Canada's most loved vocal quartet, The Nylons, performed on stage for 450 people at the Weyburn Comprehensive School Cafetorium on November 28. The group performed a number of well-known hits such as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", some cover songs including Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours" as well as several Christmas songs.
It isn't often that Weyburn is able to welcome such a big name act and the Nylons were well-received by an all-ages crowd ranging from elementary-school-aged children to senior citizens. The audience could feel the magnanimous stage presence and tangible joy radiating from the four talented men as they sang together with little accompaniment.
Many wonder how the group got their name. Claude Morrison, the group's only remaining founding member, explained that 30 years ago, soul-style vocal groups were naming themselves after fabrics and The Nylons was the Toronto-based singers' answer to that trend. The founding members at the time could not play instruments but they could all sing. What began as a time-filler for four young actors simply singing together in the early 1980s inspired the group that has produced 17 albums and has attracted audiences of all ages across the globe.
Though membership in the group has changed over the years, the current members have a synergy that is palpable. The tie that binds, according to the group's newest member, Tyrone Gabriel, a Baritone, is the act of performing itself. Gabriel has been with The Nylons since 2005, though he has been performing his entire life and even opened for Barry White at Massey Hall at the age of nine. In his spare time, Gabriel performs Jazz and R & B with a band of his own.
The group's booming Baritone singer, Gavin Hope, has performed with many greats including Aretha Franklin and Shania Twain. He originally joined the group in the 1990s at the young age of 20 and recently rejoined for the new album, "Skin Tight" (2011).
A group as prolific as The Nylons can't have the magic of performance without the work that is touring, which is a big part of the group's momentum.
"It's momentum that brings us to places like Weyburn," said Garth Mosbaugh, a 13th-generation musician who has been with the Nylons since 1994. Audiences in smaller cities have had the privilege of seeing The Nylons perform, because that's what it's all about for the group. In fact, even when one of the singers has laryngitis, the show must go on.
"One of the benefits of being in a group is that you can compensate with other members, either trading off, or creating a blend," explained Hope.
It's The Nylons' willingness to share their joy of the performance that captures the hearts of fans of all ages. After the performance, during the CD signing, the group met a local teenager whose mother had hoped would be converted into a Nylons fan. When the girl's mother explained that her daughter normally listens to bands like Green Day, Mosbaugh began singing a Green Day song. The girl chimed in and sang a few lines of it with the Tenor.
"She went online that night and declared herself a Nylons fan to all her friends," said the girl's mother, who has been a life-long fan of the singing group.
Weyburn showed its love of The Nylons by nearly selling out the venue this time and will gladly welcome the much-celebrated group back again when renovations on the Triple C are completed.
