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.
Nicotina
Big Sugar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We've been a little more than just friends,
And in most cases that's just where it ends
But I took the time to stoke up your flame
Can I get a witness to back up my claim?
Now I'm standing so close to your fire
If I say that I quit ya, you can call me a liar!
And where we go now I guess that depends
If I get myself caught up in your scene-
Black hair, black coffee, and hard nicotine
I can't sleep
I can't eat
Need you to hold my hand before I can cross the street!
Oh yeah, she's all that
Oh yeah, she's all that
Sugar, you're my comfort, whoa yeah, makes me me
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah she's all that
I'm her silver dollar, she's my slot machine
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah why not? Come on she's my nicotine
That's right
We've been a little more than just friends
Where we go now I guess that depends
Uh huh
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah she's all that
Sugar, you're my comfort, whoa yeah, makes me me
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah she's all that
She's my V8 motor, I'm her gasoline
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah she's all that
I'm her silver dollar she's my slot machine
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah she's all that
Oh yeah why not? Come on she's my nicotine
Nicotine
My nicotine
Oh yeah she's
Yes she's
Yes she is!
In Big Sugar's song Nicotina, the lyrics talk about a romantic relationship that started as more than just friends. The opening line "Light it up" refers to a cigarette, which sets the tone for the rest of the song's theme of addiction. The singer admits to being addicted to the person they're with and describes the sensation of being close to their "fire." They can't sleep or eat without their significant other, who has become their "nicotine," a toxic and addictive substance. The lyrics also describe the physical appearance of their partner, with "black hair, black coffee, and hard nicotine" suggesting a rebellious and dangerous quality, which is alluring to the singer.
The chorus repeats the phrase "Oh yeah she's all that" emphasizing the addictive nature of the relationship. The singer describes their partner as their "comfort" and "V8 motor" and themselves as the "gasoline" and "silver dollar" to their partner's "slot machine," emphasizing the importance of the partnership in their lives.
Overall, the lyrics of Nicotina use the imagery of addiction to describe a passionate and potentially destructive romantic relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
Light it up
Asking the listener to light up a cigarette or a joint
We've been a little more than just friends,
The singer has a romantic relationship with someone, which is more than just friendship
And in most cases that's just where it ends
Most such relationships don't go beyond just being friends, but this one did
But I took the time to stoke up your flame
The artist put in effort to make the other person more interested in him/her
Can I get a witness to back up my claim?
Asking if anyone else has noticed the intensity of the relationship
Now I'm standing so close to your fire
The singer is very close to the other person
If I say that I quit ya, you can call me a liar!
The singer is so addicted to the other person that he/she cannot imagine life without them
And where we go now I guess that depends
The future of the relationship is uncertain
If I get myself caught up in your scene-
If the artist becomes fully part of the other person's life
Black hair, black coffee, and hard nicotine
The other person is associated with these things that the artist finds attractive
I can't sleep
The singer is unable to sleep due to thinking about the other person
I can't eat
The artist is unable to eat due to thinking about the other person
Need you to hold my hand before I can cross the street!
The singer needs the other person's reassurance
Oh yeah, she's all that
The other person is everything the singer wants
Sugar, you're my comfort, whoa yeah, makes me me
The other person brings comfort to the singer's life and makes him/her feel complete
I'm her silver dollar, she's my slot machine
The artist provides something the other person wants, and the other person provides something the artist wants
Oh yeah why not? Come on she's my nicotine
The other person is as addictive to the artist as nicotine
Yes she is!
Affirming that the other person is everything the singer wants
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: AARON JOHNSTON, DIDI GUTMAN, JESSE YUSEF MURPHY, SABINA SCIUBBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@12bbitchin
Light it up Nicotina! Big Sugar rocks North of The Boarder, Kelly Hoppe on harp priceless..... Gordie and the band kick it, still great together. Don't ever split up again. We missed you
@leahdivine5071
Big sugar rock so hard live!! Ive seen Grady too I love Gordie
@jamesharbinson4051
RIP Gary
@colleenmacdonald2553
still my favorite and always will be ;) love them live!!!
@Redbirdgirl88
Gordie winked at me and i just about fainted lol. Great band live!!! Powerful
@paulvanaudenhove7782
I think they're the loudest band I've seen..... :)
@Redbirdgirl88
Paul Van Audenhove I thought so too
@fenderstratguy
Greatfrickingsongsamighty!
@xfmrogers
I have seen this video before in 2001 that means it's old now
@janvandebong
Who's buddy in the white sweater?