Formed in 1985 as The Ikons, the band consisted of four York University students: vocalist and songwriter John Critchley,[1] guitarist and songwriter Mike Robbins, bassist Jim Hughes and drummer Grant Ethier.[2] They released a self-titled independent cassette in 1986 before changing their name to 13 Engines. This name was a reference to the automobile industry in Windsor, Ontario and Detroit, Michigan, which were the first markets to embrace the band.[3][4][5]
They spent a lot of time in Michigan and recorded their first two albums there--Before Our Time[6] in 1987 and Byram Lake Blues[7] in 1989; both were released by the UK label Nocturnal Records. One song from Byram Lake Blues, "Beached",[8] became a college hit and, in 1990, the band was signed to SBK Records in the United States and EMI in Canada.[4]
In 1991, 13 Engines released their major label debut, A Blur to Me Now, which was produced by David Briggs and John Hanlon.[9][10] The band received airplay for the album's singles "King of Saturday Night"[11] and "Big Surprise".[12] SBK dropped them soon afterward,[4] although it did release an EP called Ignition which was the top singles from the band's next album.
They followed up in 1995 with Conquistador,[21] which gave them another hit, "Beneath My Hand".[22][4] While the album is considered to be 13 Engines' finest work, it did not do well commercially.[23]
In 1996, Nocturnal Records released the band's compilation album, Perfect Largeness: The Nocturnal Years.[24]
In June 1997, the band performed during NXNE, performing songs from a finished album. However, the album was never released and the band broke up that year.
In 2017, the Canadian label Artoffact Records released some of the band's singles on an EP called Brave New Waves Session.[25]
Post-breakup
Following the break-up of 13 Engines, Critchley continued as a solo artist and, in 2000, recorded the album Crooked Mile.[26] Critchley, Ethier[27] and Hughes[28] went on to careers as producers.
