Wes Dakus

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Canadian musician

title: "Wes Dakus" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1938-births", "2013-deaths", "canadian-rock-bass-guitarists", "singers-from-alberta", "people-from-the-county-of-minburn-no.-27", "canadian-rockabilly-musicians", "20th-century-canadian-guitarists"] description: "Canadian musician" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Dakus" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian musician ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist "]

Field	Value
name	Wes Dakus
background	solo_singer
birth_name	Wesley Dakus
birth_date	April 2, 1938
death_date	August 18, 2013 (age 75)
instrument	vocals, guitar
genre	rock 'n' roll
occupation	Singer, songwriter
years_active	1958–68
label	Quality Records (Canada), Gallio (US), Capitol Records (Canada), United Artists (US), Kapp (US)
past_member_of	Buddy Knox
The Fireballs
The Nomads
Barry Allen
Dundeeville Players
::

Wesley "Wes" Dakus (April 2, 1938 – August 18, 2013) was a Canadian musician and the leader of Wes Dakus and the Rebels, Canada's most popular instrumental group of the 1960s.

Wes Dakus and the Rebels

Dakus was born in Mannville, Alberta, and in 1958 formed Wes Dakus and the Club 93 Rebels. Shortening to simply "The Rebels", band members included Barry Allen, Stu Mitchell, Gerry Dere, Dennis Planidin (aka Dennis Paul), Bob Clarke, and Maurice Marshall. In 1960, they were signed with Quality Records, and released their first album in the same year titled El Ringo. The group began recording with Norman Petty in his Clovis, New Mexico studio in early 1963, resulting in 10 singles for Capitol Canada and 2 LPs. A brief trip through California had them recording 2 tracks for the Gallio label "Surfs U Rite / Dog Food" released in 1963.

In 1965 The Wes Dakus Album – With The Rebels was released and helped the band create several singles. In 1967 their album was issued on KAPP as "Wes Dakus's Rebels". In Canada, the album was split into singles. RPM voted the band "Top Instrumental Group" in 1964 and 1965. The group disbanded in the summer of 1967. The 1968 single "New Sound Of Wes Dakus" had no band involvement whatsoever and was a group of session musicians from Gary Paxton Studios who had recorded demos. Wes licensed two instrumental tracks from his Paxton sessions to complete his Capitol contract.

Sundown Recorders and Vera Cruz Records

In 1972, Dakus opened a recording studio called Sundown Recorders in Edmonton, Alberta. The studio existed from 1972 to 1987, after which many of its audio tapes were donated to the Provincial Archives of Alberta. Artists who recorded there included Hoyt Axton, One Horse Blue, Bobby Curtola, Gary Fjellgaard, and Fosterchild. During the 1978–1982 period, Dakus also owned Vera Cruz Records, releasing albums by One Horse Blue, Fosterchild, Bryan Fustukian, Hoyt Axton, and Don Everly, among others.

Later career

Dakus still dabbled with music projects while residing in British Columbia. His last public appearance was at the Alberta Rock Reunion held in Edmonton in October 2006. CDs of his 1960s output have been released on the Super Oldies label, with more unissued material to be released in the future.

Dakus suffered from health complications after a stroke in 2012, and died on August 18, 2013, in Vancouver from a cancerous brain tumor that had spread quickly.

Discography

Singles

::data[format=table] | Year | Artist Credit | Title | Peak chart position | CAN | "Pink Canary" | "Taboo" | "El Ringo" | "Cavalier Twist" | "Dog Food" | "Side Winder" | "Las Vegas Scene" | "Hobo" | "She Ain't No Angel" | "Come On Down" | "The Hoochi Coochi Coo" | "(We've Got A) Groovey Thing Going" | "Mama's Boy" | "Shotgun" | "Come On In" | "Casting My Spell" | "Organized" | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 1960 | The Club 93 Rebels | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wes Dakus & The Club 93 Rebels | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1962 | Wes Dakus & The Rebels | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1963 | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1964 | Wes Dakus | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 23 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1965 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1966 | 77 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1967 | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 54 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Wes Dakus & The Rebels | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1968 | Wes Dakus' Rebels | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The New Sound of Wes Dakus | — | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

Albums

1965
- The Wes Dakus Album – With The Rebels (Capitol)
1967
- Wes Dakus & The Rebels (Kapp) 2006
- Wes Dakus & The Rebels – Volume 1 (Super Oldies)
2007
- Wes Dakus & The Rebels – Volume 2 (Super Oldies)
2012
- Wes Dakus & The Rebels – Volume 3 (Super Oldies)

References

"Artist: Dakus, Wes". Canoe – Jam.
link. (October 29, 2013 . Retrieved June 12, 2012.)
[https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/list.aspx?OCRText=dakus&ChartEn=Top+Singles& Canada Top Singles peaks] RPM magazine

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