Lynx
Websites:
No
Origin:
Toronto, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:
1977 LINE-UP: Mike Swartz (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) / Rob Swartz (lead guitar) / Bob Walker (bass) / Tony Caputo (keyboards) / Rick Haberman (drums); 1978 LINE-UP: Tony Caputo (lead vocals, keyboards, sax, backing vocals) / Norm Paulin (lead vocals, lead guitar, bass, backing vox) / “Zippy” Jim Differ (drums, percussion) / Daryl “Harpo” Peterson (bass)
The origins of Lynx begin in 1970 when Mike Swartz and Bob Walker were in a Toronto high school band together called Black Wheat. After toiling it out at social club and church gigs, the band re-invented itself in 1973 to include Rick Haberman and Mike Swartz’s brother Rob. With the help of manager Steve Taylor, the band rehearsed a flambouyant stage show and original material for the next two years – adding keyboardist Tony Caputo. By the summer of 1975 they had recorded a demo tape at the Mersey Brothers studio in Elmira, Ontario. With tape in hand, Taylor managed to land the band a record deal with Quality Records as part of their new search for an international roster. In short time, the band was recording their debut album, ‘Missing’, at Phase One Studio in Toronto with producer R.A. (Bob) Morten and engineer Brian Bell (Klaatu). Despite showcasing on Global Television’s “Caught In the Act” and through an RPM Magazine conference in 1976, radio play was elusive and gigs were few and far between especially given their penchant for anthemic teen rock – an audience they had few opportunities to play to. After a frustrating year of poor opening gigs and grungy barrooms, Lynx fell apart. Despite this, Quality Records had an agreement to release Lynx material and Tony Caputo, the last to join the group, copped the name and reformed the act with all new members for two more albums — 1978’s ‘Sneak Attack’, featuring producer R.A Morten and co-writer Ian McCorkle (Fludd) and ‘We Are The People'(1979). The band split up for good in 1980; Caputo has been living in Spain & Norway for the past two decades. He’s still playing music full-time in Norway and has also been writing songs with a Norwegian rock band called TNT at their recording facility called “studiostudio”.
-with notes from Tony Caputo.