The Grapes of Wrath were a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band, who were one of Canada's most successful pop bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s before disbanding in 1992. With the band name tied up in litigation, most of the band continued to record through the 1990s as
GingerGinger was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s. The band consisted of Tom Hooper on bass, Chris Hooper on drums and Vincent Jones on keyboards, following the departure of Kevin Kane from their earlier band The Grapes of Wrath...
. The Grapes of Wrath briefly reunited for one album in 2000, although not with their full original lineup.
The Grapes of Wrath were formed in
KelownaKelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a native term for "grizzly bear"...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
in 1983 by
Chris HooperChris Hooper is a Canadian songwriter and musician.He was a member of The Grapes of Wrath, one of the most popular Canadian rock bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is Tom Hooper's brother.-External links:** where Chris is a Producer*...
, Tom Hooper and
Kevin KaneNot to be confused with the drummer for the band Powerspace.Kevin Kane is a Canadian songwriter, musician, and record producer.He was a founding member of The Grapes of Wrath in 1983, but was ejected from that band in 1992...
.
The Grapes of Wrath were a
CanadianCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
folk rockFolk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
band, who were one of Canada's most successful pop bands in the late 1980s and early 1990s before disbanding in 1992. With the band name tied up in litigation, most of the band continued to record through the 1990s as
GingerGinger was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s. The band consisted of Tom Hooper on bass, Chris Hooper on drums and Vincent Jones on keyboards, following the departure of Kevin Kane from their earlier band The Grapes of Wrath...
. The Grapes of Wrath briefly reunited for one album in 2000, although not with their full original lineup.
Biography
The Grapes of Wrath were formed in
KelownaKelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Its name derives from a native term for "grizzly bear"...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
in 1983 by
Chris HooperChris Hooper is a Canadian songwriter and musician.He was a member of The Grapes of Wrath, one of the most popular Canadian rock bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He is Tom Hooper's brother.-External links:** where Chris is a Producer*...
, Tom Hooper and
Kevin KaneNot to be confused with the drummer for the band Powerspace.Kevin Kane is a Canadian songwriter, musician, and record producer.He was a founding member of The Grapes of Wrath in 1983, but was ejected from that band in 1992...
. They came up with the name for the band after looking at a movie guide—nobody in the band had seen the movie or read the book. In 1984, they signed to
NettwerkThe Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, as well as Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville and Hamburg...
, releasing a self-titled EP that year. The following year, their debut album
September Bowl of Green was released.
1987's
Treehouse, produced by
Tom CochraneTom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "White Hot", "Boy Inside the Man", "Big League" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...
, was the band's initial Canadian breakthrough, yielding the minor hit single "Peace of Mind".
Produced by
Anton FierAnton Fier, aka "Andy Fisher" , is an American drummer, composer and bandleader. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio.Fier was an early member of The Lounge Lizards and The Feelies. He was in The Lodge , worked with Pere Ubu, was briefly in the the Voidoids and founded The Golden Palominos...
Now and Again, released in 1989, was the band's most successful album. The band expanded to a 4 piece as Keyboardist Vincent Jones joined the band. The band's tour to support this album was also notable for its opening act, a then-emerging singer/songwriter named
Sarah McLachlanSarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter.She is known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range. As of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and eight...
.
Produced by
John LeckieJohn Leckie is a British music producer, notable for producing many high-profile albums such as The Stone Roses's debut and Radiohead's The Bends...
These Days, released in 1991, found the band experimenting with a harder rock sound, and while it sold well and spawned the hit singles "I Am Here" and "You May Be Right", it was to be the band's last effort for almost a decade.
In 1999, Kane and Tom Hooper, the Grapes' main songwriting team, decided to work together again, and released
Field Trip under the Grapes of Wrath name in 2000. Neither Chris Hooper nor Vincent Jones participated in the reunion. Matt Brain was enlisted as the band's drummer, though he was not an official member of the group.
After the tour for this album, Hooper and Kane said that they "...had taken the reunion as far as they could take it." They once again parted ways, and consequently deactivated the band, in 2001.
In 2009, Kane and Hooper decided to play together again, as an acoustic duo. Two concerts have been scheduled in Western Canada, during which they will play all their hit songs.
Singles
| Release Date |
Title |
Chart positions |
Album |
Canada
RPM 100 |
| 1985 |
"Misunderstanding" |
|
September Bowl of Green September Bowl of Green is an album by The Grapes of Wrath.-Track listing:# Misunderstanding# Love Comes Around# Breaks My Heart↑# Dream # Didn't You Say Something# And I Know# Self-Abuse# Umbrella# Realistic Birds# See Her Go↑...
|
| 1985 |
"Love Comes Around" |
|
| October 1987 |
"Peace Of Mind" |
#56 |
Treehouse Treehouse was the second CD by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 1987 on Capitol Records."Peace of Mind" was the band's first single to reach the RPM singles charts in Canada, peaking at #56...
|
| January 1988 |
"O Lucky Man" |
|
| March 1988 |
"Backward Town" |
|
| July 1989 |
"All The Things I Wasn't" |
#19 |
Now and Again |
| October 1989 |
"Do You Want To Tell Me?" |
#50 |
| January 1990 |
"What Was Going Through My Head" |
#33 |
| May 1990 |
"The Most" |
|
| July 1991 |
"I Am Here" |
#8 |
These Days These Days was a 1991 album by The Grapes of Wrath.Produced by John Leckie, the album found the band attempting to expand their traditional folk rock sound in a more guitar-heavy alternative rock direction....
|
| October 1991 |
"You May Be Right" |
#7 |
| February 1992 |
"A Fishing Tale" |
#60 |
Albums
- The Grapes of Wrath (1984)
- September Bowl of Green
September Bowl of Green is an album by The Grapes of Wrath.-Track listing:# Misunderstanding# Love Comes Around# Breaks My Heart↑# Dream # Didn't You Say Something# And I Know# Self-Abuse# Umbrella# Realistic Birds# See Her Go↑...
(1985)
- Treehouse
Treehouse was the second CD by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 1987 on Capitol Records."Peace of Mind" was the band's first single to reach the RPM singles charts in Canada, peaking at #56...
(1987)
- Now and Again (1989)
- These Days
These Days was a 1991 album by The Grapes of Wrath.Produced by John Leckie, the album found the band attempting to expand their traditional folk rock sound in a more guitar-heavy alternative rock direction....
(1991)
- Seems Like Fate 1984-1992
Seems Like Fate 1984-1992 is a 1994 compilation album by The Grapes of Wrath. The collection comprises the major single releases, in addition to all of the B-Sides to singles not included on full-length albums and a previously unreleased demo and remix...
(1994)
- Field Trip
Field Trip is an album by The Grapes of Wrath, released in 2000. The album marked the reunion of Kevin Kane and Tom Hooper as songwriting partners and bandmates for the first time since 1991's These Days, although they were the only two original band members to appear on the album...
(2000)
External links