Rough Trade (band)
| Company type | Rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1968 in Toronto, Canada |
| Founder | Carole Pope, Kevan Staples |
| Defunct | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
Key people | Carole Pope (vocalist), Kevan Staples (musician) |
| Products | Music albums, live performances |
Rough Trade (active from 1968 to 1988) was a Canadian rock ensemble fronted by vocalist Carole Pope and versatile musician Kevan Staples. Recognized for their daring lyrics and provocative live performances—often featuring Pope in bondage-inspired costumes—the group’s 1981 track "High School Confidential" stood out as one of the earliest openly lesbian-themed Top 40 hits worldwide.
Formation and Early Development (1968–1979)
Originating in 1968 in Toronto, Carole Pope (vocals, guitar) and Kevan Staples (keyboards, guitar) initially performed under the name "O" as a folk duo. After Clive Smith left in 1970, the pair rebranded as "The Bullwhip Brothers," delivering acoustic sets at various Toronto art festivals.
By 1973, the group had evolved into Rough Trade with the addition of percussionist Chris Faulkner, bassist Bob Jennings, and drummer Donny McDougal. The following year saw another lineup change including Hap Roderman, Jane Cessine, Sharon Smith, and Marv Kanarek. Their distinctive fusion of rock, R&B, and overt sexuality quickly made them a prominent fixture in Toronto’s live music venues, particularly at Grossman's Tavern.
In 1976, Rough Trade broke new ground by recording Rough Trade Live using direct-to-disc technology—a process capturing live studio performances straight onto mastering discs to enhance sound fidelity. This lineup featured Pope, Staples, JoAnn Brooks (vocals, percussion), Rick Gratton (drums), Michael Fonfara (keyboards), and Peter Hodgson (bass), with most compositions credited to Pope and Staples. That same year marked the opening of the inaugural Rough Trade record store in London by Geoff Travis, named after the band and later inspiring the formation of Rough Trade Records in 1978.
On December 19, 1977, Rough Trade presented the provocative musical Restless Underwear at Toronto’s Massey Hall alongside Divine and new backing vocalist Luci Martin-Keyes. The show’s explicit satire sparked controversy; after this single performance, all members except Pope and Staples departed due to disputes over compensation.
Following a six-month break, Pope and Staples reassembled Rough Trade with musicians David McMorrow, Bucky Berger, Terry Wilkins, Bert Hermiston, Colina Phillips, and Betty Richardson throughout 1978–79. They resumed frequent performances at Toronto’s Horseshoe Tavern. In 1978, Tim Curry covered their song "Birds of a Feather" from the direct-to-disc album. Additionally, Pope and Staples earned a Genie Award for their soundtrack contributions to the television film One Night Stand that year.
On February 14, 1980, Rough Trade revived Restless Underwear at New York City's Beacon Theatre. Though promoted mainly as a Divine production—who appeared for only two songs—the show was met with poor reception. Later that year, the band solidified into a five-member formation: Pope (vocals), Staples (guitar/keyboards), McMorrow (keyboards), Wilkins (bass), and Berger (drums). They also made an appearance in the Canadian horror movie Deadline.
Commercial Success Period (1980–1983)
After reforming, Rough Trade secured a contract with True North Records in mid-1980 and released their sophomore album Avoid Freud in October. The album’s lead single "What's the Furor About the Fuhrer?" stirred controversy; however, its B-side "Fashion Victim" achieved top 40 status in Canada.
Their bold second single "High School Confidential", notable for its lesbian themes, climbed into Canada’s top 20 charts and significantly raised their profile—especially after a memorable performance on SCTV, a popular comedy program broadcast in both Canada and the United States.
The 1981 release For Those Who Think Young featured "All Touch," a sexually charged track that became Rough Trade's highest-charting hit domestically at number 12. Internationally, it reached number 40 on Australian charts in January 1983 and remained within their Top 100 for 40 weeks. This single also marked their sole entry on U.S. charts at number 58 early that year. Unfortunately, their momentum was hindered when their American distributor Boardwalk Records went bankrupt, causing the single to become unavailable.
During production of their 1982 album Shaking the Foundations, founding members Wilkins and Berger exited and were replaced by Howard Ayee on bass and Jorn Anderson on drums. The album credits primarily highlight Pope and Staples with various session musicians contributing per track. Shaking the Foundations yielded "Crimes of Passion," which reached Canada’s top 20. Notably, Dusty Springfield provided backing vocals on this album and later covered two Rough Trade songs on her own release White Heat. Pope later disclosed she had a personal relationship with Springfield during this timeframe.
In 1983, a Pepsi commercial featuring visuals reminiscent of artist Nash the Slash was withdrawn from Canadian television due to rights issues. That same year saw Pope collaborate with Paul Hyde on the Payola$’ Canadian top 10 hit "Never Said I Loved You". Despite these successes, Rough Trade’s album Weapons released in 1983 failed to produce any charting singles, indicating a downturn in their commercial appeal.
Comedian Martin Short recounted opening for Rough Trade during their early-1980s appearances on major American television programs such as The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson and Late Night with David Letterman.
Final phase (1984–1988)
In 1984, Pope and Staples partnered with producer Terry Brown, following their earlier collaboration with Gene Martynec. With the assistance of session musicians such as Berger, Wilkins, Ayee, Anderson, alongside guest artists including Dalbello and Neil Chapman from Pukka Orchestra, Rough Trade released O Tempora! O Mores!, which yielded two singles that entered the Canadian top 100 charts. This album represented the last original full-length release from Rough Trade.
