Award Winners

Ron Sexsmith reveals his Secret Heart

NICK KREWEN Hamilton Spectator Thursday, March 2, 1995       “Secret Heart What are you made of? What are you afraid of?”   — from “Secret Heart”, written by Ron Sexsmith, © 1995 Ronboy Rhymes Inc./Interscope Pearl Music/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp., BMI.   French fries. When I first met Ron Sexsmith, his two favorite foods were French fries and Yorkshire pudding — mainly because they were British. At the time,…


A little TLC is going a long way

PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR     BY NICK KREWEN   If you want a record deal, try your local hairdresser. It worked for TLC, the hot Atlanta baby faced pop trio whose month-long reign at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 with the song “Creep” ended last week. Four years ago, Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins was a struggling singer looking for the right connection. When she met Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes during…


A little Hip talk

PUBLISHED IN THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR ON Thursday, February 9, 1995 Only in Canada could being so famous be so ordinary NICK KREWEN TORONTO — Anonymity has its rewards. Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois — respectively bassist and guitarist for Canada’s coolest band of the moment, The Tragically Hip, are crossing a busy strip of Toronto’s Queen Street West en route to a Mexican restaurant. There are no glass-shattering screams of instant…


Slippin’ in and out with blues guitarist Buddy Guy

NICK KREWEN Eric Clapton calls him “by far and without a doubt the best guitar player alive.” Late virtuosos Jimi  Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan idolized him, and he used to trade licks with Chicago blues legends Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Willie Dixon. Yet it’s the fans that dictate Buddy Guy‘s agenda — even if it means entertaining them in sub-zero degree weather. “I played for people outside last…


Adams Promises “Spanking New Show”

Published in the Hamilton Spectator on Thursday, January 11, 1995 to promote a January 17 gig at the 18,000 seat Copps Coliseum with Bryan Adams.  NICK KREWEN   Ready to celebrate Hamilton’s 150th with a non-stop evening of wall-to-wall rock ‘n roll radio classics? You should be. Bryan Adams, Canada’s consummate pop songwriting superstar warns that this Wednesday’s Copps Coliseum appearance will be the final show before he finishes his…