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Canadian drummer, technician, producer and DJ from Toronto, Ontario originally born in Montréal.

b. September 15, 1947 in Pointe Claire (Montréal), Quebec
d. April 23, 2012 in Toronto, Ontario

Started his first band, MG And The Escorts, in the mid-1960s while in attending high school in Montréal. After completing university at Sir George Williams University he moved to Toronto in 1970 where he gravitated to Rochdale College. There he would join Horn and run the college's recording studio, starting his production and mixing career. One of his first clients at the studio was Downchild Blues Band, for whom he would co-produce their first big hit Flip Flop And Fly in 1973 and joined the band for a period as drummer.

In demand as a double-threat drummer and producer, he produced a record for early New Wave outfit Time Twins at the Lanois brothers' [l264119]. His production for them was influential on both Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. He would join Toronto New Wave band The Government for a short period in the early 1980s. It was around the same time he became professionally involved with Lorraine Segato and Lauri Conger, joining Mama Quilla II. Not long after joining, these three would found a new outfit in 1982, The Parachute Club.

After the successful band folded in in 1989, Bryans drummed for a variety of projects and produced many albums for other artists, especially in Caribbean styles. He was a devoted student of rhythm and ended up focusing on Cuban salsa in the late 1990s, becoming a DJ of the genre and writing about it extensively in his blog MisterBryans. He passed away from lung cancer in 2012 at the age of 63.

ALBUMS


The Parachute Club
Walk To The Rhythm (Of Your Heartbeat)
1986
The Parachute Club
Moving Thru' The Moonlight
1985, ,
Synth-pop
The Parachute Club
Alienation
1983
Downchild Blues Band
Straight Up
1973,
Downchild*
So Far - A Collection Of Our Best
2007
Diego Marulanda & Pacandé*
¡La Verraquera!
2000
The Big Trouble Band
In Deep
1996, ,
Blues Rock
Ashkaru
Mother Tongue
1995
Punjabi By Nature
Jmpn For Joy
1995, ,
Bhangra/Ragga HipHop/House
Shego Band
East-West
1994, Cass, Album, Africa Night Recordings, ,
African
Dream Warriors
Subliminal Simulation
1994
Danté* Feat. Barbie Castellvi
Flying
1993, 12", Deep Records (4), Radikal Records, ,
House/Deep House
The Bopcats
The Bopcats
1993, CD, Album, Comp, Attic
Various
Radikal Deep
1993, CD, ,
House/Euro House/Downtempo
Various
The Gathering
1992, CD, Album, Comp, Billy Bryans Productions
Da
Canada Eh!
1992, CD, DaDa Music Productions,
Downchild Blues Band
Dancing/Road Fever
1992
Various
X-Static Volume 4 - Radikal Techno
1992, 2x Vinyl, ,
Techno
Danté*
Kings
1991, 12", Radikal Records, Hot Productions
Bone Decent
Bone Decent
1991, Cass, EP, Not On Label,
Various
The Virgin Directory Of World Music
1991,
Eyuphuro
Akatswela
1990, LP, Mapiko Discovideo
Raffi
Evergreen Everblue (An Ecology Album For The 90s)
1990, CD, ,
Folk/Reggae
Eyuphuro
Mama Mosambiki
1990
Various
The Compact Real World
1990, ,
African/Bhangra/Chinese Classical
The Phantoms
Pleasure Puppets
1990
Lillian Allen
Conditions Critical
1987, ,
Dub/Dub Poetry
Lillian Allen
Revolutionary Tea Party
1986, ,
Dub/Dub Poetry
Morgan Davis
I'm Ready To Play!
1982
Downchild*
But, I'm On The Guest List
1982
The Bopcats
Wild Jungle Rock
1982, Vinyl, ,
Rockabilly
Downchild Blues Band
I Came For Your Daughter / I've Been A Fool
1981, 7", Single, Attic
Dutch Mason Blues Band
Gimme A Break
1981
Downchild Blues Band
Stages Of Love / Try To Fall In Love With Me
1980, 7", Single, Attic
Downchild Blues Band
Road Fever / Half Aint Been Told
1980, 7", Single, Attic
Downchild Blues Band
Road Fever
1980, 8-Trk, Attic
Downchild Blues Band
We Deliver
1980
Downchild Blues Band
Road Fever
1980
Ken Whiteley with The Original Sloth Band and The Honolulu Heartbreakers
Up Above My Head
1980,
Time Twins
Wabooba
1979, 7", Royal Family Records, ,
New Wave
Time Twins
Yuri Song
1979
Downchild*
Caldonia
1976, 7", Single, Promo, GRT,
Downchild*
One More Chance
1975
Downchild*
Old Ma Belle
1975
David Campbell
Through Arawak Eyes
1974, ,
Folk/Aboriginal
Downchild Blues Band
Dancing
1974,
Horn
On The People's Side
1972
Laura Fernandez
Un Solo Beso
CD, Album, Not On Label
Still Life
Signs Of Life
1992
The Phantoms
Alive At The Diamond
1988, Cass, Album, Dol, Not On Label (The Phantoms (20) Self-released), ,
Blues Rock
The Parachute Club
The Parachute Club
1983
Downchild Blues Band
It's Been So Long / Ready To Go
1997, CD, Comp, Stony Plain Records
The Parachute Club
Love Is Fire
1986
The Parachute Club
Small Victories
1986, ,
Pop Rock
The Parachute Club
Innuendo
1984, 7", Single, RCA, Current
The Parachute Club
Boy's Club
1984, ,
New Wave
The Parachute Club
At The Feet Of The Moon
1984
The Parachute Club
At The Feet Of The Moon
1984, ,
Alternative Rock/New Wave
The Parachute Club
Rise Up
1983
Mama Quilla II
Mama Quilla II
1982, 12", EP, Tupperwaros Records, ,
New Wave
Downchild Blues Band
Bootleg
1971

