Walter Zwolinski

Walter "Zwol" Zwolinski (aka Zwol or Walter Zwol) is a Canadian musician and songwriter and founding member and front-man for the Canadian rock band Brutus (1969-1976). The band charted a number of Canadian hits including "Ohh, Mama Mama", a Top 3 tune in 1975. Zwol embarked on a solo career and charted two Top 100 hits in the late 1970s. He continues to record and perform live in the Toronto region.

Brutus

Formed in 1969, Brutus consisted of Zwol as vocalist, Tom Wilson as bassist, Michael Magann on trumpet, Lance Wright on drums, Sonny Wingay on guitar, and Bill Robb on sax and trombone. The band was the opening act for popular Canadian and American acts that were touring Canada.

The group disbanded in 1971, then reformed with a revised line-up and new look in 1973. The new Brutus lineup recorded two singles on GRT Records in 1975, with "Ohh, Mama Mama" becoming their most successful recording. Their debut album would follow in 1976 but only two additional singles would follow before they disbanded. [ [http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/B/Brutus.html Canoa.ca: Brutus] ]

Solo career

Zwol would sign with EMI-America in the late 1970s and record two albums: the self-titled "Zwol" in 1978 and "Effective Immediately" in 1979. From the self-titled album, two singles would make the American Top 100 chart [Whitburn, J: "Top Pop Singles 1955 to 2002, page 786 Record Research, 2003] : "Call Out my Name", about love fading away, reached #75 and "New York City", a new wave synth ode to the Big Apple, reached #76.

In 1981, Zwol signed a record deal with A&M for his new band "Walter Zwol and the Rage". They released one album titled "Thrillz" but no singles would chart.

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