Information/Write-up
The Typical Small Town Band began in Richmond, British Columbia toward the end of the 1960s, formed around the songwriting partnership of brothers Brian and Bruce Howie. Joined by Levern Delves on bass, Peter Jensen on drums, and vocalist Waverly Stevenson, the group played a melodic blend of folk, country, and light pop at a time when most young bands in the Lower Mainland were still relying heavily on covers. The Howie brothers were already writing steadily, and their original material gave the group a distinct identity. CBC radio and television programmers began to feature them, and interest grew from publishers and producers in both Canada and the United States. Their momentum was interrupted in 1972 when the CBC technicians’ strike forced the cancellation of a key Toronto television spot, and the disappointment contributed to the quiet dissolution of the original five-piece.
Brian and his younger brother Stevan continued the work, reassembling as a duo under the simpler name Small Town Band. Their first national exposure came through Juliette’s “Talentscope” broadcast on CBC Radio in 1971, leading to a CBC Broadcast Recording the following year. In 1973 the brothers released the four-song LM 173 disc, Richmond B.C. Folk Group, performed entirely by the duo with Stevan handling acoustic guitar, electric bass, drums, and harmonica, while Brian played acoustic and electric guitars. Both sang lead and harmony vocals, and the record circulated widely among CBC programmers. The following year they contributed another four songs—“Legend,” “Beyond the Need,” “Working Fever,” and “River Boat”—to the CBC LM 403 compilation. Their independent 1974 single on the Monashee label, “Ballad of Bill Miner” backed with “Mountainsong,” added a strong western narrative piece to their output, reflecting the British Columbia folklore that had long influenced their writing.
Around the same time, the brothers began recording for Bro Recordings, where releases appeared under several related credits, including Brian Howie & Small Town Band. The 1974 single “Same Old Song” backed with “The Last Time” featured Stevan in his familiar role as producer, guitarist, and supporting vocalist, with additional musicians such as Ken Jenkins, Peter Walters, Terry Moffatt, and Joy Lapka expanding the sound. Although these records were sometimes issued under Brian’s name, they followed the same collaborative pattern that defined the duo years, with Stevan handling much of the instrumental and production work. Several more Bro singles followed in this period, creating a small but cohesive catalogue of folk-pop recordings that gradually incorporated more contemporary pop and light rock elements while retaining the acoustic foundation the brothers favored.
The final release connected to this lineage came in 1977, when Brian issued the Bro Recordings single “Fence Post” backed with “Why’s of Loving Her.” The A-side was a new, more electric, rock-oriented version of “Sitting On a Fence Post,” originally recorded on CBC LM 173 in 1973. Produced by Stevan Howie and published by Skana Music, the single closed out this chapter of their work much the way it began—built around a Brian Howie composition, shaped in the studio by Stevan, and performed by many of the same musicians who had appeared on the earlier Bro releases.
Across the years and through the shifts in name—from Typical Small Town Band to Small Town Band to Brian Howie & Small Town Band, and finally Brian Howie as a solo credit—the core identity remained unchanged. It was always a Howie brothers project, rooted in original songwriting, acoustic textures, and a steady, quietly crafted approach to folk-pop. Their recorded legacy, including seven known singles and two CBC releases, forms a clear and complete arc of a British Columbia songwriting unit working consistently through the 1970s, adapting to circumstances but maintaining a distinct musical voice from start to finish.
-Robert Williston
Stevan Howie: lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric bass, drums, harmonica
Brian Howie: lead and backing vocals, acoustic and electric guitars
Written by Brian Howie
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