Loverboy HOF Induction Suggestion: New Headbands

11/20/08 5:42pm

Loverboy will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame at the 2009 Juno Awards in their adopted hometown of Vancouver.

Singer Mike Reno, lead guitarist Paul Dean, keyboardist Doug Johnson, drummer Matt Frenette and late bassist Scott Smith formed Loverboy in Calgary and signed with Columbia Records in 1980. Their self-titled first album featured the hits "Turn Me Loose" and "The Kid Is Hot Tonite" and set a Canadian sales record for a debut effort after it moved more than 700,000 units. It went on to sell more than four million copies around the world and won six 1982 Juno Awards.

Get Lucky won the album of the year Juno in 1983, and Loverboy were named best group that year and in 1984. Get Lucky spawned the smash "Working For The Weekend," while subsequent hits through the rest of the '80s included "Hot Girls In Love" from 1983's Keep It Up, "This Could Be The Night" from 1985's Lovin' Every Minute Of It and "Heaven In Your Eyes" from the Top Gun soundtrack. Loverboy were also one of the highest grossing touring acts during the decade.

There was a 10-year gap between new studio efforts before Loverboy issued Six in 1997. Smith was lost at sea in a boating accident eight years ago and was replaced by Ken "Spider" Sinnaeve. While Loverboy continued to tour, they finally had new material to support after last year's release of Just Getting Started.

Loverboy have sold more than 20 million records and still perform 60 to 80 shows per year.

"For me, as a member of Loverboy, it is a great honour to be in the company of such great artists who came before me," said Reno at a media conference announcing the induction at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom on Thursday.

Loverboy join the likes of Bruce Cockburn, Daniel Lanois, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young and The Tragically Hip in the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame.

The media conference was also used to formally announce Sarah McLachlan receiving the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award, Russell Peters hosting the March 29 televised show at General Motors Place, and some of the other events that will be part of the Juno weekend in Vancouver.

A welcome reception will be held at the Commodore Ballroom early in the evening of March 27. The Juno Cup hockey game, pitting former NHL players against a rag-tag collection of musicians, will take place that same night at the University Of British Columbia's Thunderbird Arena.

JunoFest will feature more than 100 Canadian artists showcasing at venues around Vancouver on March 27 and 28. Some of those acts, along with a large number of Juno nominees, will take part in Juno Fan Fare from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 28. Artists will spend that time signing autographs at a still undisclosed location.

Approximately 32 of the 39 Junos will be given out at the March 28 gala dinner and awards ceremony at the Westin Bayshore Ballroom. Let organizers know that Nardwuar The Human Serviette should host this event.

A songwriters' circle will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on March 29 at The Centre In Vancouver For The Performing Arts. The participants haven't been named.

Tickets for the March 29 show go on sale on Feb. 7. Juno Cup tickets will be available on Feb. 21, and ducats for the songwriters' circle and JunoFest will be sold seven days after that. Five hundred early bird packages featuring entry to all of the events go on sale on Jan. 31.