David Wiffen "Camp Fortune (split with Tex Lecor)" 1974 UK/ Canada Psych Folk
English singer/songwriter Wiffen moved to Canada at age 16. He started his music career with appearances at the Village Corner club in Toronto. After that he hitch-hiked across Canada where he ended up as manager of the Calgary coffeehouse The Depression.
In 1965 he was invited to perform at Vancouver's Bunkhouse with an ensemble of other musicians for a live album and when none of the other acts showed up the recording was continued. The result was Wiffen's first solo album 'David Wiffen Live At The Bunkhouse'.
He then joined The Pacers who were soon offered a recording contract in Montreal. Wiffen joined the group as they headed to Quebec but when the deal fell apart, Wiffen moved onto Ottawa where he joined the folk act The Children.
The act featured several of Canada's most prominent future artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Sneezy Waters (aka Peter Hodgkinson), and Richard Patterson (The Esquires) among others.
In 1966 another Vancouver folk trio, Three's A Crowd, played the Le Hibou Coffee House in Ottawa where Wiffen met them and was subsequently asked to join the band along with Children drummer Richard Patterson and bassist Comerie Smith from Toronto.
With the new line-up of Brent Titcomb, Trevor Veitch, Donna Warner, Wiffen, Patterson, and Smith they moved to Toronto but Warner dropped out and was replaced by Colleen Peterson who took over lead vocal chores. They began playing throughout North America and played at Expo '67.
Members of the Mamas And Papas soon discovered the act and convinced them to record a demo tape which got them signed to Dunhill Records where they recorded the singles "Bird Without Wings" and "Let's Get Together" which led to the full length album 'Christopher's Movie Matinee'.
They would disband in 1968, but in 1969 TV producer Sid Banks asked the members to appear on a CBC variety show called 'One More Time' and the band reformed with members Cockburn, Patterson, Wiffen, Crawley, Pendrith and Peterson.
Cockburn was picked up and signed to a solo recording deal with True North and the band split up once more. Though this final version didn't record together they did make a promotional music film of Cockburn's "Electrocution Of The Word" that was showcased at the Youth Pavilion of Ottawa's Central Canadian Exhibition.
Wiffen had also been spotted by executives of Fantasy Records during a Three's A Crowd gig at The Bitter End in New York and was signed to a solo recording deal. His eponymous debut was released in 1971 and produced two hit singles.
In 1973 he would shift to United Artists who released his 'Coast To Coast Fever' which gave Wiffen a Juno nomination.
Later, a devastating back injury forced Wiffen to pursue other interests such as painting and writing poetry. He has since become a published poet and in 1991 displayed his paintings and sculptures.
In 1997 the original members of The Children reunited for their 25th anniversary in Ottawa with Bruce Cockburn making a rare appearance with his old friends.
In September 1999, True North Records was set to release "South Of Somewhere", a 13-song album of new material and re-recordings of old material ("Skybound Station", "Coast To Coast Fever", "Lost My Driving Wheel", and "Climb The Stairs", among them)...
Albums
1965 David Wiffen Live At The Bunkhouse (International) STB-2334
1971 David Wiffen (Fantasy) 8411
1973 Coast To Coast Fever (United Artists) UAS-29558
1974 Camp Fortune [split LP with Tex Lecor) (Radio Canada International) RCI-RM226
1981 David Wiffen (Phonodisque) PHE-6015
1994 Coast To Coast Fever [re-issue] (EMI Canada) S2-26707
1999 South Of Somewhere (True North) TND-0186
