Crash test dummies

Crash test dummies
	;
	General information
origin	Winnipeg , Canada
Genre (s)	skirt
founding	1989
Website	www.crashtestdummies.com
Current occupation
Vocals , guitar	Brad Roberts
Keyboard , vocals	Ellen Reid
bass	Dan Roberts
Drums	Michel Dorge
former members
Guitar, mandolin , harmonica	Benjamin Darvill

The Crash Test Dummies [ ˈkɹæʃˌtɛst ˈdʌmiːz ] are a Canadian rock band . They were founded in Winnipeg in the late 1980s . The band is particularly known for the unmistakable deep bass baritone voice of the singer Brad Roberts (born January 10, 1964 in Winnipeg, Manitoba , actually Bradley Kenneth Roberts ).

The line-up changed over the years, but the best-known line-up consisted of Roberts ( guitar , vocals ), Ellen Reid (co-vocals, keyboards ), Benjamin Darvill ( harmonica , mandolin , guitars), Brad's brother Dan Roberts ( bass guitar , backing vocals ) , and Mitch Dorge ( drums , percussion ).

The first release The Ghosts That Haunt Me from 1991 immediately reached the top of the Canadian album charts. In 1993 their second album God Shuffled His Feet was released , which this time was not only a success in Canada. The band's best known tracks are the 1991 single Superman's Song in Canada and the 1993 single Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm . The song was successful worldwide. Because of this hit, the band is also considered a one-hit wonder .

In the following years, the band released more albums, but the success of the second album could not achieve this. Album releases like Puss 'n' Boots (2003) or Songs of the Unforgiven (2004) were barely noticed.

Band history

Beginnings (1988–1991)

The origin of the crash test dummies is closely linked to the history of two nightspots in Winnipeg , Canada , the Spectrum Cabaret and the Blue Note Cafe , which were owned by former band member Curtis Riddell.

In the mid-1980s, Riddell teamed up with Brad Roberts. They formed the unreliable bar band Bad Brad Roberts and the St. James Rhythm Pigs . Over time, the band developed into the Crash Test Dummies. The name was suggested by a friend of the band who attended medical school at the same college as Brad Roberts.

The diagnostic accident dummy, also known colloquially as the crash test dummy , was already known to the public at that time. Ellen Reid and Benjamin Darvill became permanent additions. George West, the original bassist, was soon replaced by Dan Roberts, Brad's brother. Drummer and bar owner Curtis Riddell was initially replaced by Vince Lambert, who in turn was replaced by Mitch Dorge shortly before the release of the debut The Ghosts That Haunt Me .

Since Brad Roberts worked on his dissertation until the early 1990s , the band could only occasionally appear in clubs at the beginning. In 1991 the band signed a contract with BMG Records. Jeff Rogers became their manager.

Mainstream success (1991-1999)

The band's first commercial success began in their native Canada with the release of their first album, The Ghosts that Haunt Me, in 1991. The album reached 400,000 sales in Canada, largely due to the popularity of the hit single, Superman's Song , which entered the RPM top singles chart that same year, earning the band the 1992 Juno Group of the Year Award. However, the group did not enjoy worldwide attention until 1993 with the release of their second album God Shuffled His Feet .

The emergence of a new type of radio show, adult album-oriented alternative rock (AAA), was particularly critical in increasing the band's profile in the American market. This station played their first single, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, a lot , and the song reached number 4 on the US Hot 100. It did even better in the UK, where it reached number 2. In Australia he even reached first place. In their home country Canada, however, Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm was more of a disappointment in the charts, as the title only came in at number 14 there. But two other singles on the album made it into the top 10 in Canada: Swimming In Your Ocean and Afternoons & Coffeespoons . The latter was also a top 40 hit in Australia and the UK, reaching the bottom of the US Hot 100.

The album had passed the platinum sales mark (one million) in the United States by mid-1994. It also earned the band three Grammy nominations and three other Juno nominations. By mid-1994, God Shuffled His Feet had sold more than five and a half million copies worldwide.

