Toronto

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Toronto (band). Hard rock band, active 1979-84. It was formed in the city of the same name by the singer Holly (Annie) Woods, the guitarists Brian Allen and Sheron Alton and the keyboard player Scott Kreyer, and had a succession of bassists (Nick Costello, Gary Lalonde, Mike Gingrich) and drummers (Jimmy Fox, Barry Conners). Toronto's initial notoriety came in 1980 on the basis of its debut LP, Lookin' For Trouble (Solid Gold SGR-1000), and its brash performances featuring Woods' strenuous vocal style.

Several Canadian hits followed 1982-3, including 'Your Daddy Don't Know,' 'Start Tellin' the Truth,' 'Girls Night Out,' 'All I Need' and 'Ready to Make Up'. Another song, 'What About Love?,' written by Allen, Alton and Jim Vallance for Toronto but not recorded, became a major hit internationally for the US band Heart in 1985. Toronto headlined concerts across Canada and travelled widely in the USA, both as an opening act (for Robert Palmer, Ted Nugent, Nazareth, etc) and on its own. Its other LPs 1981-3 for Solid Gold were Head On (SGR-1005), Get It on Credit (SGR-1011) and Girl's Night Out (SGR-1016). Canadian sales of all four Toronto LPs exceeded 100,000 copies each.

With the departure of Allen and Alton in 1983, Woods, Kreyer and others continued as Holly Woods and Toronto, recording the LP Assault and Flattery (SGR-1024). The single 'New Romance' was a modest Canadian hit in 1984. A 'greatest-hits' compilation was issued on LP (SGR-1021) that year and reissued on CD (CBS VCK-80128) in 1988. Allen was subsequently in charge of A&R for Attic Records, in which capacity he produced records by Lee Aaron andHaywire.


Bibliography

'It's really Toronto the good,' Toronto Star, 21 Jul 1981

Ross, Joanne. 'Toronto,' CanMus, vol 4, Feb 1982

Quill, Greg. 'Brian Allen: a rock veteran,' CanComp, 189, Mar 1984

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