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.
Motherless Children
Big Sugar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When their mother's dead
Motherless children have a hard time
When their mother's dead
See them wander from door to door
Lord, they don't got no place to go
Nobody love you like your mother can
When your mother's dead
Father will do the best he can
When your mother's dead
Father will do the best he can
When your mother's dead
Father will do the best he can
But some things, your father can't understand
Nobody loves you like your mother can
When your mother's dead
When your mother's dead
When your mother's dead, Lord
Nobody loves you like your mother can
When your mother's dead
When your mother's dead
When your mother's dead, Lord
Nobody loves you like your mother can
When your mother's dead
Sister will do the best she can
When your mother's dead
Sister will do the best she can
But she'll go and leave you for another man
Nobody loves you like a mother can
When your mother's dead
When your mother's dead
When your mother's dead
Nobody loves you like a mother can
When your mother's dead
When you mother's dead
When your mother's dead
Nobody wants you
Nobody needs you
Nobody loves you like a mother can
When your mother's dead
The song "Motherless Children" by Big Sugar addresses the harsh reality that children face when they lose their mother. The song highlights the difficult times that these children undergo once they're without the love, support, and guiding presence of their mother. The song's repetition of the phrase "motherless children have a hard time" emphasizes the depth of suffering that these children experience.
The song also acknowledges that while fathers and siblings may do their best to fill the void left by a mother's absence, no one can love a child like a mother does. The lyrics suggest that sisters may leave a child behind by choosing to be with another man, and fathers may not comprehend what their children are going through. Ultimately, the song emphasizes the importance of a mother's love and the devastation that follows when it's gone.
Overall, "Motherless Children" captures the sorrow, pain, and longing that comes with the loss of a mother. The song encourages listeners to empathize with those who have lost a mother and recognize the unique bond that exists between a mother and child.
Line by Line Meaning
Motherless children have a hard time
Growing up without a mother is difficult
When their mother's dead
After losing their mother due to death
See them wander from door to door
They live in constant uncertainty, searching for help
Lord, they don't got no place to go
They have no home to turn to
Father will do the best he can
The father tries to fill the void left by the mother
But some things, your father can't understand
The father is not able to replace the mother's love and care entirely
Sister will do the best she can
The sister tries to help but may not always be there
But she'll go and leave you for another man
The sister might leave to pursue her own life
When your mother's dead, Lord
The loss of a mother is devastating and beyond one's control
Nobody wants you
Life without a mother feels lonely and isolating
Nobody needs you
The feeling of being unwanted and unloved is pervasive
Nobody loves you like a mother can
A mother's love is irreplaceable and unmatched
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Traditional, Edmond Gordie Johnson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind