Friday Nite Retro

Good evening and welcome to another edition of Friday Nite Retro here at Left in Aboite. I'll be your slightly sedated host this evening (I'm on pain meds - so ignore any glaring typos!). Tonight I'm dishing up one of my favorites 80's bands, Chilliwack.

The Canadian rockers initially formed as the Classics in Vancouver, BC in 1964, later changing their name to the Collectors in 1966. Their psychedelic debut album yielded the minor but long-remembered hit 'Lydia Purple'.

After lead singer Howie Vickers left the group in 1970, the band changed its name to Chilliwack, a Salish term meaning "going back up" and the name of a town near Vancouver. With lead guitarist Bill Henderson now providing most of the vocals and doing most of the composing, the band released several records that were moderately successful in Canada. Major hit singles in Canada included "Lonesome Mary", "Crazy Talk" and "Fly at Night". The album track "Rain-o", an elegant, soaring, blues-based composition that appeared in different versions on the Chilliwack debut album and the later "Dreams, Dreams, Dreams", was a well known concert favorite.

In 1978, Brian MacLeod (guitar, drums, keyboards) and Ab Bryant (bass) joined the band. Chilliwack enjoyed its greatest success with this new lineup. The singles "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)" (1981), "I Believe" (1982), and "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)" (1982) were popular both in Canada and in the U.S. The band was extremely popular at the time, and was regarded as the Canadian answer to the Grateful Dead.

My Girl (Gone So Long)


Rolling Stone Magazine wrote:

"At their best, Chilliwack was the finest Canadian rock band, outrocking BTO and outwriting Burton Cummings. But a lack of consistency kept it from international success."

Whatcha Gonna Do


I Beleive


Henderson and MacLeod received a Best Producer Juno Award in 1982 for Opus X. MacLeod left the band soon after, and Chilliwack's last new recording was released in 1984. Henderson and Lawrence continued to tour with other players until December 1988. In 1989 Bill Henderson went on to form the band UHF.

2005 saw Chilliwack play Voyageur Days Festival in Mattawa, Ontario. In 2006 they played at Canada Day in Cloverdale, BC.

Fly At Night (At Canada Day 2006 in Cloverdale, BC)