In recent years, the legendary Good Brothers have been getting back to their roots – country, bluegrass and folk. Returning to perform in this neck of the woods for the first time in the better part of a decade, the group is a natural fit for Maryhill’s Commercial Tavern, which works hard to promote traditional music. The show set for Sunday (Mar. 18) marks their first appearance at the historic venue, the latest stop for a group that’s been on the go for more than 40 years.
Things got rolling in the’60s, with Richmond Hill-born twins Bruce and Brian Good getting caught up in the music scene. Meeting up with James Ackroyd, they became James & the Good Brothers, getting their big break in 1970 by playing their first gig at Maple Leaf Gardens as an opening act for Grand Funk Railroad. An album, which was released on Columbia and aided by members of the Grateful Dead, catapulted the group into the Canadian country music spotlight.
Then came the Festival Express tour that had them touring with Janis Joplin, the Band, Ten Years After, and the Grateful Dead. They also performed with Gordon Lightfoot and John Hammond.
By 1973, Akroyd had opted to remain in the States, while the Bruce and Brian Good returned home, where they enlisted younger brother Larry to become the Good Brothers. In 1976, they released their self-titled debut album, which was a mix of their traditional roots, folk, and country background with a range of rock blended in. The album earned them a Juno Award for Best Country Group, an award they received each year from 1976 to 1983. They also received a gold record for sales of their live album in 1981.
Things are a little less hectic these days, but the brothers have continued to write songs, make records and tour tirelessly. And they’re still having a blast doing it.
“We got into the business because we were having fun playing music, and we’re still having fun,” Bruce Good said this week in a phone interview from his Toronto-area home. “We’ve been really lucky that we’ve been able to follow this dream.”
Sticking with that dream has won the Good Brothers a string of accolades over the years. More recently they were honoured by being the 2004 inductees into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame as well as two nominations for Country Group and Roots Artist of the year at the Canadian Country Music Awards
There’s less of a rock tinge to the new albums, with a renewed focus on a traditional sound. That will be in evidence at Sunday’s show, where the brothers will be joined by fiddler Dan Howlett, who’s no stranger to country music fans and the Commercial Tavern in particular. His playing will go along with Bruce Good’s autoharp, Brian’s guitar and Larry’s banjo.
“It’s going to be a fun show. We’re really looking forward to it,” said Good, noting the concert will offer up a mix of traditional and classic stuff – fans can certainly count on staples like “Fox on the Run.”
Typically touring Europe at this time of year – as they’ve done for the past 18 years – the Good Brothers are performing closer to home just now. They’ll be heading overseas in the fall instead, playing before receptive audiences in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Holland, where they’ve got a particularly strong following.
It’s the audiences that keep the brothers out on the road – and they have no plans to slow down. “Even at our age, we’re doing something that we can continue to do – something that we love – for as long as people come out to listen. “It’s too late to turn back now,” he laughed.
The Good Brothers perform at the Commercial Tavern Mar. 18 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20, available at the venue, 1303 Maryhill Rd., or by calling 519-648-3644.
