and it was originally released as a single in 1981. Bernie continued to write for himself and others, finally landing a contract with Sony Records to record Barging In. That record earned him that Canadian Juno Award nomination in 1984 for Most Promising Male Vocalist. He admits he was shocked, having “no concept that he was even nominated for a Juno Award.” But after the initial single release in 1981 of “Dream Away,” he didn't have a band to go out and support that hit single, but confesses he had no desire to go out on the road: “I felt that it's a whole other thing on the road. It's hard to write and hard to live your life. The record was a wonderful addition to my expanding career, so I decided to let it speak for itself with radio airplay. I was now thinking of myself as a studio guy who had a record out there but who didn't want to have a solo career and be on the road.” Indeed, in the late 1970s, he had already started doing jingles at Grant Avenue (studio) in Hamilton with Dan Lanois and his brother Bob. Very soon, he says he sang and played—singing as much as he played guitar—on 200 jingles for local companies. He later went on to performing on hundreds of worldwide jingles (Coke, Pepsi, GM, Ford), and countless recording sessions with legendary producer Jack Richardson. LaBarge also managed to squeeze in playing on such high-profile TV series Smith & Smith (1979–85), Party with The Rovers (1983–86), Danger Bay (1985–1989) on CBC, and The Doodlebops. He recalls: “Everything came together in that decade. It was a great time on a great run —I was confident, motivated, and I was not going to stop.” Along the way, one of many high points was playing guitar for the international hit TV show Fraggle Rock (1983–87) created by celebrated animator/puppeteer Jim Henson: “When I passed the audition, I realized then that I was in the big leagues.” 1990s to 2000s He did not want to leave that all behind to go on the road but also found a regular local gig that fitted his busy session and commercial work. Then in the 1990s, he performed with The Irish Rovers, Mind Over Matter, The Danny B Blues Band, Cassandra Vasik, and The Incontinentals. He also became the lead guitarist for The Dexters