Chapter V - The Sun is Green b/w Dolly's Magic

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	The Sun is Green	02:37

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Dolly's Magic

Photos

Videos

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Information/Write-up

Long before Brian Ahern became one of the most respected producers in country music, he was a guitar-slinging dynamo at the heart of Canada’s vibrant 1960s music scene. One of his earliest creative platforms was Chapter V—a short-lived but musically rich ensemble that helped bridge the gap between the coffeehouse folk circuits of Eastern Canada and the emerging folk-rock sounds sweeping North America.

Originally formed under the name The Badd Cedes, the group emerged from Halifax’s bubbling music community in 1966. At the time, Ahern was juggling multiple projects—working as music director on CBC’s Singalong Jubilee, where he first crossed paths with Anne Murray, while also gigging regularly in three different bands. The Badd Cedes lineup featured Brian Ahern (guitar, vocals), his brother Michael Ahern (guitar), Ken Tobias (drums, vocals), Jamie Piers (vocals), and John Redmond (bass).

The group recorded several demos at CBC Halifax, which Ahern shopped to various U.S. labels. Interest came from Albert Grossman of Verve Forecast, who brought the band to New York to record three songs at Verve’s studios on February 17, 1967. Just prior to their U.S. debut, they discovered another act was already using the name The Bad Seeds, prompting a swift rebrand to Chapter V.

Their debut single, “Dolly’s Magic”, written and sung by Ahern, was backed with “Sun Is Green,” which introduced Tobias as lead vocalist. When the group relocated to Toronto, Piers exited and Tobias took over full-time vocal duties. Norman Calp, later of Soma, joined as drummer and contributed vocals, and the single was reissued with Calp’s “Headshrinker” on the B-side. Final lineup changes saw Bruce MacFarlane (guitar, vocals) join briefly before being replaced by Steven Rhymer.

Chapter V promoted the single with appearances on Canadian television, including CBC’s Music Hop. But the momentum was short-lived. By the end of 1967, Ahern departed, and the band moved operations to Ottawa under a new name: Elizabeth. Despite strong material, they failed to break through commercially and disbanded in 1969.

Chapter V’s material never received a full album release, but the handful of tracks they left behind are polished, harmony-driven gems—melodic, literate, and rich with the hallmarks of mid-60s Canadian pop. Their songs hinted at greater things, and indeed, the group would become an unlikely launchpad for several major careers.

Brian Ahern soon produced Snowbird, playing nearly all instruments on the track, and went on to become one of Nashville’s top producers, working with Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, and George Jones.

Ken Tobias became a successful solo artist and the songwriter behind The Bells’ million-selling hit “Stay Awhile.”

John Redmond went on to a major executive role at Polygram Music Publishing.

Norman Calp played with Ronnie Hawkins, Hagood Hardy, and others before settling into teaching drums in New Brunswick.

Steven Rhymer became a staff songwriter for artists including Emmylou Harris and Anne Murray, contributing behind the scenes until his passing in 2006.

Though Chapter V never charted nationally, their creative DNA would ripple outward. The band served as an incubator for talent that would soon shape both Canadian and American pop and country music—a brief but meaningful flash of artistry, whose legacy resonates far beyond their discography.
-Robert Williston

Jamie Piers: vocals
Brian Ahern: guitar, vocals
Michael Ahern: guitar
John Redmond: bass
Ken Tobias: drums, vocals

Written, arranged, and produced by Brian Ahern

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