Information/Write-up
Alexis “Rose” Radlin was a Canadian singer-songwriter whose powerful voice and heartfelt songs placed her among the more distinctive women in the country’s 1970s music scene. Born in Windsor, Ontario, she began singing as a child, and by the mid-1960s was living in Toronto’s Yorkville district, where she worked with transient youth and began writing her own songs on piano. Music quickly became her true outlet, allowing her to channel both compassion and intensity into a growing body of original work.
By the early 1970s Radlin had relocated to Vancouver and established herself as a performer with a versatile repertoire that blended blues, swing, contemporary folk, and rock. She shared stages with artists as varied as Leon Redbone, the Downchild Blues Band, Muddy Waters, Long John Baldry, David Clayton-Thomas, Alice Cooper, Dizzy Gillespie, and Olivia Newton-John. In 1974 she released her first LP, Alexis, on Mushroom Records, with session support that included keyboardist Robbie King and even a brief stint from guitarist Jerry Doucette. The record earned her a nomination at the Juno Awards, Canada’s highest music honour, marking a career highlight and national recognition of her songwriting.
A second album followed in 1978 on the Radio Canada International imprint (RCI 467), recorded in Vancouver with a full band that included many of the city’s finest musicians: Terry Frewer, Doug Edwards, Geoff Eyre, Richard Beaudet, and Jane Mortifee among them. The record’s ten original songs—such as “English Bay,” “Agatha Christie,” and “Lonely Days”—reflected Radlin’s blend of introspection and wide stylistic reach. Always more than a singer, she was a composer with a distinct point of view, bringing both conviction and vulnerability to her material.
In 1979 she appeared as a singer in the Canadian feature film Stone Cold Dead, further broadening her creative profile. She continued writing and performing into the following decades, eventually recording another album for Moksa Records titled Fishing for Sanity, which reaffirmed her commitment to crafting original, personal music.
Though Alexis Radlin never achieved the mainstream fame of some of her peers, her career intersected with many of Canada’s greats, and her recordings remain a testament to an artist with a big heart, a commanding voice, and an unyielding belief in music as a force for connection. She passed away in 2001, but her work continues to resonate with collectors and listeners drawn to Canada’s rich, often overlooked musical heritage.
-Robert Williston
Alexis Radlin: guitar, keyboards
Al Casey: guitar
Billy Strange: guitar
Howard Leese: guitar
Doug Edwards: bass
Reinhold Press: bass
Duris Maxwell: drums
Hal Blaine: drums
Kat Hendrikse: drums
Robbie King: keyboards
Chuck Findley: horns
Jay Migliori: horns
Lew McCreary: horns
Ollie Mitchell: horns
Steve Douglas: horns
Written by Alexis Radlin (tracks: A1 to B4)
Arranged by Billy Strange (tracks A1 to A3, B3 to B5); and Steve Douglas (tracks A4, B1 to B2)
Produced by Steve Douglas
Recorded at Can Base Studios Vancouver, British Columbia & Gold Star Studios, Los Angeles, California, USA
Album Design by Bob Masse
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