The Essentials was a Canadian

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

group founded in

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, Canada in 1993, that were based out of

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 ...

from 2000 onward. Band co-founders Joon Nah and Joe Oliva attended

London Central Secondary School London Central Secondary School is a public secondary school located at the corner of Dufferin Avenue and Waterloo Street in downtown London, Ontario. It is a member of the Thames Valley District School Board. It has approximately 1000 students ...

where they co-founded a predecessor

group to The Essentials, called The Humdingers.

Biography

The Essentials' first gig was singing ''a cappella''

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

songs, weekly during the summer months, in the parking lot of an ice cream parlor called Merla-Mae Ice Cream in London, Ontario. In 1996, Dan Speck joined the band. Speck had been introduced to the band through The Essentials' then-manager Terry McManus via Emm Gryner. Dan Speck's younger brother Thom, formerly of Streetnix, then joined the band in 2005. Both Speck brothers and Gryner have known each other since their youth in the small town of Forest, Ontario. Janet Turner completed the quartet in 2009. Since their inception, The Essentials have focused mostly on performances in Canada and the United States, but have also ventured into Europe. They have performed thousands of shows including the national anthems for the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

and

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

which has garnered them more national television exposure in Canada. They also appeared in nationally televised ads for Bell ExpressVu in Canada. In 1999, The Essentials played a singing and speaking role in a

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

movie entitled A Holiday Romance along with Paula MacNeill (who would later become a part of the house band on the U.S. nationally televised game show The Singing Bee). The movie stars

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, singer, and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his characters with a folksy ...

, Naomi Judd and

Gerald McRaney Gerald Lee McRaney (born August 19, 1947) is an American television and film actor. McRaney is best known as one of the stars of the television shows ''Simon & Simon'', '' Major Dad'', ''Promised Land'' and '' House of Cards''. He most recently s ...

. Their first two albums, ''Oh What A Night!'' and ''...And Then Some'' were produced by highly regarded record producer Jack Richardson, and their 2007 Christmas recording was certified gold in December of that year. The Essentials' latest release, ''Nothing But Blue'', was produced by Darryl Neudorf, charted nationally in Canada, and tied

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

for No. 1 on the Toronto charts for the week ending 9 September 2010. Since its release in June 2010, ''Nothing But Blue'' received positive reviews in regional newspapers as well as by Canada's highest-circulation newspaper The

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

which gave the album 3.5 stars out of 4. Once in 2008, and again in 2010, The Essentials have made special event "one-time only" return performances to the parking lot of the Merla-Mae Ice Cream parlour where they had not performed since 1996. In 2010, the ice cream parlor added individual sundaes to their menu in honor of the current band line-up as well as former member Nah. On 23 December 2011, The Essentials sang their final notes together in Toronto.

Discography

* ''Oh What A Night!'' (1994) * ''...And Then Some'' (1996) * ''Bare'' (2000,

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

) * ''Stocking Stuffer'' (2007, certified gold) * ''Remember December'' (2008, a Christmas album) * ''Nothing But Blue'' (2010)

Compilations

* ''When The Lights Come On at Christmas'' (1997), charity compilation for Jesse's Journey in support of

Duchenne muscular dystrophy Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting boys. The onset of muscle weakness typically begins around age four, with rapid progression. Initially, muscle loss occurs in the thighs and pe ...

, includes a contribution from Beverley Mahood * ''Scenes From A Dream'' (2000), the Timmins Concert Singers produced this recording, includes a contribution from

Patricia O'Callaghan Patricia Mary O'Callaghan (born October 2, 1970) is a classically trained Canadian singer. She is a soprano who has built an international reputation as a performer of contemporary opera, early 20th-century cabaret music and the songs of Leonard Co ...

* ''Come Together: An A Cappella Tribute to the Beatles'' (2001), includes a contribution from another Canadian a cappella group, The Nylons * ''Sing 7 – Lucky'' (2010), seventh annual compilation by the Contemporary A Cappella Society

References

External links

The Essentials' Myspace site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Essentials, The Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups from London, Ontario Canadian pop music groups Professional a cappella groups 1993 establishments in Ontario