Howard Ayee

Toronto native Howard Ayee played bass on albums by Eddie Schwartz, B.B. Gabor, and Moe Koffman before hooking up with Canadian new wave outfit Rough Trade in the early '80s. He toured with the band for several years and appeared on Shaking the Foundations, Weapons, O Tempora! O Mores!, and the new tracks on Birds of a Feather: The Best of Rough Trade. When the group folded, Ayee was called in for session work with synth pop duo Strange Advance. Produced by founding member Drew Arnott, 2wo was released in 1985 and featured the Canadian hit "We Run." Also during this time, Ayee played bass on the Air Supply smash "Just as I Am" from their eponymous 1985 album. A couple years later, work began on a new Strange Advance record with Ayee on board as co-producer as well as bassist. The Distance Between, Strange Advance's third release, hit the shelves in 1988. Additionally this year, Ayee appeared on the debut album by Toronto vocalist Paris Black. Secret Seduction sold well in Canada and spawned several successful singles. The '90s found Ayee working with guitarist/composer Domenic Troiano on a handful of projects. Ayee contributed his bass, production, and songwriting skills to albums by David Gibson, Johnny Rutledge, and Patria, all signed to Troiano's Black Market label. These releases -- particularly Gibson's self-titled LP and Patria's My Rules -- were well received in Canada. Besides working on records, Troiano and Ayee also shared scoring duties for a number of network television shows and made-for-TV movies in the late '90s. ~ Jeremy Frey, All Music Guide