A little about us:

 

James Dolden is the founder of the band, Hard To Handle.

It all started in 1989 when James and Eric Hachey decided to play together as a duo at the Rosetown Inn in Brampton Ontario. This soon led to the joining of Paul Evans on drums and Bill Smith on Bass. Upon creating a following in and around the Toronto area, the newely formed band was encouraged to travel.

On their first northern Ontario tour, they were introduced to Oben Parker, an accomplished bass player with dynamic volcals, at the Maple Leaf Hotel. Oben would  become the fourth and final member, replacing Bill Smith who had decided to leave the band and return to Toronto. Thus completing their unique 'Hard to Handle' sound and  led the boys to tour extensively all throughout western Canada entertaining fans in all the major cities. Over the next 5 years, as members came and went, James continued to belt out tunes with some of the best musicians the west had to offer.

 

​By the end of 1996 with James as the only original remaining member, the Band stopped touring and he returned home to Ontario  to rejoin his families and resume domestic life.

 

In the fall of 1997, James' passion for music resurfaced with a newer version of The Hard to Handle band consisting of Jon Piper on bass, Kerry Bullis on lead guitar, John 'JR' Robertson on drums, with James' in his original place as lead vocalist and rhythm guitar. Hard to Handle continued to play in and around the Kawartha Lakes region for the next few years until once again they stopped performing  to pursue individual interests.  

 

In 2012, Jon and James decided restart the band. The newest version includes three of the original members from 1997.  James, Jon, and JR with the additions of Rick Locke and Scott Mcdowell; and so the Hard to Handle sound lives on.

 

Players and changes have come and gone throughout the years but the one thing that has never changed is that classic Hard To Handle sound.

James Dolden