Ginger (band)

Ginger was a Canadian rock band in the 1990s. The band initially consisted of Tom Hooper on bass, Chris Hooper on drums and Vincent Jones on keyboards, following the departure of Kevin Kane from their earlier band The Grapes of Wrath. Guitar positions were covered by both Lanny Hussey and Sean Ashby, working as session players.

With the Grapes of Wrath name and song catalogue tied up in legal wrangling between Kane and the remainder of the band, Jones and the Hooper brothers adopted the name Ginger, and released a self-titled EP under that name in 1993. In an ironic reversal of fortune, their tour to support that recording was as Sarah McLachlan's opening act on her breakthrough Fumbling Towards Ecstasy tour; McLachlan had been an opening act for the Grapes just a few years earlier.

In 1994, Ginger released Far Out. Both Far Out and the self-titled EP were noted for their strong similarity to the classic Grapes jangle-pop sound.

In 1996, Jones left the band and was replaced by Lanny Ashby, who was promoted to full membership. Ginger then made a more conscious effort to develop its own distinctive sound, adding some trip-hop and electronic elements to their album Suddenly I Came to My Senses. Jones played keyboards on the album, billed as a "special guest"; long-time session sideman Ashby was also a special guest performer. McLachlan (billed merely as an "additional musician") performed some of the backing vocals on the album.

The members of Ginger went their separate ways following that recording. Jones, Ashby and Chris Hooper became session musicians -- Jones and Ashby appear on McLachlan's live albums Mirrorball and Afterglow Live. Meanwhile, Tom Hooper reunited with Kane for a new Grapes of Wrath album, Field Trip, in 2000. (Jones and Chris Hooper did not participate in that reunion.)

Discography

Singles

Albums

• Ginger (1993)
• Far Out (1994)
• Suddenly I Came to My Senses (1996)

Source

• Ginger at Allmusic