Cat

Websites:  https://citizenfreak.com/artists/103383-spasstiks
Origin: Toronto, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:

Cat: A Canadian Rock Band (1968–1972)

Cat was a Toronto-based rock band active from 1968 to 1972, featuring vocalist Jim Campbell and guitarist/songwriter Mike McQueen, alongside Graham Fidler (bass, vocals), Phil Mulholland (drums), and Gary O’Conner (guitar, piano, organ).

Before Cat, Campbell and McQueen had played together in The Spasstiks, a mid-1960s Toronto group that issued a lone Apex single in 1967.

By 1968, Cat had become a familiar live draw in Ontario, with occasional dates in the northeastern United States.

Their growing reputation led to their reported association with the legendary Festival Express tour in 1970, where they shared the stage with renowned acts such as Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, and The Band. This period coincided with the release of their self-titled album.

Cat’s only album, Cat (1970), was recorded in Chicago and produced by Jack Richardson, best known for his work with The Guess Who. As on the Spasstiks single, McQueen remained the principal songwriter on Cat: he wrote almost every original track, except for “Looking Through a Glass Darkly,” co-written with former Spasstiks rhythm guitarist Rob Mullen, and the Chuck Berry cover “Johnny B. Goode.” The album includes the Nimbus single “Light of Love” and “We’re All in This Together,” one of the band’s better-known songs in Canada.

On the album, four tracks — “Light of Love,” “Looking Through a Glass Darkly,” “Blank Space,” and “Solo Flight” — were arranged by Canadian studio musician Ben McPeek, with the remaining songs arranged by the band.

Before and after the LP, Cat issued five singles: one on Apex in 1968 (“Doing the Best We Can,” Apex 77080) and four on Nimbus 9 between 1969 and 1971 (“Light of Love,” “Solo Flight,” “Funky Sunflower,” and “Honey in the Sky”).

Despite their initial success, Cat disbanded in 1972. Following the breakup, Gary O’Connor embarked on a solo career in the early 1980s under the name Gary O', releasing singles such as “Pay You Back with Interest” and “All the Young Heroes,” while also gaining recognition as a songwriter for artists like 38 Special and Eddie Money. Jim Campbell transitioned into the music business, becoming a record executive with WEA in 1974. The remaining members went on to form the band Fast Eddy, which recorded a single on Nimbus.
-Robert Williston

Lineup
Jim Campbell: lead vocals, percussion
Gary O’Conner: guitar, piano, organ
Mike McQueen: guitar
Graham Fidler: bass, backing vocals
Phil Mulholland: drums