Canoe Jam Showbiz (Review)

Guitarist/vocalist Gus Papas was discovered by Daffodil Records chief Frank Davies as part of his LOVE Productions company who was developing and licensing artists outside of Daffodil Records itself. Davies shopped Papas' material in New York and an old acquaintance of his with Beatles ties, Nat Weiss, signed Papas to his Nemperor Records label with distribution through Columbia stateside.

The debut album, produced by Steve Vaughan (Klaatu, The Hunt), was 'Convicted' and released in 1980 to much fanfare and critical acclaim but the album's lead off single, "She's Not Gonna Come To You", failed to ignite the charts. Still, Nemperor and Davies had high hopes and added a backing band to Papas' public persona called The New Breed. The 1984 album 'On The Verge' had Tony Bongiovi & Lance Quinn producing Side 1 at The Power Station in New York City. Cliff Davies produced Side 2 at A-Square Studios in Ann-Arbour, Michigan.

The album, again, failed to set the world on fire. In the 1990s, Papas fronted Legal Tender, a straight-ahead original rock band based in Detroit. Legal Tender showcased Papas' songs in New York, and they toured with acts that included Steppenwolf, Robin Trower and the Irish blues-rock legend Rory Gallagher. In March 2005 Papas released his first independent original music CD 'Shake The Devil' that was engineered and produced by Alec Fraser at Liquid Toronto. Papas lives in Mississauga, Ontario and still performs as a guitarist/singer regularly with his band Gus Papas & The Bottle Devils.

Singles as GUS 1980 She's Not Gonna Come To You/Ain't Love A Crime (Nemperor/Epic/CBS) E-48423 1980 Follow That Dream/Sweet Delight (Nemperor/Epic/CBS) E-7533 1980 One More Border To Cross/Sweet Delight (Nemperor) AE-71214 1984 Oon The Verge/No Control/Just A Big Mistake (Nemperor) CDN-103 Albums as GUS 1980 Convicted (Nemperor/Columbia/CBS) 84422 as GUS & THE NEW BREED 1984 On The Verge (Nemperor) BL-38003

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