Big Sugar officially formed in 1988 in Toronto, Ontario, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Gordie Johnson, bassist Terry Wilkins, and drummer Al Cross, though the three musicians had already played together for several years as a supporting band for Molly Johnson's jazz performances and as an informal jam band with members of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir. After Molly Johnson returned to rock music with Infidels, she helped her former bandmates to secure a record deal; their eponymous debut album was released in 1991 on Hypnotic Records.
After Wilkins left the band in 1993, Big Sugar recorded the album Five Hundred Pounds with the help of guest musicians, including harmonica and tenor saxophonist Kelly Hoppe, also known as Mr. Chill. Hoppe brought a blues and old-school r'n'b influence into the band's sound. Hoppe would become an official member of the band in September 1994. He would later add keyboards and melodica to his sideman responsibilities. In July 1994, bassist Garry Lowe joined the band. Lowe had moved to Canada in the mid-1970s from Kingston, Jamaica. Soon after arriving in Toronto, he became an in-demand bass player for touring reggae recording artists. He often accompanied them at Toronto's famed Bamboo club on Queen St.W., among other venues. Lowe was a founding member of "Culture Shock", a popular Toronto reggae band. Johnson, an avid reggae maven (and one-time bass player), had been a fan of Lowe's and was overjoyed when he agreed to join Big Sugar as a full-time member.
Big Sugar had slowly built a reputation as an outstanding live band, and Five Hundred Pounds consolidated it; the album sold 10,000 copies in Canada on the strength of their live shows without any real publicity or radio airplay. During this time, Gordie Johnson also recorded an album as Don't Talk Dance, with Tyler Stewart of Barenaked Ladies and Chris Brown of the Bourbon Tabernacle Choir.
In 1995, the band released two EPs; Dear M.F., which featured a cover version of Traffic's "Dear Mr. Fantasy"; and Ride Like Hell. Following the release of these EPs, Stich Wynston left the band and was replaced by Walter "Crash" Morgan. During the band's tour that year, however, Morgan suffered a heart attack, collapsed, and died on stage during a show in Iowa. Longtime band associate Raffa Dean was enlisted to finish the tour, and former Odds member Paul Brennan subsequently joined as the band's new drummer, appearing on one of their most commercially successful albums, 1996's Hemi-Vision.
Hemi-Vision's single "Opem Up Baby" was a notable first for the band, who recorded a French version of that song, "Ouvres-Toi Bébé", for radio stations in Quebec. The song gained widespread airplay in the province, and for their next album, 1998's Platinum-selling Heated, the band recorded a French version of each single they released; the French songs were collected on the 1999 EP Chauffe à bloc. Also that year, Johnson and Hoppe performed several acoustic shows as a duo under the names "Little Sugar" or "Two Fools on Stools".
Cross returned as drummer in 1999. The band also added a new rhythm guitarist, Mojah. In July of that year the band performed at Woodstock 1999.
In 2000, the band released a dub album, Extra Long Life, under the stage name Alkaline.
In 2001, Big Sugar released Brothers and Sisters, Are You Ready? Taking their abilities in writing and performing French material to its logical conclusion, a complete track-for-track French version, Brothers and Sisters, Êtes Vous Ready?, was released the same year. Only the English album concluded with a blistering rendition of "O Canada".
The two-CD compilation Hit & Run, featuring a greatest hits disc that included a special edition, limited run live concert performance disc, was released in 2003.
Big Sugar, known for its thundering rock shows performed without set lists, played their last concert before splitting up on December 31, 2003, at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. Gordie "Grady" Johnson immediately formed the Austin, Texas-based band Grady and later joined Wide Mouth Mason as their full-time bassist, and also started the gospel dub duo Sit Down, Servant!! when he began playing steel guitar. Kelly Hoppe formed Mr. Chill & The Witnesses, a roots music group. Mojah and Garry Lowe went on to form Truth and Rights Revue, a reggae band, and have released one album to date.
