John
Cormier ~ Bass
Dawn
Dickenson ~ Vocals
Ken
Elliott ~Drums
Charlotte
Hodgkins ~ Vocals
Denise
McCann ~ Vocals
Frank
Oschefski ~ Guitar
Gary
Stevens ~ Hammond Organ, Guitar, Lead Vocals
Peter
Vandussen ~ Electric Piano
Frank
Oschefski, Gary Stephens, Charlotte Hodgkins, Dawn Dickenson and
John Cormier
![]() Frank Oschefsk |
![]() Gary Stephens |
![]() John Cormier |
![]() Ken Elliot |
I was a member of Hot Crackers. I happened to google Hot Crackers to see if anything was there and behold, there was our band picture.The girl sitting on the arm of the chair (below) is not Denise McCann. Dennis came into the band long after the above picture was taken. The girl is Charlotte Hodgkins, who was one of the singers (her father was a conductor of the Vancouver Symphony prior to the seventies, I think).
Hot Crackers was a Vancouver based band who performed in clubs such as Alfie's, New Westminster, The Dungeon Cabaret, Port Coquitlam, Oil Can Harry's, Vancouver... The Blue Room, Kamloops, The Showboat Lounge, White Horse, and The Cave Supper Club, Vancouver fronting such bands as John Lee Hooker, Carl Anderson (Jesus Christ Superstar), Playboy's Barbi Benton and Butch Wax and the Glass Pack.
Our style of music included Rock, Funk, Country and a show set in the styles of Maria Muldaur and Dan Hicks. One album was recorded locally with additional help from Tower of Power Brass but the album was never released. The band dissolved in mid-1975 with most members getting involved with other projects. Gary Stephens eventually returned to the USA after many years of playing locally and Frank Oschefski now performs locally under the name of "Just Frets".
John Cormier, February 2011
Here is a photo of Hot Crackers. Denise McCann is sitting on the arm of the chair and the leader of the band is Gary Stevens in the chair. Chandler Keeler (R.I.P.), August 2008