Max Webster

Websites:  https://www.maxwebster.ca/
Origin: Sarnia, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

The roots to one of Canada’s most eclectic rock acts ever took seed in Toronto in the fall of 1973. After leaving Zooom and returning from a sabbatical in Greece with lyricist Pye Dubois (real name Paul Woods), Kim Mitchell formed his new group with Fort William, Ont. native Terry Watkinson (ex of The Rock Show of The Yeomen). They soon recruited transplanted Indiana native Mike Tilka on bass (ex of Family at Mac’s) and Paul Kersey on drums.

Many theories abound about the origin of the band’s name. Some have reported that it came from a random flip in the phone book, naming the band after a snow shoe and dog food, to a friend of Mitchell’s named Max living on Webster Drive. But Mitchell himself has said it originated from Tilka’s old band, who did a song called “Webster.” The band was looking for a name similar to Jethro Tull, a name that no one in the band had.

Before long they’d gained a reputation for their bizarre on-stage atire and magnetic live presence doing everything from high schools to cheap clubs around the southern end of Ontario. In ’76 they moved to Toronto where they met up with a multi-lingual poet/lyricist and registered psychologist named Pye Dubois. Fuelled by Dubois’ lyrics which sometimes crossed the line of being abstract, critics often remarked his writing was simply words jumbled together that sometimes happened to rhyme. But together he would form a collaberation with the group that would span their five studio albums. They were noticed by manager Ray Daniels, and signed them to his label, Taurus Records.

They released their self-titled debut later that year, and from the opening riffs of “Hangover” to the clever bridges and hooks in “Here Among The Cats” to the soothing melodies of “Blowing The Blues Away”, it was quickly established that Max Webster was a unique Canadian treasure, versatile and tight, possibly not equalled in under-rated sheer musical brilliance since.

After a falling out with Mitchell, Kersey left the band and later formed Dillinger, which morphed into The Hunt. Max, meanwhile, signed to Anthem Records and struck a distribution deal with Merucry in 1977, releasing HIGH CLASS IN BORROWED SHOES with new drummer Gary McCracken (ex of Zing Dingo – a three piece jazz outfit out of Windsor, Ont.) later that year. The album would also feature the group’s first time working with producer Terry Brown, most noted for his work with Rush and Klaatu. The record featured the ballad “Diamonds Diamonds” as the first single, “Gravity”, “America’s Veins” and the title track. Touring in support of the record helped spread word of Mitchell‘s bizarre on-stage antics and appearance, and helped build the group’s popularity as they toured outside of Canada for the first time..

MUTINY UP MY SLEEVE hit the stores a year later and contained “The Party”, “Waterline” and “Lip Service”, all catchy beat driven, but most complex underneath. More sold out shows caused word of mouth, which resulted in a chain effect. Tours extended and by 1979’s A MILLION VACATIONS, Max Webster was one of the hottest tickets in town. New bassist David Myles had previously played with Mitchell in both The Grass Company and Zooom, as well as Zing Dingo after McCracken left. The record rode on the charts on the backs of classics like “Paradise Skies”, “Night Flights”, title-track and “Let Go The Line”, featuring Watkinson on vocals. Over the next year, they toured across Canada, into the US, and across the pond for the first time, even making an appearance on Top Of The Pops, the UK’s biggest TV music variety program at the time.

They released LIVE MAGNETIC AIR early the next year, showcasing their eclectic on-stage presence. The live version of “Paradise Skies” quickly climbed the charts, but by this point the constant touring and problems with management were beginning to cause cracks in the group’s foundations.

Watkinson and Myles left the group before the recording of UNIVERAL JUVENILESfrom left; david myles, kim mitchell, terry watkinson, gary mccracken later that year, which featured new keyboardist Greg Chad and Mike Gingrich on bass. With new producer Jack Richardson (The Guess Who, White Wolf, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Poco, etc etc ….)at the helm, the disc is considered by many to be one of the group’s finest and became their fifth straight gold or better. Fuelled by “Check” and “Blue River Liquor Shine”, it also contained “Chalkers” and the duet with Rush, “Battle Scar”. Working with Rush also led Dubois to co-writing one of their biggest hits in “Tom Sawyer” on the MOVING PICTURES album.

