Information/Write-up
The Majestics were one of Toronto’s premier horn-driven Rhythm and Blues ensembles during the explosive mid-to-late 1960s, a period when the city’s club circuit, television studios, and independent labels helped define what became known as the “Toronto Sound.” Emerging in 1965 as Jay Smith and The Majestics, the group evolved as personnel shifted within the city’s tightly interwoven R&B community, eventually becoming Shawne and Jay Jackson and The Majestics when siblings Shawne Jackson and Jay Jackson stepped to the front.
From the outset, The Majestics were built around powerful lead vocals, disciplined brass arrangements, and a rhythm section capable of matching the punch of the Stax and Motown records they admired. The lineup drew from some of Toronto’s strongest players. Drummer Wes Morris came out of Jon and Lee and The Checkmates. Guitarist Fred Keeler arrived from David Clayton-Thomas and The Shays. Saxophonists John Crone and William Cudmore had roots with Bobby Kris and Robbie Lane and The Disciples respectively. Bassist Chris Vickery, guitarist Bobby Starr (later replaced by Dave Konvalenko), and arranger/keyboardist Eric N. Robertson formed part of a rotating but formidable core. Production and direction during their recording years were largely handled by Tony DiMaria, with engineering by Gary Starr at Bay Studios in Toronto.
Between 1966 and 1969 the band recorded a series of singles and four LPs for Arc Records: Instrumental R & B (A-732), Funky Broadway (AS-752), The Soul King Otis Redding – A Tribute (AS-770), and Here Come Da Judge (AS-780). These albums captured the working repertoire of a first-call R&B band in a live-performance era — interpretations of contemporary soul hits by Otis Redding, James Brown, Clarence Carter, and others, alongside original compositions by DiMaria and Robertson. The records are tight, brass-heavy, and unmistakably rooted in the dance-floor urgency that defined the period.
The Majestics’ reach extended beyond the clubs and into national television. In 1968–1969, Jay Jackson hosted the CBC series Where It’s At, with The Majestics backing the Toronto segments of the program. The show, broadcast during the network’s early experimentation with colour television, positioned the group at the centre of Canada’s youth-oriented R&B and pop showcase. Their recordings also appeared on Yorkville-related compilations, including CTV’s After Four and Yorkville Evolution, further cementing their presence in the documented sound of the era.
At the close of the decade, elements of the Majestics re-emerged under the name Heads of Our Time. On the LP The Subtle Art of Self Destruction, Jay Jackson was credited as a full member alongside Eric N. Robertson, making explicit the continuity between the Majestics’ studio nucleus and this later psychedelic-soul project. The Heads of Our Time release stands as a transitional chapter in the group’s evolution, linking their Arc-era R&B foundation to a more exploratory late-1960s direction.
By 1969 the Majestics name had dissolved, but its members dispersed into significant roles across Canadian music. Shawne Jackson continued performing and later enjoyed a solo career. Jay Jackson remained a visible figure in broadcasting and recording. Fred Keeler would form Jericho. Eric N. Robertson became one of Canada’s most respected arrangers and session musicians, working extensively in recording and broadcast. Other members continued into projects including Ronnie Hawkins’ orbit, Bobby Kris and The Imperials, Damage, and beyond.
Though often associated with cover material, The Majestics were more than a repertory band. They represented a professional, horn-driven R&B discipline at a time when Toronto was absorbing and reinterpreting American soul in its own studios and on its own stages. Their Arc catalogue stands today as a concentrated document of the city’s late-1960s rhythm and blues movement — sharp, brassy, and unmistakably Toronto.
-Robert Williston
Musicians
John Crone: saxophone
Orlando Guierri: trombone
Shawne Jackson: vocals
Brian Lucrow: trumpet
Wes Morris: drums
Eric Robertson: keyboards
Eugene 'Jay' Smith: vocals
Bobby Starr: guitar
Russ Strathdee: saxophone
Chris Vickery: bass
Jay Jackson: vocals
Dave Konvalenko: guitar
William Cudmore: saxophone
Fred Keeler: guitar
Songwriting
Philly Dog written by East
Night Train written by Frederick
Shot Gun written by Jobete
Love Is Here written by Jobete
Land Of 1000 Dances written by Kel-Amatol
Sweet Soul Music written by Redwal
Keep Me Hangin’ On written by Jobete
Midnight Hour written by Contillon-East
Respect written by Shapiro-Bernstein
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy written by Zawinal
Crow Suey written by Eric Robertson (Canint-CAPAC)
3½ (Half-Way There) written by Eric Robertson (Canint-CAPAC)
Production
Produced by Tony DiMaria
Executive Producer: Bill Gilliland
Arranged by Eric Robertson
Engineered by Ray Lawrence
Audio by Gary Starr
Mastered at Bell Sound Studios
Artwork
Photography (cover photo) by Robert Title
Liner notes
Pop music today is a fusion and blending of the many ethnic sounds and heritages of the world community. Of all popular art forms it is most attuned to and most affected by cultural developments.
Rhythm and Blues music, previously called “race music” in desultory terms by the uninitiated and limited in appeal to small coteries in urban areas in the United States, is today a dynamic influence not only in America but the world.
The list of groups and individuals from the R & B field who have influenced the performances of their white compatriots is virtually endless. In addition there has been a series of coloured R & B artists who have captured white audiences or who have shaped an important white artist.
The most significant source of R & B music today is the Motown complex in Detroit. Other areas like Memphis are increasing in importance as more and more young artists are drawn to this form of musical expression.
The Majestics featured on this recording are based in Toronto, a metropolis whose new-found cosmopolitan character makes it a microcosm of the world scene. Working in this city the group has strived to increase the choral and instrumental possibilities inherent in Rhythm and Blues.
Their sounds are far removed from the pain-threshold gut sounds typical of R & B when it really started to happen back in the late forties. Their spirit, however, is the same. The Majestics’ utilization of more complex rhythms and more diverse instrumentation has not caused them to lose touch with the fundamental soul and blues roots of R & B.
On this recording the powerful, Majestic sound is heard at its best. The band’s solid professional polish and superb showmanship emphatically states the case for R & B. Listening to this album is a most rewarding way to learn why R & B has influenced the music world so greatly.
AN ARC PRODUCTION
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