Mandala was a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

R&B and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

band from the 1960s. The band was formed in 1965 in

Toronto, Ontario 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 ...

as The Rogues and changed their name prior to their first Canadian Top 40 hit "Opportunity". The band is best known for containing well-known Canadian guitarist

Domenic Troiano Domenic Michele Antonio Troiano (January 17, 1946 – May 25, 2005) was an Italian–Canadian guitarist and songwriter, best known as a member of Mandala, Bush, James Gang, and The Guess Who. He also recorded music for film and television, oft ...

who recorded with

The James Gang James Gang was an American rock band formed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1966. The band went through a variety of line-up changes until they recorded their first album as a power trio consisting of Joe Walsh (guitars, lead vocals), Tom Kriss (bass) and ...

and

The Guess Who The Guess Who was a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1965. The band found their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, wit ...

in the Seventies, and drummer

Pentti Glan Pentti "Whitey" Glan (July 8, 1946 – November 7, 2017) was a Finnish-Canadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Alice Cooper and Lou Reed. Musical career Glan's first serious band was the Canadian soul band The Rogues (later called M ...

, who later played with

Alice Cooper Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...

and

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

(Glan was the drummer on Reed's 1974 live album, " Rock n Roll Animal"). The band also contained

Roy Kenner Roy Douglas Kenner (born January 14, 1948, in Toronto) is a Canadian singer and songwriter, most notable as the lead vocalist of Mandala in the late 1960s and as the lead vocalist of the James Gang during 1972–1974. History Kenner's internatio ...

, who later became the lead singer with the James Gang, both during and after the period when Troiano was lead guitarist with that band.

Biography

Early years

Mandala's origins can be traced back to The Rogues, the house band at the Club Bluenote in

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 ...

during the summer of 1964. Keyboard player Josef Chirowski (born March 2, 1947, in Germany), bass player Don Elliot (born December 8, 1944, in Toronto) and drummer Pentti "Whitey" Glan (born July 8, 1946, in Finland) had worked together previously in several outfits, most notably Whitey & The Roulettes, who also contained future

Luke & The Apostles Luke & The Apostles is a 1960s blues group from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The band is known for their 1967 hit "Been Burnt". Band members included Canadian guitarist Mike McKenna, Luke Gibson, Peter Jermyn, Jim Jones, and Pat Little. The band is ...

and

McKenna Mendelson Mainline McKenna Mendelson Mainline was a Canadians, Canadian blues band that released four albums. In the spring of 1969, the band was signed to Liberty Records (United Artists). History In the summer of 1968, in May, Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Can ...

guitarist, Mike McKenna. The band adopted the name The Rogues when singer

George Olliver George Olliver was a Canadian music artist. A singer and organist, he was the lead singer for Mandala in the 1960s. He also founded the late 1960s, early 1970s jazz rock group Natural Gas. Background As a boy he was in the Anglican church choir ...

(born January 25, 1946, in Toronto) and former

Robbie Lane and the Disciples Robbie Lane and the Disciples is a Canadian rock band, that peaked in the 1960s. A cover of Neil Sedaka's "What Am I Gonna Do" was their biggest success, reaching #10 in 1966. They also recorded an early version of the hit song " Soul Deep" in 1 ...

guitarist

(born Dominic Michaele Antonio Troiano, January 17, 1946, in Modugno, Italy, naturalized Canadian in 1955) joined in 1965. For a very brief period at the end of 1965, future

Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and ...

singer

David Clayton-Thomas David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett, 13 September 1941) is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Clayton-Thomas began his musi ...

also augmented the line up after parting with his previous support band, The Shays. In the spring of 1966, The Rogues (minus Clayton-Thomas) briefly became The Five Rogues and consolidated their local reputation with regular appearances on the city's vibrant club scene, playing at venues like the Hawk's Nest, the Club El Mocambo and the Gogue Inn. One show at the Gogue Inn, advertised in the ''

Toronto Telegram ''The Toronto Evening Telegram'' was a conservative, broadsheet afternoon newspaper published in Toronto from 1876 to 1971. It had a reputation for supporting the Conservative Party at the federal and the provincial levels. The paper competed wit ...

'''s "After Four" section for May 25, 1966, found the group opening for

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

alongside another local group, R K & The Associates, who featured future Mandala singer

. During this hectic period, the band also performed throughout Ontario, appearing at notable venues like the Whitby Arena and Oshawa's Jubilee Pavilion. Around this time, the group also recorded two tracks as demos – "I Can't Hold Out No Longer" and "I'll Make It Up To You".