APPEARANCES +


Various
Eurotic Dance
1996, CD, Comp, EMI Music Canada
Shawne Jackson, Sharon Lee Williams and Colina Phillips
Images (Theme From "Yuppies" The Musical)
1985,
Various
Rise Up : Canadian Pop Music In The 1980s
2009, DVD-V, NTSC, EMI, ,
Interview/Classic Rock/Hard Rock/New Wave/Reggae/Chanson/Synth-pop/Hip Hop/Dub/Country/Alternative Rock/Roots Reggae/Blues Rock/Pop Rock
Various
Allstar Contact: The Ultimate Hockey Album
2000, CD, Comp, Attic, ,
Indie Rock/Alternative Rock/Pop Rock/House/Classic Rock/Hard Rock/Arena Rock/Euro House/Synth-pop/Hard House/Soul
Various
The Best 80s Modern Rock Album... Ever!
2000, 2x CD, ,
Alternative Rock/New Wave/Electro/Synth-pop
Various
Jungle 2 Jungle (Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture)
1997, ,
Alternative Rock/Soundtrack/Score/Folk/African
Various
Hi-NRG Classics
1997, ,
House/Hi NRG/Synth-pop/Disco
Various
Oh What A Feeling (A Vital Collection Of Canadian Music)
1996, 4xCD, Comp + Box, MCA Records, ,
Blues Rock/Alternative Rock/New Wave/Synth-pop/Pop Rock/Acoustic/Hip Hop/Folk Rock/Soft Rock/Prog Rock
Various
Party Time Volume 2
1995, CD, ,
Soundtrack/Classic Rock/Soul/Rock & Roll/Disco/Reggae-Pop/Pop Rock/New Wave/Synth-pop/Pop Rap/Hip Hop/Bass Music
The Parachute Club / D.J. H Featuring Stefy*
Rise Up '92 / Move Your Love
1992, 12", Promo, RCA, ,
Euro House/Italo House
Various
BMG Pop Promo Volume #31 February 1992
1992, CD, Comp, P/Mixed, Promo, BMG Music Canada Inc., ,
Dance-pop/New Jack Swing/Pop Rap/Contemporary R&B/House/Techno/Garage House/Hip-House/Italodance
Various
BMG Pop Promo Volume #33 April 1992
1992, CD, Comp, Promo, BMG Music Canada, ,
Techno/Downtempo/Garage House/Reggae-Pop/Pop Rap/Italodance/Europop/Euro House/House
Various
Warner Music Canada Promotional CD - Volume 82 - February 1991
1991, CD, Comp, Promo, Warner Music Canada, ,
Folk Rock/Pop Rock/Country/Downtempo/Synth-pop/Ballad/Avantgarde/House/Hip-House
Various
Powerstation
1990, ,
Darkwave/Indie Rock/Ethereal/Ambient
The Nylons
Rockapella
1989
Canadian Artists Foundation For The Environment
No More Wasting Away, La Pure Vérité
1986, 7", Single, Polydor
Various
Debut LP Magazine - Issue 04
1984, LP, Comp, Debut (3)
Various
Debüt LP / Zeitschrift Ausgabe 8 (Nr. 08)
1984, LP, Comp, Debüt, Debüt, ,
New Wave/Pop Rock/Synth-pop
David Campbell
Through Arawak Eyes - Eine Indianische Stimme
1984,
Various
Chart Hits
1984, Vinyl, ,
Soft Rock/Pop Rock/Synth-pop/Rockabilly
M+M* o/k/a Martha And The Muffins
Mystery Walk
1984, Vinyl Silver-Grey Cover, ,
Synth-pop/Ambient
Chris* & Ken Whiteley In Junior Jug Band
Chris & Ken Whiteley In Junior Jug Band!
1981
David Walden , And Lois Birkenshaw
The Goat With The Bright Red Socks
1980, LP, World Records (3)
The Original Sloth Band
1978
1978, LP, Album, Troubadour (2), ,
Boogie Woogie/Harmonica Blues
Dave Essig*
Sequence
1978, LP, Album, Posterity-Woodshed
Downchild*
Ready To Go
1975, LP, GRT
Sunshine
Here Today
1971, 7", Single, Celebration
M.G. & The Escorts*
A Someday Fool
1967
MG & The Escorts*
Next To Nowhere / Remembering
1967
M.G. & The Escorts*
A Someday Fool / It's Too Late
2008