Chris first came to the public eye as the guitar player and songwriter for seminal Canadian new wave band Blue Peter, who were the forefront of the Toronto post-punk scene. The band shared stages with The Police, Simple Minds, Blondie, The Jam, and The Boomtown Rats, and their song ‘Don’t Walk Past’ continues to garner airplay.
As a guitarist, Chris Wardman has played live with and recorded with many artists, such as Art Bergmann, Breeding Ground, Chalk Circle, Emm Gryner, Ensign Broderick, Leslie Spit Tree-o, Meryn Cadell, and Rusty. He’s also contributed to songwriting for artists such as David Gogo and Platinum Blonde.
His production credits include The Watchmen ‘McLaren Furnace Room’ (Gold), Randy Bachman ‘Any Road’, Emm Gryner ‘Girl Versions’ (Juno nomination Best Pop Album), Chalk Circle ‘Mending Wall’ (Platinum, Juno nomination Best Producer) and ‘The Great Lake’ EP, Sons of Freedom ‘Gump’, tracks on Big Wreck ‘In Loving Memory Of’ (Platinum), and the mix for Rascalz ‘Northern Touch’.
As a staff producer at Capitol Records, Chris Wardman also worked with artists The Tragically Hip, 13 Engines, and National Velvet, and as A&R Manager at BMG Music he helped develop artists and was involved in recordings for Jacksoul, Crash Test Dummies, and Bloody Chicletts.