Kevan Staples dead: Co-founder of alt-rockers Rough Trade dies as bandmate pays tribute to ‘light that’ll burn forever’
THE co-founder of the legendary rock band Rough Trade, Kevan Staples, has died at the age of 74.
Staples’ death was announced in an emotional social media post by his fellow co-founder Carole Pope.
Pope paid tribute to Staples, and said “He was a bright light that will burn forever”.
Pope and Staples had been friends for decades, after meeting in the late 1960s.
The pair co-founded Rough Trade together in 1974.
The band began by performing at small clubs in Toronto.
But it soon shot to success with its debut album – Rough Trade Live!
Rough Trade went on to released five more studio albums under Bernie Finklestein’s Canadian label True North in the 1980s.
The band’s popularity grew with their tunes Weapons, Shaking the Foundations and Crimes of Passion doing well on the radio.
They played to some of their biggest audiences ever opening for David Bowie on Canadian dates of his 1983 Serious Moonlight tour.
Staples co-wrote some of the band’s top hits including High School Confidential, Birds of a Feather, and All Touch.
The band won four Juno awards in the 1980s and was inducted into Canada‘s Walk of Fame in 2023.
The group bowed out of its own accord in 1986 with one final tour.
But it left a lasting impact on the Canada‘s music industry.
A post on the Canada Walk of Fame’s Instagram page said: “Their music challenged conventions and left a lasting impact on Canada’s cultural landscape.”
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