Though Mitchell remains good friends with Rush to this day, it was partially Anthem’s treatment of the band as Rush‘s “little brother-not to be taken too seriously” that led to Max’s demise. Ironically it was while touring with Rush in 1981 that Mitchell told his bandmates before a show one night it would be his last time on stage as part of Max Webster. Though he was quoted as simply needing a vacation more than anything in retrospect, Mitchell would enjoy more commercial success as a solo artist than Max Webster ever did. Following the subsequent tour McCracken joined Wrabit for their ’82 release TRACKS.

Anthem released DIAMONDS DIAMONDS in 1982, a collection of some of the group’s hits as well as two new tracks, “Hot Spots” and “Overnight Sensation”, but featured nothing from UNIVERSAL JUVENILES. The mid 80’s saw Watkinson moonlight with Klaatu, as did McCracken for their touring schedule. Though radio had all but forgotten Max Webster, their fans remained loyal and the label big-wigs again tried to capitalize on the group’s status by releasing another compilation in 1989. More cheesy marketing ploys included putting “Kids In Action”, taken from Mitchell’s debut ep on the record and calling the record BEST OF MAX WEBSTER FEATURING KIM MITCHELL.

Terry Watkinson re-surfaced in 1995 with TERATOLOGY. Now without a solo deal, Mitchell got together with him and McCracken later that year, resulting in a full-fledged Max Webster reunion with Peter Fredette on bass, a mainstay in Mitchell‘s solo career. Trips to the studios resulted in the reworking of “Suicide Wings” from Watkinson’s solo lp, but none of these were ever released and the band drifted apart again to do their own thing, including Watkinson going back to school and later becoming an accomplished artist.

Although a new record deal was said to be in the works at the turn of the century, nothing materialized of it. Universal Records did however release a Max Webster CD in their Millennium Collection series in 2001. Mitchell meanwhile returned to a solo career, and began hosting TV’s ‘where are they now’ styled “Undiscovered Countries – Been There Done That” in 2003 for that season, and released a pair of albums after that.
-Kim Mitchell

Canadian rock band Max Webster was formed in Toronto in 1972. With frontman Kim Mitchell at the helm, the band released seven albums from 1976-1981 — six of which received Gold status certification and one Platinum certification in Canada. Max Webster cranked out a string of Canadian hits that include Hangover, High Class in Borrowed Shoes, Diamonds, Diamonds, Let Go The Line, A Million Vacations and Paradise Skies. From the mid-1970s to the early ‘80s, the band toured heavily, playing up to 250 dates a year and opening for rock music heavyweights such as Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Blondie, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, The Guess Who, Kansas, Ted Nugent, Rainbow, Rush, REO Speedwagon and Styx.

This Toronto, Canada-based group was formed by guitarist Kim Mitchell, who had worked with various bands over the years, including MC5 and Alice Cooper. Mitchell was very much the central figure owing to his onstage showmanship and guitar ability. He was backed by Dave Myles on bass, Terry Watkinson on keyboards and Gerry McCracken on drums. The UK proved a hard nut to crack, but they tried hard in 1979 with two albums and a single, ‘Paradise Skies’, which featured guest appearances from fellow Canadians Rush. For some reason, British audiences turned their back on the band and most of the tour was cancelled. 1980’s Universal Juveniles brought back some dignity but their career and songwriting was on the wane, and by 1982 they had split up. Mitchell continued as a solo artist.

Max Webster was a Canadian hard rock band formed in Toronto in 1972. The band was relatively successful in Canada, with several best-selling albums, and had some minor success in the UK, before dissolving in 1981. The band's founder, Kim Mitchell, subsequently enjoyed a long and successful solo career in his native Canada.

