Dig enough in the crates and every now and then a gem surfaces.
Alexis “Rose” Radlin was a singer and songwriter - she grew up in Windsor ON and moved to Vancouver BC to pursue a music career. She signed a deal with Mushroom records and released “Alexis” in 1975 which led to her nomination for the female vocalist of the year Juno award (along with Patsy Gallant, Susan Jacks, Cathy Young and the winner Anne Murray). She wrote all the songs on the first LP except “Canada, You're A Lady” which she co-wrote with John Patrick Caldwell of Mother Tucker’s Yellow Duck fame.
In 1978 she released her second LP (also called “Alexis”) on the Radio Canada International Transcription label which in my opinion isn’t quite as strong as her first. She apparently released a third album called “Fishing for Sanity” but I can find nothing about it.
Here is “War Baby’s Lament” which kicks off side 2 from her first album:
Alexis provided 3 songs (About Lies, Baby Talk, and Dragonfly And Kites) for the 1979 movie “Stone Cold Dead” which was set in Toronto with Richard Crenna, Paul Williams, Belinda Montgomery (who sings “About Lies” in a seedy bar) and a young Michael Ironside who gets shot early on. It’s a sleazy fun movie (TV Guide rated it 1 star out of 5).
In 1980, she appeared on the CBC Video Album which was hosted by Carole Pope and featured Alexis Radlin, Sandy Crawley, JoAnn Brooks, B.B. Gabor, Kevin Staples, Triple Feature, New Wave Rockers and Gas. It’s below - Alexis appears around the 6:22 mark.
In her career, she appeared in concert with Leon Redbone, Downchild Blues Band, Muddy Waters, Long John Baldry, David Clayton-Thomas, Alice Cooper, Dizzie Gillespie, Olivia Newton John and many others. An exceptional voice; it’s a real shame she didn’t get more exposure.
Alexis Radlin passed away February 28, 2001.