Information/Write-up
Eddie Spencer: Jamaica to Toronto Soul Shouter
Lynval “Eddie” Spencer was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where he first performed Ray Charles songs at the Palladium Theatre’s talent shows, igniting his passion for soul music. By the early 1960s, his talent earned him a position as one of three vocalists in the Kingston-based ska group The Sheiks. In 1964, the group toured North America and settled in Toronto. After lead singer Jackie Opel returned to Barbados, Spencer stepped up as frontman, quickly shedding his role as a Ray Charles imitator and developing a voice of raw soul power.
Toronto’s club scene—particularly the Club Blue Note—became Spencer’s proving ground. His tough, gospel-infused vocal style won him acclaim on stage and growing attention from local music insiders.
By mid-1967, Spencer was fronting the R&B band The Power, delivering sweat-drenched sets and commanding midnight floor shows with what RPM Weekly described as a “tough-as-nails delivery.” Inspired by Jimi Hendrix and the new rock underground, Spencer formed a new group, Eddie Spencer and The Mission, fusing rock and soul with some of Toronto’s top musicians. The Mission was featured in the July 8, 1967 issue of RPM Weekly, which described Spencer as “a powerful solo act… with a style that ‘gets to’ his audience.”
His growing reputation led to a deal with Arc Records, who issued Spencer’s most iconic single in 1968: “If This Is Love (I’d Rather Be Lonely)” b/w “You’re So Good to Me Baby” (Arc A-1206)
His fiery rendition of The Precisions' hit stood out for its urgency and emotion, and although it only charted modestly in Hamilton (CKOC), it later became a coveted Northern Soul classic in the UK.
That same year, Spencer recorded two more singles for the newly formed Goodgroove label:
“Dream Lover” b/w “Power of Love” (Goodgroove GG-105)
“Let’s Get Together” b/w “Reelin’ and Rockin’” (Goodgroove GG-106)
These releases demonstrated Spencer’s versatility—delivering everything from Sam Cooke-style crooning to raw, uptempo R&B energy.
In February 1969, RPM Weekly reported that Spencer had signed a new deal with Goodgroove to record a full-length album featuring contemporary rock songs written by Brian Russell, formerly of The Raja. The sessions were to be produced by Russell DiMaria, who had signed Spencer to the label and hoped to release a single from the project later that spring. Though the album never materialized, the announcement confirmed Spencer’s creative evolution and ambition to expand beyond soul into psychedelic-influenced rock.
Spencer also toured briefly as a featured vocalist with Lighthouse, Canada’s pioneering jazz-rock orchestra. He joined them for U.S. dates including a stop at San Francisco’s legendary Fillmore West. Upon returning to Toronto, he led the blues-rock outfit Papa Grey, though by the early 1970s, health issues brought his music career to a premature close.
Though his recorded output was limited to just three 45s, Eddie Spencer’s influence looms large in Toronto’s 1960s soul scene. His work was reintroduced to new audiences through Light in the Attic’s 2006 compilation Jamaica to Toronto: Soul, Funk & Reggae 1967–1974, securing his place in the canon of Canadian soul. Spencer’s voice—ferocious, emotive, and unforgettable—bridged Montego Bay and Yonge Street, leaving behind a powerful but underappreciated legacy in Canadian music history.
-Robert Williston
Produced by Tony DiMaria
Engineered by Gary Starr
Recorded at Bay Studios, Toronto, Ontario
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