Biography
Initially a trio for their first gigs in December 1972, the original members were guitarist and vocalist Kim Mitchell, bassist Mike Tilka, and drummer Phil Trudell. The band were briefly called Stinky, then Special Delivery. They settled on Max Webster by early 1973, a name concocted by Tilka while playing with Daryl Stuermer in a Milwaukee band called Family at Mac's (Stuermer had written a song inspired by Ben Webster called "Song for Webster").

The lineup was augmented to a quartet in early 1973 with Jim Bruton being added on keyboards. Paul Kersey replaced Trudell in April 1973, and Terry Watkinson replaced Bruton in February 1974. Max Webster were signed by SRO Management in 1975, and a year later their self-titled debut album, co-produced by Terry Brown, was released. The band quickly gained a reputation on the Toronto bar scene for their humour, stage antics, and repertoire including Jethro Tull and Frank Zappa covers as well as their compositions spanning a wide range of genres. The Mitchell/Tilka/Kersey/Watkinson lineup was the longest-lasting in the band's history, and by 1976 they had over 50 original songs in their catalog.

After a Canadian tour opening for Rush, Kersey left the band and was replaced by Gary McCracken. After recording and touring for their second album, High Class in Borrowed Shoes (1977), Tilka would follow suit and leave the band, being replaced by Dave Myles (although Billy Sheehan was Mitchell's first choice, who did pre-production for their next album while Tilka remained playing gigs). Myles had played with both Mitchell and McCracken in a series of pre-Max Webster bands, all based in their hometown of Sarnia, Ontario.

Mitchell and lyricist Pye Dubois wrote the majority of their material, with their collaboration beginning in Greece in 1972. Watkinson wrote one to three songs per album, and McCracken and Myles would eventually contribute material as well.

Max Webster toured heavily from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, usually playing 200-250 dates a year in the bars, high schools, theatres, and arenas. Artists they opened for included Bachman–Turner Overdrive, Blondie, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, The Guess Who, Kansas, Ted Nugent, Rainbow, Rare Earth, REO Speedwagon, Rush, Strawbs, and Styx. By 1978 the band were headliners in most major Canadian markets, although they continued to do extensive tours with Rush outside of Canada, supporting them over 200 times.

Their third album, Mutiny Up My Sleeve (1978), was produced by the band and Terry Brown and their now ex-bassist Mike Tilka (who was now working in the Anthem/SRO office and was called in to finish the album after Brown quit). The Mitchell/Watkinson/McCracken/Myles lineup would last through their fourth album, A Million Vacations, and a subsequent live album, Live Magnetic Air, both of which were issued in 1979 (Brown reunited with the band for the latter).

Though their albums had become FM radio staples in Canada, A Million Vacations was the first Max Webster album to generate hit singles that appeared in the Canadian top 100. The group's first hit was "Let Go the Line," written and sung by Terry Watkinson, and peaked at No. 41 on the Canadian charts. Follow-up single "A Million Vacations" was written by McCracken/Dubois, sung by McCracken, and peaked at No. 80 in Canada. The album's third and final single, "Paradise Skies" was a Mitchell/Dubois composition sung by Mitchell, and was a minor hit in both Canada (number 21) and the UK Singles Chart (number 43).

With some international recognition having arrived, Max Webster then toured the UK and Europe backing Rush in 1979 and played successful dates of their own at the famed Marquee Club in London. However, their career momentum was stalled when the band's American label Capitol Records refused to finance a follow-up headlining European tour. The band returned to the UK over a year later, but poor ticket sales from a lack of promotion led to their shows being cancelled, and only two dates supporting Black Sabbath were fulfilled.

Prior to the recording of the band's fifth and final studio album, Universal Juveniles (1980), Watkinson exited, leaving Max Webster a trio of Mitchell, McCracken, and Myles. Universal Juveniles was recorded with the assistance of session musicians David Stone (who also briefly toured with the band) and Doug Riley. The song "Battle Scar" was recorded live with all three members of Rush playing alongside Max Webster (Watkinson briefly returned just for this session).

