 |
 Copperpenny's most successful line-up: Blake Barrett, Ron Hiller, Rich Wamil, Kenny Hollis and Bill Mononen from 1973. |
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 November 4th was a
Tuesday in 1969, when Copperpenny played in front of a hometown crowd at
the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. The band was supporting a couple of recent
singles for RCA Victor, with their debut album only months away. Although low
in numbers, the two thousand fans were described as "a very good audience" by
Robert Plant, lead singer of headlining act, Led Zeppelin. Zeppelin had just
released their second album of heavy blues rock, but it seems that the new
material didn't provide enough motivation that night. Blaming it on a faulty
P.A. system and an illness to drummer John Bonham, they cut it pretty short.
The uninspired 45 minute set that followed Copperpenny was also the last
of eight Canadian performances made in 1969, before Zeppelin moved on to Kansas
City. The previous year,
Copperpenny recorded three singles for Columbia Records. But before that
would happen, a name change had been instituted. The band was formed in 1965
while the British Invasion had been in full force, and so naming the group
"The Penny Farthings" (most likely taken from the name of a Yorkville, Toronto, coffeehouse), didn't sound like such a bad idea. It was wisely
changed to "Copperpenny" (or "Copper Penny" as shown on many of
their singles), the following year. The new designation was taken from the
title of the Verve B-side of "If I Call You By Some Name," a 1966 release by
The Paupers. The Paupers switched to Columbia Records in 1968 for an album and
a couple of singles, with Copperpenny now as
label-mates.Copperpenny's, "Baby Gives Me Everything" and "Beezel Bug" never charted, but in between, "Nice Girl" made an appearance at number 77 on the Canadian weekly RPM 100 Singles chart. Unfortunately, the pop-flavoured releases weren't successful enough for Columbia to justify spending any additional effort (which was already very minimal; for example, the songs were overseen by the faceless production group at Chelsea Sound), and so the group was dropped.  Picking up the ball was Jack Richardson. His Nimbus 9 production company had recently signed a deal with RCA Victor to distribute a new project with The Guess Who, consisting of the Wheatfield Soul album and the smash single, "These Eyes." After a second Guess Who LP was out of the way, Richardson took Copperpenny to RCA's recording facility in Chicago to record ten songs. Rich Wamil (born September 15, 1950) handled keyboards and lead vocals; Kenny Hollis (born April 10, 1946) also sang lead vocals; Vern (Laverne) McDonald (born September 1, 1947) played lead guitar; Bert Hamer looked after drums and percussion; and Paul Reibling played bass, but was soon replaced by ex-Rain member, Ron Hiller (born July 7, 1953). Wamil and McDonald also wrote all of the band's material. The songs were described by Walt Grealis of RPM Weekly Magazine, as "bubblegum or heavy rock," with the disclaimer that listeners should "be prepared to hear anything."  The first single from Copperpenny's
self-titled album was "Just A Sweet Little Thing," a ray of sunshine
pop in 1969. It didn't chart, and neither did the grittier follow-up, "I've
Been Hurt Before." But eventually, the album's best song, "Stop (Wait A
Minute)," cracked the top 100 on the strength of a catchy chorus when
Hollis and Wamil trade lead vocals. The song received a lot of
airplay in Southern Ontario and kept Copperpenny on the road for most of
the year, with the band occasionally opening for The Guess Who or The Five Man
Electrical Band. Closing the 1970 debut album was "Stop The World," a
psychedelic track that lasted just under 9 minutes and finished with an
explosion followed by the sound of a toilet flushing. The song also showcased
the stellar guitar playing of McDonald.Although RCA widened its distribution of Copperpenny's 1970 album into the U.S., the LP didn't sell very well. The group was also barely getting by financially, so it's not surprising then that within a couple years, only Wamil and Hollis remained from the original line-up. Hiller stuck around on bass, while Blake Barrett (born February 3, 1951) replaced Hamer on drums and Bill Mononen (born December 14, 1948) took over on guitar when McDonald joined Yukon. Losing McDonald also meant that Wamil became the principal songwriter, with the rest of the band pitching in. The reconfigured Copperpenny signed a new deal in 1972 with Much Productions to release an album and subsequent singles on their Sweet Plum label. The singles would also be distributed in the U.S., but through Bell Records on the Big Tree subsidiary.  Producer Harry Hinde did a top-notch job
recording the band at PAC 3 Studios in Dearborn, Michigan, capitalizing on
Wamil's soulful vocals and going for more of an R&B sound with many
of the songs. First up in late 1972 was Copperpenny's finest moment.
