Two-Hit Wonders
80s CanCon artists who were so nice, they charted twice!
What’s slightly better than a one-hit wonder? Why a two-hit wonder, of course!
All of these artists charted only twice - in the 80s.
Some had more significant careers than others, some were two and out.
Stay tuned for some amazing CanCon that you’re not likely to have heard much.
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Jenson Interceptor - Tiny Thing | peaked #47, 1980
Siblings Doug and Kennedy Jenson were born around Lethbridge in Southern Alberta before finding their way to Edmonton.
Initially making their living as a bar band along with Doug’s partner Charlotte Wiebe, they got a record deal with indie label House of Lords and produced their self-titled debut.
Tiny Thing was actually the flip side to their debut single Crazy Monkey, and features the band’s unusual pop arrangements with strings and woodwinds the prominent backing bed.
After money trouble at their label a follow-up LP ensued in 1983, but did not perform well. Wiebe and the two siblings went their musical separate ways eventually, but we sadly lost Doug Jenson to ALS in 2014.
Second hit → Heavenly Angels, peaked #87, 1980
Big Bam Boo - Shooting From My Heart | peaked #36, 1989
Duo Simon Tedd [now Scardanelli] and Calgary-born Shark [David Shaw] were the driving force behind Big Bam Boo. They produced one LP - Fun, Faith, & Fairplay before going their separate ways.
Guitar-driven with lovely harmonies, this tune is quintessentially 80s, and so good!
Scardanelli lives in the UK and has released a number of albums on Resonator Records. Shaw found success with Wild Colonials and DJ work.
Second hit → If You Could See Me Now, peaked #84, 1989
Annette Ducharme - No Such Thing | peaked #51, 1989
Born in Windsor, Ontario near the US border, Annette Ducharme [aka Anet] made the trek to Vancouver. Here she made her debut EP as part of the new wave duo Bowers-Ducharme.
Her debut LP Blue Girl was released on Capitol in 1989, and spawned two excellent singles.
Anet is also a much lauded songwriter and is now performing as a soprano with Opera ProCantanti in Vancouver.
Second hit → Slavery, peaked #62, 1989
Baron Longfellow - Go It Slow | peaked #88, 1980
Speaking of incredible Canadian songwriters, I give you Baron Longfellow - the nom de stage of Hall of Famer Andy Kim.
Montréal’s Kim, of course, is the writer behind Baby I Love You and also part of the huge hit from The Archies - Sugar Sugar.
The Longfellow persona was designed to relaunch Kim’s career, and he called on some top talent to help in the studio.
Keep an ear for the ‘first-call’ talents of Toto’s Steve Luthaker on guitar and Michael Porcaro on bass.
Second hit → In The Night Machine, peaked #90, 1985
Doubledare - Date With The Past | peaked #97, 1986
After the breakup of his first group, Andy McLean recruited singer Wendy Lands for a new synth-driven project called Doubledare.
The self-titled LP spun out two minor hits, with some bonkers mid-80s production and a totally different sound.
McLean continues to work behind the scenes in the business while Lands sang for a decade in the Toronto production of Les Mis before releasing a jazz record in the 90s that was well regarded.
Second hit → Can’t Hold On, peaked #73, 1986
PS - McLean is unique on this list as he also had a one-hit wonder as part of The Tenants in 1983. You may find this track to be quite Police-adjacent…
The Tenants - Sheriff | peaked #34, 1983
It means a lot when leave a comment and tell me what you heard that you enjoyed. Had you heard any of these tracks before? Any surprises?
Enjoyed all of these although I’d never heard any of them. Of the bunch Tina had only heard “Sheriff” so I feel like these were quite obscure or perhaps more popular on the west coast
Love the baseline, “Cancon artists who were so nice, they charted twice” 😁 But even with two hits, most of them were completely unknown to me. I do like "Double" Dare 😁