Myles left the band immediately after the album was recorded, and Mitchell assembled a new touring lineup with Mike Gingrich on bass, Greg Chadd on keyboards, and Steve McMurray on second guitar. Watkinson eventually rejoined in December 1980 as a salaried touring member, but Mitchell nonetheless decided to dissolve the band after a gig supporting Rush in Memphis, Tennessee on April 16, 1981, primarily citing exhaustion and a lack of label support.

Legacy and reunions
Founding member, vocalist and guitarist Kim Mitchell
Max Webster were close friends of fellow Canadian musicians Rush. In a 1978 interview, Rush bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee commented that he enjoyed their music, insisting "they're quite hard to describe, but they have amazing musicianship and very interesting lyrics."

Although successful in Canada, Max Webster failed to achieve much success elsewhere. "Paradise Skies" was a minor UK hit, reaching No. 43 on the singles chart there. They also appeared on Top of the Pops in 1979, playing to a pre-recorded track that was recorded at Abbey Road Studios. Kim Mitchell's subsequent solo career, however, reached a much broader audience and he achieved popularity beyond Canada during the 1980s.

Among the highlights of the band's career were their New Year's Eve shows at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. Geddy Lee joined the band onstage to sing and play his Teardrop bass guitar for "Battle Scar" on December 31, 1980.

The band reunited in 1990 for a gig at the Toronto Music Awards, with the High Class in Borrowed Shoes lineup of Kim Mitchell, Terry Watkinson, Mike Tilka, and Gary McCracken. Max Webster did a proper reunion tour in 1995-96, with longtime Mitchell collaborator Peter Fredette joining the band as bassist in place of Tilka.

On May 24, 2007, The Mitchell/Watkinson/Tilka/McCracken lineup of Max Webster reunited for a one-off gig as part of the Q107 30th anniversary concert and live radio special at The Docks in Toronto. McCracken sang "A Million Vacations" with his tech Robert Sibony on drums, and Fredette joined the band onstage to sing Geddy Lee's part on "Battle Scar."

From April 2004 until August 2015, Kim Mitchell hosted the weekday afternoon drive slot (2 p.m.-6 p.m.) on Q107 (107.1) in Toronto, Ontario.

In the 1990s Watkinson and Tilka formed the band Antlers, mostly playing Max Webster songs and classic rock covers. The band has continued on and off for more than 20 years, playing at various venues around southern Ontario.

Gary McCracken teaches music in his hometown of Sarnia, Ontario.

Rock Candy Records in England has re-released the first four Max Webster albums.

In 2017 a box set package called The Party was released by Anthem Records on vinyl, compact disc and digital formats. The release featured remastered versions of all the band's previously released material (with the exception of Hot Spots and Overnight Sensation, which had appeared on Diamonds Diamonds), unreleased live and studio songs, and Kim Mitchell's long out-of-print solo EP. The vinyl set includes a booklet, a poster and a sticker.

Paul Gilbert cites Mitchell's playing on Universal Juveniles to have been a great influence on his guitar style. Music critic and biographer Martin Popoff cites Max Webster as his favourite band.

Band members
Kim Mitchell – guitar, vocals (1972–1981, 1990, 1995-1996, 2007)
Terry Watkinson – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals (1974–1980, 1980-1981, 1990, 1995-1996, 2007)
Mike Tilka – bass, synthesizer, vocals (1972–1977, 1990, 2007)
Gary McCracken – drums, percussion, vocals (1976-1981, 1990, 1995-1996, 2007)
Dave Myles – bass, bass pedals, vocals (1977-1980)
Paul Kersey – drums, percussion (1973-1976)
Jim Bruton – keyboards (1973-1974)
Phil Trudell – drums, percussion (1972-1973)
David Stone – keyboards, synthesizer (1980)
Mike Gingrich – bass, bass pedals, vocals (1980-1981)
Steve McMurray – guitar (1980-1981; died 2014)
Greg Chadd – keyboards, synthesizer (1980)
Peter Fredette – bass, vocals (1995–1996)
Billy Sheehan – bass (1977)
Pye Dubois – lyrics (1973–1981, 1995-1996)