The Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good (guitar), his twin brother Bruce Good (autoharp) and younger brother Larry Good (banjo).
The Good Brothers | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Good Brothers with Lou Moore on double bass in Kaufbeuren, Germany | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Country |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels | Columbia, RCA, Solid Gold, Savannah, Hogtown |
| Members | Brian Good Bruce Good Larry Good Kevin Luciani John P. Allen |
| Website | thegoodbrothers |
Brian and Bruce Good initially joined guitarist James Ackroyd to form the band James and the Good Brothers in 1967. Their self-titled album was released on Columbia Records in 1971. After a tour itinerary throughout North America, including a Toronto concert opening for Grand Funk Railroad, the Goods wished to return to Canada while Ackroyd sought to continue in the United States.
In 1973, younger brother Larry Good joined the twins to form a new band which first performed 14 May 1974 in Toronto at The Riverboat club. Since then, the band has extensively toured Canada, United States and Europe. Their role in Canadian music was strengthened by winning the Juno Award for Country Group or Duo for eight consecutive years from 1977[1] to 1984.
In 1980, the group signed to Solid Gold Records. Their first two singles were covers - Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl, and Ace's How Long. While the latter single failed to chart, its b-side, an original song called Hot Knife Boogie, from their Live LP, recorded at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern (as were both sides of the former single) and featuring The Powder Blues Band, was popular on college campus radio stations, and received some play on FM rock stations like Toronto's Q107.[2][3] It would later be included on their 2008 compilation LP, Restricted Goods
The Good Brothers have been supplemented by other musicians over the years, such as John P. Allen (fiddle) and Bruce's son Travis Good of The Sadies (guitar and mandolin). Travis was a regular member of The Good Brothers when Larry took a leave of absence throughout the 1990s, this lineup used the alternate name "The Goods".[4] Bruce and Larry were joined by Bruce's wife Margaret Good, Brian's daughter D'arcy Good, and all of The Sadies to record and perform live as "The Good Family" in 2013.[5]
The 1988 single entitled "You Won't Fool This Fool This Time" was written by Bernie LaBarge. It reached No. 14 on the Canadian country charts.
The Good Brothers reached a younger generation of fans when Pat Burns (then coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team) joined them on-stage to play some music. Burns also played guitar on one of their albums.[6][7]
In 1996 the Good Brothers provided entertainment at the Queen's Park Provincial Legislature's Canada Day celebrations in Toronto, Ontario.[8]
In 2003 the Good Brothers performed at the Palmer Rapids Twin Festival, in Palmer Rapids, Ontario.[9]
In 2006 the band released a gospel album, Blind Faith, and then headed out on their 29th tour of Europe.[10]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album | Chart Positions | CRIA | Label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN | ||||
| 1971 | James and the Good Brothers | — | 52 | — | Columbia |
| 1975 | The Good Brothers | — | 58 | — | RCA Victor |
| 1977 | Pretty Ain’t Good Enuff | — | 72 | — | |
| 1978 | Doin' the Wrong Things Right | 6 | 67 | — | |
| 1979 | Some Kind of Woman | 9 | 49 | — | |
| 1980 | Best Of | 11 | 95 | — | |
| Live | 4 | 41 | Gold | Solid Gold | |
| 1982 | Person to Person | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | Live'n Kickin' | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | Delivering the Goods | — | — | — | Savannah |
| 1990 | Live Fast, Love Hard | — | — | — | |
| 1994 | So Many Roads (as The Goods) | 22 | — | — | |
| 1996 | Gone So Long (Live in Europe) (as The Goods) | — | — | — | ELA Music Group |
| 2001 | One True Thing | — | — | — | Outside Music |
| 2005 | Live at the Rattlesnake Saloon | — | — | — | Hogtown Records |
| 2006 | Blind Faith | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | Restricted Goods | — | — | — | |
| 2013 | The Good Family Album (as The Good Family) | — | — | — | Latent Recordings |
| 2017 | Wide Awake Dreamin' | — | — | — | Hogtown Records |
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Country | CAN | CAN AC | |||
| 1976 | "That's the Kind of Man I Am" | 20 | — | — | The Good Brothers |
| "Midnight Flight" | 15 | 74 | 24 | ||
| 1977 | "Homemade Wine" | 14 | — | — | |
| "Good Boogie" | — | — | — | ||
| 1978 | "Cowboy from Rue St. Germain" | 30 | — | — | Pretty Ain't Good Enuff |
| "Truck Driver's Girl" | 16 | — | — | Doin' the Wrong Things Right | |
| "Please Come Back to Me" | — | 25 | 12 | ||
| 1979 | "Let Love Go" | 45 | — | — | |
| "Some Kind of Woman" | 19 | — | 30 | Some Kind of Woman | |
| 1980 | "Brown Eyed Girl" | 15 | — | 2 | Live |
| 1981 | "Fox on the Run" | — | — | — | |
| 1982 | "Weekend Rodeo" | 29 | — | — | — |
| "Summertime" | 6 | — | — | Person to Person | |
| 1983 | "Person to Person" | — | — | — | |
| "Hold Out" | 27 | — | — | Live 'n Kickin' | |
| 1984 | "Celebrate" | — | — | — | — |
| 1986 | "This Could Be Serious" | 31 | — | — | Delivering the Goods |
| 1987 | "Better Off Alone" | 19 | — | 20 | |
| "High Rollin' Heart" | 22 | — | — | ||
| "Gone So Long" | 8 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "You Won't Fool This Fool This Time" | 14 | — | — | |
| 1990 | "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young" | 14 | — | — | Live Fast, Love Hard |
| "She Told Me So" | 10 | — | — | ||
| "Why Baby Why" | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1991 | "We Don't Always See Eye to Eye" | 10 | — | — | |
| 1994 | "That's What Highways Are For" (as The Goods) | 10 | — | — | So Many Roads |
| "I Really Dug Myself a Hole This Time" (as The Goods) | 9 | — | — | ||
| 1995 | "The Shape I'm In" (as The Goods) | 63 | — | — | |
| "Don't Know Much About Love" (as The Goods) | — | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "What the Hell I've Got" | — | — | — | One True Thing |
| "Honey and Heartache" | — | — | — | ||
References
edit- ^ Martin Melhuish (23 April 1977). "Juno 1977". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 76–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "The Good Brothers - How Long / Hot Knife Boogie - Solid Gold - Canada - SGS-704". 45cat.com. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
- ^ "CANOE -- JAM! Music - Pop Encyclopedia - Good Brothers". jam.canoe.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ "The Goods (8)". Discogs.
- ^ "The Good Family | Exclaim!".
- ^ "Good Brothers - Official Website". Good Brothers - Official Website
- ^ "LA Times - Nov 20, 2010". LA Times - Nov 20, 2010
- ^ "Canada '96", The Toronto Star, 28 June 1996
- ^ Palmer Rapids Twin Festival Souvenir Program, July 2003
- ^ Quill, Greg, "Good move toward gospel", The Toronto Star, 5 October 2006.
