The Philosopher Kings Explained

The Philosopher Kings
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Genre:R&B, pop, pop rock
Years Active:1993–1999, 2004–2009, 2016–present
Spinoffs:Prozzäk
Current Members:Gerald Eaton
James Bryan McCollum
Brian West
Denton Whited
Marc Rogers
Past Members:Craig Hunter
Jason Levine
Jon Levine

The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian band. The band was most commercially successful in the late 1990s and have been nominated for five Juno Awards, winning one in 1996 for "Best New Group".[1] Most of the band members, current and former, have also had successful careers as songwriters and producers for several artists and performers. Between 1996 and 2016, The Philosopher Kings were among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 50 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.[2]

History

The Philosopher Kings formed in 1993. The name of the band is derived from Plato's Republic, in which he outlines the design of an idealistic government, ruled by philosopher-kings. The band released their debut album in Canada in 1994. The album was later released in the United States by Columbia.[3] The group saw minor success in the United States with the single "Charms", which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart in 1996.

The band performed across Canada,[4] and won the award for "Best New Group" at the 1996 Juno Awards. In 1997, the band released their second album, Famous, Rich and Beautiful. The album featured several singles which were hits in Canada, including "I Am the Man", "Hurts to Love You" and "Cry". The album was certified Platinum in Canada in 1998 and is the band's best-selling album. The band was nominated for "Best Group" at the 1999 Juno Awards. In 1999, drummer Craig Hunter was replaced by Denton Whited. The band was inactive from 2000 to 2003 as members pursued different projects. In 2004, all of the band members (minus Jason Levine) reunited and the band released the album Castles in 2006, with their lead single, "Castles in the Sand" reaching the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary charts in Canada. After going on hiatus again in the 2010s, the band reunited again in 2016. In 2018, the band released the album Return of the Kings.

Members

Current line-up

Past members

Discography

Albums

YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertifications
CAN
[5]
CAN
[6]
1994The Philosopher KingsGold
1997Famous, Rich and Beautiful62Platinum
1999One Night Stand
2006Castles
2018Return of the Kings

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positionsAlbum
CAN
[7]
CAN Content (Cancon)
[8]
CAN Dance
[9]
U.S.
Top 40

[10]
1994"Turn My Head Around" 6The Philosopher Kings
"Lay My Body Down"
1995"Charms" 161536
1997"I Am the Man" 7Famous, Rich and Beautiful
1998"Hurts to Love You" 8
"Cry" 13
"You Don't Love Me (Like You Used To Do)"71
1999"You Stepped on My Life" 30
2000"If I Ever Lose This Heaven" 44One Night Stand
2005"Castles in the Sand" Castles
2006"Give Back the Love"
"Beautiful Creature"
2017"Still the One" Return of the Kings
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Awards

Nominations

Side projects

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: AWARDS. junoawards.ca. June 3, 2021.
  2. Web site: NIELSEN MUSIC & BILLBOARD PRESENT CANADA 150 CHARTS. bdsradio.com. 28. September 25, 2023. January 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200102202137/https://bdsradio.com/pd/docs/Nielsen_Canadian150_2017_vs2.pdf. dead.
  3. Sony Music Takes on the World. 22 June 1996. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 62. 0006-2510. Larry LeBlanc.
  4. https://ftp.issuu.com/imprintuw/docs/1995-96_v18-n23_imprint/25 "Heads Turning"
  5. Peak positions for The Philosopher Kings' albums in Canada: *For "Famous, Rich and Beautiful" Web site: Top Albums/CDs - Volume 67, No. 2. April 6, 1998. RPM. June 19, 2019.
  6. Web site: Gold/Platinum. 25 January 2016 . Music Canada. June 3, 2021.
  7. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=j86d3uqb5jajlou8j8ag1r4lv4&q1=Philosopher+Kings&q2=Top+Singles&interval=20 Search for Canadian peaks
  8. Peak positions for The Philosopher Kings' singles on Cancon chart:
  9. Peak positions for The Philosopher Kings' singles on Canadian Dance chart:
  10. Web site: Chart History. Billboard. June 29, 2019.