Ted
Steven (guitar), Tim Anderson (piano), Phil
Bardal (bass), Dave G. Nolke
(vocals), Doug Broadhurst
(drums), Rick Cornwell (guitar),
It all started in 1958, when
Rick and Doug got together at Doug’s house
– Rick on the piano and Doug playing the
bongos. There was no guitar in sight
until Rick borrowed his sister’s
boyfriend’s flat top some months
later. Real instruments were finally
purchased in 1961. Doug bought a
“no-name” bass drum, small hi-hat and a
Ludwig deep snare drum. Rick started
with a Gibson Les Paul Junior. Phil
joined as a new guitarist. He owned
a classical guitar, which he was soon
talked out of playing! He then
bought a Harmony triple pick-up.
Harmony amplifiers were the first used by
the group. The duo became a trio,
and “The Fairlanes” were born.
They practiced songs by The Ventures, The
Fireballs and other old standards that had
turned into rock songs. Their first
gig (unpaid) at Windsor Community Club in
November 1961 lit the spark for the
friendships ahead. They played
numerous parties and unpaid gigs, building
a solid foundation for the group.
When it was time to add a new member in
the summer of 1962, Ted asked to
join. After a successful audition
with his Harmony double pick-up, he was
“in”. With three regular guitars, a
change was required! After a quick
coin toss, it was decided that Phil would
switch to a bass guitar. He bought a
Supro bass, a 10 watt amp and a couple of
cabinets.
With the line-up set, The Fairlanes could
now play any popular instrumental by
ear. Musical tastes were changing,
and experimentation was taking place
within the group. The Beatles, The
Shadows, Chuck Berry, Eddy Cochrane and
Buddy Holly were now the music to play for
teens. Given those changes, they
decided to add a singer, and Dave joined
the group as lead vocalist and piano
player.
Equipment changes abounded. Phil
bought a Fender Precision bass, built an
EICO hi-fi amp kit and a monster cabinet
to house his JBL 15” speaker. Rick
bought a 1962 Fender Tremolux amp and
Fender reverb unit. He then upgraded
to a Gretsch Tennessean and Ted bought his
Les Paul and a used Körting reel-to-reel
tape recorder for echo effects. In
1963, Ted bought a Tremolux of his own, a
new Körting tape machine and a Martin J55,
while Rick acquired an Electrohome tape
recorder and Doug upgraded his drums to
the first Sonor set in the ‘Peg.
The group was now playing at The Riviera
Silver Slipper, the Twi-Lite Zone, local
Community Clubs, CYOs and high schools at
$15 to $25 a pop, sometimes more!
With thousands invested in gear and stage
apparel, their practices and performances
were clearly done for the pure love of
rock and roll, the delight of their fans
and the enjoyment of the dance
crowds. Phil was writing original
songs, and both he and Rick took some
turns at lead singer. The line-up
remained fixed for the next year, but the
name was changed to DGN and The Unchained
in late 1963.
In the early to mid 60’s, the City of
Winnipeg was a hotbed of bands – on its
way to becoming the rock and roll band
centre of Canada. The group’s
reputation spread through word of mouth
and a stint at the Red River Exhibition
Free Stage in June, 1964.
Tim came from The Sceptres and joined the
group on keyboards in the fall of 1964
after jamming with them at Victoria Beach
in August. He brought with him one
of the world's largest and heaviest
“portable” Hammond organs. He also
built a "sweet sixteen” speaker cabinet
for it, containing 16 4” speakers from
plans in a Popular Electronics
magazine. Tim was the final
addition, and the band did not change for
the rest of their playing days.
They recorded at the UMSU studio July 1963
and January 1964 with the help of Gerry
Neufeld and at Arbuthnot’s professional
sound studio November 1964 on Ampex tape
at 15ips - top technology of the
day! They also appeared in an 8mm
movie project by UofM Arts student Martin
Rabinovitch entitled “Doctor Death”.
The song “The Doctor Death Dance” was
filmed at The 5th Dimension coffee house
and featured Danny Finkleman (of
Finkleman's 45s fame on CBC) as the
sinister dancer. The band also
played graduation dances - one to remember
was Steinbach Collegiate which, due to
local concerns about rock and roll music,
was secretly moved to nearby
St-Pierre-Jolys! Out of town gigs
included Pine Falls, Selkirk and Victoria
Beach. The Unchained's last major
performance was at the 1965 Red River
Exhibition week long Teen Fair and another
appearance on the Free Stage.
Rick's reverb, Ted's guitar and Körting
tape recorder, and several great picture
blow-ups were included in the Manitoba
Museum of Man and Nature's "Get
Back! A Celebration of Winnipeg
Rock" exhibit from November 26th 1995 to
February 25th 1996.
