Wade Brothers (Brett and Joel)

Websites:  http://www.damprock.com/st.WadeBros1.htm, http://www.damprock.com/st.jwade.htm
Origin: Chilliwack, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Brett and Joel Wade, known professionally as The Wade Brothers, emerged from Chilliwack, British Columbia, during a period when the West Coast’s music scene was evolving rapidly from psychedelic rock into sophisticated pop, jazz-fusion, and radio-friendly funk. The brothers’ partnership would span more than a decade of studio sessions, songwriting, and live performance, culminating in one of the most polished and musically ambitious projects to come out of late-1970s Vancouver.

Raised in a musical household, both brothers were performing and writing songs by their teens. Brett, the elder, studied at the University of British Columbia’s School of Music, mastering guitar, flute, and keyboards before heading south to California to join The Electric Prunes, appearing on their 1969 Reprise album Just Good Old Rock and Roll. After returning home, he and Joel formed Stallion Thumrock, a progressive hard-rock quartet that became a cult name around the Lower Mainland. The group rehearsed in a lakeside cabin at Cultus Lake and, remarkably, recorded an album at A&M Studios in Hollywood with Grammy-winning engineer Tommy Vicari. Issued in limited quantities on the Haida label (distributed by A&M), the record stands today as one of the rarest West Coast Canadian psych-rock releases of the early 1970s.

By mid-decade the brothers were fixtures in Vancouver’s studio network, contributing to sessions by Dale Jacobs, Valdy, and other regional artists. Brett’s guitar work can be heard on Valdy’s first LP, while Joel built a reputation for his warm, soulful voice and melodic bass playing. Together they developed a smooth, polished songwriting approach that reflected their dual influences—Stevie Wonder’s harmonic sophistication and Joni Mitchell’s lyrical introspection. Their songs balanced jazz-tinged pop structures with rock energy and radio accessibility, a combination that caught the attention of CBS Records Canada, who signed them to a multi-album deal under the Epic Records imprint.

Working with producer and jazz keyboardist Dale Jacobs, the brothers began recording their debut album at Total Sounds West Ltd. in Vancouver, before mixing sessions at Manta Sound in Toronto. The resulting LP, Which Wade? (Epic PEC 80024, 1979), was one of the most technically advanced Canadian studio productions of its day. It featured the Aphex Aural Exciter System—then a cutting-edge studio enhancement tool—and an impressive roster of supporting musicians: Doug Louie, Graeme Coleman, Glen Hendrickson, Jim Vallance, Geoff Eyre, Mary Saxton, Joani Taylor, Jane Mortifee, Nancy Nash, and Melinda Whiticker among others. The sessions were co-produced by the Wades with Jacobs, and engineered by Carlton Lee, Don Steele, and Brian Campbell.

Musically, Which Wade? bridged the soft-rock and R&B worlds, pairing slick production with an undercurrent of spiritual optimism. Songs such as “One Way Ticket,” “Too Much (In Need of Someone),” and “In the Sky” reflected the era’s post-disco warmth and the West Coast’s melodic sensibility. Despite the album’s studio excellence and strong musicianship, Epic’s promotional support faltered, and neither of the singles achieved substantial chart traction. The Wades were briefly re-mixed and re-positioned by the label, but the partnership dissolved in early 1980.

Undeterred, Brett and Joel released an independent follow-up single, “Smooth Sailing” / “Silver Seas” (Prime Time Records, 1982), which continued their smooth pop-soul aesthetic. The record circulated modestly on regional radio and became a sought-after private-press item among collectors of Canadian soft rock.

In the years following their Epic release, both brothers continued to shape the Canadian and international music industry from behind the scenes. Brett Wade became an in-demand session guitarist and producer, contributing to projects by artists ranging from David Foster to Michael Bolton, while also teaching audio production at the Art Institute of Vancouver. Joel Wade signed a publishing deal with BMG Toronto before relocating to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he founded Blue House Media, a combined recording and video production company known for developing emerging artists and creating commercial media campaigns.

Joel’s musical lineage extends even further—his great-uncle was the legendary Swedish tenor Jussi Björling, considered one of the greatest operatic voices of the 20th century. That sense of melody and emotional phrasing can be felt throughout the Wade Brothers’ recordings, particularly in Joel’s soulful vocal delivery.

Though short-lived as a performing act, the Wade Brothers embodied the professionalism and craft of late-1970s Canadian pop. Their music sits at the intersection of jazz fusion, blue-eyed soul, and AOR, capturing the moment when Vancouver’s studio scene was rising to world-class status. Their legacy continues through their later creative work in production, composition, and education, as well as through collectors who recognize Which Wade? as a forgotten gem of Canada’s sophisticated West Coast sound.
-Robert Williston

Related acts:
https://citizenfreak.com/artists/103519-stallion-thumrock