Brother Cane is an American rock band that released three albums in the 1990s. Formed in Alabama in 1990 by singer and guitarist

Damon Johnson Damon Rogers Johnson (born July 13, 1964) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, currently a solo artist and member of Thin Lizzy. In the 1990s he co-founded Brother Cane, and later joined Alice Cooper's band as lead guitarist. He w ...

and bassist Glenn Maxey, the line-up was completed by guitarist

Roman Glick Roman Glick (born 1970) is an American bassist. He is known for playing with Brother Cane, Slave to the System, Jesse James Dupree, and Jackyl. Brother Cane Brother Cane formed in Birmingham, Alabama in the early 1990s with singer/guitarist ...

and drummer Scott Collier. The band's self-titled debut album was released in 1993, and after some line-up changes, this was followed by ''

Seeds A seed is an Plant embryogenesis, embryonic plant enclosed in a testa (botany), protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, includ ...

'' in 1995, and ''

Wishpool ''Wishpool'' is the third and final studio album by American rock band Brother Cane, released March 31, 1998. It features the hit "I Lie in the Bed I Make," which was their second #1 single on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, maintaining that po ...

'' in 1998. Brother Cane disbanded thereafter, but reformed in 2005, again in 2011, and are active again in 2022.

History

The band's debut album, ''Brother Cane'', peaked at #14 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' Heatseekers chart, while the lead single, "Got No Shame", peaked at #2 on the ''

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

chart on September 18, 1993. Maxey subsequently left the band, and Glick then switched to bass while the band added a new guitarist, David Anderson. ''Seeds'' was released on July 4, 1995, and the single "

And Fools Shine On "And Fools Shine On" is a song by the American rock band Brother Cane. It was released in 1995 as the lead single from their second album, ''Seeds''. The song reached number-one on the US ''Billboard'' Album Rock Tracks chart, ranking at number 5 o ...

" stayed at number 1 on Billboard Rock Charts for six weeks. It was included on the soundtrack for '' Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers'' in 1995, as well as three other songs, "Hung on a Rope", "20/20 Faith", and "Horses & Needles". The band's third album, ''Wishpool'', was released in March 1998, and featured the single "I Lie in the Bed I Make," which was their second #1 single on the

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

chart, maintaining that position for four weeks. That same year, a live version of the band's song "Lead My Follow" was featured on a

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...

charitable album titled ''

Live in the X Lounge Live in the X Lounge is a series of albums released by Birmingham, Alabama's former alternative rock radio station, WRAX. Though the station can no longer be found on the air, this series of live performances was produced while the station was ...

''.Rossi, Dave. WRAX ''107.7 The X''. Live in the X Lounge III. The album was released to benefit United

Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be p ...

of Greater Birmingham, an organization in the band's hometown. Brother Cane disbanded after touring for ''Wishpool'', despite a great deal of radio play and live success, experiencing problems with their record company and issues surrounding record distribution.

Reformations: 2005, 2011–2012, 2022–2023

In 2005, Brother Cane reunited for two concerts. One of the shows was released as a two-disc set with previously unreleased backstage, offstage, concert footage (a 40-minute show as the opening act for

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

in Fresno from '95) and interview content. Brother Cane again reunited for a brief tour in 2012. In March 2022, Brother Cane announced they would reunite for live shows later in the year. Johnson is rejoined by original bass guitarist Glenn Maxey, along with Buck Johnson ( Aerosmith, Hollywood Vampires) on keyboards, and drummer Jarred Pope from Johnson's solo band. The first show was at the Northern Lights Theater in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

on April 22. Further shows in

and

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

are also planned, with the live set to feature songs from the band's first album, including songs never played live before, plus hits from the later albums. A full Brother Cane tour is planned for 2023, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the release of the ''Brother Cane'' album. Johnson stated: ''"I’m just over the moon about this. Brother Cane fans are some of the most passionate that I've encountered in all of my travels. I'm certainly proud of all these songs, and the guys and I are looking forward to bringing them to the people once again."

