McFarlane to North Bay Concert Band

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

Stanley A. “Stan” McFarlane. Photo courtesy of the Music City Collection. Photographer unknown.

McFarlane, Stanley A. “Stan”

Stanley A. "Stan" McFarlane was born in North Bay and became a well-known guitar player in the area. He performed with a number of local bands, including the North Range Cowboys, a band led by his brother, Grenville "Curly" McFarlane. Stan passed away on May 6th, 1953.

McGale, John

John McGale began his musical career as a pre-teen, playing "Folk Masses" at St. Peter's Church. As an elementary school student, he appeared on CFCH and performed at various charity functions, and by age fourteen, he began performing in local bars. John got his big break in 1978 when he joined Offenbach, a Montreal Francophone group, as a guitarist. Three months later, he became the composer of their LP Traversion. Offenbach became the first Quebecois group to headline and sellout the Montreal forum.

McGuinty, Moe

Moe McGuinty was born in Upsala, Ontario and raised in North Bay. He began his musical career in 1967 by singing, playing guitar, and acting within the community. In 1968, he was awarded "Best High School Actor in Ontario" at the Sears Drama Festival, and in 1971, at twenty years old, he signed a contract with the Sheraton Hotel Corporation and began performing at their hotels in Boston and New York City. In 1975, Moe managed and performed in the Junction at the Pinewood Park Hotel in North Bay, and also became the first entertainer aboard the Chief Commanda II. Moe also toured the Western United States, performing within casinos and ski resorts. He retired from touring in 1983, but continued to perform locally. Throughout his busy career, he has performed over 4000 shows.

McIntyre, Gordon “Bud”

Gordon "Bud" McIntyre was born on August 4th, 1914 in North Bay and became a well-known tenor voice during the 1930s, noted for his rendition of "Trees," "I Love You Truly," "Danny Boy," as well as many other classic songs of the time. He also performed with the Lucenti's Capitol Orchestra, singing every Saturday night at the Masonic Temple dance hall.

McNamara, Charlie

Charlie McNamara was born in Nova Scotia and moved to North Bay as a teenager. As a bass player, he performed with many local bands including Urge, Calico Silver, Nickelodeon, and Skyhook. Charlie has also performed with Rick Derringer, Jeff Healy, and John McGale.

Bernard John “Bernie” Meehan. Photo courtesy of the Music City Collection. Photographer unknown.

Meehan, Bernard John “Bernie”

Bernard John "Bernie" Meehan was born in North bay on February 16th, 1914. His love for country music began when he was a teenager, so it is no surprise that he became known around North Bay as "Mr. Country and Western Music." Bernie has played with many local bands, most notably with Curly McFarlane and the North Range Cowboys, and with Vic Virgili and the Laurentian Valley Boys. Bernie has been a master of ceremonies, singer, piano player, and called many square dances. He had a radio show, "Western Caravan," on CFCH, and also hosted many bus tours to the Grand Old Opry in Nashville. He passed away on April 20th, 1975.

Kenneth Messenger. Photo courtesy of the Falconi Collection. Photographer unknown.

Messenger, Kenneth

Kenneth Messenger was in 1940 in New Liskeard, Ontario and joined the Canadian Army Militia in 1954 as a Boy Bandman in the Algonquin Regiment, serving as a Bb cornet and Bb tuba player with the regiment band until 1959. From 1959 to 1965, he served with the Royal Canadian Engineer's Military Band. Kenneth then went on to study at military band schools in Toronto, CFB Borden, CFB Petawawa, and CFB Picton. He was promoted to Band Sergeant with a Group 3 Musicians Rating. As a Bb tuba player, he became a member and part time conductor of the North Bay Area Band from 1965 to 1966, as well as a bass player with the Kirkland Lake Concert Band from 1966 to 1968. He returned to North Bay in 1968 and became a bass player and part time conductor of the North Bay Concert Band until 1981, where he became the Bandmaster of the Powassan District Lions Band.

Midas Touch

Midas Touch came together in 1970, performing frequently at the Commodore and the St. Regis Hotels. When the Commodore Hotel burned down, they became temporarily "unemployed," and began performing at parties and weddings. With a repertoire of about 600 songs, ranging from popular songs of the 1920s to current hits, Midas Touch performed about 40 weekends each year, becoming a single engagement band.

Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon began in the 1970s, comprising of Dave Barker (guitarist), Moe Durocher (keyboardist), Gerry Lefebvre (lead singer), Ron Pratte (drummer), and John Roynon (bassist). They performed into the early 1980s. Though their music draws influence from the Eagles, they have also gone through a phase where they included a horn section for brass-backed covers by Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears. They went through another period where they added John Vossos on tenor saxophone and vocals to give the band a bit of soul.

North Bay Concert Band

The North Bay Concert Band has an extensive history, dating as far back as 1913. Originally, they were known as the Christopher Columbus Band, founded, under the direction of Egidio Virgili, by Italian immigrants who came to North Bay to work on the Temiscaming and Northern Ontario Railway. That same year, the North Bay Citizens' band was formed by members of North Bay's English community. Although their was a rivalry between the two bands, this ended in 1926 when they came together as the Premier Band, with Egidio resuming his role as bandmaster. The Premier Band won multiple awards and competitions at the Canadian National Exhibition, including the second place prize in the "B" category. In 1929, the Premier Band became the T&NO Railway Band, still under the direction of Egidio Virgili. They won third prize in the "B" category at the CNE in 1938. During World War Two, the T&NO Band became the 8th Field Squadron Royal Canadian Engineer's Band. Egidio Virgili directed this band until his retirement in the 1950s, where William "Bill" Bee took over as band leader. The 8th Field Squadron Band disbanded in the early 1960s, but re-established as the North Bay Area Band, often referred to as the Citizens' Band, in 1965. In 1977, the North Bay Area Band was renamed the North Bay Concert Band. Over the years, the band has had an extensive roster of musicians, many of which have performed throughout the band's evolutions and name changes.