Jon and Lee & The Checkmates

Best known for containing future members of Elektra band Rhinoceros, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates, together with Mandala, spearheaded Toronto’s vibrant R&B scene during the mid ‘60s. As The Jon-Lee Group, the band released a lone single for ABC Records before splitting up in September 1967. The group has recently reformed and will release its debut LP in late 2006.

High school origins

Originally known as Lee Jackson and The Checkmates, the initial line up was formed at a Toronto high school during 1962 by singer Michael Ferry, who subsequently assumed the stage name Lee Jackson. The rest of the band consisted of guitarist Al Dorsey, bass player Dave McDermitt, drummer Paul Carrier and (briefly) a saxophone player called Hilmar.

In late 1963, Dorsey introduced classically trained pianist Mike Fonfara, who was responsible for bringing in a second lead guitarist, Larry Leishman.

Leishman’s arrival signaled a major upheaval in the band’s line up as Dorsey departed and Leishman’s former compatriot from Aurora-Ontario band, The Tempests, Peter Hodgson (born April 16, 1946 in Toronto) succeeded McDermitt on bass. Soon afterwards, the two new recruits (together with Fonfara) lobbied for the inclusion of another former Tempests member, singer John Finley (born May 6, 1945 in Toronto), whose recruitment in mid-1964 prompted a name change to Jon and Lee & The Checkmates.

Throughout that year, the group also went through a succession of drummers as Dave Brown, who had come in for Carrier, left to join Jay Smith & The Majestics and was replaced by Wes Morris. By the end of the year, however, Morris had moved on to join The Majestics and former commercial artist Jeff Cutler (born Rowland Jeffries Cutler, September 8, 1941 in Toronto) completed the classic line up.

1965, Establishing their act

Jon and Lee & The Checkmates quickly stamped their authority on the local scene with a show-stealing performance at Toronto’s Massey Hall in early 1965. The exposure from the performance aroused the interest of Afro-American émigré Eddie “Duke” Edwards and Big Land music agency entrepreneur, the late Ron Scribner, who both became closely involved with the group’s career. Edwards, a graduate of the Boston Conservatory, helped arrange material for The Checkmates as well as co-managing them.

Thanks to public demand, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates got the opportunity to join several local artists in opening for The Rolling Stones at Maple Leaf Gardens on April 25. Unfortunately, the organisers booked too many groups and the band never got to play.

Throughout the summer, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates found regular work at the Devil's Den club which became the band's home.

On September 13, the group joined local pop singer Bobby Curtola and others in opening Toronto’s new city hall in Nathan Phillips Square. Jon and Lee & The Checkmates stole the show. Their performance whipped the 60,000 crowd into such a frenzy that the musicians were chased to an awaiting limousine by hundreds of adoring fans after finishing their set. The Soviet Union’s Izvestia news agency was on hand to report the event.

The exposure from the show landed the band the opening slot at The Rolling Stones show at Maple Leaf Gardens on October 31, 1965. The following month, several US record labels, including Decca, Elektra, Motown and RCA approached the band with offers. Jon and Lee & The Checkmates recorded a few tracks in Toronto for RCA in November but the results were disappointing. Shortly after a show at the Hawk’s Nest on December 10, the group headed to New York to play at the Phone Booth and to record three tracks for Decca but the label soon lost interest.

Part of the failure to secure a lasting record deal can be attributed to a meeting with Kama Sutra president Hal Mensurahi, who was determined to sign the band but offered a deal that the group wouldn’t accept. When the musicians refused to sign, he warned that he would have his legal department tell every interested company that the band was signed exclusively to Kama Sutra. As a result, most labels backed off.

1966, Recovering from setbacks

Unable to record, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates concentrated on extending their fan base beyond southern Ontario into the northern United States, establishing pockets of support in New York and Philadelphia. While in the Big Apple, the group often performed at the Peppermint Lounge and the Phone Booth (early February 1966) and on one notable occasion opened for The Temptations, The Chiffons and Junior Walker & the All Stars at Shea Stadium.

Thanks to Cecil Farrell, a proprietor at a Niagara Falls newspaper, who hired the band for his 16-year-old daughter’s birthday party, the group had met Leo Pillott, director of public relations for the ABC-TV network in New York. After hearing sample tapes, Pillott offered to represent the group and arranged a series of engagements, including the shows at the famous Peppermint Lounge, where the group reportedly cut a soundtrack for the Batman TV series.

Throughout 1966, the band also consolidated its Toronto following, holding down a residency at the Avenue Road Club and appearing at other notable venues like the Broom and Stone, the Gogue Inn and the Hawk’s Nest.

1967, The Jon-Lee Group

In the early months of 1967, Jon and Lee & The Checkmates increasingly spent time in Philadelphia and only returned to Toronto intermittently to play shows. On May 6, the group appeared at the Centennial Cool-Out in Kingston, Ontario with The Guess Who and others. Within days, however, the band changed name to The Jon-Lee Group.

Around this time, an important production deal was struck with Daniel Secunda (cousin of Procol Harum’s manager Tony Secunda), which enabled the band to venture back in to the studio and record enough material for two singles. Four tracks were subsequently cut in New York for ABC Records to coincide with a show at Steve Paul’s famous club, The Scene from June 8-11 .

A cover of John Sebastian’s “Girl, Beautiful Girl,” taken from The Lovin' Spoonful’s soundtrack album, “You’re A Big Boy Now,” should have been the band’s long awaited debut single, but was dropped in favour of the soulful “Bring It Down Front”, written by Billy Barberis and Bobby Weinstein, backed by the Duke Edwards instrumental “Pork Chops” (originally entitled “Fuck Up”).

With the recordings complete, the band returned to Toronto on July 31, 1967 in anticipating of the single’s release. Issued during August, “Bring It Down Front” failed to chart in the US but was a sizeable hit back home in Canada when it was put out on Sparton Records, reaching #10 on the Toronto CHUM chart, and #23 on the national RPM chart in October.

Eschewing the old satin suits and soul covers in favour of army jackets and largely original material, The Jon-Lee Group’s debut performance at the Hawk’s Nest on August 2 was greeted with muted response by fans. Within a month, the band began to unravel and played its final show on September 16, 1967.

Falling apart

Jackson, who had lost interest in being a singer, left the band to work initially as a road manager for Bruce Cockburn’s new group, The Flying Circus. He then became a promoter under his real name, Michael Ferry. Finley also left to reassess his musical future, leaving the remaining members to travel to New York with future Blood, Sweat & Tears singer David Clayton-Thomas and perform at Steve Paul’s The Scene.

Billed as David Clayton-Thomas & The Phoenix, the group performed at least one set of shows (from October 19-22) before Thomas was deported back to Toronto for being an illegal immigrant.

Aftermath

Finley and Fonfara went on to become founding members of Rhinoceros in 1968. Hodgson, Edwards and Leishman joined them one year later.

Jeff Cutler, who also remained in New York, later joined The Crazy World of Arthur Brown for its second US tour in May 1968 and then worked with The Holy Modal Rounders.

The Checkmates return

In 1999, Michael Fonfara, Peter Hodgson and Larry Leishman reformed The Checkmates for live dates in Toronto. In 2005, John Finley rejoined the band and the group will release its debut album in late 2006.

Recordings

45 Bring It Down Front/Pork Chops (Sparton P1617) 1967

ources

* Nick Warburton interviews with John Finley, Peter Hodgson, Larry Leishman and Michael Fonfara
* [http://www.rhinoceros-group.com/checkmates.html]
* The Toronto Telegram's After Four section on Thursdays listed live dates in the city