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The Lincolns
Take One
Attic - 1983
Mike Milner
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If someone was deciding to start a new group in Toronto in 1979, what style of music do you think would be chosen? If you guessed that it would be a soulful, funky and groove-happy form of rhythm & blues, I suggest you would probably be in the minority. Yet that is exactly what one of Canada's premier musicians, the highly renowned bassist Prakash John, did. And not only was that band, the Lincolns, a success, it also landed a record deal and cut one of this country's best R&B albums in the process.
John grew up in Toronto in the 1960s and was deeply involved from a young age in the music scene. He was a member of the seminal Toronto group Bush along with Dominic Troiano and Whitey Glan. Following that, he spent time with George Clinton before moving on to work with Lou Reed and Alice Cooper. By 1979, however, he was back in Toronto and ready to start his own band, one that played a style of music that he wanted to play. John envisioned a group that had the style and professionalism of those late '60s Toronto rhythm & blues and soul acts that were so influential on his growth as a musician.
When John started the Lincolns, he was determined to put together a first-class outfit that could perform the music he envisioned on a consistent basis in that most demanding of situations, regular club work. He understood as someone who had worked very hard on his craft and who had played with some of the finest musicians in the business how important it was to have a group that set very high standards for itself and was capable of reaching them whenever they were on stage. Fortunately for John, within his circle of friends there were a number of musicians who fit that bill.
The Lincolns were leader and bassist John, Danny Weiss on guitar, Michael Fonfara on keyboards (particularly Hammond B3), Jorn Andersen on drums and Steve Ambrose as lead vocalist. All of these players had extensive musical credentials and had performed previously with John. The group was a fixture on the Toronto club scene and could be seen on many evenings delivering their own unique versions of soul and R&B classics. The members dressed professionally (no jeans and t-shirts here) and many of the songs featured a degree of choreography from them as well.
By 1983, the Lincolns had signed a record deal with Attic Records, a local Toronto label, and cut their classic album, Take One. The cover picture was a stylized version of the back of a Lincoln Continental with the letters 'P. J.' on the licence plate. As would be expected, the seven cuts on the record were standard songs from the R&B genre but performed in the band's own unique fashion. It was produced and arranged by John and boasted top-notch recording and exceptional musicianship by all concerned.
Take One may not have been a bestseller, but it was a potent snapshot of a group that would be acknowledged as Canada's premier R&B act. The Lincolns would become mainstays in the clubs as well as at festivals throughout the country. One of their highlights took place in 1988, when they were invited to perform at Wayne Gretzky's wedding reception, at which by all accounts the guys killed it.
Prakash John and the Lincolns are a huge part of Canada's musical heritage. John in particular deserves a great deal of credit not only for his musicianship but also for bringing to fruition his musical vision of a classic R&B band.
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