Carl Dixon

Carl hails from Northern Ontario, (The Soo), Sault Ste. Marie - far from the centre of the musical universe. Listening to ’60s and '70s rock (The Guess Who, The Who, Jethro Tull, Grand Funk, CCR, Humble Pie and many more), Carl knew he wanted to be more than a fan - he wanted to live inside that music. His powerful vocals, energy and sheer determination have landed him in three iconic Canadian bands: CONEY HATCH (1981-present), APRIL WINE (four years) and THE GUESS WHO (8 years). A CBC radio description of Carl: “He remains one of Canada’s stellar rock voices.”

Fresh out of school, Carl was accepted for enrolment by Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) in California, but declined to attend; instead, he focused on performing live. A move to Montreal to play in a constantly touring bar band, Firefly, helped Carl prepare for the big step that followed…Coney Hatch. Carl came to prominence after answering an ad in Toronto’s classified ads, joining Andy, Steve and Dave to rise in the Canadian 80s rock scene quickly. Featured on MTV and opening for the likes of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden’s North American tours. Their debut, self-titled album, produced by Kim Mitchell, went gold, with eight of the ten songs co-written or written by Carl. Outa Hand and Friction followed in ’83 and ‘85, with Carl making his singing, playing and songwriting contributions central to the band’s sound.

When Carl left Coney Hatch, he found a new career as a staff songwriter for Universal. Based in NYC and LA, Carl co-wrote with Brett Walker for Jimi Jamieson, “Taste of Love,” featured on Baywatch and Jersey Girl. Carl has since penned songs for feature films and television series, including Dawson’s Creek, Degrassi, Saddle Club, Tornado Hunters and more.

Carl joined April Wine on tour from 2001 to 2004 (appearing on the 2003 release April Wine Greatest Hits Live). He also opened for April Wine, playing solo acoustic - paving the way for Carl’s solo career. Carl accepted an offer to tour as a singer for the Guess Who, a role he held for 8 years. He performed hundreds of shows mainly in the USA. In 2008, life nearly ended. Carl was broken to pieces in a horrific car accident in rural Australia. While Carl was comatose with 52 injuries, band brother Andy Curran spoke to him and said, “ You gotta live, the Hatch still has more rockin’ to do”. When Carl emerged from the coma, he remembered Andy’s call. They both kept their word. Carl’s determination to return to full-time music pushed him through years of recovery. He now sports a few titanium implants and a glass eye. Never one to sit still while in recovery, Carl became an inspirational speaker and an author. His autobiography “Strange Way to Live” was published in 2015.

The combination of Carl’s resolve and the goodwill of Andy, Dave and Steve led to new Hatch music, the 2013 release Coney Hatch: FOUR, containing some of the group’s finest material.

Along the way, Carl has released seven solo albums, most recently UNBROKEN (2020). Carl’s opened for Frampton, Heart, Grand Funk, Hootie and The Blowfish, Styx, Rik Emmitt and many more in a journeyman career. According to Andy, "Carl could sing the phone book and make it sound good". Carl plays across Canada and the USA solo, sometimes with CONEY HATCH, as an acoustic duo with Hatch band-mate Sean Kelly in NORTHERN STRUM and in his five-piece band WILD NORTH ROCK.

A full-time musician since 1981, Carl says, "This is all he is trained to do ". He’s grateful for all of it, especially for the fateful day his kindred spirit, Helen, came to town.