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Brian Wray
Brian Wray was a veteran Canadian musician and musical arranger. He had been a member of three major Canadian bands, Natural Gas in the late 1960s, Motherlode and Truck in the early 1970s. He also worked with Lisa Hartt, Freedom North, Moe Koffman, David Johannesson and other artists. In later years he moved more towards the jazz genre.
Born Brian Francis Wray, coming from Montreal, he was an organ and piano player. He was once a member of the group Five of a Kind which also had a pre-Mashmakhan Brian Edwards in their line up. While he was a member of Natural Gas, he arranged the track "Eleanor Rigby", and arranged the band's hit "All Powerful Man". He had played piano and handled the horn arrangements on Freedom North's self-titled album that was released in 1970. He also played keyboards in Canadian singer, Lisa Hartt's first band.
Like former Truck members, Larry Ernewein and Sandy MacKay (When the band was called Sound Spectrum), Wray's later in life preference was playing jazz.
During the 1960s, Brian Wray was in the group Five of a Kind which also had a pre-Mashmakhan Brian Edwards in their line up.
He joined George Olliver's group Natural Gas in May, 1969. In January, 1970 while Natural Gas were playing at the Laugh In on Victoria Street, Montreal, the group surprisingly played the "2001: A Space Oydessy" theme. Wrays keyboard playing was noted in an article, "Natural Gas a natural treat" by The Gazette with the writer saying "he plays piano and organ like a man who's being doing it for a long time" adding " adds just the right touch to the band". While in the band he played piano, organ, flute and added his vocals to the recordings. He did the arrangements on the A side of the single, "All Powerful Man" bw "What Do You Want From My Life" which was released on Firebird FR 1806. The single got to #76 on May 9, 1970, spending seven weeks in the Canadian charts. It also at #12 on the Top 50 Canadian Content chart on the same date. Their album that featured his arrangements on four tracks (two of them co-arrangements), got into the Canadian Top 10. It also made the Top 50 in the United States.
By March 1971, he was a member of the fifth version of Motherlode. The line up also included Dave Berman (saxophone), Brian Dewhurst (drums), Gerry Legault (bass, vocals), Joey Roberts aka Joey Miquelon (guitar). They didn't get around to recording any material and became part of Truck with the addition of Graham Lear.
In 1972, and now a member of Truck, he was part of the lineup which also included Jimmy Roberts, Larry Ernewein, Joey Miquelon, Mike Curtis and Graham Lear.
He composed the A side for the group's second single, "Get It Together" bw "Can't Wait (Until Tomorrow)", released on Capitol 72687 in 1972. The B side was composed by James O. Roberts. In early March, "Get it Together" was getting spun on Ron Moore's play list at Radio Western in London, while "Can't Wait Until Tomorrow" (the B side) was getting play on Ron Foster's play list at CKLW-FM in Windsor. By mid-March, "Get It Together" was on John Oliver's play list at CHEC in Lethbridge. The following week it was in the "Breakout Markets" section and on Ted Hayward's playlist at CJCJ Woodstock.
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Brian Wray
Brian Wray was a veteran Canadian musician and musical arranger. He had been a member of three major Canadian bands, Natural Gas in the late 1960s, Motherlode and Truck in the early 1970s. He also worked with Lisa Hartt, Freedom North, Moe Koffman, David Johannesson and other artists. In later years he moved more towards the jazz genre.
Born Brian Francis Wray, coming from Montreal, he was an organ and piano player. He was once a member of the group Five of a Kind which also had a pre-Mashmakhan Brian Edwards in their line up. While he was a member of Natural Gas, he arranged the track "Eleanor Rigby", and arranged the band's hit "All Powerful Man". He had played piano and handled the horn arrangements on Freedom North's self-titled album that was released in 1970. He also played keyboards in Canadian singer, Lisa Hartt's first band.
Like former Truck members, Larry Ernewein and Sandy MacKay (When the band was called Sound Spectrum), Wray's later in life preference was playing jazz.
During the 1960s, Brian Wray was in the group Five of a Kind which also had a pre-Mashmakhan Brian Edwards in their line up.
He joined George Olliver's group Natural Gas in May, 1969. In January, 1970 while Natural Gas were playing at the Laugh In on Victoria Street, Montreal, the group surprisingly played the "2001: A Space Oydessy" theme. Wrays keyboard playing was noted in an article, "Natural Gas a natural treat" by The Gazette with the writer saying "he plays piano and organ like a man who's being doing it for a long time" adding " adds just the right touch to the band". While in the band he played piano, organ, flute and added his vocals to the recordings. He did the arrangements on the A side of the single, "All Powerful Man" bw "What Do You Want From My Life" which was released on Firebird FR 1806. The single got to #76 on May 9, 1970, spending seven weeks in the Canadian charts. It also at #12 on the Top 50 Canadian Content chart on the same date. Their album that featured his arrangements on four tracks (two of them co-arrangements), got into the Canadian Top 10. It also made the Top 50 in the United States.
By March 1971, he was a member of the fifth version of Motherlode. The line up also included Dave Berman (saxophone), Brian Dewhurst (drums), Gerry Legault (bass, vocals), Joey Roberts aka Joey Miquelon (guitar). They didn't get around to recording any material and became part of Truck with the addition of Graham Lear.
In 1972, and now a member of Truck, he was part of the lineup which also included Jimmy Roberts, Larry Ernewein, Joey Miquelon, Mike Curtis and Graham Lear.
He composed the A side for the group's second single, "Get It Together" bw "Can't Wait (Until Tomorrow)", released on Capitol 72687 in 1972. The B side was composed by James O. Roberts. In early March, "Get it Together" was getting spun on Ron Moore's play list at Radio Western in London, while "Can't Wait Until Tomorrow" (the B side) was getting play on Ron Foster's play list at CKLW-FM in Windsor. By mid-March, "Get It Together" was on John Oliver's play list at CHEC in Lethbridge. The following week it was in the "Breakout Markets" section and on Ted Hayward's playlist at CJCJ Woodstock.