Mashmakhan

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Mashmakhan was a Canadian rock band formed in 1969 in L'Île-Perrot, Quebec. They are best known for their 1970 hit “As the Years Go By,” which reached No. 1 in Canada, made the US Top 40, and was very popular in Japan. The group grew from Montreal musicians who had played together for years. The core members were Pierre Sénécal, Brian Edwards, Rayburn Blake, and Jerry Mercer; Edwards briefly quit early on but then rejoined.

Discovered by producer Bob Hahn, they were signed to Columbia Records in Toronto and renamed Mashmakhan to sound modern. Sénécal wrote “As the Years Go By,” which appeared on their debut album in an edited form. The single sold about 100,000 copies in Canada, around 400,000 in the United States, and did well in Japan, earning a gold record. They followed with two more singles, “Gladwin” and “Days When We Are Free.” Mashmakhan also performed at Festival Express in 1970, with some of their performances later featured in the Festival Express film and DVD.

In 1971 they contributed to the National Film Board score for Epilogue/Fièvre, and Rayburn Blake’s song “Couldn’t Find the Sun” appeared on their 1971 album The Family, which also found some success in Japan. The band did not achieve much domestic chart success and broke up soon after. Blake joined the Lisa Hartt Band, and Mercer joined April Wine. The group was briefly revived in the late 1970s by Aquarius Records with members including Brian Greenway and Steve Lang. Interest in Mashmakhan grew again after the 2003 release of Festival Express, which featured color footage of the band in 1970. Brian Edwards died in 2016 at age 72.