by Richard Skelly » Wed Mar 28, 2018 1:04 am
Days before the 2018 Juno Awards, Canadian rock historian John Einarson rebuked organizers of the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame for snubbing veteran hitmakers (some of whom now suffer ill health) in favour of younger stars who’ve got many more years to wait their turn.
Posted on the Manitoba Music Museum, the Einarson “snubbed” list includes The Poppy Family/Terry Jacks. Granted, Terry scored one of the all-time best-selling 45s with Seasons In The Sun. But Susan should also be deemed worthy of a (eventual) joint Hall Of Fame Induction with Terry for both group and solo work.
Susan began scoring solo hits while still in The Poppy Family. After the group (and marriage to Terry) ended, she hit the charts with songs produced by Harry Hinde, Claire Lawrence and Terry Jacks. The Terry-produced Ghosts album resulted in a Best Female Vocalist nomination for Susan at the 1981 Junos. The following year, Tom Lavin produced her Forever album. As leader of Powder Blues, Lavin had a predeliction for r & b. No surprise then that he’d pitch It Takes Two with Susan taking the Kim Weston part and himself channeling Marvin Gaye.