By 1985, the group had reverted to a five-piece formation featuring Pope, Staples, Ayee, guitarist Tony Springer, and drummer Tony Craig for live shows. This ensemble recorded fresh material for the 1985 greatest hits album Birds of a Feather. Their final extensive tour, entitled "Deep Six in '86," took place in 1986, followed by sporadic performances in Toronto during 1987 and 1988. During this period, Springer adopted the stage name Wild T and achieved moderate solo recognition within Canada.
Reunions and individual pursuits (1989–present)
After disbanding in 1988, Rough Trade reunited intermittently with varying lineups supporting Pope and Staples. Their initial reunion occurred in Toronto in December 1994, with occasional concerts continuing through the late 1990s and into the 2000s. In 1999, playwright Bryden MacDonald created Shaking the Foundations, a musical revue inspired by Rough Trade's repertoire, staged at Toronto's Buddies in Bad Times theatre. The band also conducted a brief tour across eastern Canada in 2001.
Following the breakup, Staples concentrated on composing scores for film, television, and theatre while based in Toronto. Pope released two EPs and two albums—including her solo debut Transcend in 2005—along with several singles. Her sophomore album, Landfall, was released in 2011. She continues to perform occasionally throughout Canada as well as in Los Angeles and New York City, currently residing in West Hollywood.
In 2020, Pope and Staples reunited under the Rough Trade name to produce a new recording of "High School Confidential," titled "High School Confidential (Fame Whore Mix)," which was an entirely fresh version rather than a remix.
Passing of band members
JoAnn Brooks, who contributed backing vocals and percussion between 1976 and 1977, passed away on March 7, 2019 due to health-related issues.
On January 8, 2021, Michael Fonfara—keyboardist and arranger from 1976 to 1978—died after battling cancer for two years.
Co-founder Kevan Staples succumbed to cancer at age 74 on March 23, 2025.
Members
- Primary members
- Carole Pope – lead vocals (1968–1988)
- Kevan Staples – vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, synthesizers (1968–1988; deceased 2025)
- Former members
- JoAnn Brooks – backing vocals, percussion (1976–1977; deceased 2019)
- John Lang – keyboards, guitar (1976–1977)
- Hap Roderman – bass guitar (1974–1977)
- Marv Kanarek – drums (1974–1976)
- Michael Fonfara – keyboards, arranger (1976–1978; deceased 2021)
- Peter Hodgson – bass guitar (1975–1977)
- Rick Gratton – drums (1976–1978)
- Luci Martin-Keyes – backing vocals (1977)
- Sharon Smith – keyboards (1974–1975)
- Jane Cessine – percussion (1974–1975)
- Patricia Cullen – keyboards (1974–1976)
- Diane Roblin – keyboards (1975)
- John Sheard – keyboards (1978–1979)
- John Capek – keyboards (1975–1976)
- John Hughes – keyboards (1978)
- Jim Norman – drums (1975–1976)
- Peter Goodale – keyboards (1978)
- Fred Mandel – keyboards (1975)
- Terry Wilkins – bass guitar (1978–1982)
- John Adames – drums (1978–1979)
- Bucky Berger – drums (1978–1982)
- David McMorrow – keyboards (1980–1984)
- Howard Ayee – bass guitar (1982–1987)
- Jorn Andersen – drums (1982–1984)
- Chi Sharge – percussion (1983–1984)
- Tony Springer – guitar (1985–1987)
- Tony Craig – drums (1985–1987)
Lineups
| 1968–1970 | 1970–1974 | 1974–1977 |
|---|---|---|
(O)
|
(The Bullwhip Brothers)
|
(Rough Trade)
|
| 1977 | 1977–1978 | 1978–1980 |
|
|
|
| 1980–1982 | 1982–1983 | 1983–1984 |
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|
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| 1985–1988 | ||
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Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CANCON | AUS | ||
| 1976 | Rough Trade Live! Direct to Disc | — | — | — |
| 1980 | Avoid Freud | 19 | — | — |
| 1981 | For Those Who Think Young | 9 | 1 | 59 |
| 1982 | Shaking the Foundations | 9 | 1 | 96 |
| 1983 | Weapons | 20 | — | — |
| 1984 | O Tempora! O Mores! | — | — | — |
| 1985 |
Birds of a Feather: The Best of Rough Trade |
— |
— |
— |
| 2022 | Rough Trade: Live 1979-1980 | — | — | — |
Singles
| Release date | Title | Highest chart position | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM 100 |
CANCON | US Hot 100 |
AUS | ||||||||||||
| 1979 | "Shakedown" | — | — | — | — |
Cruising (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | |||||||||
| 1980 | "Fashion Victim" | 25 | 3 | — | — | ||||||||||
| 1981 | "High School Confidential" | 12 | 1 | — | — | ||||||||||
| "All Touch" | 12 | 2 | 58 | 40 | |||||||||||
| "Blood Lust" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "For Those Who Think Young" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1982 | "Crimes of Passion" | 18 | — | — | — | Shaking the Foundations | |||||||||
| "Weapons" | — | — | — | — | Weapons | ||||||||||
| "Deca-Dance" | — | — | — | - | "Sexual Outlaw" | 92 | — | — | — | O Tempora! O Mores! | |||||
| "On the Line" | 91 | — | — | - | "Rescue Me" | — | — | — | - | "Birds of a Feather" | — | — | — | — | Birds of a Feather |
| "High School Confidential (Fame Whore Mix)" | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||