Other projects

Brother Cane frontman Damon Johnson has been involved in numerous projects since the initial demise of the band, including Red Halo, Slave to the System (a band that also features long-time

Queensrÿche Queensrÿche is an American heavy metal band. It formed in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington, out of the local band the Mob. The band has released 16 studio albums, one EP, and several DVDs, and continues to tour and record. The original lineup ...

drummer

Scott Rockenfield Scott Rockenfield (born June 15, 1963), also known as SRock, is an American drummer and composer. He is best known as the drummer for the progressive metal band Queensrÿche, which he co-founded in 1982, and the hard rock band Slave to the Sy ...

), and Whiskey Falls. Johnson was touring guitarist for

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

from 2004 to 2011, at which time he departed Cooper's band to join

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or s ...

. He has remained with the band since then, and also co-founded Thin Lizzy spin-off band

Black Star Riders Black Star Riders is a hard rock band formed in December 2012. The band began when members of the most recent line-up of Thin Lizzy decided to record new material, but chose not to release it under the Thin Lizzy name. While Thin Lizzy continues ...

, with whom he recorded three albums. Johnson also performs with

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom ( ...

, standing in for

Gary Rossington Gary Robert Rossington (born December 4, 1951) is an American guitarist. He is the only remaining original member of Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, in which he plays lead and rhythm guitar. In 2009, he became the last original member to re ...

, who is recovering from heart surgery. Glick worked with Johnson in Slave to the System, before joining

Jesse James Dupree Jesse James Dupree (born Jesse Dupree; September 22, 1962) is an American musician, television personality, and businessman. He is the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter in the rock band Jackyl, founded in 1991. As a solo performer ...

and

Jackyl Jackyl is an American rock band formed in 1991. Their sound has also been described as heavy metal and southern metal. Their self-titled debut album has sold more than a million copies in the United States with hit singles like "Down on Me ...

. Guitarist David Anderson now plays with ARS (

Atlanta Rhythm Section Atlanta Rhythm Section (or ARS) is an American Southern rock band formed in 1970 by Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitar), Paul Goddard (bass), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Robert Nix (drums) and J. R. Cobb (guitar). The band's current ...

) when they tour. After his departure from Brother Cane, Glenn Maxey moved away from music and worked in industrial electronics for 28 years, before returning to music in 2021 with

Bishop Gunn Bishop Gunn was a 4-piece blues Americana rock and roll country band from Natchez, Mississippi. It consisted of Travis McCready (vocals/guitar/harmonica/piano), Ben Lewis (bass/ backing vocals), Burne Sharpe (drums/ backing vocals) and Drew Smith ...

frontman Travis McCready's solo band.

Band members

1990–1998 *

– lead vocals, guitar *David Anderson – guitar (''Seeds'', ''Wishpool'') *

– guitar (''Brother Cane''), bass guitar (''Seeds'', ''Wishpool'') *Glenn Maxey – bass guitar (''Brother Cane'') *Scott Collier – drums 2011 *Damon Johnson – lead vocals, guitar *

Zach Myers Michael Zachary Myers (born November 7, 1983) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who founded and is currently the lead singer and guitarist for the rock band The Fairwell. He is also the former bassist and current guitarist for the ...

(

Shinedown Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed by singer Brent Smith in 2001 after the dissolution of Dreve, his previous band. Smith, still under contract with record label Atlantic Records, recruited the band's original ...

) – guitar *Chuck Garric (

) – bass guitar *Scott Collier – drums 2012 *Damon Johnson – lead vocals, guitar *David Anderson – guitar *Chuck Garric – bass guitar *Scott Collier – drums 2022– *Damon Johnson – lead vocals, guitar *Glenn Maxey – bass guitar * Buck Johnson – keyboards, backing vocals *Jarred Pope – drums

Discography

Studio albums

Compilations

Singles

Music videos

References

External links

* {{Authority control Alternative rock groups from Alabama American hard rock musical groups American southern rock musical groups Musical groups established in 1990 Musical groups disestablished in 1998 Musical groups from Birmingham, Alabama