Payolas

Payolas
Background information
Origin	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Genre	New wave, rock
Years active	1978–1988, 2003–2008
Labels	A&M, EMI
Associated acts	Rock and Hyde
Past members	Paul Hyde Bob Rock Alex 'A-Train' Boynton Chris Taylor Gary Middleclass Lawrence Wilkins Lee Kelsey Taylor Nelson Little Christopher Livingston Ian Tiles Marty Higgs
Musicians

Payolas (or Payola$) were a Canadian New Wave band active for a decade from the late 1970s, recording several albums and singles that were Canadian chart hits. They disbanded in 1988, but reformed again from 2003 to 2008.

The band were a support act for Duran Duran in 1984.

Background information

The band's name is a reference to the payola scandal in the United States in the early 1960s. The group was based in Vancouver, British Columbia, and recorded mostly at Vancouver's Little Mountain Sound Studios. Through several lineup changes and name changes (the band also played as The Payola$, Paul Hyde and the Payolas and Rock and Hyde), the Payolas core members remained Paul Hyde and Bob Rock, who together wrote virtually all of the band's songs. As well, Rock engineered and mixed virtually every Payolas recording.

Although in the 1980s the Payolas always seemed poised for a big international breakthrough, the band never quite broke out despite their artistic growth and popular success in Canada. They were, however, one of the most prominent and successful platinum-selling Canadian bands of the early 1980s.