Meet the Dogs
The Cherry Dogs are a premier hit-making machine out of London, Ontario. Four lead singers, four-part harmonies, and a set list that refuses to sit still — Sum 41 to the Eagles, disco to Queen, and every other song designed to keep you on the dance floor. From big music festivals to private parties, they keep the whole room begging to get into the Dog Pound.
Four members, four lead voices. Between them: major-label records, national tours, festival main stages, and more bar-room Saturday nights than anyone is willing to count. What that experience buys you is simple — a band that reads the room and keeps it moving.
Pick a photo to read the story behind it.
Chris Newman
Lead Vocals & Guitars
Chris is the man out front — singer, songwriter and guitarist, with close to four decades spent leading some of Ontario's busiest bands. He steers a set that runs from 70s classics to whatever's filling floors right now, and he has the range to make all of it sound like it belongs in the same night. If you get home from a Cherry Dogs show with no voice left, Chris is usually the reason.
Career highlights
- Nearly four decades fronting Ontario rock bands
- Singer, songwriter and guitarist
Dave O'Leary
Bass Guitar & Vocals
Forty years in, Dave has put in the hours on both sides of the glass — stage and studio. He signed to a major label early on as a member of the Canadian band Monkey See, which put him on bills with Meat Loaf and The Tragically Hip, and he has toured Canada and the United States steadily ever since. With the Cherry Dogs he holds down the low end and takes his turn at the microphone as one of the band's four lead voices.
Career highlights
- Major-label recording artist with Canadian band Monkey See
- Shared stages with Meat Loaf and The Tragically Hip
- Four decades touring Canada and the United States
Rick Mead
Guitar & Vocals
Rick's playing history reads like a tour through Canadian rock. He has been part of Syre since 1987 — two albums, one of them on A&M, and years of touring across Canada and the States. From 1992 to 1996 he toured and recorded with Helix. He has cut five albums with LA's Platinum Overdose, added studio work to records by My Wicked Twin and Mason, and spent years with Who Made Who, Canada's top AC/DC tribute. These days he is a frequent guest musician and vocalist with other established acts.
Career highlights
- Toured and recorded with Helix (1992–1996)
- Member of Syre since 1987 — two albums, one on A&M Records
- Five albums with LA's Platinum Overdose
- Studio work with My Wicked Twin and Mason
- Years with Who Made Who, Canada's top AC/DC tribute
- Now a frequent guest musician and vocalist with established acts
Steve Thomas
Drums & Vocals
Steve started drumming at eleven, back home in the UK, studying under players like Paul DeLong (Kim Mitchell) and Gary McCracken (Max Webster). He was teaching by sixteen and touring full time by eighteen, and he hasn't stopped since — more than forty years as a professional, with records for RCA and A&M along the way. He keeps the Cherry Dogs honest from behind the kit, and sings from back there too.
Career highlights
- Over 40 years as a professional musician
- RCA and A&M recording artist (Gypsy Rose, Blu Bones)
- Studied with Paul DeLong (Kim Mitchell) and Gary McCracken (Max Webster)
- Touring full time from the age of 18