Originally from the small community of
Colgan in Ontario's
Simcoe County, they played in area bands before moving their act to
Toronto in 1979 and forming Oliver Heavyside. Their first album as the Partland Brothers,
Electric Honey, was released in 1986. It was described by
Cashbox as an "appealing exercise in pop/rock", and reached number 146 on the
Billboard 200. The single "Soul City", a soaring anthem featuring the brothers' distinctive
close-harmony vocals which saw them compared to a more contemporary version of
The Righteous Brothers, was a Top 40 hit in both Canada and the United States. This success earned them tours with
The Moody Blues and
The Beach Boys in the United States, as well as headline gigs of their own at home in Canada and television appearances on
American Bandstand and
The Late Show with Arsenio Hall. Their live band engaged seasoned live performers, including Tom Lewis (bass),
John Bride (guitar), Richard Evans (keyboards), Greg Critchley (drums), and Mike Skinner (sax). Produced by Vini Poncia, the album was reissued in 1987 with the
Jim Vallance-produced new song "One Chance", which is still played on many adult radio stations today. That same year, their song "Outside the City" was featured in the horror film
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II. At the
Juno Awards of 1987, they received a nomination for
Most Promising New Group. Management struggles ensued, and it took until 1990 for them to record and release their second album,
Between Worlds. The album was supported with a smaller-scale Canadian tour. Afterward they returned to touring as an opening act for Hawkins, and performed at various benefit concerts before relaunching their own tour of Southern Ontario. In 2009, they released
This Is Who I Am, their first album of new material since
Part Land, Part Water. The album included "That's My Home", a charity single the band recorded as a benefit for the
Canadian Forces Military Families Fund. They followed up in 2010 with
Every Now...and Again, a compilation of songs from throughout their career. In recent years, Chris Partland has played a number of shows in the
Greater Toronto Area as a solo artist. In 2016, he attributed the band's lack of activity to one of his brothers recently having lost two fingers in an accident, but stated that the band still planned to return to performing in the future. ==Members==