The roots to one of Canada's most eclectic rock acts in the Seventies was formed in Sarnia, Ontario in 1973. Kim Mitchell left his group Zoom and lured high school buddy Terry Watkinson from The Rock Show of The Yeomen. They soon recruited Mike Tilka on bass (ex of Family at Mac's) and Paul Kersey on drums. Many theories abound about the origin of the band's name. Some have reported that it came from a random flip in the phone book, naming the band after a snow shoe and dog food, to a friend of Mitchell's named Max living on Webster Drive. But Mitchell himself has said it originated from Tilka's old band Family At Mac's, who did a song called "Webster." The band was looking for a name similar to Jethro Tull, a real name that no one in the band had. Before long they'd gained a reputation for their bizarre on-stage atire and magnetic live presence doing everything from high schools to cheap clubs around the southern end of Ontario.

In '76 they moved to Toronto where they met up with a multi-lingual poet/lyricist and registered psychologist named Pye Dubois. Fuelled by Dubois' lyrics which sometimes crossed the line of being abstract, critics often remarked his writing was simply words jumbled together that sometimes happened to rhyme. But together he would form a collaberation with the group that would span their five studio albums.

They were soon noticed by Anthem Records and signed to a deal, releasing their self-titled debut later that year. From the opening riffs of "Hangover" to the clever bridges and hooks in "Here Among The Cats" to the soothing melodies of "Blowing The Blues Away", it was quickly established that Max Webster was a unique Canadian treasure, versatile and tight, possibly not equalled in under-rated sheer musical brilliance since.

They struck a distribution deal with Merucry in 1977 and released HIGH CLASS IN BORROWED SHOES with new drummer Gary McCracken later that year. The album would also feature the group's first time working with producer Terry Brown, most noted for his work with Rush and Klaatu. The record featured the ballad "Diamonds Diamonds" and "Gravity", as well "America's Veins" and the title track. Touring in support of the record helped spread word of Mitchell's bizarre on-stage antics and appearance and helped build the group's popularity.

MUTINY UP MY SLEEVE hit the stores a year later and contained "The Party", "Waterline" and "Lip Service", all catchy beat driven, but most complex underneath. More sold out shows caused word of mouth, which resulted in a chain effect. Tours extended and by 1979's A MILLION VACATIONS Max Webster was one of the hottest tickets in town. With new bassist David Myles the record rode on the charts on the backs of classics like "Paradise Skies", "Night Flights", title-track and "Let Go The Line", featuring Watkinson on vocals.

The band released LIVE MAGNETIC AIR early the next year and showcased their on-stage presence. The live version of "Paradise Skies" quickly climbed the charts. But by this time however the constant touring and problems with management were beginning to cause cracks in the group's foundations.

Watkinson and Myles left the group before the recording of UNIVERAL JUVENILES later that year, which featured new keyboardist Greg Chad and Mike Gingrich on bass. With new producer Jack Richardson (The Guess Who, White Wolf, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Poco, etc etc ....)at the helm, the disc is considered by many to be one of the group's finest and became their fifth straight gold or better. Fuelled by "Check" and "Blue River Liquor Shine", it also contained "Chalkers" and the duet with Rush, "Battle Scar". Working with Rush also led Dubois to co-writing one of their biggest hits in "Tom Sawyer" on the MOVING PICTURES album.

Though Mitchell remains good friends with Rush to this day, it was partially Anthem's treatment of the band as Rush's "little brother-not to be taken too seriously" that led to Max's demise. Ironically it was while touring with Rush in 1981 that Mitchell told his bandmates before a show one night it would be his last time on stage as part of Max Webster. Though he was quoted as simply needing a vacation more than anything in retrospect, Mitchell would enjoy more commercial success as a solo artist than Max Webster ever did. Following the subsequent tour McCracken joined Wrabit for their '82 release TRACKS.

Anthem released DIAMONDS DIAMONDS in 1982, a collection of some of the group's hits as well as two new tracks, "Hot Spots" and "Overnight Sensation", but featured nothing from UNIVERSAL JUVENILES. The mid 80's saw Watkinson moonlight with Klaatu, as did McCracken for their touring schedule. Though radio had all but forgotten Max Webster, their fans remained loyal and the label big-wigs again tried to capitalize on the group's status by releasing another compilation in 1989. More cheesy marketing ploys included putting "Kids In Action", taken from Mitchell's debut ep on the record and calling the record BEST OF MAX WEBSTER FEATURING KIM MITCHELL.

Terry Watkinson re-surfaced in 1995 with TERATOLOGY. Now without a solo deal, Mitchell got together with him and McCracken later that year, resulting in a full-fledged Max Webster reunion with Peter Fredette on bass, a mainstay in Mitchell's solo career. Trips to the studios resulted in the reworking of "Suicide Wings" from Watkinson's solo lp, but none of these were ever released and the band drifted apart again to do their own thing. , although a new record deal was said to be in the works at the turn of the century, but nothing materialized of it. Mitchell meanwhile returned solo and released ITCH in 1999 and a couple others since then. He also began hosting TV's 'where are they now' styled "Undiscovered Countries - Been There Done That" in 2003 for that season.

With notes from Kim Mitchell