Bernie LaBarge
A behind-the-scenes guitar hero of Canadian rock, his crisp, melodic playing shaped the sound of countless hits for a generation of artists.
Born 1953 (age 73)·Canadian musician·Birthday: March 11·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bernie LaBarge is the quintessential musician's musician, a fixture in Toronto's studio scene whose guitar work provided the backbone for an era of Canadian pop and rock. Emerging in the 1970s, he balanced a low-profile but demanding session career with his own band, Sheriff, which scored a massive power-ballad hit with 'When I'm With You.' But his true legacy is etched in the recordings of others. In studios like Manta Sound, LaBarge became a first-call guitarist, prized for his reliability, inventive parts, and clean tone. His playing—whether a searing solo, a funky rhythm groove, or a delicate acoustic fill—graced albums by Kim Mitchell, Gowan, the Parachute Club, and many more. He wasn't a flashy star, but a consummate professional whose melodic sensibility and technical precision helped define the polished, radio-ready sound of 80s and 90s Canadian music.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bernie was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bernie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Bernie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and played guitar on Sheriff's 1982 hit 'When I'm With You,' which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1989 after being re-released.
- Was a prolific session guitarist, contributing to hundreds of recordings for major Canadian artists like Kim Mitchell, Gowan, and Dan Hill.
- Released several solo albums showcasing his songwriting and guitar prowess, including 'Bernie LaBarge' (1981) and 'Mystery Walk' (1992).
- Toured extensively as a sideman, providing guitar work for live performances by numerous headline acts.
Did You Know?
He built his own guitar, nicknamed 'The Beast,' which he used on many recording sessions.
Before finding fame with Sheriff, he was a member of the band Fludd.
He is left-handed but plays guitar right-handed.
His session work includes playing the iconic guitar riff on the Parachute Club's hit 'Rise Up.'
“I've played on hundreds of records, but 'When I'm with You' was special.”
