The Shuffle Demons
| Company type | Musical group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Founder | Richard Underhill, Mike Murley, Dave Parker, Stich Wynston |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
| Products | Jazz fusion music albums |
The Shuffle Demons represent a Canadian ensemble specializing in jazz fusion, originating from Toronto.
Early career
Established in 1984 by saxophonist Richard Underhill along with fellow jazz artists from the Toronto region such as Mike Murley, Dave Parker, and Stich Wynston, the group initially performed as buskers before launching their first album, Streetniks, in 1986.
Their 1986 track "Spadina Bus," inspired by the Spadina Avenue bus operated by the Toronto Transit Commission, unexpectedly reached the Canadian Top 40 charts. This album became the top-selling independent Canadian release at that period and received a Juno Award nomination for Best Jazz Album in 1987.
Subsequently, "Spadina Bus" was adopted as the theme for CITY-TV's program Speakers' Corner.
During the following seven years, the Shuffle Demons produced four additional albums. Although they did not achieve further mainstream pop chart success, their music video for "Get Out of My House, Roach" attained considerable rotation on MuchMusic. They sustained a prominent role within the jazz community.
In 1987, the band made an appearance on the children's television series Sharon, Lois & Bram's Elephant Show during its fourth season.
Later career and breakup
Between 1986 and 1997, the Shuffle Demons toured extensively throughout Canada and Europe, performing at prominent jazz, folk, world music, and rock festivals such as North Sea Jazz, Molde Jazz, London’s Outside In Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Jazz Festival, Sfinks Festival, Jazz à Vienne, and FiESTa Internationale in Estonia. The group became recognized for their fusion of hard bop with rap elements, complemented by distinctive costumes and dynamic stage performances.
Personnel changes included Murley and Vivian departing in 1989, with Perry White and George Koller stepping in; Koller left in 1993 and was replaced by Mike Milligan; Wynston and White exited in 1994, succeeded by Eric St. Laurent and Greg Smith; Parker left in 1995. The band ultimately disbanded in 1997.
Reformation and international touring
In 2004, the Shuffle Demons regrouped featuring Underhill, Parker, White, Wynston, Koller, and Milligan. They issued a new greatest hits compilation alongside a reunion tour. Additionally, they established a world record by assembling 900 saxophonists to simultaneously perform the Hockey Night in Canada theme—an achievement recorded by the Guinness Book of Records.
Following their reunion, the band toured at festivals across India, China, Europe (2006), Thailand, South Korea, the USA (2010), and Australia/New Zealand (2011). In 2012, they unveiled Clusterfunk, marking their first album of original compositions after a 17-year hiatus, recorded at Toronto’s Canterbury Music and Inception Sound studios.
Discography
- Streetniks (1986)
- Bop Rap (1988)
- What Do You Want? (1990)
- Alive in Europe (1992)
- Extra Crispy (1993)
- Get Right EP (1995)
- Greatest Hits (2004)
- Clusterfunk (2012)
- Crazy Time (2020)
- All In (2022)
- "Are You Really Real" (2025)