Vancouver's music has been vibrant for a long time, and there are a number of interesting stories from the local music industry.
From where Bon Jovi came up with the "Slippery When Wet," to Loretta Lynn's local chicken coop gig, to the legendary Mushroom Studios, there are quirky local stories and pieces of Vancouver embedded in broader pop music culture.
And here are five more.
1. The Beatles concert was broadcast on CKNW
While some people live-streamed Taylor Swift's last concerts at BC Place, broadcasting a full concert isn't all that common (unless it's specifically for TV).
But when the Beatles came to town, their show at Empire Stadium (where 21,000 people watched) was broadcast to CKNW 980 am.
While an AM radio station might seem like an odd choice to broadcast a live concert in 2025, in 1964 the AM band was dominant and CKNW was the "Top Dog" (as the jingles went) in Vancouver radio.
2. The police have put out three albums
The Police (the English band) have five studio albums, but the Vancouver Police Department, specifically the VPD's pipe band (one of the oldest police pipe bands in the world), has put out three.
The three releases were "The Pipe Band" (1978), "Music in Motion" (1983), and "90 Years on the Beat" (2004)
3. Michael Bublé was in a local musical
These days, if Michael Bublé were in a local musical, it'd be big news, and he'd likely be the headliner.
But in 1998, he was a "performer" in the Arts Club's "Forever Swing" show. To be fair, everyone was, and Bublé had been in the entertainment industry for a little while.
The show seems like it was an ideal fit for Bublé, as it was a revue of big band songs created by local playwright (among other things) Dean Regan. After it opened the Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre in Vancouver, the show (and Bublé) had an extended stay in Toronto.
4. The Shannon Hoon incident
The name Shannon Hoon might not ring a bell, but the song "No Rain" is likely familiar. Hoon's band Blind Melon released the single in 1993, and it made them a one-hit wonder of sorts.
That year the young band went on tour as the opening act for Lenny Kravitz, but it was Hoon's antics on stage at the Pacific Coliseum that grabbed headlines.
During the show, he exposed himself to fans and reportedly peed on stage and into the crowd. That caught the attention of the police, who arrested him.
In court, a plea deal was struck. Hoon (and Blind Melon) ended up having to play a benefit show for the Vancouver Food Bank at the Commodore Ballroom.
5. Both the Whitecaps and Canucks had songs written for them in the 1970s
Fans these days often write songs of some sort for teams they support, and technology has made it easy to share them.
But in the 1970s the process was a bit more involved, so the teams themselves got involved.
The Whitecaps song (released in 1978) is relatively well-known by local soccer fans, and it got re-released in the 1990s by The Proclaimers.
It's called White is the Colour, and really it's just a song that was originally written for the English Premier League team Chelsea with some new lyrics.
The tune is the same, but the lyrics were reworked by a man named Don Cook, and it seems sports jingles were his thing.
Just a couple of years earlier, in 1975, he wrote and produced Canucks We're With You. The single is a ditty about how hockey is a great and the fans are with the Canucks.
