Information/Write-up
Clint Ryan was a Toronto-based rock vocalist active in the Canadian music and theatre scenes from the mid-1960s through the early 1970s. A fixture in Toronto’s club circuit, he earned a reputation as a dynamic frontman with five years of live performance experience by 1969.
That same year, Ryan was cast in the Canadian production of the rock musical Hair, which opened at Toronto’s Royal Alexandra Theatre in January 1970. He was part of the “Mississauga Tribe,” the name given to the Toronto cast by producer Michael Butler, and performed alongside fellow Canadian artists including Gale Garnett, Terry Black, and his brother Paul Ryan.
Following his theatrical success, Clint Ryan launched a solo recording career. In late 1970, he released a single on Quality Records:
“It Hurts To Be Lonely” b/w “Build Myself Around You”, both written by P. Rochon
The A-side is a heartfelt ballad-rocker, while the B-side “Build Myself Around You” is an organ-fuzz drenched scorcher that makes the single a cult favourite among Canadian garage rock collectors.
In 1971, Clint joined forces with his brother Paul Ryan to form The Ryan Brothers, an act that evolved from their earlier group, the Quality-signed Teenage Dance Band. The brothers performed together throughout the early 1970s, continuing their presence in the Toronto music scene
While further releases under his name remain undocumented, Clint Ryan’s career reflects the crossover of Canadian rock musicians into musical theatre and back, during a fertile era of national music production and artistic experimentation.
-Robert Williston
Written by P. Rochon
No Comments