In January 1995, the band contributed with The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead (a cover of the XTC title from 1992) a song to the soundtrack for the comedy Dumb and Dumber with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels . The single, this time Ellen Reid with lead vocals, reached number 30 in the UK singles chart and was even a number 4 hit in Canada.

In 1996 the Dummies' third album, A Worm's Life , was finally released. The album received mixed reviews and achieved only moderate commercial success. The guitar-heavy singles, on the other hand, were very well received in some markets. The lead single He Liked to Feel It was number 2 in Canada and became the strongest chart single for the band in their own homeland. At the international level, however, there was nothing that could match the huge success of Superman's Song or Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm . Regardless, the album went platinum in Canada in less than a month.

The Dummies' fourth album, Give Yourself A Hand , was released on March 23, 1999. The whole sound of the album was much more electronic than the previous albums. Ellen Reid took over the lead vocals on three tracks. In addition, Brad Roberts appeared for the first time with falsetto singing on some pieces. The pre-release single Keep A Lid On Things was again a top 10 hit in Canada.

During a break between albums, Benjamin Darvill became the first band member to release solo material. Darvill first released the album B. Darvill's Wild West Show under the name Son Of Dave , followed by 01 , both of which were also released on Benjamin's own label Husky Records.

Post-mainstream career (2000-2006)

The not-too-great commercial success of the two albums A Worm's Life and Give Yourself a Hand meant that the band felt much more restricted by their label BMG , especially after the label rejected 35 songs during the production of Give Yourself a Hand . Then the band and the label parted ways. Brad Roberts founded his own independent label Cha-Ching Records (later renamed Deep Fried Records ). The titles rejected by the record company later found their way to the public under the title Demo-litions: Cast-off Recordings 1996-97 .

Free from the limitations of the big label, the Dummies surprised their fans in 2001 by putting their solo projects for a fifth studio album and a tour on hold. After suffering a near-fatal car accident in the fall of 2000, Brad Roberts recovered in Argyle, Nova Scotia . There he met some local lobster fishermen who happened to be quite musical - Kent Greene, Dave Morton and Danny MacKenzie. Together they recorded most of the album I Don't Care That You Don't Mind , which was originally supposed to be Brad's first solo album. Ellen Reid was later brought in to record the vocal tracks for some pieces. Brother Dan agreed to tour with Brad Roberts. When Reid and Mitch Dorge agreed to also accompany the tour, the name Crash Test Dummies was put on the record. What was later criticized by band member Benjamin Darvill, as it is more like a solo album by Brad Roberts. With this album, however, the dummies returned to their acoustic roots. Roberts compared the album to the debut The Ghosts That Haunt Me , although he described it as more atmospheric and polished.

Towards the end of 2001, some band members released solo albums. Initially, Ellen Reid brought out her first solo album, Cinderellen . Soon after, the long-awaited double live CD and rock documentary Crash Test Dude were released on AppleMusic by Brad Roberts. In early 2002, Mitch surprised Dorges with his debut album As Trees Walking . Mitch played almost all of the instruments himself, contributed some of the photos for the liner notes and even won a Prairie Music Award for the best instrumental recording.

Brad, Dan and Ellen returned as crash test dummies in late 2002 with the long-suspected Christmas album Jingle All the Way . In 2003 the Puss 'n' Boots was released. Similar to I Don't Care That You Don't Mind , work on this album also began as a solo project for Brad Roberts. With the assistance of Stuart Cameron, 13 pieces were selected from a pool of 30. Ellen provided the backing vocals and Dan Roberts played bass. Similar to Give Yourself A Hand , this album also contained more funky and groove elements, which were also contributed by other guest musicians.

Songs of the Unforgiven , the eighth release under the name Crash Test Dummies, was recorded not long after Puss 'n' Boots and is more of an audio book than a music album in the strict sense.

Band break and Oooh La La (2006–2012)

After Roberts released three records on his own label, he realized he was financially mismanaging and losing money. As a result, he stopped recording and touring and instead worked as a songwriting teacher in New York City while also engaging in yoga, singing, and meditation (the latter influenced Roberts' side project, Satsang Circus ).

Despite the break, Brad Roberts began to record new material with producer and friend Stewart Lerman in 2006, which would later become the album Oooh La La .

