The Sparrows

Canadian Sixties blues-rock band, The Sparrow(s) evolved out of Jack London & The Sparrows and later morphed into heavy rock group, Steppenwolf.

Early years

Singer/songwriter and guitarist Dennis Edmonton (born Dennis McCrohan, April 21 1943 in Oshawa, Ontario), drummer Jerry Edmonton (born Jerry McCrohan, October 24 1946 in Oshawa, Ontario) and bass player Nick St. Nicholas (born Klaus Karl Kassbaum, September 28 1943 in Hamburg, Germany) had all played together in Toronto “British Invasion” band, Jack London & The Sparrows between January and July 1965.

When the group separated from singer Jack London, The Sparrows recorded a final single on their own before adding new members, vocalist/guitarist/harmonica player and songwriter John Kay (born Joachim Friedrich Krauledat, April 12 1944 in Tilsit, East Prussia, Germany; modern Sovetsk, Kaliningrad region, Russia) and keyboard player Goldy McJohn (born John Goadsby, May 2 1945).

As the new look Sparrows, the group made its live debut at Waterloo Lutheran University in Waterloo, Ontario during September 1965 and immediately made an impact with its high energy, blues rock sound. The following month, the band supported Gary Lewis & The Playboys at Massey Hall in Toronto and also found regular work at Chez Monique and the El Patio in the city’s Yorkville village.

New York connections

Throughout the first few months of 1966, the group consolidated its following on the local club scene. Realising that they needed to attract a wider audience, The Sparrow (as the band was now called) attracted the interest of electronics executive Stanton J. Freeman, who became their manager and arranged for a booking at Arthur, Sybil Burton's hot new club in New York. Freeman then flew them to New York so the A&R people at the major record companies could see them perform. The Sparrow were so well received that over the next five months, they commuted back and forth between Toronto and New York. While in the Big Apple, The Sparrow also appeared at the Barge in Westhampton (The Rascals had played there the previous summer) on Long Island and at another New York club, the Downtown.

Recording for Columbia Records

Producer David Kapralik, later manager of Sly & The Family Stone, was introduced to Freeman by Jerry Brandt (head of Rock & Roll at the William Morris Agency). Freeman brought Kapralik to see and hear the band. He also heard some demos that the group had recorded at Allegro Sound Studios in New York on April 28, 1966. Impressed by the quality of the songs, he assisted Freeman get a recording deal with Columbia Records. On June 25, the group recorded Dennis Edmonton’s “Tomorrow’s Ship”, which was subsequently coupled with the Dennis Edmonton-Nick St. Nicholas collaboration, “Isn’t It Strange” for the group’s debut single.

The single failed to chart on its release. The band returned to Columbia’s New York studios in October and recorded a follow up, the Edmonton brothers’ “Green Bottle Lover”, which was coupled with the Dennis Edmonton-Nick St. Nicholas collaboration, “Down Goes Your Love Life”. Released the following month, the second single also failed to chart.

parrow heads for California

By then, the band had abandoned Canada (and New York) for the warmer climes of California. During November 1966, The Sparrow debuted at It’s Boss in West Hollywood. Shortly thereafter, they moved to San Francisco where they performed at the Ark in nearby Sausalito as well as the Matrix and the Avalon Ballroom (sharing the stage with The Youngbloods and Moby Grape at the latter).

Sparrow (as they now called themselves) continued to commute back and forth between Los Angeles and San Francisco throughout the first six months of 1967, performing alongside The Doors, The Steve Miller Band and many others. During June, Dennis Edmonton announced his decision to go solo and the band recruited American guitarist Michael Monarch in early July. Edmonton subsequently changed his name to Mars Bonfire.

teppenwolf

Dennis Edmonton’s departure, however, hastened the band’s decline, and the group split into two factions. Nick St. Nicholas and new recruit Michael Monarch initially formed a new group together called TIME, although Monarch soon abandoned this project and rejoined John Kay, Goldy McJohn and Jerry Edmonton in Steppenwolf. As Steppenwolf, they performed at such venues as Whisky a Go Go.

In 1969, in the wake of Steppenwolf success, Columbia Records put out of its archives supposed but not released in 1967 LP "John Kay & The Sparrow", including previously unknown material.

Band members

Discography

(As The Sparrow)
* 45 Isn’t It Strange c/w Tomorrow’s Ship (Columbia 43755) 1966
* 45 Green Bottle Lover c/w Down Goes Your Love Life (Columbia 43960) 1966
* 45 Square Headed People c/w Twisted (Columbia 44769) 1967
* LP John Kay & The Sparrow (Columbia 9758) 1967
* CD The Best Of John Kay & Sparrow: Tighten Up Your Wig (Columbia 50344) 1993
* CD John Kay & The Sparrow (Repertoire 4878) 2001 (re-issue of 1967 album plus bonus tracks)
* As backing group on other artists' releases:
* LP Molly Camp Sings ..... (RCA Victor 3649) 1966

ources

* Magic Carpet Ride by John Kay and John Einarson, Quarry Press, 1994.
* Before The Goldrush by Nicholas Jennings, Penguin Books, 1997.
* "They Helped To Make Go-Go Big", Toronto Telegram, After four section, December 30 1965, page 8
* The Toronto Telegram’s After Four section on Thursdays list live dates