Five Rogues become Mandala

In mid-September 1966, the group's manager, Rafael Markowitz (aka Randy Martin), a former TV clown, sensed a change in the music scene and decided to reinvent the group's image and name. Mandala is a symbol (a circle within a circle within a circle), which is used by Buddhist monks as an aid to contemplation. Markowitz envisioned the band as being a channel for the audience to release its emotions and the newly named outfit, decked in pinstripe, gangster-style suits and aided by strobe lights, returned to the Toronto scene in early October with its "Soul Crusade", which was met with mass hysteria.

Hollywood

The US market soon beckoned and in late November, Mandala made a brief exploratory trip to Los Angeles performing for four nights at the

Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed The Whisky) is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boulev ...

. While there, the band played three weekends at the Hullabaloo where they attracted 1,400 fans by word of mouth. On the way home, the group stopped off in Chicago and recorded Troiano's "Opportunity" at

Chess Studios Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and rol ...

, with

The Dells The Dells were an American R&B vocal group. Formed in high school in 1953 by founding members Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches, Chuck Barksdale, and Michael and Lucius McGill, under the name the El-Rays. They released their first r ...

providing backing vocals. Issued as Mandala's debut single on Decca's subsidiary label, KR, "Opportunity" swiftly climbed up Toronto's

CHUM Chart The CHUM Chart is a long-running Canadian hit parade countdown radio show, originally aired on Toronto radio station CHUM AM then later revived on its sister station CHUM-FM. It consisted of 50 top tunes from May 1957 to July 1968, but in Augus ...

, peaking at #3 on February 20, 1967. After gigging extensively in the Toronto area throughout the early part of 1967, Mandala travelled to New York in early March for an extended engagement at

Steve Paul Stephen Neal Paul (April 28, 1941 October 21, 2012) was an American talent manager and nightclub owner. Paul was the one-time manager of Johnny Winter, among other related performers, as well as being the owner of The Scene, a popular New York ...

's The Scene, alongside folk singer/songwriter

Eric Andersen Eric Andersen (born February 14, 1943) is an American folk music singer-songwriter, who has written songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead, Rick Nelson, and many others. Early in his career, ...

, the shows running from March 6 to April 2.

Murray the K's Easter Rock Extravaganza

While in New York, Mandala also participated in Murray the K's Easter Rock Extravaganza, which was held at RKO Theatre in Manhattan from March 25 to April 4 and also featured

The Blues Project The Blues Project is an American band formed in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood in 1965. The group's original iteration broke up in 1967. Their songs drew from a wide array of musical styles: folk, blues, rhythm & blues, jazz, an ...

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

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Jim and Jean Jim and Jean, composed of Jim Glover (born 1942) and Jean Ray (1941–2007)

The Chicago Loop The Chicago Loop was an American rock group from Chicago, Illinois, United States. The group, formed in 1966, consisted of Bob Slawson (vocals), Judy Novy (vocals), John Savanna, alternate touring (guitar), Barry Goldberg (piano), Carmine Riale (b ...

and Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels among others. Following the show, the band joined

and

Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels William Sherille Levise Jr. (born February 26, 1945), known professionally as Mitch Ryder, is an American rock singer who has recorded more than 25 albums over more than four decades. Career Ryder was born on February 26, 1945, in Hamtramck, M ...

for a number of dates in the New York area before returning to Toronto in early April. That same month, KR released a second single, "Give & Take", which made #21 on the CHUM chart. The group also began work on its "Soul Crusade" album at Toronto Sound but internal differences ground the sessions to a halt. Mandala returned to New York several times over the next few months, performing at Steve Paul's The Scene from April 25-May 5 and for a one-off show on July 18. They also travelled to Montreal to perform at the Garden of Stars from July 30-August 5 during Expo. However, internal differences were starting to pull the group apart. Shortly after another short trip to New York to play Steve Paul's The Scene on September 27, 1967, singer George Olliver left to form his own band. Chirowski also departed at this point to work briefly for Canadian Pacific Railways during the day and perform with The Power Project in the evenings.

