Haunted

The Haunted were an influential garage rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The band was formed by Jurgen Peter (guitar) in 1965 and went on to release several records before finally disbanding in 1971. They were among the first Canadian bands to achieve a level of success in their musical genre.

Band History

In 1965, Jurgen Peter joined up with Bob Burgess (vocals), Al Birmingham (lead guitar), Glenn Holmes (bass), and Peter Symes (drums) to form The Haunted. Besides Jurgen Peter, the other constant band member through most of its six year history was lead guitarist Al Birmingham. The band membership that recorded the band's best known song, "1-2-5" was comprised of Al Birmingham (lead guitar), Jurgen Peter (rhythm guitar), Bob Burgess (vocals), Mason Shea (bass) and Dave Wynne (drums).

The band's first big break came after winning a Battle Of The Bands at the Montreal Forum in 1965, beating such competitors as David Clayton-Thomas and the Shays. The first prize was studio time that they used to record the two songs on their first 45rpm, 1-2-5, with Eight O'Clock This Morning as the B-side. The first pressing of this record had the band name misprinted as "The Hunted." Ironically, the later pressing with the band's name correctly spelt are now more difficult to locate.

The single achieved substantial local success, making the Canadian version of the national charts (RPM Weekly Magazone) and enough attention in the U.S. to attract a U.S. pressing of the 45 on the Amy label. Several more 7" singles, as well as a full-length self-titled LP over the next two years, which served to increase their popularity.

The band grew to be one of the most in demand bands in Canada for the balance of the 1960s and into the early 1970s. Jurgen Peter decided to fold the band in 1971, commenting as follows: "We were the most sought after and highest paid Canadian band for many years. When I folded the band in 1971, I had to cancel a whole year of advance bookings and it cost me a fortune in lawyer's fees to get out of some of them." At the time of the breakup, the band had a loyal fan club with thousands of members.