L-R:
Wayne Faulconer (lead guitar), Wayne
Cardinal (lead vocals/bass), Russ Percy
(organ),
John Karwacki (drums), Terry Stiles
(rhythm guitar) |
Kenora isn’t generally
regarded as a hotbed of rock ‘n’ roll, but
in 1965, a group of musicians with the
unlikely name Satan & the D-Men
arrived from the Ontario city and shook up
the Winnipeg music scene. Guitarists
Terry Stiles and Wayne Faulconer, drummer
John Karwacki, Russ Percy on organ and
bass player Wayne Cardinal had played
dances throughout northwestern Ontario as
the Tempests. They appeared on a
Winnipeg amateur talent show, which led to
an offer to play the Twilight Zone Club
for, as Stiles recalls, “enough money for
a tank of gas and a pack of cigarettes.”
More offers came in, and the band commuted
from Kenora before finally making the
decision to quit high school and relocate
to Winnipeg, taking up residence in a
house at 887 Warsaw Ave., in Fort
Rouge. Their manager, colourful
local impresario Fred Glazerman, told the
landlord a group of Mormons was renting
the house. The name change followed.
“John had remarked that we looked like
hell and sounded like hell, so we came up
with the name,” says Stiles.
One of Glazerman’s bookings was performing
on the Monarch Wear Tee*Jays jeans
Cavalcade of Stars show at the Winnipeg
Auditorium, with more shows in Portage la
Prairie and Brandon.
“Monarch Wear gave us colourful outfits to
wear,” says Stiles.
“Orange corduroy sports jackets with black
turtlenecks. We looked like
Halloween pumpkins.”
The Pink Panther club, located in a former
bowling alley, became the group’s home
base, where they performed often.
Satan & the D-Men released a 45 single
on Eagle Records, Linda, composed by
Stiles and backed by the Cardinal-penned
She’ll Lie, recorded at Arbuthnot Studios
in St. Boniface. They also added a
line about Tee*Kays in their song All
Canadian Boy, recorded for Monarch Wear
promotions.
The band was elated when Glazerman
promised them an opening slot on the
Rolling Stones’ July 1966 arena concert
but crestfallen once they learned they
were bumped. Instead, they were
booked to back rockabilly pioneer Buddy
Knox of Party Doll fame. The Knox
tour was a success, but the band’s van
broke down, and the repair costs far
exceeded the meagre wages they were
paid. Frustrated, Stiles opted to
return to school in Kenora.
“I came home to my parents’ house with 25
cents in my pocket,” he says.
The others carried on briefly, including a
move to Vancouver. But the story of
Satan & the D-Men does not end
there. In 1982, they were invited to
reunite for Kenora’s centennial
celebration, and have performed several
times since.
John Einarson
Excerpt from UNSUNG BANDS HELPED BUILD ROCK SCENE as
published in the Winnipeg Free Press,
January 24, 2016
|
John
Karwacki
|
Lucille
Emond and Terry Stiles
|
L-R:
John Karwacki (drums), Russ Percy
(keyboards), Brian Ouelette (vocals),
Wayne Cardinal (bass guitar), Terry Stiles
(rhythm guitar), Wayne Faulconer (lead
guitar)
Brian was the lead singer on She'll
Lie. This was a 45 rpm that was
recorded at Arbuthnott Studios in St.
Boniface, Man.
It has become a garage band classic and is
featured on many LP's and CD's.
Brian was only with the band a short
time. -- Terry Stiles
|
|