In October 2007, Sony BMG released The Best of Crash Test Dummies with twelve tracks selected from the band's entire catalog, including most of their singles and other album titles. The compilation was later to be re-released on March 10, 2008 as Best of Crash Test Dummies - Collections with two previously unreleased tracks: Laid Back and You Said You'd Meet Me (In California) , the latter being an early version of a song which would later appear on the album Oooh La La .

A new online store has also been launched, allowing users to purchase downloads of all of the band's releases after the BMG release, including the Cape Breton Lobster Bash series, a collection of songs written about Brad Roberts experience at Cape Breton and an annual tradition known as the Lobster Bash .

Work on pieces for an album tentatively titled Toys continued in 2008. In July 2009, the title of the album was renamed from Toys to Oooh La La .

On July 27, 2009, a fourth title in the Cape Breton Lobster Bash series was released.

Oooh La La was finally released on May 11, 2010. The album was toured by the band as an acoustic trio, with Roberts and Ellen Reid, accompanied by Stuart Cameron or Murray Pulver on guitar. On October 9, 2010, the band came to Winnipeg as part of the Canadian leg of the tour. Since Winnipeg is the hometown of the band, former members Dan Roberts and Mitch Dorge joined them. It was the first time the original line-up appeared in a decade. Only Benjamin Darvill was not present at the reunification, although he had played a solo show in town a few days earlier.

During the tour, Brad Roberts began his old habit of taking random photos and then posting them on his blog and on the band's Facebook page.

In 2011 the tour for the album Oooh La La continued. On April 19, 2011 the band released Demo-litions: Cast-off Recordings 1996-97, a collection that contains the previously unreleased demos of songs that were written during the recording of Give Yourself a Hand and rejected by the record company.

In June 2012, Brad Roberts wrote a blog post stating that while there was an incomplete new album lying around, producer Stewart Lerman was currently too busy with other projects to work on.

Second break, solo tour, side projects (2015-2016)

After completing the tour for Oooh La La , the band took an indefinite hiatus. Ellen Reid decided to retire from performing and Brad Roberts suffered from back problems. It wasn't until 2015 that Brad Roberts decided to go on a solo tour again.

In the spring of 2016, Brad Roberts announced his first tour of Canada in five years. In an interview about the tour, Roberts made a statement about the other band members with whom he is still in contact: “Dan Roberts now has a family in Winnipeg, Mitch Dorge is now mainly dedicated to motivational consultations in schools, Ellen Reid is married and spends her time creating lavish Facebook pages with all of her own illustrations and Benjamin Darvill has found great success for himself as Son of Dave . ”Roberts also confirmed that he was the last remaining active member of the crash test dummies , since only he and the guitarist Stuart Cameron are currently on tour.

On May 28, 2016, Brad Roberts released the new piece I'll Be Peaceful Then to commemorate his first Canadian tour in five years .

Full band meeting and God Shuffled His Feet tour for the 25th anniversary (2017 to today)

In the summer of 2017, the entire band, with the exception of Benjamin Darvill, got back together for a show in their home town of Winnipeg, after which Brad Roberts went on a tour of South Africa in early 2018. The group continued their joint appearances in summer 2018.

In the fall of 2018 it was announced that Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid, Dan Roberts and Mitch Dorge would embark on their first full tour of Canada and the United States on the 25th anniversary of “God Shuffled His Feet ”.

Band members

Brad Roberts - vocals, guitar (1988-present)
Ellen Reid - keyboards, vocals, accordion (1988–2012, 2017 – present)
Dan Roberts - bass, backing vocals (1988-2004, 2010, 2017-present)
Mitch Dorge - drums (1991-2002, 2010, 2017-present)

Former band members

Benjamin Darvill - guitar, mandolin, harmonicas, percussion (1988-2000)
Vince Lambert - drums (1988-1991)
George West - bass (1988)
Curtis Riddell - drums (1988)

Tour members

Stuart Cameron - guitar, backing vocals (2001-present)
Murray Pulver - guitar, backing vocals (1996–2000, 2010 – today)
James Reid - guitar, backing vocals (2010)
Ray Coburn - keyboards (1999-2000)
Kathy Brown - keyboards (1993–1995)

