Doug and the Slugs are a Canadian pop music group formed in 1977 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
"[3] After some turnover amongst Slugs in the early months, the lineup stabilized by 1978, and for the entirety of their recording career (1978–1992), Doug and the Slugs consisted of lead vocalist Doug Bennett, guitarists Richard Baker and John Burton, keyboardist Simon Kendall, bassist Steve Bosley, and drummer John "Wally" Watson.
[1] In their early years, Doug and the Slugs had trouble getting club owners to book them due to their name.
[3] Hardly discouraged, the enterprising Bennett forged an underground following of dedicated fans by promoting his own dances at community halls (most notably the Commodore Ballroom) in Vancouver, and giving these dances attention-grabbing names like "Beach Blanket Bungle", "Secret Agent Man", and "The Last Upper".
[3] Their debut 45 single "Too Bad" was issued on Ritdong in February 1980, and became a substantial hit in Vancouver, rising to #2 on local Top 40 station CKLG.
However, the band did not break through internationally, and RCA ended their distribution deal with Ritdong in 1984, after the release of the best-of compilation Ten Big Ones.
Doug and The Slugs' final album, 1992's Tales From Terminal City, came out on their own Tomcat Records label.
After this time, Bennett toured with an ever-rotating cast of new musicians, still billing their act as Doug and the Slugs.
After a gap of several years, the Slugs lineup of the 1980s (Baker, Bosley, Burton, Kendall, and Watson) reunited in 2009 and invited singer Ted Okos to be their new frontman.