Doug and the Slugs are one of the most entertaining Canadian bands of the last 40 years.
Their upbeat musical style, musicianship and offbeat stage antics have made them a staple of the Canadian music scene for decades.
Formed in Vancouver in the fall of 1977, the band began by promoting their own shows and soon developed an avid underground following with their infamous ‘theme nights’, where the audience was invited to show up in costume, as secret agents or Carmen Miranda/Ricky Ricardos and watch the band do the same.
Their first single Too Bad was released in November 1979 and became an overnight national hit, reaching #1 in many major markets across the country.
The Slugs’ first album, ‘Cognac and Bologna’, was released in the fall of 1980.
The rest is history as The Slugs toured relentlessly and went on to produce six more albums, three of them certified gold.
On October 16, 2004, the music industry lost one of its greatest entertainers when Doug Bennett passed away in a Calgary hospital.
The Slugs wondered if they could ever continue without Doug. For several years they did not even consider the idea, until Bernie Aubin suggested they call Ted Okos, a journeyman rocker for many years with the band ‘Nick Danger’.
Ted and the original slugs, John Burton, Simon Kendall, Steve Bosley, Wally Watson and Richard Baker, hit it off immediately.
Doug and the Slugs continue to play shows across the country, with an upcoming show in Edmonton May 30 at the Century Casino.
Tickets for the show can be purchased here.
Simon Kendall spoke from his Vancouver home with Darrell Stranger about the upcoming show, the staying power of Doug and the Slugs and what he’s most proud of looking back over the years.
Kendall also recently released a new memoir titled Real Enough: The Unlikely Story of Doug and the Slugs. He worked with local historian Aaron Chapman on the project.
The book not only covers the band’s 1980s heyday but also the lean years afterward.
Kendall touched on the inspiration behind doing the book and why now is the right time to share his stories from over the years.
The book can be purchased here.
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