Burton to Cangiano

North Bay has been home to a wide variety of talented musicians since its founding in 1882. This page lists musicians and bands from Burton to Cangiano.

Ralph Burton. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Burton, Ralph

Ralph took trumpet lessons from his father Tom Burton Sr. and from 1944 to 1948 played in the Teen Town Band. He played music for over seventy-five years. After World War Two, Ralph joined the 8th Field Squadron Band for two years. Later he played with the Northernaires Orchestra and in the early 50's became band leader. During the 60's, Ralph played with the Dukes of Dixie. He then joined the Norm Mauro Orchestra where he continued to play the trumpet. He moved to Lindsay and upon his return to North Bay rejoined the orchestra until disbandment. He continued Dixieland work with the Bay City Rollers and with Gene Longstreet. He also had his own band; Ralph Burton and His Dixieland Sextet band. Ralph was a founding member of the North Bay Musicians and Entertainers Hall of Recognition. Ralph died on March 22, 2016, at the age of 85.

Thomas William Burton Jr. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Burton, Thomas William Jr.

Thomas was born in North Bay and worked for the CPR. He was taught how to play the trumpet by his father. As a young boy, he played in the ACT Boys' Band. Later in his life, he played with the Temiscaming and Nothern Ontario Railway Band. Thomas won a medal at the Canadian National Exhibition for his excellence at playing the trumpet. He played in a militia band in Petawawa. He also played with the Northernaires, Dr. Chirico's band in 1946, and the Peter Desarmeau Band of 1947 and 1948. At the age of twenty-three, Thomas was killed in a car accident.

Thomas William Burton Sr. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Burton, Thomas William Sr.

Thomas was originally from County of Kent, Beckingham, England. He worked as a machinist for 46 years with the Canadian Pacific Railway. He played in the 228th Battalion Band of 1916 and the Citizens' Band of 1913. He joined the army in 1916 for the First World War and after returning played in both the Premier Band and the Temiscaming and Northern Ontario Railway Band. He was also the bandmaster for the Associated Canadian Travellers Band (ACT Boy's Band). Thomas organized and transposed all of the music for the different sections in the ACT Boy's Band. He played multiple instruments and was specifically skilled with the saxophone and the tuba. He sang in the St. Brice's Church Choir and also spent time teaching his sisters how to sing. Often, he would play for the Dione Quintuplet’s tourist attractions. Thomas and his wife Irene had ten children; two of which played in community bands. In 1961, at the age of 76, he passed away.

Buster

John Vossos, Denny Jackson, Jake Thomas, Dave Vossos, and Tom Hay are the members that make up Buster. They had known each other for years before establishing the band in 1975. At that time John Vossos had been playing the saxophone for about 17 years. During the mid-60’s, he spent time in Ohio where he met Denny Jackson. Coming back to North Bay seven years later, John started playing with his brother Dave, (the bass player in Buster) who had decided to settle here, after playing gigs in Toronto. Jake Thomas joined his friends back home after being on the road for several years, and playing lead on several albums. When Denny moved to North Bay the additions of a guitar, harmonic, and vocals made the band almost complete. Some months later, the band's drummer Steve Clark decided to leave, resulting in Tom Hay replacing him. Their music consists of songs by the Average White Band, the Doobie Brothers, Steelie Dan, and their own original works.

Buzz Band

This blues-rock group was made of John McGale, Breen LeBoeuf and Jerry Mercer. John and Breen are both from North Bay; Breen was the bassist while John was the writer, producer, and guitarist. The original Buzz Band consisted of John McGale, Steve Clarke, Jack Corbeil, Mark St. Martin, Ross Hamilton, and Gary White, who did everything but rehearse for a Parkview Hotel benefit for the North Bay Crisis Centre in the mid-'70s. They started out by playing covers to escape from their day (and night) jobs in 1985. By 1992, they had a new line-up and a new attitude, indicated by how extensively they were rehearsing. They signed with Montreal's Tandem Records, which pushed and videoed their way to 10,000 album sales, gave them solid regional airplay and distribution deals as far as Turkey.

