Singing Fools
| Company type | Independent music duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Tim Dunlop, Kevin Murphy |
| Defunct | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Ottawa , Canada |
| Products | Politically motivated hip hop-inspired music |
Singing Fools was a Canadian musical duo from Ottawa, consisting of Tim Dunlop and Kevin Murphy, known for creating politically motivated hip hop-inspired tracks without performing live.
History
The group came together in November 1982 and independently released a vinyl single titled The Bum Rap, which criticized the Canadian government's policies on wage and price controls. This song combined minimal guitar and drum machine elements with samples from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's 1970 "just watch me" address. Although marketed as Canada's inaugural rap record, earlier rap singles by artist Mr. Q had been issued in 1979.
By 1985, Singing Fools had issued their third release, an EP called The Apocalypso, centered around themes of nuclear conflict. Its accompanying music video, featuring Ottawa Mayor Marion Dewar, received frequent airplay on MuchMusic. Included on the EP was "Grave Expectations," a spoken-word piece by historian and anti-nuclear campaigner E.P. Thompson, reciting his poem "The Place Called Choice" concerning atomic warfare.
That same year, the duo secured a contract with A&M Records, which reissued The Apocalypso but ended the partnership within several months. Subsequently, they independently produced the mini-album Call Me Lucky in 1986. The group also submitted themselves as contenders for the "best independent artist" category at the CASBY Awards, hosted by Toronto's CFNY-FM.
In 1987, a distribution agreement with the German independent label Amok Records resulted in the release of the Cold War-themed single Funkenstrasse (Europa's on the Radio). Following the separation of Murphy and Dunlop during the 1990s, Singing Fools evolved into an online-based music and video production enterprise.