George Olliver Passes

On April 6, George Olliver, 79, has passed away after suffering a stroke.

A singer and keyboard player, he was a member of  Mandala  in the 1960s with legendary Canadian guitarist Domenic Toroiano..

Olliver quit the group in September, 1967 and some time afterwards formed the 10-piece soul outfit, George Olliver & His (Soul) Children. He later formed Natural Gas in 1969, a group that rivalled Lighthouse, Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears.They had a hit with "All Powerful Man" which peaked at #76 on May 9, 1970. It spent a total of 7 weeks in the Canadian charts.Their album got into the Canadian Top 10, and made the Top 50 in the United States.

As a boy he was in the Anglican church choir. His parents also enrolled him in piano lessons which continued into his early teen years. His first band was the Cool Cats, a high school band.

In 1973, Olliver released a solo single, "I May Never Get to See You Again" on Much Records which he composed himself. It was produced by the label's A&R man, Bill Hill. According to Billboard, the single was marking his recording comeback. In 1976, he had another single released. The song "Don't Let the Green Grass Fool You" had Dianne Brooks helping out with background vocals.

In 1987, he was Nominated for a JUNO Award for his album Dream Girl.

In May, 1983, the live album, Live at the Bluenote was released. With jay Jackson as emcee, the songs included "Fannie Mae" by Jayson King, "In the Midnight Hour" by Roy Kenner, Shawne Jackson on "Heatwave", "Up On the Roof" by Olliver and more.

As of 2006 he was performing with two of his bands, one was George Olliver & Gangbuster, and the other, his gospel band, Caught Away. In 2008, he released a gospel album, George Olliver's Gospel Soul - Look Up

October, 2013 marked his 50th year in the music business

On Friday January 5, 2018, Cashbox Canada announced that he was to receive the Cashbox Canada Legacy Award