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Blue Peter
Don't Walk Past / Newsreel - 7"
Ready - 1983
Mike Milner
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The passing of Blue Peter frontman Paul Humphrey in 2021 at the age of 61 was tragic and untimely. Their single 'Don't Walk Past', with its soaring vocals and synthesizer, was a new wave classic. Both the song and its accompanying video were ubiquitous during the summer of 1983 in Southern Ontario.
Blue Peter started during the latter part of the 1970s when Markham (ON) high school chums Humphrey (lead vocals) and Chris Wardman (guitarist and songwriter) began practising and writing songs in Wardman's basement. As Humphreys recalled on their website, new groups back then faced considerable challenges. "In those early days there were no places for a band who did original material to play. In a lot of bars, you had to play cover tunes, so we came up with our own treatments of the Stones, Iggy Pop, Led Zep, and the like, but we really wanted to have a way of exposing our songs. Besides," he adds, "we really couldn't play a lot of those covers 'cause we found it just didn't work that well with our energy."
Times did change, however, and the live music scene in Toronto started to expand, providing more opportunities for young, up-and-coming acts to get a shot at playing gigs. "It was an exciting time," recalls Humphrey. "Clubs like The Edge and Larry's Hideaway opened up and a lot of good bands with original music got a chance. There's a certain musical historical element to those days, and we were part of it."
Blue Peter's first few years (1979 -1983) were spent sorting out personnel and honing the group's identity. Their trajectory was not meteoric, but it was a steady progression of recording and performing. The band were a popular draw on the local club scene, and their visibility was boosted when they were selected to open for touring British new wave acts. During this time, the unique sound they were developing was getting recognized locally with support from independent FM radio station CFNY and the weekly music and cultural television newsmagazine The NewMusic.
Prior to 'Don't Walk Past', Blue Peter had recorded and released a few singles, a couple of EPs and a full-fledged album, Radio Silence. By 1983, the group consisted of mainstays Humphrey and Wardman, as well as Rick Joudrey (bass), Jason Sniderman (keyboards) and Owen Tennyson (drums). They recruited English music producer Steve Nye, whose credits included work with Japan and Bryan Ferry and began work on what is generally considered their signature song.
'Don't Walk Past' was released on Ready Records in both seven- and twelve-inch formats. In addition to Paul Humphrey's passionate vocals, 'Don't Walk Past' had a sturdy groove, with keyboards providing most of the melodic structure, a simple but punchy bass line and minimal but effective guitar. What's more, in addition to his obvious vocal talents, Humphreys was extremely telegenic. The accompanying video to 'Don't Walk Past' was recognized as one of the top Canadian music videos of its time, winning the Best Video of 1983 award from the Canadian Film and Television Association.
After Humphrey's death, several Canadian artists who were part of that scene have acknowledged the influence of Blue Peter and of Humphreys in particular. Gord Deppe of Spoons fame, for instance, has stated that "Paul was one of the kindest and most talented people I ever met". Despite the popularity of 'Don't Walk Past', the guys would call it quits in 1985. Blue Peter will always be closely identified with the song though, and its success has cemented their importance as part of the Canadian music scene.
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