BEFORE THE GOLD RUSH: FLASHBACKS TO THE DAWN OF THE CANADIAN SOUND
Yorkville was the music mecca of Canada, the magnet that drew musicians from every corner of the country. To suburban kids like us, however, it was the forbidden zone, strictly off-limits as decreed by our parents because of the sensational news accounts of free love and drugs.
But as soon as I was able to borrow the family car, another friend, Joel, and I snuck down to the village—as spectators, not participants. We did the Yorkville Crawl in bumper-to-bumper traffic, gawking like every other tourist at the kaleidoscopic sights and sounds. Music, I remember, poured out of every doorway into the street.
Nicholas Jennings is one of Canada’s most respected music journalists. Nicholas was the music critic and feature writer for Maclean’s magazine from 1980 to 2000. Nicholas is also one of Canada’s finest music historians.
