I Just Wanna Stop 1978 (4/30/20)

Many Canadian artists have found great success in the US. After all, we're next door neighbors...and music knows no borders.

Neither do radio stations.

Growing up in the Toledo area, my childhood friends, classmates and I were blessed to be living in an area just 45 miles from Motown and the Canadian border. We were treated to—and influenced by—a mix of American and Canadian rock & roll, as well as some of the best soul music ever recorded—all on our car and transistor radios!

Today's “Great Song of the '70s” comes from a Canadian artist whose father was a vocalist for jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, but while growing up in Quebec, was influenced by the same songs WE were in Toledo.

Gino Vannelli had some early success in Canada, but he and his brother Joe thought they could do better in America, so they moved to Los Angeles—where they nearly starved to death.

Desperate, they came up with the bright idea to hang out in front of A &M records and wait for the owner, Herb Alpert, to appear.It worked! After chasing Herb through the parking lot and fighting off his security detail, they succeeded in handing him a tape. And Herb LOVED it!

The next thing you know, Gino, Joe and their other brother, Ross were producing soulful songs that impressed some of the major black artists of the day. Gino became only the second Caucasian singer to appear on TV's “Soul Train,” and Stevie Wonder asked him to join his tour!

In 1978, the 3 Vannelli brothers released a collaborative album, “Brother to Brother,” and the single release, “I Just Wanna Stop,” went right to the Top of the Canadian and American charts.In Canada, it was #1 on their Top 40 and #5 on their Adult Contemporary Chart.In the US, it was a hit on 3 charts: #4 on both the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary Charts, and #12 on the Soul chart.

“I Just Wanna Stop: a “Great Song” from the “Great White North! (via L.A.)