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Le Triangle
Deux miroirs / Les montagnes russes - 7"
Gamma - 1969
Michael Panontin
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Pierre Senecal, Rayburn Blake and Jerry Mercer had been kicking around the Montreal music scene since 1960, playing under various names like the Phantoms, Ray Blake's Combo and the Dominoes. By 1965, they had hooked up with singer (and future gospel bandleader) Trevor Payne, and as Trevor Payne and His Soul Brothers plied their brand of soul/r'n'b at places like Snoopy's on rue Dorchester, where they performed a number of times.
On record, though, it was clear that Payne was the star. He issued at least two solo singles with no mention of his backing trio, 1966's 'Tout ca pour ma cherie' on Teledisc (with the cool mod workout, 'Le funky', over on the backside) and the organ-driven 'Tu ne sais pas comme je sais' on the R&B imprint a year or so later.
The guys hooked up with Don Tarlton, a.k.a. promoter-extraordinaire Donald K. Donald, who got the band noticed in English Canada, especially in the all-important Toronto market. Tarlton, working with booking agent Ron Scribner, scored slots at The Hawk's Nest on Yonge Street, where RPM reported they "drew the largest crowds in their history" and at the Saphire down the street, where a week-long engagement "made for one of the most successful weeks in the operation of the Saphire".
But by 1968, Payne and his band seemed to be going their separate ways. A Snoopy’s poster in April lists the Soul Brothers, but by year’s end a similar poster for a string of gigs pictures the guys separately as the Triangle. RPM hardly helped matters by giving equal ink to his backing band, listed as the Triangles, in an October 14th issue.
“The Triangles are a typical example of the new breed of musician,” the magazine gushed. “Each are professionals in other means of endeavour. The lead guitarist Rayburn Blake is an electronic expert. Pierre Senecal, who plays organ and horn, is equally at home in the business world. Gerry Mercer, who does most of the lead singing for the Triangle, is the drummer but also doubles on piano, lead and bass guitar.”
Payne would record just one more seven-inch under his own name in 1970 ('Evil Eye' b/w 'Bring Her Back') before quitting pop music altogether to pursue his love of gospel. Senecal, Blake and Mercer issued a couple of sides as Le Triangle in the spring of 1969, the better of which is clearly the groovy psych-rock instrumental 'Les montagnes russes', which save for a few spins by some discerning deejays has pretty much dropped off the face of the earth.
No matter. Not long after the single's release, the boys would become real rock stars. After recruiting singer Brian Edwards, they changed their name to Mashmakhan and scored a worldwide smash the following summer with the bouncy 'As the Years Go By', even managing to achieve 'Big in Japan' status long before the phrase had even been coined.
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