The
following text was submitted by Robert
Williston for inclusion on the Manitoba
Music Museum website and is reproduced
verbatim from his Museum of Canadian Music
page at https://citizenfreak.com/playlists/389-joey-gregorash
EARLY YEARS AND THE
MONGRELS
Joey Gregorash was born in 1950 in
Winnipeg, Manitoba. Influenced by
his father, who played at lively kitchen
parties filled with music and family, Joey
developed an early love for music.
His initial musical interest was in the
violin, but everything changed when he saw
The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan
Show in February 1964. Inspired by
Ringo Starr, he shifted his focus to the
drums, marking the beginning of his
musical journey.
Alongside his long-time friend John Nykon,
Joey co-founded The
Mongrels, which became one of
Manitoba’s most beloved acts.
Winnipeg was a thriving hub for live music
at the time, earning Joey’s affectionate
nickname for the city: “LiverPEG.”
The band played regularly at local venues,
giving young people a place to gather,
dance, and celebrate music.
Joey’s transition from drummer to lead
singer was unexpected - one night, the
band's original frontman was grounded by
his parents for poor grades just thirty
minutes before a show. Thrust into
the spotlight, Joey had no time to prepare
and was forced to improvise lyrics on the
spot. Reflecting on the moment, he
recalled: “That was my first
induction to the pressure of that show biz
phrase that the show must go on! I
learned phonetics real fast.” The
audience didn’t seem to notice, and by the
end of the night, the band made a decision
- Joey would be their new lead singer.
The Mongrels recorded five singles, with
Joey Gregorash as lead vocalist on three
of them: My Woman, Funny Day,
and Sitting in the Station.
One of their most notable moments came
when Funny Day was featured on
"Dick Clark’s American Bandstand" during
the rate-a-record segment. However,
the song was rated poorly because it was
deemed too fast to dance to. The
band was disappointed, but that same
night, they played a major gig at River
Heights Community Club, where their loyal
fans came out in support. Joey
humorously recalls stepping up to the mic
and sarcastically announcing, “Good
evening, gentlemen. Thanks for
coming tonight. Some of the kids are
going to rate this one a little better.”
During their time together, The Mongrels
worked with Randy Bachman, who wrote songs
for them and even guided them in the
studio. Joey later reflected on
Bachman’s involvement, saying, “Randy was
always ahead of the game. He knew
how to craft songs, and we were lucky to
have him working with us.” The band
had a successful run, performing alongside
major acts like Neil Diamond, Paul Revere
and the Raiders, The Box Tops, The
Kingsmen, and Tommy James and the
Shondells. Interestingly, Joey’s
collaboration with Bachman was one of the
factors that led to tensions within The
Guess Who, as there was internal debate
over Bachman writing for other artists.
One of the more amusing stories from this
period involved The Box Tops. The
Mongrels shared a stage with them at a
Winnipeg venue that had bands switch
between an upstairs and downstairs
performance area. When The Box Tops
played their hit song The Letter,
Joey and The Mongrels decided to follow it
up by playing their own version of the
song during their set. To Joey’s
amusement, the crowd gave The Mongrels’
rendition an even bigger ovation than The
Box Tops, making for a memorable
moment. “I’ll leave it up to the
audience to decide who did it better,”
Joey joked.
As the main host of Winnipeg’s television
show "Young As You Are", Joey introduced
audiences to both local and touring
musicians, helping to showcase
up-and-coming talent. The Mongrels
themselves performed on the show,
alongside acts such as Robbie Lane and the
Disciples and 49th Parallel. The
program provided a vital platform for
Canadian music and played a key role in
solidifying Winnipeg’s reputation as a
thriving music hub.
During this time, in 1968, Joey also had
his first experience as an
interviewer. His first-ever
interview was with John Kay of
Steppenwolf, conducted at the airport.
“I was just a kid, standing there with a
microphone, trying to act professional
while interviewing the frontman of one of
the biggest rock bands in the world.
I had no idea what I was doing, but John
was great - he made it easy.”
The interview touched on Steppenwolf’s
rise to fame, their struggles with
Columbia Records, and their transition to
Dunhill Records. Kay also reflected
on the emergence of supergroups, comparing
the trend to the jazz era, where musicians
constantly shifted between different
lineups.
