Brother Cane
Brother Cane was a rock band from Birmingham in the 1990s which enjoyed some success on the national Adult-Oriented Rock (AOR) charts.
In 1990, guitarist Damon Johnson and bassist Glen Maxey formed the four-piece rock band, Chyld. After working with different lead singers and acquiring a development deal with Virgin Records in November of that year, it was when a record company representative heard Johnson sing a few cover songs that he was convinced that Johnson should become the lead vocalist and frontman. The group's line-up was soon complete with the addition of guitarist Roman Glick and drummer Scott Collier. A name change to Brother Cane would find the band in the Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles in the summer of 1992.
A year later Virgin released the self titled debut, Brother Cane, which would yield three Top 10 rock tracks (including the AOR #1 single, "Got No Shame") and high profile tours with Aerosmith, Robert Plant, and Lynyrd Skynyrd. A short time later, however, Maxey quit the band, Glick assumed bass duties, and guitarist David Anderson joined the band. The band toured for 14 months and the album sold an impressive 250,000 copies. In 1995 Brother Cane delivered their sophomore effort, Seeds, and saw their song "And Fools Shine On" mount an 8-week stay at #1 at Rock Radio in the U.S. and Canada. “Fools Shine On” also became the theme song for the horror film, Halloween 6, and secured the band tour dates in Europe and as opening act for rock legends Van Halen. 1998 brought the release of Brother Cane's third album, Wishpool, which Johnson says, "…was certainly my most personal statement as a lyricist and the body of work that I am most proud of." Yet again, the band had another #1 rock track, "I Lie in the Bed I Make", and toured North America from March until November of ‘98. But after 6 years of hard touring and an unsatisfactory yield for the time and energy invested, Brother Cane amicably parted ways.
In August 2004, EMI released "The Best of Brother Cane", which included two previously-unreleased tracks. In 2022 Johnson and Maxey reformed Brother Cane with keyboard player Buck Johnson and drummer Jared Pope for a 30th anniversary tour.
Discography
- Brother Cane Virgin (1993)
- Seeds Virgin (1995)
- Wishpool Virgin (1998)
- The Best of Brother Cane EMI (2004)
References
- Wake, Matt (March 3, 2022) "Beloved Alabama rock band reuniting for 2022 shows, full 2023 tour." The Birmingham News
External Links
- Damon Johnson's website
- Brother Cane artist bio at VH1.com
- Brother Cane at allmusic.com