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)						Remarks
year	title	DE	AT	CH	UK	US	CA	Remarks
1991	The Ghosts That Haunt Me	-	-	-	-	-	CA2 × 4 Quadruple platinum (… Where.)CA
1994	God Shuffled His Feet	DE1 platinum (48 weeks)DE	AT1 gold (23 weeks)AT	CH4th gold (36 weeks)CH	UK2 gold (23 weeks)UK	US9 × 2 Double platinum (42 weeks)US	CA17th × 3 Triple platinum (… Where.)CA
1996	A worm's life	DE22 (7 weeks) DE	AT43 (2 weeks) AT	CH24 (4 weeks) CH	-	US78 (5 weeks) US	CA20th platinum (… Where.)CA
1999	Give yourself a hand	DE95 (1 week) DE	-	-	-	-	CA14 (... weeks) CA

further studio albums

1988: Original Recipe (Mini-Album)
1991: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dummy (Promo)
2001: I Don't Care That You Don't Mind
2002: Jingle All the Way
2003: Puss 'n' Boots
2004: Songs of the Unforgiven
2010: Oooh La La!

Live albums and compilations

1994: Live & Alive
1994: Intoxicated Gods (live album)
2007: The Best of Crash Test Dummies
2011: Demo-litions: Cast-off Recordings (1996-97)

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)						Remarks
year	Title album	DE	AT	CH	UK	US	CA	Remarks
1991	Superman's song The Ghosts That Haunt Me	-	-	-	-	US56 (6 weeks) US	CA4 (... weeks) CA
	Androgynous The Ghosts That Haunt Me	-	-	-	-	-	CA73 (... weeks) CA
	The Ghosts That Haunt Me The Ghosts That Haunt Me	-	-	-	-	-	CA23 (... weeks) CA
1993	Swimming in Your Ocean God Shuffled His Feet	-	-	-	-	-	CA6 (... weeks) CA
1994	Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm God Shuffled His Feet	DE1 gold (25 weeks)DE	AT3 (18 weeks) AT	CH7 (24 weeks) CH	UK2 silver (11 weeks)UK	US4th gold (24 weeks)US	CA14 (... weeks) CA
	Afternoons & Coffeespoons God Shuffled His Feet	DE39 (14 weeks) DE	-	-	UK23 (5 weeks) UK	US66 (10 weeks) US	CA7 (... weeks) CA
	God Shuffled His Feet God Shuffled His Feet	-	-	-	-	-	CA14 (... weeks) CA
1995	The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead	DE73 (10 weeks) DE	-	-	UK30 (4 weeks) UK	-	CA4 (... weeks) CA	feat. Ellen Reid
1996	He Liked to Feel It A Worm's Life	-	-	-	-	-	CA2 (... weeks) CA
1997	My Own Sunrise A Worm's Life	-	-	-	-	-	CA33 (... weeks) CA
1997	My Enemies A Worm's Life	-	-	-	-	-	CA71 (... weeks) CA	Promo
1999	Keep a Lid on Things Give Yourself A Hand	-	-	-	-	-	CA5 (... weeks) CA
1999	Get You in the Morning Give Yourself A Hand	-	-	-	-	-	CA45 (... weeks) CA	(feat. Ellen Reid)

more singles

1991: The First Noel
2001: Every Morning
2001: The Day We Never Met
2003: Never Bother Looking Back
2003: I'm the Man / Flying Feeling (Puss 'n' Boots) (Promo)
2007–2009: The Cape Breton Lobster Bash Series (EP)
2010: And It's Beautiful
2010: Now You See Her
2015: Promised Land (with Marc Mysterio)
2016: Promised Land - Remix (with Marc Mysterio) (Kyle Kennedy Dance Remix)
2016: I'll Be Peaceful Then

literature

Uwe Böhm / Gerd Buschmann, Pop Music - Religion - Lessons. Models and materials for didactics of popular culture (Symbol - Mythos - Medien Vol. 5). Münster 2002. pp. 63-69.