John Kay also praised The Guess Who,
saying, “It really surprised me to see a
group based in Canada, from Canada,
without actually ... you know, the record
did very well. If I remember
correctly, These Eyes was number
two in the entire country in Billboard or
Cashbox.”
The footage of this interview still exists
on film, and Joey has since sent a copy,
which will appear soon.
Although the video of the John Kay
interview is the only footage that exists,
there is one person that Joey is eternally
grateful to have in his life to this very
day. That being Hans Sipma.
Hans befriended The Mongrels and first
became their original roadie and great
friend. BUT his dedication to
photography proved to be the greatest
preservation of the era. “Hans took
thousands of photographs capturing the
very essence of those Winnipeg/Manitoba
rock years. His incredible photo
contributions have been featured in
various rock documentaries to this
day.” They are still friends and are
still very much in touch.
After Joey left, The Mongrels changed
their sound and became more
Beatles-influenced with lead singer Alan
Schick. They recorded two singles: Do
You Know Your Mother b/w Heartaches
on Franklin Records in 1969 and Ivy in
Her Eyes b/w It`s the Last Time
on RCA in 1970. They also recorded a
full album in Chicago of material on RCA
that to this day has never been released.
WALRUS AND THE FESTIVAL EXPRESS (1969)
By 1969, Joey had left The Mongrels and
briefly fronted the band Walrus before
signing as a solo artist with Polydor
Records. Walrus had a brief but
exciting run, even performing at the
infamous Festival
Express tour alongside Janis Joplin,
The Grateful Dead, and The Band.
Joey recalls, “It was like a Canadian
Woodstock.”
Before Walrus landed the Festival Express
slot, they were already making waves in
the Canadian rock circuit. The band,
which included some of Winnipeg’s most
seasoned musicians, emerged during a time
when the city's music scene was evolving
from community club performances to larger
concerts and festival opportunities.
With Walrus, Joey explored a more
progressive rock style, shifting away from
the raw garage-band energy of The
Mongrels.
Before hitting the festival circuit,
Walrus made its debut on Joey’s television
show, "Young As You Are". The band’s
appearance gave them valuable exposure,
allowing them to showcase their new sound
to a wider audience. Joey recalls,
“It was a great way to introduce the
band. The show gave us a platform to
play original material, and that helped us
get noticed.”
Walrus was given the opportunity to open
for the Festival Express, a legendary
cross-country rock tour featuring Janis
Joplin, The Grateful Dead, The Band, and
more. The band was flown to Toronto
to perform at the CNE (Canadian National
Exhibition), where they played to a
massive crowd of 18,000 fans. Joey
remembers the moment vividly, “It was
unlike anything we had done before.
Standing in front of that many people,
knowing we were sharing the bill with some
of the biggest names in rock, was
surreal.” The band was disappointed
that Walrus was not filmed for the
Festival Express documentary.
The tour itself was a chaotic yet
exhilarating experience, with bands
traveling together by train and performing
in major Canadian cities. Although
Walrus did not continue on the train with
the rest of the acts, their set at the CNE
Stadium was a major highlight of their
career. However, their performance
nearly got them banned when Joey playfully
led the crowd in a chant similar to the
infamous Country Joe and the Fish cheer in
Woodstock. “After the performance I
was politely 'schooled' by Timothy Eaton
(one of the sponsors) saying, "Joey if you
plan on doing that cheer in Winnipeg ...
you WON'T be doing that cheer in
Winnipeg!"
Their most notable moment came when they
were booked to play at the Niverville Pop Festival, an event that was
meant to be Winnipeg’s answer to
Woodstock. Unfortunately, severe
weather led to the festival being largely
cancelled, with only a few bands -
including Walrus - managing to perform
before the event was shut down. Joey
recalls, “It was supposed to be something
huge, but mother nature had other
plans. Still, we played, and it was
a moment I won’t forget.”
After his time with The Mongrels and
Walrus, Joey Gregorash took the leap into
a solo career when he signed with Polydor
Records in late 1969. His first
recording session took place at Sound 80
Studios in Minneapolis, where he worked
with producer Bob Burns. The result
was two singles: Stay and Tomorrow, Tomorrow, which did not appear on
any album but helped generate enough
interest for Polydor to offer Joey the
opportunity to record a full LP.