The band reunited in 2010, playing their first show since 2003 at Telus World Ski & Snowboard Festival in Whistler, B.C. on April 23, with tour dates through summer 2010. A new studio album evolved and was released in June 2011, titled Revolution Per Minute. This recording included Stephane Beaudin "Bodean" on drums and new full-time band member "DJ Friendlyness" as the fifth member of Big Sugar. Revolution Per Minute was released on both cd and vinyl with the vinyl album containing bonus "Alkaline" dub remixes and additional songs. 2012 was the first ever DVD release when Eliminate Ya! Live!, a double CD/DVD set that included a new single covering Al Tuck's "Eliminate Ya!" was released.
In 2014, Big Sugar released an album called "Yard Style" which contains uplugged versions of nine of their original songs, plus four previously unreleased songs.
The song "Police Bway A Vampire" appeared as a reworked electric version under the name "Universal Vampire" on their next studio album "Calling All The Youth", which was released in 2015 on Bread & Butter Records.
In May, 2017, two long time members, Kelly Hoppe and DJ Friendliness, left Big Sugar. Hoppe is now a freelancer, frequently performing live and in-studio with various artists, while Friendliness likes to concentrate full-time on his other band Human Rights. They were replaced by Ray Arteaga and Gordie Johnson's wife Alex.
Garry Lowe died of cancer on July 7, 2018.
Groundhog Day
Big Sugar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was always around
Now I need you, baby
And you're nowhere to be found
Got my money
And now you're gone
Down the road
They say a fool
And his money soon part
Now was I a fool
To open up my heart to you?
Got my money
Now you're gone
Down the road
You said please forgive me
I was your best friend
I said, "Shut your dirty mouth
Before you lie again"
Got my money
Now you're gone
Down the road
You said you'd come back home
Groundhog Day, got so cold outside
My little Groundhog ran away
Got my money
Now you're gone
Down the road
Down the road
Said you'd come back home
Groundhog Day, got so cold outside
My little groundhog ran away
Got my money
Now you're gone
Down the road
Down the road
Got my money
Now you're gone
Down the road
Got my money
Now you're gone
Down the road
Got my
The lyrics to Big Sugar's song "Groundhog Day" deal with a relationship where one partner feels used and abandoned. The singer is addressing his former lover, who was always around when she needed him, but is nowhere to be found now that he needs her. He accuses her of taking his money and leaving him, akin to a fool who was easily parted with his money. Despite his earlier willingness to forgive her, he now refuses to believe any more of her lies.
The "Groundhog Day" reference may indicate that the singer feels trapped in a cycle of this kind of relationship, where things repeat over and over again like the movie of the same name. It could also be a reference to the futility of routine actions, where one might hope for a different outcome but is ultimately endlessly disappointed. The song has a bluesy rock sound that emphasizes the emotional weight of the lyrics.
Overall, "Groundhog Day" is a song about betrayal and heartbreak, where one partner takes advantage of the other's good nature and leaves them with nothing but a feeling of emptiness and disappointment.
Line by Line Meaning
Now when you needed me
I was always there for you.
I need you, baby, And you're nowhere to be found
Now that I need you, you're not around to help me.
Got my money And now you're gone, Down the road
You took my money and left me behind.
They say a fool And his money soon part, Now was I a fool To open up my heart to you?
I trusted you with my heart and money, but now I wonder if I made a mistake.
You said please forgive me, I was your best friend, I said, 'Shut your dirty mouth Before you lie again'
You apologized for your actions, but I don't trust you anymore.
You said you'd come back home, Groundhog Day, got so cold outside, My little Groundhog ran away
You promised to come back, but you never did. It's like Groundhog Day, always the same and my hope is gone.
Down the road
You left me alone on this road of life.
Got my money
You took my money and my trust.
Now you're gone
You left me alone.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Gordie Edmond Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind