TROIANO, Domenic. Guitarist, composer, singer, b. Modugno, Italy, 17 January 1946, naturalized Canadian 1955. Raised in Toronto, Troiano began playing guitar at 15. One of Canada's premier rock guitarists during the late 1960s and the 1970s, he began his career with Robbie Lane and the Disciples and with Ronnie Hawkins, and was a member 1964-69 of the popular Toronto R&B band known in turn as the Five Rogues, the Rogues, and, 1966-69, Mandala. Completed by the vocalist George Olliver (replaced in 1966 by Roy Kenner), the organist Josef Chirowski (replaced in 1966 by Hugh Sullivan), the bass guitarist Don Elliott, and the drummer Whitey (Pentti) Glan, Mandala had hits with "Opportunity" (1967) and "Love-itis" (1968) and worked widely in the USA. Troiano, Kenner, Glan, and the bass guitarist Prakash John continued 1970-71 as Bush, a jazz-influenced rock band based in Arizona.
Troiano subsequently played lead guitar 1972-73 for the US band the James Gang and 1974-75 for the Guess Who. In Toronto he led the Domenic Troiano Band 1977-79 and Black Market in 1981 before turning exclusively to studio work as a composer, producer, and guitarist. In 1984 he began writing themes and incidental music for TV, e.g. for the CBS series Night Heat, Diamonds, and Hot Shots, the CBC's Airwaves, and NBC's True Blue. Troiano has produced albums by Shawne Jackson, Moe Koffman, Kilowatt, and, for his own Black Market label, David Gibson and John Rutledge. His songs, which include "The Writing's on the Wall" and "I Can Hear You Calling" from the 1970s, have been recorded by Three Dog Night, Skylark, John Rutledge, and others.

by Mark Miller

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