John Bottomley (September 17, 1960 – April 6, 2011)[1][2] was a Canadian singer-songwriter.
He started in music in the early 1980s with the band Tulpa, which also included his brother Chris,[3] and launched a solo career in 1990 with his solo debut album Library of the Sun.[3] He followed up with his second album, Songs with the Ornamental Hermits,[4] in 1992, and won the Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist the following year.[3]
His most successful album, 1995's Blackberry, spawned the Top 40 hits "You Lose and You Gain" and "Long Way to Go".[3]
Bottomley died in 2011 in Brackendale, British Columbia. The coroner's report concluded that Bottomley killed himself and a family spokesperson confirmed that he had been suffering from clinical depression.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Mosaic Fish (with Tulpa) |
| 1986 | Live at CBGB's (with Tulpa) |
| 1990 | Library of the Sun |
| 1992 | Songs with the Ornamental Hermits |
| 1995 | Blackberry |
| Triskelion | |
| 1998 | Raggle Taggle |
| 2000 | The Crown of Life, Part I |
| 2001 | The Crown of Life, Part II |
| Here's the Candy | |
| 2005 | Star in the Singing Grove |
| 2007 | Songpoet |
| 2010 | The Healing Dream |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions[5] | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN AC | CAN | |||
| 1991 | "Barkeeper (Pour Me a Drink)" | — | — | Library of the Sun |
| 1992 | "Bell Tower Radio" | 29 | — | Songs with the Ornamental Hermits |
| 1995 | "You Lose and You Gain" | 1[6] | 6 | Blackberry |
| "Long Way to Go" | 15 | 29 | ||
| 1998 | "Take You Higher" | 53 | — | Raggle Taggle |