John Moran

In December 2023, John Moran's son, also named John, contacted the Museum of Canadian Music to help preserve his father's recordings and musical history on CitizenFreak.com.

John Moran was born in Dundee, Scotland, in 1943. He grew up on The Impressions, The Drifters, The Coasters, Chuck Berry and Nina Simone, and between 1961 and 1963 he led his first group in Dundee as The Johnny Hudson Hi-Four, later shortened to The Hi-Four. Moran sang, played guitar and wrote most of the material under the stage name Johnny Hudson. The band became fixtures at the Top Ten Club on South Tay Street and were the first Scottish group to play the clubs of Germany. In 1963 Moran briefly joined the Mystery Men, who became The Teen Beats.

In June 1963 they released 'Charms' b/w 'Making Up Is So Much Fun', which led to appearances on the television show Teenbeat. Through 1963 and 1964 Hudson's Hi-Four supported The Beatles in Glasgow, at the Carlton Theatre in Kirkcaldy and at the Caird Hall in their hometown, on bills that also included The Caravelles, The Crestas and The Overlanders.

When guitarist and keyboardist Chick Taylor came on board, the group became The Poor Soul, and by 1964 Poor Souls, with Moran on guitar and vocals, Doug Martin on bass, Taylor on lead guitar and keyboards, and John Casey on drums. Decca issued Moran's 'When My Baby Cries' b/w 'My Baby's Not There' in 1965, and in 1966 the band reached the charts on ALP Records with 'Love Me' b/w 'Please Don't Change Your Mind'. A stint in Rome followed, and the band broke up there in 1967. Moran, Taylor and Casey moved to Toronto.

Poor Souls in Canada

In Toronto, Moran rebuilt Poor Souls around fellow Scot John Slorach, Hamburg-born Martin Soldat on organ and drummer Tommy Frew, formerly of Marmalade. A chance meeting with producer Barry Keane led to a rush session at Sound Canada and a quick release on Quality Records. Moran's 'Lookin' Round' b/w 'Scarecrow' broke out across Canada in the spring of 1970 and reached #3 on the Top 50 MAPL Canadian chart, and Moran and Frew promoted it on CBC-TV's Luncheon Date. 'Comin' Round' b/w 'Workin' Man' kept them on the radio.

That summer Poor Souls played the Midsummer Night's Rock Fest alongside Rotary Connection, Brutus and Chimo!, and in September the Rock Hill Rock-In. Guitarist Mike McDonald also played with the Canadian lineup. By the early 1970s, Robin Boers had taken over on drums, while guitarist John Richardson was also associated with the group's later lineup. In 1971 Quality issued 'In The Land Of The Few' b/w 'No More', the B-side written by Moran with Andy Johnston. Poor Souls played a benefit concert for Syrinx, and the band ended soon after a close friend of Moran's was killed in a car accident. Moran subsequently became the lead vocalist of Wishbone, a Toronto pop-rock group featuring Paul Gross, Peter Rochon, Laurie Keller and Barry Keane.

Columbia, 1973

Columbia Records signed Moran in 1973 and put him in Manta Sound in Toronto with producer Paul A. Gross, whose Musical Friends company co-published the songs. Moran brought his band with him. John Slorach played bass and Robin Boers played drums on every track, and Mike McDonald returned on guitar.

The first single paired 'The Beatles' Thing', written by John Moran and Andy Johnston about the breakup of The Beatles, with Moran's own 'Lady Loves Me' (Columbia C4-3082). It reached the national charts in Canada that spring, and Epic released it in the United States in April and in Australia. Its session, engineered by Dave Green, appears to have also produced 'I Don't Know Anymore', with McDonald on guitar and Peter Rochon on piano. Rochon later became the original keyboardist in Saga, whose first albums Gross produced.

The album Come Join Me (Columbia ES 90231) arrived in August 1973 in a gatefold sleeve with cover art by Bruce Zielinski and inside artwork by Moran himself. All eleven songs were Moran's, with lyric help from Pat Ritchie on the title track and Johnston on 'The Beatles' Thing'. John Pimm played electric guitar, Moses Hazen piano and saxophone, Jack Zaza saxophone and flute, Peter Schenkman cello, Matt McCauley synthesizer and Richie Bowers harmonica and fiddle. Rhonda Silver sang harmony on 'Lady Loves Me', a guitarist credited only as Raffi played acoustic guitar on 'The Bottle', and Mitch Clarke wrote the string arrangements.

RPM described the title song as a ride along with a performer, from the butterflies before the show to the audience and then the questions from the press. Moran told the paper the song was his own but not about himself. The single 'Come Join Me' b/w 'Little Boys' (Columbia C4-4018) did well with campus and progressive stations, and CBS issued it in the United Kingdom that fall.

From October 15 to 21, 1973, Moran played a week at Egerton's in Toronto, his first local appearance in some time. Columbia held a press night there on Wednesday, October 17, to launch the album and his new single, 'Shanghai'd' b/w 'I Don't Know Anymore'. One more Columbia single followed in 1974, 'Falling In Love, Again' b/w 'Sit Yourself Down' (C4-4051).

Later years

Moran returned to record in 1978 with two singles on Trilogy Records International, 'This is My World' b/w 'Imagination' and 'Lie to Me' b/w 'Coleen's Circus'. In 2005 he went home to Dundee, where he died in January 2019.

-Robert Williston

UK lineup:
John Moran (aka Johnny Hudson): guitar, vocals
Doug Martin: bass, vocals
Chick Taylor: guitar, keyboards
John Casey: drums, vocals

Canada lineup:
John Moran: guitar, vocals
Mike McDonald: guitar
Martin Soldat: keyboards
John Slorach: bass
Tommy Frew: drums
Ron Ray: drums (replaced Tommy Frew)

In early 1971 Frew may have been replaced by Robin Boers and John Richardson joined on lead guitar.