Time Has Tied Me b/w Suite One

In its November 24, 1973 issue, RPM reported "Greg Hambleton has signed Jay Telfer to Axe Records representing the first new artist to be signed to Axe in almost two years. Jay is now in Toronto Sound laying down album tracks with Greg producing." Telfer's first single for the label, "Time Has Tied Me", entered the RPM Pop Music Playlist at #50 in the issue dated April 20, 1974.

Toronto singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jay Telfer is arguably best known for his work with 1960s rock group, A Passing Fancy, and for penning Steel River’s hit, “Ten Pound Note”. Starting out with folk group, The Voyageurs at the age of 14, Telfer befriended future Bruce Cockburn manager Bernie Finkelstein, who was responsible for bringing the promising singer/songwriter into the ranks of The Dimensions and renaming the band, A Passing Fancy in 1965.

Fast-forward four years to spring 1969. Telfer has moved on from A Passing Fancy and composed a slew of intriguing new songs. He approaches Finkelstein with the exciting new material and his old friend expresses an interest in producing an album, inviting into the sessions a diverse mix of musicians from the Toronto scene.

These include members of Kensington Market (managed by Finkelstein), a young Danny McBride years before he played lead guitar with Chris De Burgh and the Anglo-Canadian group Milkwood, including multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Tomlinson, who’d recently arrived in Toronto after working with a pre-Jethro Tull Martin Barre for two years.

Copyright © Nick Warburton, 2009. All Rights Reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any from or by any means, without prior permission from the author.

Jay Telfer: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, organ
Fred Mollin: guitar
Richard Fruchtman: bass
Malcolm Tomlinson: drums
Peter Goodale: piano
Andy Benac: strings
Bill Richards: strings
Dave Heatherington: strings
Peter Schenkman: strings
Stan Soloman: strings
Vicki Richards: strings
Dash Hopes: backing vocals