Kingpins

Spring 1994 marked the launch of Montreal ska outfit the Kingpins, launched by bassist Jordan Swift and drummer Eric Boulanger. Keyboardist Ian Hodkinson, saxophonist Lorraine Muller, and alto saxophonist Nigel Goddard came aboard shortly afterward, while the 1995 lineup grew to include singer Paddy Walsh, guitarist Bobby Beaton, trumpeter Jesse Radz, and trombonist Maith Robert de Massis. Alongside fellow Montreal ska act the Planet Smashers, the group launched its own imprint, Stomp, which issued the 1995 compilation The All-Skanadian Club Vol. 1. Once the EP On the Run was finished, de Massis exited and ex-Skavocados trombonist Nish Herat stepped in. Late 1996 saw the arrival of the full-length Watch Your Back, after which baritone saxophonist John Jordan joined in time for the 1999 release Let's Go to Work. The third Kingpins LP, Kings and Things, followed in 2000.