Information/Write-up
The Souls of Inspyration were a force unlike any other to emerge from the Canadian psychedelic underground. Formed in the late 1960s in the remote gold rush town of Red Lake, Ontario, the band began as a youthful collaboration between drummer-lyricist Marc Paradis, guitarist John Maciejewski, and bassist Don Wilson—friends who traded hockey sticks for guitars and quickly discovered they had something rare. Raw talent. Real chemistry. And a drive that took them far beyond their northern roots.
By 1968, the band had relocated to Sherbrooke, Québec, adding keyboardist Raymond Cloutier on Hammond organ and piano. Their sound—a fusion of organ-soaked progressive rock, melodic psych-pop, and post-Garage energy—was shaped as much by rural grit as it was by the high-minded idealism of the era. Channeling influences ranging from Peter and the Wolf to Procol Harum, they wrote ambitious, exploratory music filled with dynamic shifts, poetic lyrics, and radiant instrumental interplay.
The Souls quickly built a reputation on the road, playing everywhere from gritty Northern Ontario dancehalls to bustling clubs in Montreal, Regina, and Winnipeg. They shared bills with the likes of Vanilla Fudge, Tommy James & The Shondells, and The Guess Who, while maintaining their own distinct sonic identity—described by fans as “acid-laced symphonic rock for the soul.” Despite their youth (Wilson was only 15 when they began touring), they played like veterans, tight and expressive, always chasing that next perfect moment on stage.
In 1970, everything changed. The band entered and won a national competition at Montreal’s “Man and His World” (the former Expo ’67 site), where hundreds of acts from across the country competed. First prize? Representing Canada at Expo ’70 in Osaka, Japan—and closing out the musical presentations at the award-winning Canadian Pavilion. It was an international triumph. For two weeks, The Souls played alongside artists from around the globe, forging friendships with groups from Australia, Brazil, and Japan, while jamming barefoot under the cherry blossoms and performing in the round on a mirrored water-stage.
Returning home, the band recorded their self-titled debut The Souls of Inspyration, released by Columbia Records later that year. Produced by Chuck Williams and Don Grashey, the LP is a lost classic—33 minutes of lush, exploratory rock that bridges the twilight of the 1960s with the dawn of progressive music. Standouts include the flowing ballad “Eyes of Nature,” the joyfully melancholic “Sun Shines in the Winter,” and the swirling, 6-minute epic “Dil Kusha (Heart’s Happiness).” The album’s closer, “Seasons of Change,” captures the essence of their sound: layered, soulful, and alive with possibility.
But like many great bands of the era, The Souls were blindsided by external forces. Political unrest in Québec during the 1970 October Crisis—when martial law was declared amidst FLQ bombings and kidnappings—disrupted the region’s cultural life. Touring became difficult. Gigs dried up. Members drifted. A near-fatal van accident in 1971 nearly killed Paradis and left the band shaken, both physically and spiritually.
Despite attempts to carry on with new lineups—including stints with future Streetheart and Loverboy bassist Kent Steer—The Souls disbanded in 1973. Maciejewski moved to Toronto. Paradis returned to Saskatchewan to start a family. Wilson went back to Red Lake and continued playing music locally. Their sole album became a collector’s item—long out of print, whispered about in record shops and fanzines, passed along on dubbed tapes like a secret worth sharing.
In 2000, the LP was officially reissued on CD by Pacemaker/Timothy’s Brain, reintroducing the band to a new generation. It was hailed as a forgotten masterpiece—“an unspoiled jewel of the psychedelic era,” one reviewer wrote, “filled with swirling organ, aching guitar, and songs that shimmer with naïve brilliance.”
The Souls of Inspyration may have burned out young, but their story remains eternal—a story of friendship, idealism, heartbreak, and harmony. A band who believed music could elevate, could transcend. And for a time, it did.
-Robert Williston
John Maciejewski: lead guitar & lead vocals
Raymond Cloutier: Hammond organ, piano, background vocals
Mark Paradis: drums, background vocals
Don Wilson: bass
Written by Marc Paradis, John Maciejewski, and Ray Cloutier
Produced by Don Grashey, Chuck Williams & Brian Biesenthal
Liner notes:
The honour of playing at Canada’s award winning pavilion at Expo ’70 and being the group to close out activities in the musical presentations will be “SOULS OF INSPYRATION”. A Group that has begun to implant their name on an International basis before their first record has been released.
Originating from Red Lake, Ontario (near the Manitoba border), Mark Paradis, John Maciejewski, and Don Wilson, traveled throughout Canada’s midwest and on a tour east, came to roost in the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, in September of 1968. They took on a new member, Raymond Cloutier, and began working toward a solid foundation that could spring them into a successful career.
The popularity of the group spread throughout Quebec. They were fortunate to appear with groups like the Vanilla Fudge and Tommy James and the Shondells. At each performance, their style, termed by a newspaper reviewer as “an evolution of Classical rock”, gained them fans and wide acceptance.
Bringing the S.O.I. to the surface of National exposure, was a group competition, held at “Man and his World” on July 7th and 8th 1970. Meeting and competing with groups from across Canada, the SOULS OF INSPYRATION were proclaimed the foremost group at the event and won a two week engagement at Expo ’70 in OSAKA.
With interest high from several record companies, two progressive record producers Chuck Williams and Don Grashey, inked the group to a contract and set plans in motion to produce their first session. The results of the first “Souls of Inspyration” get together in a studio, have produced their first L.P. on the Columbia label.
With their name and popularity spreading, the Souls of Inspyration will be heard from on a National basis from now on. The group’s energetic manager, Joe Vargo, has them working steady, with a western Canadian tour planned for late ’70.
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