The Good Brothers Explained

The Good Brothers
Landscape:yes
Background:group_or_band
Origin:Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Genre:Country
Years Active:1972–present
Label:Columbia, RCA, Solid Gold, Savannah, Hogtown
Current Members:Brian Good
Bruce Good
Larry Good
Kevin Luciani
John P. Allen

The Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good (guitar), his twin brother Bruce Good (autoharp) and younger brother Larry Good (banjo).

Brian and Bruce Good initially joined guitarist James Ackroyd to form the band James and the Good Brothers in 1967. Their self-titled album was released on Columbia Records in 1971. After a tour itinerary throughout North America, including a Toronto concert opening for Grand Funk Railroad, the Goods wished to return to Canada while Ackroyd sought to continue in the United States.

In 1973, younger brother Larry Good joined the twins to form a new band which first performed 14 May 1974 in Toronto at The Riverboat club. Since then, the band has extensively toured Canada, United States and Europe. Their role in Canadian music was strengthened by winning the Juno Award for Country Group or Duo for eight consecutive years from 1977[1] to 1984.

In 1980, the group signed to Solid Gold Records. Their first two singles were covers - Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl, and Ace's How Long. While the latter single failed to chart, its b-side, an original song called Hot Knife Boogie, from their Live LP, recorded at Toronto's Horseshoe Tavern (as were both sides of the former single) and featuring The Powder Blues Band, was popular on college campus radio stations, and received some play on FM rock stations like Toronto's Q107.[2] [3] It would later be included on their 2008 compilation LP, Restricted Goods

The Good Brothers have been supplemented by other musicians over the years, such as John P. Allen (fiddle) and Bruce's son Travis Good of The Sadies (guitar and mandolin). Travis was a regular member of The Good Brothers when Larry took a leave of absence throughout the 1990s, this lineup used the alternate name "The Goods".[4] Bruce and Larry were joined by Bruce's wife Margaret Good, Brian's daughter D'arcy Good, and all of The Sadies to record and perform live as "The Good Family" in 2013.[5]

The 1988 single entitled "You Won't Fool This Fool This Time" was written by Bernie LaBarge. It reached No. 14 on the Canadian country charts.

The Good Brothers reached a younger generation of fans when Pat Burns (then coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team) joined them on-stage to play some music. Burns also played guitar on one of their albums.[6] [7]

In 1996 the Good Brothers provided entertainment at the Queen's Park Provincial Legislature's Canada Day celebrations in Toronto, Ontario.[8]

In 2003 the Good Brothers performed at the Palmer Rapids Twin Festival, in Palmer Rapids, Ontario.[9]

In 2006 the band released a gospel album, Blind Faith, and then headed out on their 29th tour of Europe.[10]

Discography

Albums

YearAlbumChart PositionsCRIALabel
CAN CountryCAN
1971James and the Good Brothers52Columbia
1975The Good Brothers58RCA Victor
1977Pretty Ain’t Good Enuff72
1978Doin' the Wrong Things Right667
1979Some Kind of Woman949
1980Best Of1195
Live441GoldSolid Gold
1982Person to Person
1983Live'n Kickin
1986Delivering the GoodsSavannah
1990Live Fast, Love Hard
1994So Many Roads (as The Goods)22
1996Gone So Long (Live in Europe) (as The Goods)ELA Music Group
2001One True ThingOutside Music
2005Live at the Rattlesnake SaloonHogtown Records
2006Blind Faith
2008Restricted Goods
2013The Good Family Album (as The Good Family)Latent Recordings
2017Wide Awake Dreamin' Hogtown Records

Singles

YearTitlePeak positionsAlbum
CAN CountryCANCAN AC
1976"That's the Kind of Man I Am"20The Good Brothers
"Midnight Flight"157424
1977"Homemade Wine"14
"Good Boogie"
1978"Cowboy from Rue St. Germain"30Pretty Ain't Good Enuff
"Truck Driver's Girl"16Doin' the Wrong Things Right
"Please Come Back to Me"2512
1979"Let Love Go"45
"Some Kind of Woman"1930Some Kind of Woman
1980"Brown Eyed Girl"152Live
1981"Fox on the Run"
1982"Weekend Rodeo"29
"Summertime"6Person to Person
1983"Person to Person"
"Hold Out"27Live 'n Kickin
1984"Celebrate"
1986"This Could Be Serious"31Delivering the Goods
1987"Better Off Alone"1920
"High Rollin' Heart"22
"Gone So Long"8
1988"You Won't Fool This Fool This Time"14
1990"Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young"14Live Fast, Love Hard
"She Told Me So"10
"Why Baby Why"20
1991"We Don't Always See Eye to Eye"10
1994"That's What Highways Are For" (as The Goods)10So Many Roads
"I Really Dug Myself a Hole This Time" (as The Goods)9
1995"The Shape I'm In" (as The Goods)63
"Don't Know Much About Love" (as The Goods)
2002"What the Hell I've Got"One True Thing
"Honey and Heartache"

External links

Notes and References

  1. Martin Melhuish. Juno 1977 . Billboard. 23 April 1977. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. 76–. 0006-2510.
  2. Web site: The Good Brothers - How Long / Hot Knife Boogie - Solid Gold - Canada - SGS-704 . 45cat.com . 2020-04-22.
  3. Web site: CANOE -- JAM! Music - Pop Encyclopedia - Good Brothers . jam.canoe.com . 17 January 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170510082153/http://jam.canoe.com/Music/Pop_Encyclopedia/G/Good_Brothers.html . 10 May 2017 . dead.
  4. Web site: The Goods (8) . .
  5. Web site: The Good Family | Exclaim! .
  6. http://www.thegoodbrothers.com/plogger/plog-content/images/the-good-brothers/friends_of_the_family/brianandpatburns-1.jpg "Good Brothers - Official Website"
  7. https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-xpm-2010-nov-20-la-me-pat-burns-20101120-story.html "LA Times - Nov 20, 2010"
  8. "Canada '96", The Toronto Star, 28 June 1996
  9. Palmer Rapids Twin Festival Souvenir Program, July 2003
  10. Quill, Greg, "Good move toward gospel", The Toronto Star, 5 October 2006.