Emerson Drive

Emerson Drive was a Canadian country music band consisting of Brad Mates (lead vocals), Danick Dupelle (guitars, backing vocals), Mike Melancon (drums), and Dale Wallace (keyboards, backing vocals). The band was founded in 1995 as 12 Gauge, which consisted of Mates, Pat Allingham (fiddle), Steven Swager (bass guitar), Chris Hartman (keyboards), Dan Binns (guitar), David Switzer (guitar), and Remi Barre (drums); Swager was replaced with Jeff Loberg early on. After recording under this name, the band moved to the United States in 1999 and renamed themselves to Emerson Drive. They released two albums for the former DreamWorks Records Nashville branch: '' Emerson Drive'' in 2002 and '' What If?'' in 2004. These accounted for their first hit singles in the United States: " I Should Be Sleeping", " Fall into Me", and " Last One Standing". After DreamWorks closed, Emerson Drive signed with Midas Records Nashville for the 2006 album '' Countrified'', which produced their only American number-one single in " Moments". Further releases in the United States were unsuccessful; however, the band continued to chart in Canada through releases on Open Road Recordings and Big Star Recordings over the next ten years.

History

12 Gauge, ''Until You Walk the Tracks'' – 1995–1998

Emerson Drive was formed under the name of 12 Gauge in February 1995 when Brad Mates entered a talent contest at his local high school in Grande Prairie, Alberta. Through the contest, Mates met fiddler Pat Allingham, bass player Steven Swager and keyboardist Chris Hartman. Mates, Hartman, Swager and Allingham decided to form a band with guitarists Dan Binns and David Switzer, bass guitarist Jeff Loberg, and drummer Remi Barre. The band started practicing in Mates' basement and entering contests. In 1996, the group entered a local Battle of the Bands contest and won the opportunity to write and record their EP ''Open Season''.

In 1996, 12 Gauge began work on their first studio album and independently released, ''Until You Walk the Tracks'' in 1997. Through 1997 and 1998, the group toured Canada to support their album and charted two songs, including the top 40 single, "Some Trains Never Come", which peaked at No. 36 on the ''RPM'' Country Tracks chart in 1998. Both singles were accompanied by music videos that received airplay on CMT Canada. In early 1998, the group received a nomination for Top New Group or Duo at the RPM Big Country Awards, but lost to Montana Sky.

By this time, Switzer had left the group and drummer Remi Barre had been replaced by Derrick Kuzemchuk. Soon after the release, Binns left the group. He was replaced by Dan Bauman, who stayed with the band for just over a year. By the end of 1998, Binns and Kuzemchuk left the group. Shortly after, the band hired Gerry Leiske as their manager, replacing previous manager Lionel Allingham (Pat's father). Leiske introduced the band to guitarist Danick Dupelle, who had been performing with Canadian country trio Farmer's Daughter, which Leiske also managed. Drummer Mike Melancon replaced Kuzemchuk.

Name Change, Nashville & ''Emerson Drive'' – 1999–2002

In 1999, the band moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in search of a record deal. In the process, they discovered that '12 Gauge' was also the name of an American rapper and had to choose a new name; Emerson Drive is named for the Emerson Trail that crosses Western Alberta and joins the Alaska Highway