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Singer/songwriter BOB SEGARINI was the king of pub rock. Originally from the west coast, SEGARINI first fronted The Ratz featuring Gary
Duncan of Quicksilver Messenger Service. He then moved on to the popular Family Tree with Michael Dure. They put out one record, 1968's 'Miss Butters', before SEGARINI moved onto Roxy and released one
eponymous album on Elektra in 1969 before they also packed it in.
Soon, The Wackers became SEGARINI's meal ticket with Roxy's Randy Bishop (bass, guitar, keyboards), Family Tree's Bill Trochim (bass,
guitar, vocals) and Spencer Earnshaw (drums) in 1971 for the albums 'Wackering Heights', 'Hot Wacks (1972) and 'Shredder' (1973) at which time they begin having drummer problems and recruited Jerry Mercer of
April Wine/Mashmakhan to fill in. A 1974 album, with just Bishop, Trochim and SEGARINI called 'Wack 'N' Roll' was never released and the group fell apart.
SEGARINI and Trochim next put together The
Dudes with the founding members of April Wine (Ritchie and David Henman) and future April Wine guitarist Brian Greenway. They recorded one album called 'We're No Angels' spawning the single "I Just
Wanna Dance" (Pacemaker Records would release a retrospective rarities collection in the '90's). With the April Wine alumni otherwise occupied, SEGARINI managed to sign a solo deal with A&M, issuing
a 4 song self-titles EP.
However, he was immediately picked up by fledgling cutting edge Toronto label Bomb Records and recorded his first and most successful album 'Gotta Have Pop' (1978) at Puck's
Farm with keyboardist turned producer Michael Fonfara (Lou Reed). SEGARINI called out a dozen favours and had Toronto's popular musicians drop in for the record: David-Clayton Thomas (Blood, Sweat &
Tears), GREG GODOVITZ and Doug Inglis (GODDO), David Henman (April Wine), and future Hammerheard Records president Paul Irvine on saxophone.
Two more albums followed with 'Goodbye L.A.' (1980) and 'On
The Radio' (1980) on Bomb Records which are now remastered and released on Bullseye Records in 2006. |
