Kon Kan is a Canadian

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

project conceived and formed in 1988 by

Barry Harris Barry Doyle Harris (December 15, 1929 – December 8, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. He was an exponent of the bebop style. Influenced by Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell, Harris in turn influenc ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

. Kon Kan were awarded a 1990 Juno for the song "

I Beg Your Pardon "I Beg Your Pardon" is a song by Canadian musical duo Kon Kan from their 1989 debut album '' Move to Move'', released as their debut single in 1988. It was written and produced by Barry Harris. American musician Joe South also received a songwrit ...

" and nominated for a 1991 Juno Award for the single " Puss N' Boots/These Boots Are Made for Walkin'".

History

Band name

Musician Barry Harris said the name "Kon Kan" is a play on the term " Can Con", the Canadian radio regulation that states radio stations must play Canadian artists at least 30% of the time. Harris named the group "Kon Kan" as a subtle advertisement to Canadian stations that he was Canadian. However, he said the move didn't work, and he wasn't noticed by the stations until

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

signed them.

"I Beg Your Pardon"

" was inspired in part by both the

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

hit single "

Always on My Mind "Always on My Mind" is a Sentimental ballad, ballad written by Wayne Carson, Johnny Christopher, and Mark James (songwriter), Mark James, first recorded by Brenda Lee and first released by Gwen McCrae (as "You Were Always on My Mind") in Mar ...

" and an increasingly prevalent use of sampling by artists such as

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

M/A/R/R/S MARRS (stylised M, A, R, R, S) were a 1987 recording collective formed by the groups A.R. Kane and Colourbox, which only released one commercial disc. It became "a one-hit wonder of rare influence" because of their international hit " Pump Up ...

and

Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...

. The track sampled

Lynn Anderson Lynn René Anderson (September 26, 1947 – July 30, 2015) was an American country singer and television personality. Her crossover signature recording, " Rose Garden", was a number one hit internationally. She also charted five number one ...

's 1971 hit " (I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden",

Silver Convention Silver Convention were a German Euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention or Silver Bird. History The group was initiated in Munich, then West Germany, by producers and songwriters Michael Kun ...

's 1976 hit "Get Up and Boogie (That's Right)", GQ's "

Disco Nights (Rock-Freak) "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)" is a song written by Emanuel LeBlanc, Herb Lane, Keith Crier and Paul Service and performed by American band GQ, from their 1979 debut studio album '' Disco Nights''. The song was produced by Larkin Arnold, Beau Ray an ...

Tones on Tail Tones on Tail were a British post-punk band formed in 1982, originally as a musical side project of Daniel Ash of the gothic rock group Bauhaus (band), Bauhaus. Their music was described by one critic as "doom-and-dance-pop." History While sti ...

's "Go!",

Spagna Ivana Spagna (; born 16 December 1954), also known simply as Spagna, is an Italian singer and songwriter. She is best known for her worldwide hit song " Call Me", released in 1987. Career Spagna started her singing career in the early 1970s w ...

's " Call Me", '' National Lampoons "Disco Hotline" sketch from their ''

That's Not Funny, That's Sick ''That's Not Funny, That's Sick'', a spinoff of the humor magazine National Lampoon, was a 1977–1978 stage show and also a 1977 album of American sketch comedy. Stage show The stage show was a revue, "a compilation of bits and pieces from ...

'' album, and the opening bars from the theme music from ''

The Magnificent Seven ''The Magnificent Seven'' is a 1960 American Western film directed by John Sturges. The screenplay, credited to William Roberts, is a remake – in an Old West-style – of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese film '' Seven Samurai'' (itself init ...

'' (which was also well known as the theme to a commercial for

Marlboro cigarettes Marlboro (, ) is an American brand of cigarettes owned and manufactured by Philip Morris USA (a branch of Altria) within the United States and by Philip Morris International (PMI, now separate from Altria) in most global territories outside the ...

in the 1960s). In a 1989 ''Billboard'' magazine interview, Harris reported it was a trip to

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

that inspired him to write "I Beg Your Pardon", stating that he "got frustrated not getting anywhere as a DJ, so I went to Portugal to clear my mind. That's where the idea for 'Beg' came." The record was Harris' first studio project.

