The Rainvilles were Dot and Morris Rainville, a married country music duo who started performing during the late '50's. Originally based out of Sudbury, Ontario, they moved to Niagara Falls in 1964 and continued to perform in nightclubs and cocktail lounges while Morris completed a degree in musical instruction. In 1967, they entered Sound Canada Studios in Toronto, and one of the singles from that session - "I Got What I Wanted," by Phil Gariepy - hit #1 on the country charts in Canada. This led to cross-country tours and television appearances, and in 1971 they recorded a self-titled LP, which was followed the next year by the album pictured above, Polar Bear Express (And Other Songs). "Polar Bear Express" was a hit, and was also used for a few year afterwards in ads for the train it was named after.

If you'd like to learn more about The Rainvilles, you should check out this superb site, which has a wealth of information (including interviews with Morris and Dot), and Morris has a site of his own that fills in a lot of blanks. The album's liner notes also give a sense of the series of events that led to its recording:

"Chimo is a giant polar bear that greets you at the highway entrance to Cochrane, Ontario, the friendliest, most exciting town in the north. Here begins the run of the Ontario Northland Railway's famed "Polar Bear Express"...The Rainvilles first encountered our giant polar bear while entertaining in Cochrane at the Spinning Wheel two years ago. "We were amazed at the down-to-earth friendliness of the townspeople, the beauty of the lakes and parks, the recreation facilities, the museum and the plywood mill, not to mention the modern shopping areas", says Dottie...Dot and Morris are an exceptionally talented duo on the cocktail lounge circuit, performing brilliantly on stage and being really friendly people off stage. They have received numerous awards for their recordings and many have been on the charts. At present they are travelling throughout Canada doing television, radio and stage shows. "We are a happy couple", say The Rainvilles, "but we're always happiest when we can return to the north." And Cochrane will always welcome them back. Dot and Morris have become more than just welcome visitors who happen to be gifted entertainers. The Cochrane Board of Trade is happy to acknowledge their contribution to the fame and fortune of this town and its area of Northeastern Ontario. It takes this opportunity of wishing them well with this great album."

The back of the record also notes that it was distributed by London Records of Canada. "Polar Bear Express" is not only the best song on the album, but one of my favourite all-time finds; it's got the classic country music boom-chicka-boom rhythm, that big-as-all-outdoors sound, and just a hint of girl-group pop in the vocal harmonies. "Hoping" is a lush cryin'-in-your-beer-style ballad about lost love. "At The Wheel" is a good-natured paen to the aforementioned Spinning Wheel restaurant, and Cochrane in general. And "I Saw The Light" is a version of the oft-covered Hank Williams classic.

Polar Bear Express
Hoping
At The Wheel
I Saw The Light