Joey recalled: “Tomorrow, Tomorrow eventually became Together (The Wedding Song) years
later. That was the song that really
caught Polydor’s attention, and they said,
‘How would you like to do an album?’
That’s what got me the chance to go down
to Memphis and record what became North Country Funk.”
In January and May of 1971, Joey recorded
his debut solo album, North Country
Funk, at the legendary Stax Studios
in Memphis, Tennessee - a historic venue
that had hosted icons like Otis Redding,
Isaac Hayes, and Booker T. & the
MGs. Working in such an environment
was a surreal experience for the young
Canadian artist: “You’ve got guys
like Isaac Hayes just casually driving up
while you're recording, and I'm just this
lucky kid from Winnipeg taking it all in.”
Produced by Ron Capone, a key figure at
Stax, North Country Funk blended
rock, folk, and soulful elements, with
Joey’s distinct vocals setting him apart
from his contemporaries. However, he
later felt that the Memphis influence may
have pulled the album in a direction that
didn’t fully align with his vision.
“We got influenced by a little bit of that
Memphis soul sound, which I loved, but I
wasn’t sure if it blended with what I was
trying to do. Even Jodie - years
later, I recorded it the way I really
wanted it, but you don’t mess with
success.”
BREAKTHROUGH HITS:
JODIE AND DOWN BY THE RIVER
The album’s first single, Jodie,
became an international hit, charting in
Canada, Germany, Japan, and Australia, and
peaking at #3 on the Canadian charts in
May 1971. The song’s success was
largely due to the endorsement of Steve
Cropper of Booker T. & the MGs, who
personally urged Polydor to release it.
“Steve Cropper told Polydor, ‘You have to
release this song - it’s a hot
biscuit!’ And they listened to
him. Sure enough, the song took
off.”
However, the follow-up single, Don’t
Let Your Pride Get You Girl, failed
to make an impact. Joey had warned
the label against releasing it, feeling it
was too much of a country song that didn’t
fit his style. But an unexpected
turn of events changed everything.
“The Maritimes saved my career,” Joey
laughed. “The radio stations out
there said, ‘No, we’re not playing that
one. We’re playing Down by the
River instead.’ And that’s
what turned into my next big hit.”
Joey’s groove-infused, laid-back
interpretation of Neil Young’s Down by
the River became an unexpected
triumph, becoming his second Canadian Top
Ten hit and the only one to gain attention
in the United States, reaching #118 on the
Record World singles chart.
The story of how Down by the River
was recorded is one of those happy
accidents that can define a career.
“We were short one song for the
album. It was the last night in our
hotel room, and we were scrambling to come
up with something. I had a few
drinks, started goofing around, and sang Down by the River with this rhythm that
was always in my head. The producer
stopped me and said, ‘That’s a hit.’
The next morning, we went into the studio
and recorded it in one take - just bass,
congas, a rimshot on the snare, and my
vocal. It was completely bare bones,
but somehow, it worked.”
When it became clear that radio
programmers were ignoring the official
single in favor of the B-side, Polydor
rushed to re-edit Down by the River
for airplay, cutting it down to 3:27 from
the original 5-minute album version.
The song’s success led Joey to be
nominated for a Juno Award for Best Male
Vocalist in 1971, ultimately losing to
Gordon Lightfoot by just one vote.
“It was always Lightfoot or Murray -
Murray or Lightfoot. I came so
close, but hey, losing to Lightfoot?
That’s an honour in itself.”
TELL THE PEOPLE (1973) AND THE END OF THE POLYDOR ERA
Following the success of North Country
Funk, Joey Gregorash recorded his
second solo album, Tell the People
(1973), primarily at Trans-Maximus Studios
in Memphis, owned by legendary guitarist
Steve Cropper. The album retained
the rootsy, soul-infused feel of its
predecessor while introducing a more
polished, radio-friendly production.
Despite releasing three singles, Tell
the People failed to match the
breakout success of Jodie and Down by the River. Joey later
expressed dissatisfaction with the album’s
production, feeling that it lacked the
rawness and grit he originally
envisioned. "I wanted more rawness,
more grit. The production got away
from me, and I didn’t have the control I
wanted. That’s why I’ve always
wanted to go back and re-record some of
those songs the way I originally
envisioned them."
