Orphan

by Doug StoneOrphan took off from the Great White North in the early '80s, along with a number of other Canadian heavies such as Coney Hatch and Honeymoon Suite. Former Pimps duo Chris Burke (vocals, bass) and Brent Diamond (keyboards) enlisted guitarist Steve McGovern and drummer Ron Boivenue before landing a contract with Canadian label Portrait, home of Saga and Orion the Hunter. Lance Quinn and Tony Bongiovi (who also handled Bon Jovi's inaugural release) slickly produced Lonely at Night, released in 1983. This distinct debut interwove a spooky atmosphere with quality AOR numbers like "Hello" and "What Kind of Love Is This." McGovern's guitar spruced up Diamond's gloomy keys for a distinctly neurotic title track that garnered radio and video play. Diamond also appears on Arc Angel's self-titled debut, released the same year. Orphan's follow-up, Salute, dropped in 1985, with Terry Norman Taylor now on drums. But a guest appearance by labelmate and fading celebrity Aldo Nova couldn't stop Orphan's descent into oblivion.