The Jades
Encyclopedia
The Jades were a rock band
formed in late 1960, and consisted of musicians Neil Young
, Ken Koblun
, John Daniel, David Gregg, and Jim Atkin. The band formed out of Earl Grey Junior High School in Winnipeg
.
in the summer of 1960 at the age of 14, he already knew what it was like to be uprooted, since his family had gone wherever his father's career in journalism had taken him. But after the break up of his parents' marriage, Neil and his mother Rassy settled into the working class suburb of Fort Rouge
where Young enrolled at Earl Grey Junior High School. It was there that he met Ken Koblun, later to join him in the Squires, and there that he formed his first band the Jades.
"I knew when I was 14 that music was all I wanted to do," he has said although he did manage to trade his skills on the links for a few guitar lessons from classmate John Daniel. Daniel, in due course, joined The Jades, whose one and only performance came in early January 1961 at the Earl Grey Community Club, but he soon fell out with Neil's single minded determination. "I had to go to hockey practice when Young wanted to play guitar, and he told me I had to choose one or the other, hockey or music. I guess I wanted to play hockey."
Young's next move was to form a band to play Winnipeg's booming community club circuit. By 1963 he and his mother had moved to the more well-situated Crescentwood
area, where he attended the illustrious Kelvin High School
and formed the Squires, who specialised in instrumentals by their idols the Shadows
and the Ventures
. Young was particularly taken by melodic guitar style of Hank Marvin
and the use of the tremolo arm
, both of which remain a trademark of his playing today. "The Shadows became the major portion of our repertoire, "he recalled. "We did "Apache", "Wonderful Land
", "FBI
", "Shindig" and another one called "Spring Is Nearly Here".
Young and Koblun ultimately went on to join the Stardusters and the Esquires. The
Esquires eventually became more of a folk rock
group, incorporating more influences from the Beatles
and folk music
.
After playing together in the Esquires, Koblun began playing bass for folk musicians, while Young struggled to start a solo career.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
formed in late 1960, and consisted of musicians Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, Ken Koblun
Ken Koblun
Ken Koblun is a Canadian musician best known for his work with Neil Young, performing with Young in the Jades, the Squires, the Stardusters, and briefly with Buffalo Springfield...
, John Daniel, David Gregg, and Jim Atkin. The band formed out of Earl Grey Junior High School in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
.
History
When Neil Young arrived in Winnipeg from TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
in the summer of 1960 at the age of 14, he already knew what it was like to be uprooted, since his family had gone wherever his father's career in journalism had taken him. But after the break up of his parents' marriage, Neil and his mother Rassy settled into the working class suburb of Fort Rouge
Fort Rouge, Manitoba
Fort Rouge is a district of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Located in the south-central part of the city, it is bounded on the north by the Assiniboine River, on the east and south by the Red River, and on the west by Stafford Street and Pembina Highway...
where Young enrolled at Earl Grey Junior High School. It was there that he met Ken Koblun, later to join him in the Squires, and there that he formed his first band the Jades.
"I knew when I was 14 that music was all I wanted to do," he has said although he did manage to trade his skills on the links for a few guitar lessons from classmate John Daniel. Daniel, in due course, joined The Jades, whose one and only performance came in early January 1961 at the Earl Grey Community Club, but he soon fell out with Neil's single minded determination. "I had to go to hockey practice when Young wanted to play guitar, and he told me I had to choose one or the other, hockey or music. I guess I wanted to play hockey."
Young's next move was to form a band to play Winnipeg's booming community club circuit. By 1963 he and his mother had moved to the more well-situated Crescentwood
Crescentwood
Crescentwood is a former electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created in 1969, abolished in 1979, re-established in 1989, and abolished again in 1999.The Crescentwood riding was located in Winnipeg's south-central region...
area, where he attended the illustrious Kelvin High School
Kelvin High School
Kelvin High School is a public high school, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.-History:Founded in 1912 as Kelvin Technical High School, the name was later shortened to Kelvin High School. The school is named after the mathematical physicist and engineer Sir William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin of...
and formed the Squires, who specialised in instrumentals by their idols the Shadows
The Shadows
The Shadows are a British pop group with a total of 69 UK hit-charted singles: 35 as 'The Shadows' and 34 as 'Cliff Richard and the Shadows', from the 1950s to the 2000s. Cliff Richard in casual conversation with the British rock press frequently refers to the Shadows by their nickname: 'The Shads'...
and the Ventures
The Ventures
The Ventures is an American instrumental rock band formed in 1958 in Tacoma, Washington. Founded by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, the group in its various incarnations has had an enduring impact on the development of music worldwide. With over 100 million records sold, the group is the best-selling...
. Young was particularly taken by melodic guitar style of Hank Marvin
Hank Marvin
Hank Brian Marvin is an English guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows. The group, which primarily performed instrumentals, was formed as a backing band for vocalist Cliff Richard...
and the use of the tremolo arm
Tremolo arm
A whammy bar, tremolo arm/bar, or vibrato arm/bar is a component of a guitar, used to add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the strings, typically at the bridge or tailpiece...
, both of which remain a trademark of his playing today. "The Shadows became the major portion of our repertoire, "he recalled. "We did "Apache", "Wonderful Land
Wonderful Land
"Wonderful Land" is an instrumental piece which was released as a single by The Shadows in 1962. It stayed at #1 in the UK for more weeks than any other single during the whole of the 1960s....
", "FBI
F.B.I. (song)
"F.B.I." is an instrumental rock tune recorded by the British group The Shadows, written by Peter Gormley. It was released by EMI as a single in February 1961 on the Columbia label with "Midnight" as the B-side...
", "Shindig" and another one called "Spring Is Nearly Here".
Young and Koblun ultimately went on to join the Stardusters and the Esquires. The
Esquires eventually became more of a folk rock
Folk rock
Folk 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...
group, incorporating more influences from the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
.
After playing together in the Esquires, Koblun began playing bass for folk musicians, while Young struggled to start a solo career.
See also
- Canadian rockCanadian rockCanadian rock describes a wide and diverse variety of music produced by Canadians, beginning with American style rock 'n' roll in the mid-20th century. Since then Canada has had a considerable impact on the development of the modern popular music called rock...
- Music of CanadaMusic of CanadaThe music of Canada has influences that have shaped the country. Aboriginals, the British, and the French have all made unique contributions to the musical heritage of Canada. The music has subsequently been heavily influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between...
- List of musicians from Canada