Jon-Lee Group - Bring it Down Front b/w Pork Chops

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	Bring it Down Front	02:29

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Pork Chops	02:54

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Information/Write-up

Toronto’s Soul-Powered R&B Phenomenon

In the golden era of Yorkville’s live music scene, no band radiated as much fire, finesse, and soul as Jon & Lee and The Checkmates. Blending tight R&B grooves with explosive stage energy, the group stood apart in mid-’60s Canada, earning a fervent following and brushing shoulders with major acts—from The Rolling Stones to The Temptations.

Originally formed in 1962 as Lee Jackson & The Checkmates, the band began in Toronto high schools with vocalist Lee Jackson (real name Michael Ferry), alongside Al Dorsey (guitar), Dave McDevitt (bass), Paul Carrier (drums), and Hilmar Hajek (sax). But it was the addition of prodigious keyboardist Michael Fonfara that began reshaping their sound, grounding it in hard-driving rhythm and blues. A lineup shift in 1963 brought Scottish-born guitarist Larry Leishman into the mix from The Tempests, alongside singer John Finley and bassist Peter Hodgson, Finley’s cousin and a Tempests alumnus. Drummers Wes Morris, Dave Brown, and finally Jeff Cutler rounded out a rhythm section that could go toe-to-toe with any band on the continent.

With the dual-lead vocal attack of Jon (Lee Jackson) and Lee (John Finley), and Fonfara’s blazing Hammond organ, the newly renamed Jon & Lee and The Checkmates became a major draw across Ontario. Managed by Eddie “Duke” Edwards and booked by Ron Scribner, they worked relentlessly—from high school gyms to Toronto’s Avenue Road Club, The Devil’s Den, and The Hawk’s Nest.

In 1965, their status exploded when they opened for The Rolling Stones at Maple Leaf Gardens and played to 60,000 fans at Nathan Phillips Square alongside Bobby Curtola and David Clayton-Thomas. That same summer, they were featured on the Toronto Star’s entertainment front page with news of upcoming U.S. TV appearances including The Ed Sullivan Show. Tragically, those plans collapsed when U.S. immigration denied the band entry, a moment that curtailed what could have been a swift rise to international stardom.

Still, the Checkmates remained a hot ticket, cutting early demos in Buffalo and New York, and catching the attention of RCA, Motown, Mercury, Elektra, and Decca. They shared bills with Junior Walker & The All Stars, The Chiffons, and The Temptations, and even performed at Shea Stadium in 1966. That year, they cut the psychedelic-soul single “Bring It Down Front” b/w “Pork Chops” (Sparton P1617), which reached #10 on Toronto’s CHUM chart and #23 nationally on RPM.

In 1967, now billed as The Jon-Lee Group, they traveled to New York, performing at the iconic Steve Paul’s The Scene and recording for ABC Records. Four tracks were laid down, including a version of The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Girl Beautiful Girl,” though only the hard-edged “Bring It Down Front” and the instrumental “Pork Chops” would see release.

The band’s final performances in Toronto came in mid-1967 as their sound veered toward psychedelia—an evolution that didn’t connect with their R&B-rooted fans. By September, Finley and Jackson left, and the remaining members relocated to New York, performing briefly as The Phoenix behind David Clayton-Thomas until his deportation ended the project.

Fonfara soon joined The Electric Flag, while Finley and Hodgson, auditioning in L.A. for Elektra’s "supergroup" concept, were swept into the formation of Rhinoceros. Leishman and Edwards followed, forming the band’s Canadian backbone. Meanwhile, Lee Jackson returned to Toronto, briefly worked with Bruce Cockburn, and later moved into promoting and business.

In 1972, several members regrouped under a new name: Blackstone, adding a final chapter to one of Canada’s most exciting and influential R&B bands of the 1960s.

Though their official discography is small, Jon & Lee and The Checkmates left an outsized legacy. With their powerhouse live shows, ambitious musicality, and near-breakthrough moments, they remain one of Canada’s greatest “what if?” stories—a band whose sound still echoes in the annals of Yorkville and beyond.
-Robert Williston

Lee Jackson: vocals
Michael Fonfara: keyboards
Larry Leishman: guitar, vocals
Dave Brown: drums
Peter Hodgson: bass
Wes Morris: drums
John Finley: vocals
Jeff Cutler: drums

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