# Sweeney Todd (band)

Sweeney Todd is a Canadian glam rock band formed in Vancouver in 1975. They released two albums, the first with original lead vocalist Nick Gilder, who soon left for a solo career, and the second with his 16-year-old replacement Bryan Adams, who later enjoyed international success as a solo artist.

## Overview

The band, formed in Vancouver, British Columbia, originally consisted of vocalist Nick Gilder, guitarist Jim McCulloch, bassist Budd Marr, keyboardist Dan Gaudin and drummer John Booth. The single "Roxy Roller" became a No. 1 hit in Canada, holding the top position in the RPM national singles chart for three weeks beginning on June 26, 1976, and winning a Juno Award for the band.
Gilder and McCulloch subsequently left the band to pursue solo careers. Gilder had hits with "Hot Child in the City", "Here Comes the Night" and "(You Really) Rock Me".
Clark Perry was brought in to replace Gilder on vocals, and Skip Prest replaced McCulloch on guitar. Though he did record a second version of "Roxy Roller", Perry did not work out, however, and was replaced within a few months by Bryan Adams, who was 16 at that time. That incarnation of Sweeney Todd also recorded a third version of "Roxy Roller".
The new lineup recorded Sweeney Todd's second album, If Wishes Were Horses. That album was unsuccessful and Adams left the band after less than a year. The band attempted to carry on with Chris Booth (John Booth's younger brother) on vocals (and Grant Gislason replacing Prest in 1978), but broke up before recording any further albums.
The band re-united in 2000 and began working on The Sweeney Todd LP. The band followed up the completion of the record with a cross-Canada tour.
In 2007, Sweeney Todd — along with ex-vocalist Nick Gilder — headlined the Golden Spike Days Festival in Port Moody, British Columbia. In 2008, they performed (again with Gilder) at the Merritt Mountain Musicfest in Merritt, British Columbia.

## After the breakup

Nick Gilder left the band and pursued a solo career. He would score the hit Hot Child in the City in 1978.
Gilder would be replaced by Clark Perry, however, this only lasted a few months.
Perry would be replaced by a young Bryan Adams, then 16. He would leave the band to embark on a solo career with Jim Vallance; his most successful album to date is Reckless, having sold 12 million copies.
Adams would then be replaced by Christopher Saint Booth, then 17, however this did not last long, and the band then disbanded. Christopher then went into film scoring, including the pornographic film Angels of Passion, whose song "Ulterior Motives", a collaboration with his twin brother Philip, would become a notable example of Lostwave, when a viral internet search ensued on sites such as WatZatSong and Reddit in the early 2020s under the title "Everyone Knows That (Ulterior Motives)".
The band would reform in 2000 with original vocalist Nick Gilder. This continues to the present day.

## Discography

Albums
* Sweeney Todd (1975) (Canadian RPM Album chart: #3)
* If Wishes Were Horses (1977) (Canadian RPM Album chart: #78)
Singles
* "Sweeney Todd Folder" (1976) - Canada #36
* "Roxy Roller" (1976) - Canada #1, U.S. #90
* "Say Hello, Say Goodbye" (1976) - Canada #75
* "If Wishes Were Horses" (1977) - Canada #59