The Beau-Marks

The Beau-Marks were a Canadian band, and they weren’t the first Canadian group to hit Billboard’s top 100 – The Crew Cuts were there before, as were The Diamonds – but they may have been the first who weren’t just a vocal group. They hailed from my own adopted hometown of Montreal, and they pioneered the way for the likes of The Guess Who, The Five Man Electrical Band, The Band (except Levon Helm), Lighthouse, and (God help us) Rush.

They only had the one hit on Billboard, but CHUM shows that they had 3 hits, and I have all three, though not in the same place. No matter, allow me to cheat this one time.

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The Beau-Marks:

• Clap Your Hands – This was the Big Hit. It actually did better on Billboard, where it hit 45, than it did on CHUM, where it only reached 46. But for all its pathetic chart placement, it is the only one of their songs to survive into oldies rotation. From the spring of 1960.
• Billy, Billy Went A-Walking – This is a somber tale indeed, with tragic undertones. It tells the story of Billy, who went walking. Honest. From the fall of 1960.
• Classmate – On CHUM this was their only song to place higher than 39; it reached number 4. It’s a teen thing. Will you be mine, etc. From the summer of 1961.