Bear’s Vinyl Vault Classic! [VIDEO]
Motherlode was a Canadian pop rock group formed in 1969 in London, Ontario. The group scored some success in the US with their single, “When I Die”,which hit #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1969.
William Smith and Steve Kennedy had been playing together with Eric Mercury and Diane Brooks in a Toronto band called the Soul Searchers. After the Soul Searchers broke up, first Kennedy and then Smith joined a group called Grant Smith and the Power which also featured David Clayton Thomas.
They formed Motherlode in 1969 and relocated to London, Ontario. They finally got a break following their debut at the Image Club when Mort Ross signed them to Revolver Records that same year.
Their first single, “When I Die” that was produced by Doug Riley and Terry Brown did not make any headway on the radio. A reciprocal deal in the US with Buddah Records made the song a hit reaching Number 18 on the charts. The song sold more than 500,000 copies and it eventually climbed to Number 5 in the Canadian charts when it became a hit after it’s second release.
The original Motherlode members reunited in 1976, and recorded a song “Happy People” but, because of issues surrounding the name Motherlode, it had to be released under a different name. In November 1989, they used the name Motherlode for a reunion during a week of live performances at the Bluenote club in Toronto. In 1990 they recorded eight new songs, but those sessions have remained unreleased.
Enjoy this classic from my Vinyl Vault!
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