Rock band whose alternated between the exceptionally heavy and the very lightweight. The band's roots can be traced back to THE LORDS OF LONDON between 1965 and 1968 featuring Glaswegian bassist Hughie Leggat and drummer Danny Taylor. The latter had formatively started out with D.T. AND THE PHANTOMS. The pairing had also notably been employed as backing musicians for CHUCK BERRY in 1969 for his Toronto 'Rock n' Roll Revival' performance. The Leggat / Taylor duo, teaming up with New York born keyboard player Bob Horne, quit to create NUCLEUS with vocalist Alex Machin, another Glasgow native, and guitarist Paul Naumman, hailing from Frankfurt in Germany. Pre NUCLEUS Machin and Naumman had been part of LEATHER, between 1967 and 1970, then ISLAND, a band including the rhythm section of bassist Ed Clemens and drummer Kim Hunt. NUCLEUS folded after their solitary 1969 album and A FOOT IN COLDWATER was borne during 1972.

A FOOT IN COLD WATER had released domestic self financed releases in Canada, 1972's 'A Foot In Coldwater' and 1973's 'A Second Foot In Colwater' on Daffodil Records, prior to signing to major American label Elektra and recording the 1974 album 'All Around Us', produced by John Anthony at London's Trident Studios. The band's debut 1972 single '(Make Me Do) Anything You Want' was a huge radio hit breaking into the Canadian top 20 in 1972 then making a top 10 return in 1974.

Horne quit in 1976. Following the dissolution of the band after 1977's 'Breaking Through' album, released by Anthem Records, bassist Hughie Leggat founded THUNDER ROAD then joined PRIVATE EYE in 1979 as a guitarist with his brother Gordon. In 1981 Leggat forged a solo band dubbed LEGGAT for 1982's 'Illuminations' album. This album saw Taylor guesting.

Alex Machin turned up in Los Angeles fronting CBS act CHAMPION. Fellow Canucks HELIX covered '(Make Me Do) Anything You Want' on their 1984 'Waking The Razor's Edge' album.

In 1988 Machin, Naumman, Leggat and Taylor reformed A FOOT IN COLDWATER for Canadian dates with STEPPENWOLF. Sebastian Agnello issued the solo album 'While Baby Sleeps' in 1999. A FOOT IN COLDWATER reformed yet again during 2001. 2003 found Machin fronted the re-constituted MOXY.