The Nylons

views updated

The Nylons

A capella group

The Canadian vocal quartet the Nylons—for more than a decade one of the most popular a cappella groups on the contemporary music scene—began attracting attention in Canada in 1979, performing 1950s and 1960s classics such as “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and “Duke of Earl” in addition to their own compositions. The Nylons quickly landed a recording contract with Attic Records for Canada; shortly afterwards, Open Air Records—a division of Windham Hill—began releasing their albums in the United States. Their fifth effort, aptly titled Rockapella, was lauded as an “impressive musical statement” by critic Robin Tolleson in Down Beat.

The Nylons made their professional debut in a Toronto, Ontario, restaurant early in 1979. At that time the group was composed of three former musical theater performers—Marc Connors, Paul Cooper, and Claude Morrison—along with bass singer Ralph Cole. They sang a cappella, which, as David Livingstone noted in Maclean’s, is “the art of singing with no instrumental accompaniment.” Fans appreciated the skill with which

For the Record…

Group formed in 1979; made professional debut in Ontario, Canada. Members include Marc Connors, Paul Cooper, Claude Morrison , and Ralph Cole; Arnold Robinson replaced Cole in 1981; Claude Desjardins replaced Morrison.

Recording and performing act since, early 1980s—. Recorded first U.S. release, One Size Fits All, on Open Air, 1982.

Addresses: Record company— Windham Hill, P.O. Box 9388, Stanford, CA 94305.

the Nylons managed this difficult feat, and by 1980 the group became one of the favored “cabaret acts” of Toronto, in Livingstone’s words. That year the group also took their act on the road, appearing with great success in western Canadian cities such as Vancouver.

At about this time, the Nylons were signed by Attic Records. Their self-titled debut album featured spirited remakes of “Love Potion Number Nine,” “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Duke of Earl,” and “Up on the Roof,” as well as original numbers such as “Me and the Boys,” “A Million Ways,” and the risque “Something About You.” But despite the great number of older songs on the Nylons’ albums, group member Marc Connors assured Livingstone: “We want to be on the cutting edge of things. If we take some of our repertoire from the ’50s and ’60s, it’s because that music was based on vocals.”

By 1982 the Nylons, after replacing Cole with former Platters member Arnold Robinson, had released their first album in the United States, One Size Fits All, on Open Air Records. It featured interesting originals such as “That Kind of Man” and “Prince of Darkness,” and remakes of “Silhouettes,” “Up the Ladder to the Roof,” and “Town Without Pity.” Livingstone had high praise for the Nylons’ performance on the last song: “With one soaring voice rising above a bed of ornate harmonies, Town Without Pity’ becomes not a corny rival of a Gene Pitney hit but a stirring comment about the intolerance afoot on a ‘grey and granite planet’ that seems closer than ever to falling apart.”

During the years of their early releases, the Nylons’ live concerts were apparently something to see. According to Livingstone, the singers’ microphones were covered in “glittery” pantyhose, but, of course, it was their music that captivated audiences. “By the end of the evening everyone was standing, clapping and smiling,” Livingstone reported, and he summed up by saying that “the group embodies the kind of snappy, polished showmanship that keeps audiences coming back for more.”

The Nylons quickly added fans on U.S. college campuses to their growing legions of Canadian devotees. Seamless, the Nylons’ second U.S. release, featured some favorites from their first Attic Records effort, along with standards such as “This Boy,” and “Remember (Walking in the Sand).” Eventually, the group added percussion instruments to their recording, and in 1987 the title track of their album Happy Together received airplay on many U.S. radio stations, as did their remake of “Kiss Him Goodbye.” In 1989, the Nylons released Rockapella on the Windham Hill label. Reviewer Robin Tolleson of Down Beat had praise for the original “No Stone Unturned” as well as for the group’s a cappella versions of “Poison Ivy” and “Drift Away.” He concluded that “the Nylons can breathe within their songs, really let loose and feel it, and that makes all the difference in the world.”

Selected discography

The Nylons (includes “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Love Potion Number Nine/Spooky,” “A Million Ways,” “Something About You,” “Duke of Earl,” “Rock and Roll Lullaby,” “Find the One I Love,” “Some People,” “Up on the Roof,” and “Me and the Boys”), Attic Records, c. 1981.

One Size Fits All (includes “That Kind of Man,” “Silhouettes,” “Town Without Pity,” “Prince of Darkness,” “Romance,” “Up the Ladder to the Roof,” “Heavenly Bodies,” “Bop Til You Drop,” “Please,” and “So Long”), Open Air Records, 1982.

Seamless (includes “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” “Up on the Roof,” “This Boy,” and “Remember”), Open Air Records, 1984.

Happy Together (includes “Happy Together,” “Chain Gang,” and “Kiss Him Goodbye”), Open Air Records, 1987.

Rockapella (includes “Love, This Is Love,” “Drift Away,” “Wildfire,” “Another Night Like This,” “No Stone Unturned,” “Count My Blessings,” “Dream,” “Poison Ivy,” “Busy Tonight,” and “Rise Up”), Windham Hill, 1989.