Roy Kenner and Atlantic Records

A new line up of the band featuring singer Roy Kenner (born January 14, 1948, in Toronto) and keyboard player Henry Babraj, from Roy Kenner & The Associates, made its public debut at the Roost in Ottawa on October 8, 1967. The following month, Mandala embarked on their fourth US tour, kicking off with a show at the Cheetah in Hollywood. The tour included an appearance at the Swing Auditorium in San Bernardino, California on November 13 alongside

Buffalo Springfield Buffalo Springfield was a Canadian-American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1966 by Canadians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin (musician), Dewey Martin and Americans Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely know ...

and The Yellow Payges. In early 1968,

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 ...

chief

Ahmet Ertegun Ahmet Ertegun ( ; , ; July 31, 1923 – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and championed many lead ...

acted on a tip from producer

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (December 26, 1939 – January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter who is best known for pioneering recording practices in the 1960s, followed by his trials and conviction for murder in the 2000s. S ...

and bought the group's contract from Decca. With the green light to record, Mandala laid down six tracks at Atlantic Studios, New York in February, including the

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ov ...

produced single "Love It-is", which reached #9 on the CHUM chart when it was released in July. Two months later, the band completed sessions for its long-awaited debut album, "Soul Crusade" and then remained in the States to tour before returning to Toronto in June, around which time Henry Babraj appears to have left the group. One or more local Toronto players may have been used for local and regional and U.S. shows but Babraj's permanent replacement was Hugh Sullivan from Mr Paul & The Blues Council, who joined Mandala in the Bahamas. Soon afterwards, the group recorded at least two Coca-Cola commercials. As the group seemed on the verge of a major breakthrough disaster struck. In October 1968, Don Elliot was involved in a serious car accident and was forced to leave Mandala leaving the rest of the group to complete a Canadian tour with Sullivan covering bass on keyboards. More bad news lay in store. The band's final single, "You Got Me", failed to chart while sales for the "Soul Crusade" album were disappointing. Shortly after appearing at the Detroit Pop Festival and the Grand Rapids Pop Festival in Michigan during April 1969, the band recruited bass player

Prakash John Prakash John is an Indian-Canadian rock and rhythm & blues bassist. He is known as one of the originators of the ' Toronto sound'. Early years John was born in Mumbai, India, in 1947. At age four, he was enrolled at the prestigious Protestant ...

from The Stone Soul Children but the end was in sight and on June 1, 1969, Mandala played their final show at the Hawk's Nest in Toronto.

Aftermath

Bass player Don Elliot subsequently joined Leigh Ashford and then played in Milestone in the early Seventies. After fronting his group, The Soul Children, original singer

recorded and toured with

Natural Gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

in the late Sixties. He then fronted George Olliver and Friends, which also contained former Mandala member, Barry Hutt. Keyboard player Josef Chirowski meanwhile played with various Toronto bands before becoming a member of the highly respected rock band,

Crowbar A crowbar, also called a wrecking bar, pry bar or prybar, pinch-bar, or occasionally a prise bar or prisebar, colloquially gooseneck, or pig bar, or in Australia a jemmy, is a lever consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flat ...

. Hugh Sullivan briefly played with Merryweather while Kenner, Troiano, Glan and John regrouped as Bush and recorded a lone album in 1971. Hugh sadly took his own life in 1977. Kenner and Troiano subsequently recorded with

in 1972–1974, while Chirowski, Glan and John became notable session and touring musicians, playing with the likes of

and

, among others. Troiano later developed a successful solo career, which included Kenner at various points. Kenner stayed in and around Toronto, developing an expertise in advertising vocals. John established the Toronto-based rhythm and blues band, The Lincolns, which continues playing today. Domenic Troiano died of cancer in 2005. Pentti Glan died in 2017.

Discography

* 45 – "Opportunity" / "Lost Love" (KR 0115) – 1967 * 45 – "Give and Take" / "From Toronto '67" (KR 0121) – 1967 * 45 – "Love-Itis" / "Mellow Carmello Palumbo" (Atlantic 2512) – 1968 * 45 – "You Got Me" / "Help Me" (Atlantic 2576) – 1968 * LP – ''Soul Crusade'' (Atlantic SD 8184) – 1968

References

Citations Sources * Article on Mandala at Classic rock pag

* "Los Angeles 'Sun-set' raves over The Mandala", Toronto Daily Star, December 12, 1966, page 18 * "The Soul Sound of The Mandala", Canadian Teen Magazine, January–February 1967. * "This time, only a few shrieks for the Mandala", Toronto Daily Star, June 28, 1967, page 36 * RPM Weekly magazine, week starting November 14, 1967. * The Toronto Telegram's "After Four" section on Thursdays advertised live gigs for the forthcoming week. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mandala Musical groups established in 1965 Musical groups disestablished in 1970 Musical groups from Toronto Canadian rhythm and blues music groups 1965 establishments in Ontario 1970 disestablishments in Ontario