Chalk Circle’s original members Chris Tait, Brad Hopkins from Newcastle and Derrick Murphy from Bowmanvile, Ontario moved to Toronto in 1983/84 and became a four-piece band by adding keyboardist Tad Winklarz in 1985.

The band gained notoriety by the mid-eighties with solid National radio airplay. They had charted radio success with songs such as “April Fool”, “This Mourning”, “Me Myself and I” and the T. Rex classic “20th Century Boy”. Their albums were released in Canada, Germany and Japan with 1987’s Album “Mending Wall” achieving certified “Gold” status in Canada. During that time they headlined numerous National tours and toured with the likes of Rush, Crowded House, and Tears for Fears. In 1989 they also played festival shows in East Berlin, Germany six months prior to the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The band disbanded in 1990. 

 

In 2006 the band released the 20th Century Masters best of album and played its first reunion, a sold out show at Lee’s Palace in Toronto. In 2011 the 40th anniversary of the Juno Awards prompted the band to do it again. Events at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto featured live performances of Canadian artists from the 70’, 80’s and the 90’s to celebrate the milestone. Chalk Circle performed on the 80’s night. Blue Peter Keyboardist Jason Sniderman joined original members Chris, Derrick and Brad to round out the line up. Jason has been a fulltime member ever since.

 

There have been a few reunion appearances in the last 11 years. 2016 was a fairly quiet year for the band performing only 2 shows. April 1st they played Café Campus in Montreal to celebrate the 30th anniversary of April Fool and April 2nd they played in Oshawa, Ontario. That night the band performed a set as part of a tribute night for local music enthusiast. the late Mike Star. He passed away earlier in 2016 and was owner of the local record shop Star Records. The only live performance in 2017 happened on father’s day at Burlington, Ontario’s Sound of Music festival. Most recently their hit Me, Myself & I was introduced to new audiences, as it was included in Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s Summer Spotify playlist. It’s band members relish nothing more than playing it’s music for their fans. The band would love to play select shows going forward. Promoters can reach out at bradrhopkins@gmail.com