The Philosopher Kings are a Canadian band. The band was most commercially successful in the late 1990s and have been nominated for five Juno Awards, winning one in 1996 for "Best New Group". Most of the band members, current and former, have also had successful careers as songwriters and producers for several artists and performers. Between 1996 and 2016, The Philosopher Kings were among the top 150 best-selling Canadian artists in Canada and among the top 50 best-selling Canadian bands in Canada.
History The Philosopher Kings formed in 1993. The name of the band is derived from Plato's Republic, in which he outlines the design of an idealistic government, ruled by philosopher-kings. The band released their debut album in Canada in 1994. The album was later released in the United States by Columbia. The group saw minor success in the United States with the single "Charms", which peaked at #36 on the Billboard Mainstream Top 40 chart in 1996.
The band performed across Canada,"Heads Turning" . Imprint, University of Waterloo, 1996. and won the award for "Best New Group" at the 1996 Juno Awards. In 1997, the band released their second album, Famous, Rich and Beautiful. The album featured several singles which were hits in Canada, including "I Am the Man", "Hurts to Love You", and "Cry". The album was certified Platinum in Canada in 1998 and is the band's best-selling album. The band was nominated for "Best Group" at the 1999 Juno Awards. In 1999, drummer Craig Hunter was replaced by Denton Whited. The band was inactive from 2000 to 2003 as members pursued different projects. In 2004, all of the band members (minus Jason Levine) reunited and the band released the album Castles in 2006, with their lead single, "Castles in the Sand" reaching the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary and Hot Adult Contemporary charts in Canada. After going on hiatus again in the 2010s, the band reunited again in 2016. In 2018, the band released the album Return of the Kings.
Members
Current line-up Gerald Eaton – vocalist James Bryan McCollum – guitarist Brian West – guitarist Denton Whited – drummer Marc Rogers – bassist Matt Giffin – keyboardist
Past members Craig Hunter – drummer on Philosopher Kings, Famous, Rich and Beautiful Jason Levine – bassist on Philosopher Kings, Famous, Rich and Beautiful & One Night Stand Jon Levine – keyboardist
Discography Albums Year Title Peak chart positions Certifications CANPeak positions for The Philosopher Kings' albums in Canada: For Famous, Rich and Beautiful: For Castles: CAN 1994The Philosopher Kings — Gold1997Famous, Rich and Beautiful62Platinum1999One Night Stand — 2006Castles 192018Return of the Kings —
Singles Year Single Peak chart positions Album CANSearch for Canadian peaksChart positions for The Philosopher Kings' singles on BDS Canada chart: "Castles in the Sand": *"Give Back the Love": CAN Content (Cancon)Peak positions for The Philosopher Kings' singles on Cancon chart: For "Turn My Head Around": CAN DancePeak positions for The Philosopher Kings' singles on Canadian Dance chart: For "Charms": U.S.Top 401994 "Turn My Head Around" — 6 — — The Philosopher Kings1995 "Charms" 16 — 15 361996 "Lay My Body Down" — — — — 1997 "I Am the Man" 7 — — — Famous, Rich and Beautiful 1998 "Hurts to Love You" 8 — — — "Cry" 13 — — — "You Don't Love Me (Like You Used To Do)" 71 — — — 1999 "You Stepped on My Life" 30 — — — 2000 "If I Ever Lose This Heaven" 44 — — — One Night Stand 2005 "Castles in the Sand" 29 — — — Castles 2006 "Give Back the Love" 36 — — — "Beautiful Creature" — — — — 2017 "Still the One" — — — — Return of the Kings "—" denotes releases that did not chart
Awards 1996 Juno Award – Best New Group
Nominations 1996 Juno nomination – Best R&B/Soul Recording for Philosopher Kings 1998 Juno nomination – Best R&B/Soul Recording for Famous, Rich and Beautiful 1999 Juno nominations – Best Pop Album for Famous, Rich and Beautiful; Best Single for Hurts To Love You; Best Group 2001 Juno nomination – Best R&B/Soul Recording for If I Ever Lose This Heaven
Side projects Prozzäk and Lefthook Entertainment – James Bryan McCollum and Jason Levine Jarvis Church – Gerald Eaton Track and Field – Gerald Eaton and Brian West solo albums – Jon Levine; James Bryan
References
External links Philosopher Kings official website
Return of the Kings Metro, November 15, 2005 Marc Rogers website Jon Levine Band website James Bryan website James Bryan's Official Website