''Move to Move'' (1989)

Kon Kan's debut album, '' Move to Move'', was recorded in Los Angeles in January and February 1989. Later that year, it appeared on the ''RPM'' Top 100 Albums chart. As well as "I Beg Your Pardon", it also spawned the singles "

Harry Houdini Erik Weisz (March 24, 1874 – October 31, 1926), known professionally as Harry Houdini ( ), was a Hungarian-American escapologist, illusionist, and stunt performer noted for his escape acts. Houdini first attracted notice in vaudeville in ...

", " Move to Move" and " Puss N' Boots". The latter track included samples and interpolations of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

's "

Immigrant Song "Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is built upon a repeating riff and features lyrical references to Norse mythology, with singer Robert Plant's howling vocals mentioning war-making and Valhalla. The song was i ...

" and "

Good Times Bad Times "Good Times Bad Times" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their 1969 debut album ''Led Zeppelin''. The song was Led Zeppelin's first single released in the US, where it reached the ''Billboard'' ...

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer, actress, film producer and author. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato) and is known for her 1965 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walki ...

's "

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. ...

" and

the Champs The Champs are an American rock and roll band, most famous for their Latin-tinged 1958 instrumental single "Tequila (The Champs song), Tequila". The group took their name from that of Gene Autry's horse, Champion, and was formed by recording s ...

' "

Tequila Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...

''Vida!...'' (1993)

Following the commercial failure of ''Syntonic'', Kon Kan was dropped from Atlantic Records' roster. For the next album, ''Vida!...'' (Hypnotic Records), Harris resumed songwriting duties with Bob Mitchell and Kon Kan expanded to a 4-piece band. Along with original songs such as the album's lead single "Sinful Wishes", there was a remake of "Move to Move" and a cover of

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

's "

Moonage Daydream "Moonage Daydream" is a song by the English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was originally recorded in February 1971 at Radio Luxembourg's studios in London and released as a single by his short-lived band Arnold Corns in May 1971 on B&C R ...

". The second single released from the album was "S.O.L." (short for "shit outta luck"). In April 2020, Harris released ''Vida!'' worldwide digitally with additional previously unreleased remixes.

2013 reformation, Lost 80's Live 2022 tour and 2023/24 live tour

In June 2013, Barry Harris and Kevin Wynne briefly reunited as Kon Kan, but went their separate ways again in the spring of 2014. On 16 May 2022, Harris posted a letter to Kon Kan's Facebook Page to announce that he will not be performing as part of the band for the Lost 80's Live 2022 U.S. tour, and that he allowed Wynne to use the Kon Kan name for the said 2022 tour. He also said that there will not be any new Kon Kan music. Also performing as part of the band was Sandy Horne of

Spoons Spoons may refer to: * Spoon, a utensil commonly used with soup * Spoons (card game), the card game of Donkey, but using spoons Film and TV * ''Spoons'' (TV series), a 2005 UK comedy sketch show *Spoons, a minor character from ''The Sopranos' ...

. On October 21, 2023, Harris announced on Kon Kan's Facebook Page the new Kon Kan 2023/2024 live touring band featuring himself (vocals, keyboards, guitar) with new band members Kimberley Wetmore (vocals), Christian McFadden (vocals, bass, keyboards), Adam Weatherup (guitar) and Tim Fleming (drums, percussion).https://www.facebook.com/konkanofficial/posts/pfbid0W7DTeNb2JijGjU3QpM7rQcBoRPx9CaR2GLsUgAhQWnp6CXvgw4MtVZWvfUtDASwTl

Kon Kan discography

Albums

* '' Move to Move'' (1989) * '' Syntonic'' (1990) * '' Vida!...'' (1993)

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control Atlantic Records artists Canadian electronic music groups Canadian dance music groups Canadian musical duos Canadian synth-pop groups Canadian hi-NRG groups Hypnotic Records artists Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year winners Musical groups established in 1988 Musical groups disestablished in 1994 Musical groups reestablished in 2013 Musical groups from Toronto Electronic music duos Male musical duos 1988 establishments in Ontario 1994 disestablishments in Ontario