Individual evidence

↑ Crash Test Dummies Playing the Burt October 9th In: Access Winnipeg. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
^ Nielsen Business Media Inc: Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc., February 27, 1999 ( google.de [accessed March 16, 2020]).
^ Library and Archives Canada: Item. July 17, 2013, accessed March 16, 2020 .
^ Winnipeg's one-hit wonders - The Uniter. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
^ Nielsen Business Media Inc: Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc., December 24, 1994 ( google.de [accessed March 16, 2020]).
↑ Album Review: Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
↑ Crash Test Dummies FAQ. August 8, 2010, accessed March 16, 2020 .
↑ Crash Test Dummies FAQ. August 8, 2010, accessed March 16, 2020 .
↑ Crash Test Dummies avoid destruction to release new CD, 'Oooh La-La'… January 1, 2013, accessed on March 16, 2020 .
↑ ^a ^b The Cape Breton Lobster Bash Series. Retrieved March 17, 2020 (English).
↑ ^a ^b Crash Test Dummies - laut.de - Band. Retrieved March 17, 2020 .
↑ Album Review: Crash Test Dummies - Oooh La La. In: Consequence of Sound. May 12, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2020 (American English).
↑ howdy folks - i have not been on here in quite a ... September 24, 2015, accessed March 16, 2020 .
↑ Crash Test Dummies A BLOG BY BRAD ROBERTS. June 10, 2012, accessed March 17, 2020 .
^ Brad Roberts Announces First Tour In Five Years. April 20, 2016, accessed March 16, 2020 .
↑ Karen Mair: Crash Test Dummies singer Brad Roberts glad to be back touring. In: www.cbc.ca. cbc, May 28, 2016, accessed on March 17, 2020 .
↑ Crash Test Dummies: Q&A with Brad Roberts. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
↑ News: Weather Turns Perfect Just In Time for Barenaked Ladies at Burls Creek. In: Jewel 88.5 Toronto. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .
↑ ^a ^b Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US
↑ Gold / platinum databases: DE AT CH UK US CA

[1] Crash Test Dummies Playing the Burt October 9th In: Access Winnipeg. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .

[2] Nielsen Business Media Inc: Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc., February 27, 1999 ( google.de [accessed March 16, 2020]).

[3] Library and Archives Canada: Item. July 17, 2013, accessed March 16, 2020 .

[4] Winnipeg's one-hit wonders - The Uniter. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .

[5] Nielsen Business Media Inc: Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc., December 24, 1994 ( google.de [accessed March 16, 2020]).

[6] Album Review: Crash Test Dummies - God Shuffled His Feet. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .

[7] Crash Test Dummies FAQ. August 8, 2010, accessed March 16, 2020 .

[8] Crash Test Dummies FAQ. August 8, 2010, accessed March 16, 2020 .

[9] Crash Test Dummies avoid destruction to release new CD, 'Oooh La-La'… January 1, 2013, accessed on March 16, 2020 .

[:0-10] The Cape Breton Lobster Bash Series. Retrieved March 17, 2020 (English).

[:1-11] Crash Test Dummies - laut.de - Band. Retrieved March 17, 2020 .

[12] Album Review: Crash Test Dummies - Oooh La La. In: Consequence of Sound. May 12, 2010. Retrieved March 16, 2020 (American English).

[13] howdy folks - i have not been on here in quite a ... September 24, 2015, accessed March 16, 2020 .

[14] Crash Test Dummies A BLOG BY BRAD ROBERTS. June 10, 2012, accessed March 17, 2020 .

[15] Brad Roberts Announces First Tour In Five Years. April 20, 2016, accessed March 16, 2020 .

[16] Karen Mair: Crash Test Dummies singer Brad Roberts glad to be back touring. In: www.cbc.ca. cbc, May 28, 2016, accessed on March 17, 2020 .

[17] Crash Test Dummies: Q&A with Brad Roberts. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .

[18] News: Weather Turns Perfect Just In Time for Barenaked Ladies at Burls Creek. In: Jewel 88.5 Toronto. Retrieved March 16, 2020 .

[charts-19] Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US

[gold-20] Gold / platinum databases: DE AT CH UK US CA