Burrows & Company Bio
Burrows And Company first played together at a jam session in the summer of 2008 at Chalet Studios ... a recording facility just outside Claremont Ontario.
I had originally booked the musicians to play at a benefit for my ailing organic food business but that fell through when the hall was closed for emergency repairs. I tried to rebook the event somewhere else... like at a restaurant or night club. But that didn’t work out either so I figured since I had booked and had available the services of some of the best players around why not take advantage of that? And also since we were going to jam some stuff for fun, why not record it?
As it turned out we had a great time and came away with some good recordings.
The musicians who attended that jam were ...
Drums ... Al Cross
Bass ... Dennis Pendrith
Hammond B3 ... David Chester
Guitar ... Larry Leishman
Vocals ... Bob Burrows
In 2011 we recorded a blues version of Heartbreak Hotel... available on iTunes... in an effort to elevate the plight of the homeless working with The Salvation Army.
Early in 2013 Larry Leishman passed away from the cure for cancer of the throat. A few months thereafter I became aware of very gifted seventeen year old guitarist from Newmarket... Graham Young... who had played with Al and Dennis. Went to see him play and was very impressed... asked him to sit in with us.
We then played a few live gigs together for a while... the chemistry was magical. We have played The Newmarket Music Festival for the last couple of summers. We love to play live together and cherish any opportunities we get to do that. However, this band spends much more time and energy playing in the studio.
We play and record both our own material and covers done in our own way.
Burrows And Company... making music that matters since 2008
www.burrowsandcompany.com | 905 473 6591 | burrowsandcompany@gmail.com
Meet our Musicians
al cross
AL CROSS is one of the finest drummers in the country … a master behind the kit. He has played with everyone you have ever heard of in Canadian music it seems.
A native of Montreal, Al migrated to Toronto in the 1980’s. Ended up in the band Big Sugar and has gigged with countless others since.
Al is a highly respected member of the local music community, a mentor to many. He loves to share his knowledge, his skills and his experience with other players.
First met Al in the late 1990’s when he sat in with our 10 piece band at the time.
Every time we get together to play he and Dennis drive our band down the tracks.
Our rhythm dream team.
Dennis Pendrith
Speaking of Dennis… I have known DENNIS PENDRITH since we were kids and played in a band together.
From there Dennis ended up playing bass with Bruce Cockburn for quite a while. Later he played with Murray McLaughlin as a duo and in his band Silver Tractors.
Dennis has recorded with the likes of Raffi, Anne Murray and Gordon Lightfoot.
He is a very well established and respected bass player on the local music scene.
A fine experienced professional bassist and the Rock Of Gibraltar back there.
Country singer Teddy Hawkins once told me that Dennis is the perfect bass player. And he is absolutely correct! … and a gentleman to work with.
dAVID cHESTER
DAVID CHESTER is a very fine keyboard player and singer and has been a professional musician for most of his life … studied music at York University.
As a young man he also studied singing with the legendary Rosemary Burns. David has played with touring Motown bands, top 40 bands … currently plays with many local bands and musicians … his skills are very much in demand.
In 1985 he established Chalet Recording Studio just outside Claremont where a great many prominent acts have recorded over the past 33 years such as Rush, Bare Naked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, Jane Siberry and Chantal Kreviazuk … among others.
David has also released two CD’s of his own … Goliath and Someone Here. He is constantly upgrading his skills as a recording engineer and keyboard player.
Dave is indeed a master at tinkling those proverbial ivories and rockin’ the house.
GRAHAM YOUNG
At 24 GRAHAM YOUNG is already one of the finest guitar players in the land. He plays with style, taste and capacity way beyond his years. Graham started playing when he was 8 … at 15 he won the Sleepwalk Guitar Festival Scholarship Award in a competition … took the prize money from that to buy a Fender Telecaster … and he has been picking away on it ever since! Graham plays many styles and genres with equal enthusiasm and dexterity.
He picks country with the best of them … frequent guest of the legendary Lou Moore … was invited to play in the band at the Canadian Country Music Awards. Graham plays the blues with the likes of Carlos Del Junco and The Jerome Tucker Band … he has played fusion jazz with The Marito Marques Band … and with some of the most prominent jazz musicians in the country at The Jazz Bistro. In 2019 Graham toured the United States with Cat Clyde playing in such legendary places as New York City, New Orleans and Austin Texas.
Watching Graham play on its own is well worth coming out for … he is a delight.
bob burrows
On the other end of the age scale BOB BURROWS has been singing all his life.
As a boy Bob trained in Anglican Choirs and at The Royal Conservatory of Music. Became the soloist at St. James Cathedral in Toronto, joined The Canadian Opera Company and ended up at The Stratford Festival where he sang for The Queen.
In his teenage years Bob discovered the music of Ray Charles, Bobby Bland, Muddy Waters B. B. King and such and started down a different path.
In 1965 Bob and his band Bobby Kris And The Imperials had a radio hit on Columbia Records across Canada … they were a prominent Toronto r’n b band at the time … Bob also released CD Bobby Kris Now in 1998 … available on iTunes.
Bob sings a wide variety of material… with soul and passion. Bob plays piano/keyboard with the band from time to time... a work in progress!