The Nylons

The Nylons are an a cappella group founded in 1978 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Best known for their covers of The Turtles' "Happy Together", Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", and The Tokens' version of the traditional "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

With seven gold and platinum recordings, this four member vocal group has had international success. Known for their great acappella sound, dazzling harmonies and smooth arrangements, The Nylons immense appeal has taken them across North America, Europe, Australia, China, and Japan. The group celebrated their 25th Anniversary in the recording industry with the release of their latest CD Sterling. The Nylons continue to perform worldwide to passionate audiences and critical acclaim.^[1]

The band gained exposure from the mid-1980s syndicated sitcom Throb by singing (with the show's lead actress Diana Canova) the theme to the show.

In 1986, the group appeared on the critically acclaimed children's television show "Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show" featuring children's entertainers, Sharon, Lois & Bram. The Nylons appeared in Season 3 of the show on the Treasure Island episode singing The Lion Sleeps Tonight. These songs appeared on the band's albums, 1987's Happy Together and 1989's Rockapella.

The Nylon's current lineup includes Claude Morrison (tenor), Garth Mosbaugh (tenor), Gavin Hope (baritone) and Tyrone Gabriel (bass).

The band recently has reissued all their albums on CD through Unidisc Music Inc.

Members

The Nylons' original lineup consisted of Claude Morrison (tenor), Paul Cooper (baritone), Marc Connors (tenor), and Denis Simpson (bass). In April 1979 Simpson left the group to perform in a musical and was replaced by Ralph Cole (bass). Cole left the band in late 1979 and was replaced by Arnold Robinson (bass). Cooper retired from the band in 1990 and was replaced by Micah Barnes (baritone). Connors died in 1991, from AIDS related complications, and was replaced by Billy Newton-Davis (tenor). In 1994 both Newton-Davis and Barnes left the group to pursue solo careers and where replaced by Garth Mosbaugh (tenor) and Gavin Hope (baritone) respectively. In 1997 Hope left the group to pursue a solo career and was replaced by Mark Cassius (baritone). In 2005, Cassius left the group and Tyrone Gabriel replaced him. After Robinson's retirement in early 2006, Gavin Hope returned as baritone Tyrone Gabriel moved to the bass position to replace Robinson.^[2]

A listing of the members tenure follows:

† Denotes the four founding members.

Discography

Albums from 1982-1989 were released on Attic Records in Canada and Windham Hill in the United States, albums from 1989-1996 were released on BMG's Scotti Brothers imprint, and albums after 1997 were released on Shoreline Records.

See also

• Official site
• CanadianBands.com entry
• AllMusic Guide's biography of the band

References

1. ^ http://www.thenylons.com/about.cfm
2. ^ http://www.singers.com/nylons.html