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Domenic
Troiano was born in Modugno, Italy on January 17,
1946. His family moved to Toronto, Canada three
years later. In his early teens, Domenic
developed a love for rock and R&B music. One of his earliest
influences was a Canadian musician named Robbie
Robertson. Plus he enjoyed Chuck
Berry and Elvis.
Later, he got into blues and saw Robbie
Robertson alot in the bars.
When he was 15, he
picked up a guitar and taught himself how to play
by purchasing chord books and studying the work
of his guitar heroes. Troiano soon found himself
in the middle of a burgeoning music scene in
Toronto. A few years after he learned how to play
the guitar, he replaced Robertson in rockabilly
singer Ronnie Hawkins's
band. The first song he ever wrote, "The
One For Me," became the B-side
of Robbie Lane and the Disciples' first single.
Troiano stayed for eight months until musical
differences set in. He continued to develop his
own style of playing.
Domenic joined the
house band at Toronto's Blue Note
club. The group soon began playing venues besides
the famous Toronto hangout. After leaving the Blue
Note, the group named themselves
the Five Rogues, then
the Rogues, and later
Mandala.
When they were Mandala
they had a manager named Randy Markowitz who
arranged them to be known for their stage shows
with lots of high energy. After
seeing one of the band's shows in Toronto, blues
great Bo Diddley
recommended the group to Chicago's
Chess Records. Mandala recorded
their first single,
"Opportunity," at the
Chess studios in Chicago, and the song became a
hit in Canada in 1967.
Atlantic
Records signed Mandala and released
their debut album in 1968. Domenic wrote or
co-wrote 9 of the LP's 10 songs. Soul
Crusade and its single "Love-itis"
(an obscure R&B cover written
by Harvey Scales) sold well in Canada but failed
to make an impression in America.
After Mandala's
Dominic formed another band in 1970 which was a
blues influences band titled Bush
which made him a versatile guitarist and the band
toured with Steppenwolf
and Three Dog Night.
But by the spring of 1971 the band had very
little money and only a small following. In June,
after a gig at the Bitter End in Los Angeles,
Troiano, Kenner, Glan, and John decided to pull
the plug on Bush.
Although Bush was
history, Three Dog Night recorded
the band's song "I Can Hear You
Calling" and included it as
the B-side of their own single "Joy
to the World." The single
turned out to be one of the group's best sellers.
Then Dominic was
working on his first solo album with some of his Bush
bandmates he reformed with the James
Gang and in early 1972 they
released the LP Straight Shooter. Domenic
even sang lead on his pensive ballad "Getting
Old." After its release, Straight
Shooter failed to sell as well as earlier
James Gang albums.
While still a
member of the James Gang,
Mercury Records signed
Domenic as a solo artist and released his album
in the summer of 1972. Recorded at Sound City
Studios in Los Angeles, Domenic Troiano
featured a wide variety of musical styles. Songs
like "The Writing's on the
Wall" and "The
Wear and the Tear on My Mind"
were very pop-oriented, while "I
Just Lost a Friend" and "Let
Me Go Back" were surprisingly
sentimental. "The Answer" and the
10-minute "Repossession
Blues" featured some of
Troiano's best guitar work. Many critics liked
the album, but like Straight Shooter,
the album failed to breakthrough commercially.
The James Gang featuring Troiano and Kenner
released Passin' Thru in late 1972.
Once again, the LP featured the distinct
Kenner/Troiano sound, but the songs sounded more
focused and radio-ready than before. In addition,
guest musicians from Nashville gave several songs
a country feel. Passin' Thru sold
modestly and received mixed reviews. As the James
Gang toured Japan late in the year,
Troiano began thinking about his next solo album.
In December of
1972, Domenic Troiano began work on his second
solo effort. He rehearsed with a new group of
musicians in Los Angeles, including bassist
Willie Weeks, drummer Kenneth Rice, and
keyboardist William Smith. Dominic co-produced
the album with Keith Olsen. Released early in
1973, Tricky was an ambitious
record that maintained Troiano's high level of
musicianship. The second half of the LP featured
an 18-minute blues medley that originated from a
nearly half-hour long jam. The
album was met with critical praise. Soon after Tricky
was released, Troiano left the James
Gang as he felt they weren't close
and the band sued Troiano's band due to a breach
of contract so Dominic stayed with the group
until he was replaced by Tommy Bolin.
