Although Canadian brothers Chris (drums) and Tom Hooper (vocals / bass) and friend Kevin Kane (vocals / guitar) had been playing in bands together in their home town of Kelowna, British Columbia, since 1977 (when Kevin was 13 years old and Tom barely 11), the trio officially became The Grapes of Wrath in the summer of 1983. The following year, with funds earned from yard sales and part-time jobs, they travelled to Vancouver to record the four songs that would became their self-titled debut EP on the then-fledgling Nettwerk label.
After relocating to Vancouver, the band recorded the full-length September Bowl of Green, whose release was followed by critical acclaim, coast-to-coast tours, and an American release the following year. In 1987, with Tom Cochrane in the producers chair, the band recorded their second album, Treehouse, which was picked up by Capitol Records and saw the band hitting the charts in their home country with singles such as Peace of Mind and Backward Town. Supporting the albums US release the following year with extensive touring, the Grapes (now including keyboard player Vince Jones) were back in the States (Woodstock, specifically) at the beginning of 1989, recording Now and Again with producer Anton Fier (Golden Paliminoes, Victoria Williams). The album (and top-ten single All the Things I Wasnt) saw the bands stature in Canada increasing as they moved from clubs to concert halls and, following releases throughout most of the world, touring Europe. 1991s These Days, like its predecessor, went platinum in Canada (with hits like I Am Here and You May Be Right), with more sold out concerts across Canada and a second trip to Europe (where the band began to see its first chart action outside of Canada).
Then on October 30, 1992, the band ceased to be. Though never officially breaking up, The Grapes of Wrath were pretty much over: the Hoopers and Jones attempted to have Kane removed from the band and Kane took legal action against his former band mates.
Tom, Chris and Vince became ginger, releasing Far Out on Nettwerk in 1994 (released in the US in 1995) and followed with Suddenly I Came to My Senses in late 1996. Kevin Kane released a solo album, Neighborhood Watch in 1996 for On/Off Records in Canada. But the falling out became the thing that would not go away (in fact, even the lawyers were no longer talking), so in the summer of 1997, Tom sent Kevin a letter suggesting that the two of them try and resolve matters once and for all. Meeting at a neutral Vancouver location, The old Grapes business essentially put to rest in barely over an hour, talk turned to playing together again...
And so, after spending a year playing low-key shows and another year of sporadic stints in the studio, The Grapes of Wrath had done what only a few years earlier had seemed unthinkable and made a new record entitled Field Trip (2000). Watch for them on tour across Canada.