One of the album’s standout tracks, My
Love Sings, was written for Joey’s
late wife, Janine. He continues to
perform it to this day in her
memory. “We end every rehearsal with
it. It was her song, and I want to
re-record it the way I originally meant
for it to sound.”
By 1974, after releasing a few standalone
singles, Joey stepped away from his
major-label recording career and shifted
toward radio broadcasting. However,
his journey in music was far from over.
THE JAY ANTHONY YEARS AND
LATE '70s RELEASES (1977)
In 1977, Joey Gregorash reinvented himself
under the alias Jay Anthony (Joey Anthony
Gregorash) and signed with RCA
Victor. Under this name, he released
two singles: Baby, Is There Something
Going On b/w Would You Take it
Nice and Love Lost Woman b/w
Bad Time Girl.
These records showcased a different side
of Joey’s musical influences, drawing on
funk and soul elements rather than his
folk-rock roots. However, the
project was ultimately unsuccessful, and
Joey later expressed mixed feelings about
the production.
"I wanted Would You Take It Nice
to have more of a Paul McCartney &
Wings feel, but they layered on this big
Motown-style arrangement. It just
wasn’t what I envisioned. But I
always loved Baby, Is There Something
Going On."
Years later, Joey nearly had a second
chance with Baby, Is There Something
Going On. His former manager,
Ben Kaye, who had gone on to work with
Céline Dion, considered pitching the song
for one of her albums. However,
industry politics intervened.
"Céline had just released Falling Into
You, and for the next album, the
label was charging ‘presentation fees’ to
even consider songs. The fee for me
would’ve been about 30 grand. I just
didn’t have the money. So that was
the end of that dream."
Following these two releases, Joey stepped
away from music as a performer, shifting
his focus toward radio and television,
where he would soon find a new audience.
TELEVISION CAREER AND
WINNIPEG BROADCASTING (1980s - 1990s)
After stepping away from recording, Joey
transitioned into radio broadcasting in
the early 1980s, becoming a morning show
host at CHMM-FM in Winnipeg. His
natural charisma and quick wit made him a
standout personality, leading to new
opportunities in television.
In 1986, he became the host of "S’Kiddle
Bits", a children’s variety show on CKY-TV
that ran until 1993. The program
featured a mix of music, puppetry, and
educational content, making it a staple of
Canadian children’s programming. "We
made it fun. We had music, we had
puppets, and somehow, I ended up singing a
lot more reggae than I ever expected!"
The success of "S’Kiddle Bits" led to Joey
hosting "Hi Noon" in 1993, an
adult-oriented talk show that further
solidified his status as a beloved
Winnipeg media personality.
“Someone sent a video demo of the show to
Nashville (I still don't know who) and I
almost had a television deal there based
on an interesting call from Anne Boatman
at TNN. BUT, later that year the
Nashville country video show was replaced
in Canada by a Canadian Country video show
and relations got VERY frosty. My
deal vanished. Even a trip to
Nashville could not mend broken fences.”
During this period, Joey also received a
gold record for Together, an
unexpected full-circle moment in his
career. "I got my gold record for Together
while I was hosting "S’Kiddle Bits".
It was surreal—here I was on a kids' show,
and suddenly I’m up there with Bryan Adams
and Glass Tiger getting a gold record."
Through both radio and television, Joey
became a household name in Winnipeg media,
connecting with multiple generations of
fans beyond his music career.
A MUSICAL COMEBACK: THE
LATE 1980s & 1990s
After more than a decade away from
recording, Joey made an unexpected return
in 1984 with Love Will Bring It
Together, a charity single for the
Children’s Hospital of Winnipeg. The
B-side featured a reworked version of his
early song Tomorrow, Tomorrow, now
titled Together (The Wedding Song).
What started as a one-off fundraiser
quickly gained traction when radio
stations were flooded with listener
requests. Demand for the song kept
growing, and for three years, new
pressings sold out repeatedly.
"People kept calling radio stations asking
where they could buy it. We kept
pressing more copies, and every year it
would sell out again. It took three
years before a label finally picked it
up."