Dominic's
reputation as a musician started to grow rapidly.
In early 1974 he was asked to join the classic
rock band the Guess Who
as they were looking for a guitarist to replace
their previous one. He accepted and they released
their 1974 LP Flavours
which sold well and their hit single "Dancin'
Fool" made it to the top 40.
Dominic stayed
with the group for their next LP Power
in the Music. Although the album
had goos reviews the band however was going
through the motions and all decided to part ways.
Domenic moved back
to Toronto to be closer to his family. He formed
his own band and began experimenting with
jazz-rock, funk, and musical improvisation. Early
band members included Fred Mandel, Keith Jones,
Wayne St. John, Dave Tyson, and Jimmy Norman.
Troiano released his third solo album, Burnin'
at the Stake, on Capitol Records in 1977.
One of the album's highlights was "The
Outer Limits of My Soul," a
duet sung by Domenic and his wife, recording
artist Shawne Jackson. Produced by Richard Landis
and Randy Brecker, the album was a fresh start
for a musician who deserved to be more widely
recognized for his talents.
With drummer Paul
DeLong, bassist Keith Jones, and keyboardists
Jacek Sobatta and David Tyson backing him,
Troiano issued his second Capitol album
in 1978 titled The Jokes On Me
which was was recorded at Toronto's Sounds
Interchange and was produced by Terry Brown, best
known for his work with progressive-rock group Rush.
The album was considered challenging and inspired
effort that was highly overlooked by critics and
the general public.
Then they recorded
another album later in the year titled Fret
Fever and the LP was released on
April of 1979 which he produced. It featured a
wide range of styles with Roy Kenner occasionally
singing lead vocals. The album spawned a top 20
hit in several European countries and became a
radio smash in Canada titled "We
All Need Love." Domenic was
nominated for Producer of the Year for Fret
Fever at the 1980 Juno Awards in Canada;
he lost to Bruce Fairbairn for his work on Prism's
album Armageddon. Although
the album enjoyed modest success, Fret
Fever turned out to be Troiano's last
with Capitol Records.
In late 1980
Domenic started a new project titled Black
Market. He wanted the viewers to
know that he had always hard-edged, aggressive
music for twenty years and plans to stay that was
always typecast in the jazz-rock vein and wanted
a change. The group released Changing
of the Guard by an independent
label in 1981 El Mocambo Records
but the group only caught attention to
hardcore fans and then decided to take a break
from group projects.
He focused his
attention on session work, music production, and
television and film scores. In the 1980s, Troiano
worked with such artists as Moe Koffman, Diana
Ross, and Joe Cocker. Into the 1990s, Domenic
composed music for a handful of television shows
such as Night Heat, Top Cops,
Juvenile Justice, and Counterstrike.
Troiano earned three Gemini award nominations
between 1988 and 1993 for his work on Hot
Shots, Diamonds, and Secret
Service.
In March of 1996,
after 30 years in the entertainment industry,
Domenic Troiano was inducted into the Canadian
Music Hall of Fame. He was inducted
along with Steppenwolf vocalist John
Kay, Lovin’ Spoonful guitarist Zal Yanovsky,
Mamas and the Papas
vocalist Denny Doherty,
and Blood, Sweat, and Tears
vocalist David Clayton-Thomas.
To the delight of
many fans, Domenic Troiano's solo work was
reissued on CD in the late 1990s. Troiano
Triple Play collected highlights from his
Capitol albums, and The Toronto Sound
featured Domenic's first two solo albums in their
entirety. In November of 2000, Troiano's song "Just
as Bad as You" (a hit for
Shawne Jackson in 1974) was honored by Canada's
SOCAN awards along with other classics including "Summer
of '69" and "Born
to Be Wild." Into the new
millenium, Troiano remained immersed in the
entertainment industry. He ran his own studio and
independent label, Black Market, and continued
scoring music for TV and film. He even began
making appearances playing guitar at various
music events in Toronto, culminating in a solo
performance at the Orbit Room in May 2004, his
first in over twenty years. Troiano remained
productive through the 2000s despite being
diagnosed with cancer a decade earlier.
Unfortunately, Troiano's health began to
deteriorate by the end of 2004. He lost his
battle with cancer the following year, passing
away at his Toronto home on May 25, 2005, exactly
one year after his Orbit Room
appearance.
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