"You're Still The One" featured group vocals, as well as harmony vocals
from Tony Orlando's back-up group, Dawn. It remains a mystery why "You're
Still The One," with an improved intro for the single version, never hit
the top of the charts. It did, however, give Copperpenny its first top
40 hit, peaking at number 26 nationally and number 16 in Toronto. However, the
next single would become their signature song and biggest hit. "Sitting On A
Poor Man's Throne" peaked at number 14 in 1973, even though the song had
been shortened by almost 2 minutes to make it suitable for hit radio. (Note:
The full length version can be found on the vinyl album of the same name. The
only versions that have made it to CD have also been shortened. Brian Chater,
who now owns Copperpenny's recordings on Sweet Plum, has been quoted as
saying, "There had been no use putting it out because there isn't a group
anymore." That statement makes it pretty clear what is wrong with the industry
today. Executives in the music business aren't even music fans. It's a good
thing Chater doesn't look after The Beatles' catalogue.)Two more singles from the band's second album would follow in late 1973 and into 1974. "Rock And Roll Boogie Woogie And Wine" and "Where Is The Answer" both made respectable showings on the singles charts, while the group itself made a television appearance on CBC's, Drop-In variety show. Although "Where Is The Answer" featured Mononen on lead vocals, Wamil had been heard on the other three singles from the Sitting On A Poor Man's Throne LP. In the spring of 1974, Hollis tested the solo waters with his own Sweet Plum single, "Brenda." Copperpenny released a new single as well, an upbeat version of the old Gershwin standard, "Summertime," first heard in 1935.  Consequently, in 1974, Sweet Plum Records, Kenny Hollis,
Rich Wamil and the other members of Copperpenny all went their
separate ways. Hollis returned to RCA in 1975 for a couple of singles,
"Our World Is A Rock 'N' Roll Band" backed with "Saying Goodbye"
(written by Wamil) and "Ruby Baby" (a 1963 hit for Dion written
by Leiber and Stoller). Although it wouldn't chart, Hollis would be
better known for his final single in 1978, "Goin' Hollywood." Hiller
formed gospel group, Sonlight, a few years later, while Wamil signed
with Capitol Records as Rich Wamil & Copperpenny, backed by studio
musicians. Wamil and his new Copperpenny's first release on
Capitol was one of his own songs, "Help Your Brother." It barely scraped
onto the singles chart, even though the band made an appearance on CBC's
Keith Hampshire's Music Machine television show to promote it and its
B-side, "Rollin' All Night." When it came time to record an LP's worth of songs in Toronto with
producer Harry Hinde, no original songs were chosen for what was to be called
Fuse. Instead, Wamil, Brian Russell (guitar, had
worked with Keith Hampshire and Charity Brown), Al Mix (guitar),
Barry Keane (drums), Paul Zaza (bass) and Eric Robertson
(keyboards) covered songs like the 1961 Bobby Lewis hit, "Tossin' And
Turnin'," "Disco Queen" (a hit the same year for Hot Chocolate),
"Suspicious Love," "Good Time Sally" (originally by Rare Earth)
and "Going Down To Miami" (another Rare Earth song). "Disco
Queen" (#56), "Good Time Sally" (#67) and "Suspicious Love"
(#49 in 1976) all made respectable showings as singles, but the album lacked
variety. Another single was added for the holiday season in 1975, a cover of
Chuck Berry's, "Run Rudolph Run," but it didn't chart. One final single
was recorded and released in 1976. "Needing You" had been the first song
included on Natalie Cole's debut album in 1975. It had the makings of a bona
fide hit, but Hinde's production came up a bit short, and it became
Copperpenny's swan song. After
"Needing You" faded into obscurity, Copperpenny called it a day.
Robertson, Keane, Russell and Zaza followed Harry
Hinde to work with Charity Brown in 1976. Keane then permanently took
over the stool behind the drums for Gordon Lightfoot. Zaza became an
award winning movie soundtrack composer. Early Copperpenny member,
Bill Mononen, works at an aviation fuel filtration company in Cambridge,
Ontario, and has performed with The Blue Devils, as well as with Yukon
alongside Vern McDonald (who has also played with Tone To The Bone).
Paul Reibling moved into the technical area of sound recording with his
Reibling Audio & Design Services company. Ron Hiller went back to
school to earn his B.A. and B.Ed. He now records as Ronno, a children's music
performer. Hiller also opened a commercial art gallery in St. Jacobs to
showcase talents of Russian painters. Blake Barrett still plays some of
the old Copperpenny tunes in Gravity with Rich Wamil, who works
at Erb And Erb Insurance Brokers in Kitchener. Gravity has appeared regularly
in the Kitchener area, and performed at Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate's 150th
Anniversary in 2005. Kenny Hollis worked as a manager and emcee at
Lulu's Roadhouse in Kitchener in the late eighties. It was a huge nightclub
with the world's longest bar and a house band that included former members of
the Ian Thomas Band. Hollis also joined in several Copperpenny
reunions. He died at the age of 57 on July 12, 2002, following a heart
attack that occurred three days after he was hit by a pickup
truck.In their prime, the band was seen several times on national television, they were popular on hit radio stations across the country and performed over 100 shows a year, including appearances alongside Led Zeppelin, The Guess Who, The Five Man Electrical Band, Bob Seger and Uriah Heep. Their biggest followings were on the east coast, in the U.S. mid-west and in Southern Ontario. Although Copperpenny's successful days have long since passed, their music is still alive on classic rock radio. "Sitting On A Poor Man's Throne" has endured for over 45 years, and still receives strong airplay. |
 Copperpenny's original line-up: Bert Hamer, Vern McDonald, Rich Wamil, Kenny Hollis and Paul Reibling from 1970. |
Baby Gives Me Everything / I'm Afraid Of The Cold 
