Kon Kan

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Kon Kan
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s) Pop
Synthpop
Years active 1988–2007
Label(s) Atlantic
WEA
Former members
Barry Harris
Kevin Wynne

Kon Kan was a Canadian synthpop band which consisted of Barry Harris (vocals, keyboard, guitar) and Kevin Wynne (vocals) formed in the late 1980s in Toronto, Ontario. Their debut album, Move to Move (1989), produced the New Order-inspired international hit single "I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden)", which sampled Lynn Anderson's 1971 hit, "(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden", Silver Convention's 1976 hit, "Get Up And Boogie (That's Right)", Spagna's 1987 hit, "Call Me" as well as the opening bars from the theme music from "The Magnificent Seven" (which was also well-known as the theme to a commercial for Marlboro cigarettes in the 1960s).

From the same album, they returned to the charts with another original/cover combination, "Puss ‘n Boots". The track included samples of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". Another single, "Harry Houdini", failed to chart in America, but managed a Top 40 placing in Canada.

Wynne, who sang on all but two tracks from Move to Move, left in 1989 and is currently a semi-pro video golfer, while Harris released two more albums under the band's original name. Harris then went on to form Outta Control together with Kimberley Wetmore and Rachid Webbi. Harris gained his greatest post-Kon Kan popularity as half of Thunderpuss (sometimes credited as Thunderpuss 2000), collaborating with DJ Chris Cox, producing and remixing dozens of dance hits for many major music artists in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

The band's name is a parody of the Canadian content regulation (often referred to as "Can Con"), which mandates that thirty percent of songs played on commercial radio stations in Canada must be Canadian in origin.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • "I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden)" (1988/1989) (CAN #19] U.S. #15] UK #5] D #8] NL #3)
  • "Harry Houdini" (1989) (CAN #39] [UK #88)
  • "Puss ‘n Boots/These Boots (are Made for Walking)" (1989) (CAN #61] [U.S. #58)
  • "Move to Move" (1989) (CAN #84)
  • "Liberty!" (1990) (CAN #91)
  • "Could've Said I Told You So" (1990) (CAN #72)
  • "Better Day"
  • "Sinful Wishes" (1993) (CAN #75)
  • "S.O.L." (1993)
  • "I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden)" (Re-Release) (1994)
  • "I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden)" (2007 Remixes - iTunes release) (2007)