By: Faith Bryan
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 7/17/24 – In the summer of 1980, a band from Vancouver, British Columbia, and Oakville, Ontario, Canada released their first album, and the single from the album is still finding its way into FM radio playlists and YouTube collections
The band is The Kings, and their debut album, “The Kings Are Here,” featured the smash hit “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ To Glide,’ which received extensive major market airplay all over the USA and Canada, spending 23 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100. The project also earned the boys a Canadian Juno Award nomination, Platinum album and Gold single status, and induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.
A video of the song, a compilation of live performances over the years that is introduced with a clip from their appearance on “Dick Clark’s American Bandstand,” is nearing 6 million views on YouTube, and going strong.
Now, 47 years after the band first started playing together – under the name WhistleKing – they are back with another smash album and a couple of singles that are turning heads everywhere.
With three of the original four members – lead singer and bass player David Diamond, keyboardist Sonny Keyes, and guitarist Mister Zero. Back then, Max Styles was on drums; these days it’s Todd Reynolds and Atilla Turi providing the backbeat.
The Kings released the full-length album “The Longest Story Ever Told” in September 2023, and they are making a new generation of fans with the first single from the album, “Always Off the Deep End” and nine other tunes written by Diamond and Zero. With songwriting depth, a history of hits and a devoted fan base, The Kings remain a hungry band with something to prove.
Yeah, this beat goes on, and on, and on …
Diamond and Zero sat down with The Hollywood Times recently to talk about their past success, their new album – the band’s 10th and first in 17 years – and the future. And the first topic was the energy the band shows when performing live. Dimond, Zero and Keyes bounce and hop in time to the music almost constantly during their performance.
“We don’t know how we did it,” Diamond said when asked where they electricity came from. “We’re singing and playing, and not making any mistakes …”
“We were young, and everything came easier back then,” Zero chimed in to Diamond’s agreement.
Talking about the debut album, Diamond said the band really didn’t know what it had when the album came out.
“We were in the big leagues, the NHL so to speak,” he said. “We were opening up for major acts like Jeff Beck, the Beach Boys. We played with Eric Clapton.
Zero said they got to that level through their dedication and hard work, a road successful bands have traveled for years. The difference here is the hard work goes on for The Kings,
“We had worked hard for years, playing in the clubs and all that kind of stuff,” he said. “But we always had an emphasis on writing our own material and the goal was to make records. A lot of our friends were players, but we wanted to be writers, and I think that is the difference.”
It also helps to connect with just the right producer, and a trip to Nimbus 9 Studio in Toronto for a recording session provided that element. Bob Ezrin, who had just finished producing Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” album, produced their debut album and his involvement got the boys a deal with Elektra Records in L.A.
The Kings continued their musical journey with the albums “Amazon Beach,” “RSVP,” “Unstoppable,” “Party Live in ’85”, “The Lost Tapes of a Seventies Bar Band” and “Because of You,” all of which showcase their energy and songwriting prowess. They also released a captivating documentary titled “Anatomy of a One-Hit Wonder,” as well as the incredible concert film “Live at Heatwave.”
And like their song, this beat goes on after 47 years.
“Me and Z, we request you in the Mercedes,” Diamond said with a chuckle, referring to a lyric in the first verse of their 1980 hit. “We don’t have the Mercedes anymore, but we have a leased Toyota we ride around in.”
And a new single off the new album, “Nowhere to Go But Gone,” has toes tapping all over North America. The Kings will be playing for the first time ever in Cancun, Mexico, in November, proving that The Kings are, indeed, still here.
For more about this band, check out their website.