Anthony “Tony” Calarco. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Calarco, Anthony “Tony”

Anthony is originally from the United states, born in Horatio, Pennsylvania. He came to Canada in 1910 and was married to his wife, Olga, on Feb. 14, 1922. They had three children. From 1911 and on, he lived in North Bay. Highly regarded throughout the city, he was the owner and operator of Calarco’s Barber Shop and Candy store for 21 years. Anthony studied music under Egidio Virgili and learned how to play the clarinet. He was a member of the Christopher Columbus Band of 1913 when it went to the Canadian National Exhibition and came home the winner of multiple prizes. Often rehearsing at home, Anthony loved to entertain his family with his music and would always ask his children what they wanted him to play. He was a member of the Barbers' Association and of the Loyal Order of Moose. He died at the age of 56, on March 17, 1952.

Frank Calarco. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Calarco, Frank

Frank was born in North Bay, Ontario in 1923. He worked three and a half years with the Canadian Air Force and was a field representative for Equifax Services Limited for twenty-seven years. Just like his father, Anthony Calarco, Frank studied music under Edigio Virgili. He learned how to play the trumpet and the alto horn, the later of which he put to use while in the Premier Band of 1926. He also learned music from Nicolas Cangiano while he played in the North Bay Boy’s Band. Frank played the trumpet in a bugle band at North Bay Collegiate and played in the Rocco Lucenti Orchestra under the direction of Carmel Lucenti. Frank passed away at age 92, on May 9, 2015.

Andrew Cangiano. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Cangiano, Andrew

Andrew was born in North Bay in 1907. He was self-taught as a drummer, then later took lessons from Harry Nicolson in Toronto. Harry was the pit drummer at Lowe's Theatre in 1932. He played the drums with the Jack Cangiano Orchestra for three years. On many occasions, he played in the pit of the Royal Theatre for silent movies. He played with the Peter Desarmeau Orchestra called the Red Jackets. In 1935, he formed his own Andy Cangiano Band. He often played as a guest drummer for the Christopher Columbus Band and the Premier Band of 1926. Andrew went to Timmins in 1937 and organized a pit band at the Cartier Theatre; he also had a dance band at Culver Park in Kirkland. He also played at Riverside Pavilion with a big band in Timmins for five years. In 1940, he went into the American Army and became a member of the USO army band in the United States. In 1948, he left the army and went to Detroit where he formed his own band which was called the Andy-Carlo Orchestra. He played in Detroit until 1975, entertaining in various nightclubs. After moving to Florida, he joined the Norm Wright Band for five years. He then formed his own combo band in Florida. He has played at the Hilton Hotel in Datona Beach, various clubs in places like Orlando and clubs within the area of Orange City. At 75 years of age, Andrew was still playing the drums for bands in Florida. His love for music was transmitted to his son, Andimo K. Cangiano, who played as a drummer in Windsor. Andrew passed away in Florida, on May 8, 1990, at 82 years of age.

Jack I. Cangiano. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Cangiano, Jack I.

Jack was born in Campobasso, Italy and came to Canada in 1902. His father, Joseph Cangiano, was also a musician. When he was thirteen, he began studying music under the direction of Egidio Virgili. He learned how to read music, and then taught himself how to play the trumpet, the trombone, the saxophone, the mandolin, and the violin. Later, he would learn how to play the valve trombone. He organized his own Jack Cangiano Orchestra and for a time, lived in Niagara Falls where he played in a highly professional orchestra. During the 1920's and 1930's, he played in the old Royal Theatre for silent movies. He was connected with the Crystal Palace theatre, worked in Shea’s Theatre, and was manager of multiple theatres in Timmins. He was the first manager of the Melrose Theatre in 1941. Jack had an excellent tenor voice and sang in the St. Rita's choir for many years. Eventually, during the early thirties, he became the choirmaster at St. Rita's and stayed on until the fifties. He also became the choirmaster at the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption. Jack passed away Aug 7, 1977.

Guiseppe “Joseph” Cangiano. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Cangiano, Giuseppe “Joseph”

Joseph was believed to be the first person born in Italy to settle in North Bay. He was a blacksmith with the Canadian Pacific Railway until his retirement. He was one of the original sponsors of St. Rita's Church in North Bay. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. Joseph sang in many concerts, patriotic affairs and benefits. He had a very musically inclined family, having played with his two sons, Jack and Nicolas, in the Christopher Columbus Band of 1913. Among his various business interests, he was a chartered member of the Melrose Theatre Ltd., and a director of that firm. Mr. Cangiano was 72 years of age when he passed away. He and his wife, Rosina had six children.