West, Mel and The Meteors

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Origin: Regina, Saskatchewan, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Mel West & The Meteors — Prairie Firebrand

Before the prairies had a rock infrastructure, Mel West & The Meteors were out there inventing one—stringing together VFW halls, hotel lounges, TV spots, and road miles from Regina to the western U.S., turning a regional hustle into a real career.

The story begins in 1959 with a first incarnation simply called The Meteors—six players testing the rough Saskatchewan circuit until the lineup unraveled in 1960. West detoured into big-band work with Gene Dlouhy, touring the West and learning the discipline of the road, then stepped back in ’62 to support a young family. By 1964 the pull of the stage was stronger than any day job; he reformed the group as Mel West & The Meteors and started over.

Early turnover nearly sank the second attempt—until West crossed paths with guitarist-singer Jimmy McLennan. McLennan brought theory, charts, and arranging chops that sharpened the band’s attack. With Bobby Brownridge (keys) and Billy Wright (drums), the Meteors grew into a sleek show band—club-tight, TV-ready, and hungry. When Brownridge and Wright moved on, fortune sent two seasoned replacements straight from Regina legends The Checkerlads: singer/keyboardist Bobby Edwards and drummer Harvey Frasz. The core was set; the calendar filled.

Late 1966 delivered the first tangible payoff. Regina’s Soundaround label issued the debut single, “Sad and Blue” / “When You Hear Me Knockin’,” a regional turntable success that opened Toronto doors. On Red Leaf Records, the band cut a cheeky seasonal one-off as Chamber of Commerce, North Pole—Canada, then followed under their own name with “The Seventh Saint” / “Marilyn” (1967). Each release inched them forward—more radio, better rooms, hotter bills—even as that elusive national breakout stayed just out of reach.

They did what working bands do: hit the highway harder. Through 1967–68 the Meteors became a sure thing on the western dance circuit—packing small venues, stacking local TV and radio slots, refining their sound into a prairie blend of beat-group snap, blue-eyed soul, and road-seasoned pop. In late 1968 they circled home to Soundaround, cutting a full 12-track LP (including fresh takes on “Sad and Blue” and “The Seventh Saint”) and a non-album 45, “Saskatchewan” / “Banana Boat Song” (1969). The album captured the band the way fans knew them: tight harmonies, crisp arrangements, and a leader who could shift from tender ballad to galloping shuffle without breaking stride.

By 1970, after years of near-misses, West read the room. The band had proven itself as a draw, as pros, as studio-ready players—but in an era tilting toward heavier rock and album FM, their singles-first strategy and prairie base made the leap to national charts a long shot. He closed the book with typical pragmatism.

What remains is compelling: a run of quality singles, a strong LP, and the blueprint for how a western Canadian band could carry itself like headliners long before the industry looked west. Mel West & The Meteors didn’t just play the circuit—they helped define it.
-Robert Williston