The Northern Pikes were formed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in early 1984. Over the next two years the band recorded and released the independent EPs The Northern Pikes (1984) and Scene In North America (1985) with producer and pal Mitch Barnett. Both were recorded and mixed at Studio West in Saskatoon.

In January of 1987 the band began sessions at Metal Works Studio in Toronto with producers Rick Hutt and Fraser Hill, and finished mixing at McClear Place Studios for what would become its first Virgin release entitled Big Blue Sky. The album hit the streets in June of ‘87 and featured the hit singles “Teenland” and “Things I Do For Money”, introducing the band to a wider audience and expanding the touring range to all parts of Canada and the USA.

All original members Don Schmid, Jay Semko, Bryan Potvin and Merl Bryck reunited in December 1999 to assemble a greatest hits package for Virgin Records. That meeting saw the release of a collection of old favorites and buried treasures, entitled Hits and Assorted Secrets. It also led to a hugely successful Canadian tour in early 2000, some of which was recorded and resulted in The Northern Pikes Live, an album’s worth of tunes from various shows in Ontario and Quebec. This in turn led to the decision to record a new studio album in Toronto during the fall of 2000. Truest Inspiration was released in 2001, the Pikes’ first studio album in 8 years. The title track from that album became a hit in Japan and The Pikes embarked on a short but intensive tour in the land of the rising sun in late June 2003, including a Canada Day party at the Canadian Embassy. Shortly after the Japanese tour the guys began work on It’s A Good Life, released in December 2003. This would sadly be the last project the four original members would record together – Merl would announce his departure from the group a few short years later. Jay, Bryan, Don & Ross, still experiencing the passion and joy of performance have continued touring until the present…