'Bad Manors,' named after the band's homebase farmhouse in Ancaster, Ontario. This album included their hit, 'Oh What A Feeling,’ which would become as Jeff Healey put it, “Canada’s second national anthem.”
In 1971, the band recorded a sold-out performance at the historic Massey Hall in Toronto, which was released as a double album, Larger than Life (and Live'r Than You've Ever Been). The recording and release of the album made Canadian history as the first time a band had recorded and released a "live in concert" album as well as a radio simulcast across Canada. For a complete discography, click here.
While the band would eventually take a hiatus from the stage, the Crowbar family has stayed in close touch with each other, and have come together over the years for special occasions. The band is excited to be rekindling some of that old rock and roll spirit and just like vintage wines they have only gotten better with age.
Thanks for visiting...and keep rocking.
Click for more info on each member of the current Crowbar crew:
