Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
Group Members: Gavin Hope, Micah Barnes
All Music Guide:
The Nylons signed with Attic Records in 1981, just two years after forming in Toronto. Though the original members were Denis Simpson, Paul Cooper, Marc Connors and Claude Morrison, Simpson soon left. Ralph Cole replaced him for a year, but Arnold Robinson replaced Cole in 1980. The a cappella group's self-titled debut appeared in 1982, as did One Size Fits All. After 1984's Seamless, the Nylons hit the Top 30 with a remake of Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye." The album it appeared on, Happy Together, also did well. Paul Cooper left the quartet after 1989's Rockapella and was replaced by Micah Barnes. Four on the Floor was released in 1991, but Mark Connors died the same year. New addition Billy Newton-Davis had been a successful solo artist (Love Is a Contact Sport, Spellbound) prior to joining the Nylons for 1992's Live to Love. Run For Cover was released in 1996 and Wish For You followed four years later.
Wikipedia:
The Nylons are an a cappella group founded in 1978 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, best known for their covers of pop songs such as The Turtles' "Happy Together", Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye", and The Tokens' version of the traditional "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".
The band's current lineup includes Claude Morrison (tenor), Garth Mosbaugh (tenor), Gavin Hope (baritone) and Tyrone Gabriel (bass). Morrison is the only original member still with the band today.
The band recently has reissued all their albums on CD through Unidisc Music Inc.
Members [edit]
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).
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. During this era, the band also gained exposure from the mid-1980s syndicated sitcom Throb by singing (with the show's lead actress Diana Canova) the theme to the show.
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 their solo careers, and were 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; 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.
A listing of the members tenure follows:
Marc Connors (tenor 1978-1991)*Paul Cooper (baritone 1978-1990)*Claude Morrison (tenor 1978–present)*Denis Simpson (bass 1978-1979)*Ralph Cole (bass 1979-1981)Arnold Robinson (bass 1981-2006) (died March 16, 2013)Micah Barnes (baritone 1990-1994)Billy Newton-Davis (tenor 1991-1994)Garth Mosbaugh (tenor 1994–present)Gavin Hope (baritone 1994-1997, 2006–present)Mark Cassius (baritone 1997-2005)Tyrone Gabriel (baritone 2005, bass 2006–present)* Denotes the four founding members.
