Titcomb, Brent - I Still Wish the Very Best b/w Flow On the River

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	I Still Wish the Very Best	03:10

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Flow On the River	03:34

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Vancouver-born singer, songwriter, and voice explorer Brent Arthur Titcomb has carved one of the most quietly influential paths in Canadian music. Over six decades, his work has bridged folk, rock, spiritual song, and experimental sound—always guided by a belief in music’s power to heal, unite, and awaken.

Titcomb first came to national attention in the mid-1960s as a founding member of Three’s a Crowd, the groundbreaking folk-rock ensemble whose harmony-driven sound helped define an era. Their 1968 album Christopher’s Movie Matinee—produced by Cass Elliott of The Mamas and The Papas with Steve Barri—was among the first Canadian records to marry introspective songwriting with West Coast pop sophistication. The experience gave Titcomb both his first taste of national recognition and the foundation for a solo career built on authenticity and creative freedom.

As a songwriter, Brent quickly distinguished himself with pieces of uncommon warmth and simplicity. Anne Murray turned his “Sing High, Sing Low” (1971) into a Top 20 hit, and later recorded “I Still Wish the Very Best for You,” confirming his status as one of Canada’s most heartfelt lyricists. His songs were soon covered by Glen Campbell, Andy Williams, the Osmonds, and Ed Bruce, each discovering in his work the same open-hearted clarity that would define his own performances.

After leaving the band circuit, Titcomb began exploring more spiritual and introspective territory. His 1975 CBC 45 Sahajiya (LM 295), produced by Paul Mills, offered a first glimpse of his evolving worldview—a serene, mantra-like reflection on unity and the sacredness of sound. Two years later he expanded these ideas on his landmark independent LP, May All Beings Be Happy (Manohar MR 100, 1977). Recorded at Toronto’s Eastern Sound with an ensemble including Bob Mann, Tom Szczesniak, Barry Keene, and guest appearances by Gordon Lightfoot, Patricia Dahlquist, and Ian Thomas, the album wove folk, soft rock, and Eastern textures into a meditative statement of compassion and consciousness. One of Canada’s earliest independently financed records—funded through a mail-order pre-sale campaign—it has since become a cult favorite for its luminous production and spiritual depth.

Titcomb’s follow-up, Time Traveller (Stony Plain SPL 1039, 1982), widened his sonic reach. Released through Edmonton’s renowned roots label and distributed nationally by RCA, the album brought a fuller band sound and greater commercial polish, while maintaining his lyrical introspection. Songs like “Dangerous Doorway,” “Fire on the Water,” and “Rivers of Babylon” balanced gentle optimism with philosophical weight, merging folk sensibility with the studio clarity of early ’80s production.

After years of performing, voice acting, and offering “toning” workshops—his practice of using the human voice as a therapeutic instrument—Titcomb returned to the studio for two late-career statements that reconnected him with his earlier ideals. Healing of Her Heart (Manohar MR 102, 1993) gathered highlights from across his catalog alongside new material, reaffirming his role as a songwriter of emotional depth and spiritual poise. Beyond Appearances (Manohar MR 103, 2001) extended that vision further, blending ambient textures, chanting, and global influences with his trademark baritone—a culmination of his lifelong exploration of sound as vibration and vibration as prayer.

Throughout his career, Titcomb has also been a sought-after collaborator, contributing vocals, percussion, and harmonica to recordings by Bruce Cockburn, John Allan Cameron, Gene MacLellan, Daisy DeBolt, Oliver Schroer, and others. He performed multiple times with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in the 1970s and appeared at folk festivals across North America, including Hamilton’s Festival of Friends nearly every year from 1976 onward.

Whether performing solo with his acoustic guitar, fronting a full band, or appearing on stage with a symphony, Brent Titcomb’s music radiates gentleness, depth, and presence. His songs—filled with compassion and humility—invite listeners inward, toward stillness. As one critic wrote, “He creates an atmosphere so loving, so cohesive, that audiences hesitate to applaud for fear of breaking the spell.”

Still guided by the same principle that has sustained his journey from the coffeehouses of 1963 Vancouver to concert halls and healing circles worldwide, Titcomb remains ever devoted to the living side of life.

“You’re either on the dying side of life or on the living side of life,” he once said. “And I’m definitely on the living side.”
-Robert Williston

Brent Titcomb: vocals, acoustic guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Bob Mann: guitar
Brian Russell: guitar
Tommy Graham: guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Tom Szczesniak: bass, keyboards
Jørn Andersen: drums
Gary Gauger: drums
Barry Keene: drums
Michael Craden: percussion
Paul Mills: body percussion (knee slaps), backing vocals
Mother Fletcher: sitar
Patricia Dahlquist: backing vocals
Jojo McKay: backing vocals
Sandy Pim: backing vocals
Bill Hughes: backing vocals
Ian Thomas: backing vocals

Produced by Tommy Graham and Paul Mills
Recorded at Eastern Sound, Toronto, Ontario
Engineered by Ken Friesen, Peter Mann, and Tom Graham

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