Early life

Mitchell attended St. Clair Secondary School in Sarnia.

During the 1970s, Mitchell began playing with local bands in Sarnia. After going through a few name changes with essentially the same band, Mitchell and "Zooom" headed for Toronto, Ontario. Zooom eventually dissolved, with Mitchell travelling to the Greek islands.

Career

On his return to Canada, he formed the band Max Webster with fellow Sarnia native Pye Dubois. Max Webster toured extensively and built a string of hits. Mitchell's solo career began after his departure from Max Webster, with session work and a succession of solo albums.

A new sound was tested on the club circuit and recorded on his 1982 self-titled mini-album. Songs such as "Chain of Events" featured Mitchell's lead vocal and guitar and Dubois' suburban storytelling, anchored by the visceral drum/bass combination of Paul DeLong and Robert Sinclair Wilson. Peter Fredette added a vocal and guitar counterpoint.

In early 1985, the song "Go For Soda" from the Akimbo Alogo album became an international hit and remains his best known song outside of his native Canada. The song was also featured in the opening scene of the 1985 Miami Vice episode "Buddies". It was popularized in a series of television commercials for the soft drink Mr. Pibb. More recently, that ad campaign was lampooned by American Dad!, in the episode "A.T. the Abusive Terrestrial". The song was later used in the Trailer Park Boys seventh-season episode "We Can't Call People Without Wings Angels So We Call Them Friends". His most successful Canadian album was the follow-up, 1986's Shakin' Like a Human Being, featuring the hits "Alana Loves Me", "Easy to Tame", and the biggest hit of his career, "Patio Lanterns".

In 1992, Mitchell played guitar on the track "Brave and Crazy" from Tom Cochrane's album Mad Mad World. In that same year he also made a cameo appearance (as himself) on the third season finale of the popular Canadian sketch program The Kids in the Hall.

2004 to present

From 2004 until August 2015, Mitchell entered the radio broadcasting industry, becoming an afternoon drivetime host on Toronto classic rock radio station Q107 (CILQ-FM).

In 2006, Mitchell provided a guitar solo on the song "Wind It Up" from the Barenaked Ladies' album Barenaked Ladies Are Me.

Mitchell opened for Def Leppard at the Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto on July 16, 2007. His eighth studio album, Ain't Life Amazing, was released on July 17, 2007.

The Kim Mitchell Band features his musical partner of 26 years, Peter Fredette, on bass and vocals (originally 2nd guitar and keyboards), with Chris Sutherland on drums and vocals, and Ray Coburn on keyboards.

In January 2016, Mitchell suffered a heart attack, for which he underwent emergency surgery.

In April 2016, Tiles released Pretending 2 Run, which featured Mitchell on lead guitar on the track "Shelter In Place".

Discography

Max Webster

Year	Title	Chart positions	Certifications
		CAN	CAN
1976	Max Webster	32	Gold
1977	High Class in Borrowed Shoes	44	Gold
1978	Mutiny Up My Sleeve	53	Gold
1979	A Million Vacations	13	Platinum
1979	Live Magnetic Air	17	Gold
1980	Universal Juveniles	41	Gold
1981	Diamonds Diamonds	47
1989	The Best of Max Webster	-

Solo

Year	Title	Chart positions		Certifications
		CAN	US	CAN
1982	Kim Mitchell	38	-
1984	Akimbo Alogo	23	106	Platinum
1986	Shakin' Like A Human Being	6	-	3x Platinum
1989	Rockland	4	-	2x Platinum
1990	I Am A Wild Party	-	-	Platinum
1992	Aural Fixations	17	-	Gold
1994	Itch	55	-
1995	Greatest Hits	31	-	Platinum
1999	Kimosabe	-	-
2005	Fill Your Head with Rock	-	-
2007	Ain't Life Amazing	-	-

Singles

w/ Max Webster

Year	Song
1979	"Let Go the Line"	39	-
1979	"A Million Vacations"	80	-
1980	"Paradise Skies"	47	43
1980	"Check"	18	-
1980	"Blue River Liquor Shine"	98	-

Canada (solo)

Year	Song
1984	"Go For Soda"	22	86	12
1984	"All We Are"	81	-	-
1986	"Patio Lanterns"	12	-	36
1986	"Alana Loves Me"	31	-	-
1987	"Easy to Tame"	32	-	-
1987	"In Your Arms"	97	-	-
1989	"Rock and Roll Duty"	7	-	-
1989	"Rockland Wonderland"	10	-	-
1990	"Expedition Sailor"	20	-	-
1990	"Lost Lovers Found"	78	-	-
1990	"All We Are (Live)"	73	-	-
1990	"I Am A Wild Party (Live)"	43	-	-
1992	"Find the Will"	28	-	-
1992	"America"	3	-	-
1992	"Pure as Gold"	21	-	-
1993	"Some Folks"	16	-	-
1994	"Acrimony"	40	-	-
1994	"Wonder Where and Why"	63	-	-
1995	"The U.S. of Ache"	78	-	-
1995	"Rainbow"	21	-	-
1995	"No More Walking Away"	35	-	-

Guest singles

Year	Title	Artist	Album
2006	"Young at Heart"	Charlie Major	Shadows and Light

Juno Awards

Mitchell has been awarded several Juno Awards for his work:

• 1983 - Most Promising Male Vocalist of the Year
• 1987 - Album of the Year: Shakin' Like A Human Being
• 1990 - Male Vocalist of the Year

Television appearances

• Mitchell made a cameo appearance on the show Twitch City.
• In 2005, Mitchell played a taxi driver on the sixth episode of the third season of Puppets Who Kill, titled "Buttons and the Paternity Suit".
• On the sixth episode of the seventh season of the Canadian sitcom Trailer Park Boys, Ricky (Robb Wells) plays one of Mitchell's songs, "Go For Soda", on 8 track, while exclaiming "Bubbles, while you rock a piss, I'll rock some Mitchell." Mitchell also appeared on the Canadian sitcom The Kids in the Hall during a sketch where he teaches senior citizens how to tune the electric guitar.

Family

Kim Mitchell has two sons, Josh and Jesse. Jesse works for his father as a drum tech and road manager.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]