In 1987, Lite Rock Records released Together,
followed by a nationwide release on Attic
Records in 1989. The song became
Joey’s biggest-selling single, reaching
the Canadian Top 10, and earning him a
gold record.
"It was the people's song. The
public kept it going. To this day, I
still get asked to sing it at weddings."
HOCKEY ROCK
WINNIPEG STYLE (1996): A MUSICAL TRIBUTE
TO THE JETS
In response to the devastating loss of the
Winnipeg Jets NHL franchise in 1996, a
star-studded lineup of prairie music
legends came together to celebrate the
team's legacy and mourn its
departure. The result was Hockey
Rock Winnipeg Style, a heartfelt
musical tribute that captured the deep
connection between Winnipeg, its hockey
team, and its passionate fan base.
The album featured a collection of songs
performed by notable Canadian artists who
volunteered their talents to commemorate
the Jets' impact on the community and
hockey culture. Among the standout
tracks was Randy Bachman’s spirited
tribute to Alexei Zhamnov, titled That's One Hot Russian Jet, and Harlequin’s
energetic homage to Teppo Numminen, simply
titled Numminen. These
tracks captured the energy and skill of
the team’s beloved players, making them
instant fan favorites.
Joey Gregorash contributed two songs to
the album: Give Me a Ring King and
I Want to Play Hockey. The
latter, a reggae-infused number, had
already become a favorite among young
audiences thanks to its popularity on
Joey’s television show, "S’Kiddle
Bits". His uplifting contributions
helped solidify the album’s mix of
heartfelt nostalgia and lively
celebration.
Other renowned Winnipeg artists, including
Jennifer Hanson and Big Dave McLean, also
lent their voices to the project, further
enriching this unique collection of music
that reflected the pride and passion of
the city’s hockey-loving community.
Beyond its musical significance, Hockey Rock Winnipeg Style was a charitable
endeavor. All proceeds from the
album sales were donated to the Winnipeg
Jets Goals for Kids Foundation, benefiting
children across Manitoba. Though the
Jets would eventually make their
triumphant return to Winnipeg in 2011,
this album remains a poignant reminder of
the city's resilience and unwavering
support during one of the most challenging
times in its hockey history.
As Joey and his fellow artists proved, the
spirit of the Winnipeg Jets could never
truly be lost - certainly not to Phoenix,
and certainly not to time. All
proceeds from the album were donated to
the Winnipeg Jets Goals for Kids
Foundation.
PERSONAL TRAGEDY – LOSS OF
HIS DAUGHTER, KALEIGH
In 2008, Joey’s daughter Kaleigh, a
musically gifted young woman, tragically
passed away at the age of 23. Joey
has spoken about how losing a child
changed his perspective on life, stating
that after such a loss, nothing else feels
like a real challenge anymore. His
strong spiritual beliefs helped him
through the grieving process, and he
continues to honor her memory. “The
name refers to a celebration and she truly
was every day of her life and a blessing
to ours.”
CASINO MC CAREER AND
INTRODUCING HIS HEROES (1990s–2010s)
Joey spent 20 years as an MC at Winnipeg
casinos, introducing legendary artists
such as Davy Jones, Tony Orlando, Crystal
Gayle, and Glen Campbell. Notable
moments included:
Davy Jones stopping
mid-show to compliment Joey’s
introduction.
Tony Orlando bringing
Joey on stage to sing Sweet Gypsy
Rose.
Crystal Gayle’s manager
being skeptical at first but later
thanking Joey for a flawless
introduction.
Glen Campbell, already
struggling with memory loss, telling
Joey: “That was a wonderful intro,
son.”
Joey Gregorash’s career has spanned
decades, crossing genres, industries, and
generations. Whether through hit
records, television shows, or community
projects, his impact on Canadian music and
broadcasting remains undeniable.
Joey and his former Walrus bandmate Brian
McMillan are rehearsing for possible 2025
performances.
Joey Gregorash
received the RPM Gold Leaf Award
for Outstanding Performance - Male
in 1971, shown on the left.
What started as the RPM Gold Leaf
Awards in 1964 by RPM
magazine editor/publisher
Walt Grealis and record label
executive Stan Klees, became the
Juno Awards in late 1971.
