My Bonnie b/w The Whistling Stroll

The Bucks were a rock and roll group based in Hamilton, Ontario, active around 1960. A period Reo Records promo sheet described them as a hard-working young band that had played “night clubs, one nighters, record hops,” with their sound heard “from Hamilton Ontario thru to the great west.” The group featured Jimmy Young on vocals and guitar, Mark Bent on lead guitar, Ben Schatz on bass, Wayne Place on drums, and Dave Robertson on piano. The same promo sheet also listed the members’ hometowns as London, Ontario for Young, Nova Scotia for Bent, Holdfast, Saskatchewan for Schatz, and Hamilton, Ontario for both Place and Robertson.

The group recorded two singles for Reo Records, a Quality Records Limited label. Their first known single, The Whistling Stroll / My Bonnie, was released on Reo 8447X in 1960. The A-side, 'The Whistling Stroll', was written by The Bucks, while 'My Bonnie' was credited as public domain.

The Bucks followed later the same year with Jungle Beat / Rainbow on Reo 8508X, with both songs written by The Bucks. Like their first single, it was issued through Reo and manufactured by Quality Records Limited. The Reo promo sheet appears to have announced this release in an earlier or incorrect form, listing it as Reo 8507 and giving the B-side title as My Blue Rainbow, while the issued record appeared as Reo 8508X with the title Rainbow.

The group’s career was cut short after tragedy struck. According to family information supplied by Lyndsey Chute, the band had just finished a performance in Ontario and were driving home when they were involved in a car accident. During the crash, a can of wax or paint was thrown forward inside the vehicle and struck lead guitarist Mark Bent, who died from his injuries. The tragedy appears to have ended the group soon afterward.

Both tracks from The Whistling Stroll / My Bonnie later appeared on the Early Canadian Rockers compilations on Collector Records in the Netherlands, while 'The Whistling Stroll' also appeared more recently on the 2023 compilation Rockin’ Rollin’ USA – Visit 02 – Canada – Teenage Boogie on Pan-American Recordings in Europe. Though their recorded output was brief, The Bucks left behind two rare Canadian rock and roll singles from the early Reo catalogue, capturing a small but vivid piece of the country’s pre-Beatles rock scene.

Band photo, promo material, and family information courtesy of Lyndsey Chute, who also confirmed the correct spelling of lead guitarist Mark Bent.

-Robert Williston