Thrift Store Find: Arc Records' The Best Of Frank's Bandstand - by Keltie Harding!

During thrift store shopping one day I came across 'Do You "Wanna" Dance - The Best Of Frank's Bandstand".  I immediately snapped it up.  I was familliar with "Frank's Bandstand" as being the Halifax segment of CBC-TV's daily "Music Hop" series in the mid 1960's.  Plus I noticed that The Brunswick Playboys were also on this album, as well as The Offbeats.  I figured "for a quarter, why not?!!" It was in pretty rough shape, but still took a chance.

 

I also recognized The Offbeats from my earlier post about Arc Records and the mysterious Monkees cover album "A Little Bit Me".  And I figured this was another one of those Arc "tribute" albums.   While this LP does have its share of cover versions, there was also some very good original material there as well.



Patricia-Anne McKinnon

All the artists on this album were featured on  the "Frank's Bandstand" TV show and many of them were the cast regulars, like Patricia McKinnon (younger sister to Catherine McKinnon), Karen Oxley and the aforementioned Offbeats were the house band.  Patricia & Karen were also cast members on Singalong Jubilee, as was Brian Ahearn (of the Offbeats.)  Some of the other artists were regional acts that achieved some exposure.  The Axemen were from Halifax, NS and The Brunswick Playboys were from Moncton, NB.  The BP's released a couple of singles on Arc and a full length LP on Excellent Records. Patricia McKinnon also released some solo singles on Arc, credited as "Patricia-Anne"



The BP's 1966 Album "Looking In On The Brunswick Playboys"

The "Frank" in Frank's Bandstand was Halifax TV and radio personality Frank Cameron.  As a kid in the early 80's, I remember listening to Frank host his weekly CBC Halifax radio show called "Rock, Rhythm & Blues", where he played just that.  Lots of 50's and 60's rock do-wop, rhythm & blues.  I got turned on to a lot of classic artists through that radio show.

(Here is a clip of the Bandstand show, from YouTube.  Its a wonder some of this footage still exists.)

At first I thought the recording quality of the record would have been kind of poor, but I was surprised the quality of the mono recording is quite good.   I have this pre-concieved notion that recordings from Arc were lousy.  But this record is proving me wrong.  Sure, Arc may have been a dubious budget label, but they DID showcase a lot of Canadian acts.  What was unique about Arc that, for an independent company, they had their own recording studio (Bay Studio in Toronto) as well as thier own pressing plant. (Back-tracking a little, the sound quality of the Arc "A Little Bit Me" Monkees LP is very good as well.  So obviously, they did put out quality product.)  The actual record itself is quite heavy.  It almost seems like its 150 grams.  I don't have a scale to measure it out, but the pressing certainly isn't flimsy.  I only wish the record was not all beat up and scratched to s**t.  (I made a vinyl rip of this record, and after digital clean-up, it actually turned out very well.  I am surprised.)

 

The making of this album seemed like a "family" affair, employing the technical staff of the TV show.  Its unclear who exactly "produced" this album.  Brian Ahearn (Offbeats guitarist & later a very successful record producer and Emmylou Harris' husband)  was the show's musical director, and also a staff producer with Arc.   While Manny Pittson was the show's TV producer, he may have produced the sessions for the album.  The engineer was CBC engineer Marty Raine and was assisted by (CBC technical engineers) Don Jackson & Bob Theakston.  Not much else is known about the recording, but it was more than likely cut directly to mono & recorded in a facility in Halifax, NS, maybe even a CBC studio.  According to Ken Tobias (in the book "Remembering Singalong Jubilee") Ahearn was "the first guy to do sound-on-sound in Halifax.  Brian was doing sound layering on those 2-track machines, like the Beatles." Even the music for the TV show was pre-recorded and then lip-synched (or with live vocals) on camera.  (I highly doubt that Arc would have paid for the artists to come to Toronto to record in the company's Bay Sound studio.)


There are a few originals on this album nestled alongside the cover versions.  "I'm A Lucky Guy" by The Axemen was an original, according to Bruce MacFarlaine of The Axemen (via a YouTube comment). "An orignal tune from our high school band from about 1965 which we did on Frank's Bandstand..." he wrote.   "What Can I Do" by Roger Gray is also an original, penned by Gray himself. According to the LP liner notes, it was this song that won him a song-writing competition that resulted in a spot on the Bandstand. Another original was "Too Blind To See" by The Brunswick Playboys.  This track was initially issued by Arc on a single (A-1084) and written by Gerald Holley.  (The single has the credit of "Arc Productions in Assoc. With M. Pittson.")  The other tracks reflect the hits of the day such as the Jagger/Richards penned "As Tears Go By" (Marianne Faithful) and Dusty Springfield's smash "I Only Want To Be With You".  "Do You Wanna Dance" was also a hit for The Beach Boys at the time and on this LP, is sung by the entire cast of the show.  I tried to dig up some information on The Raindrops but the only thing I could find that there was a NYC band called The Raindrop.  A real pleasant surprise was the Offbeats' rendition of the jazz smoker "Swingin' Shepherd Blues", which is transformed into a rockin' stomp with a cool sax lead.

 

This LP is a taste of the Canadian (and Halifax) pop music scene in the days before CanCon and "American Woman".  It's also a gentle reminder of a much more innocent and simpler time, when TV and radio brought the country together.  If I ever come across another copy in better shape, the vinyl rip I made of this will be upgraded. Now I think I'm going to seek out some of the "Singalong Jubilee" albums as well. 

For the Records - documentary review!

I spend many nights on YouTube. I have the vinyl bug so bad that "vinyl" is the only word I will search most times just to see what comes up. There are many films/documentaries on these magical black discs and this one, in particular, grabbed my attention tonight so I figured I would share with my readers.

For The Records 

“Broadway Al” Trommers met "Bleecker Bob" Plotnik in the late 1950’s working together at a record store in New York City. With experience and passion in common, the friends decided to open their very own record store in 1967 naming it Bleecker Bob’s Records. Unfortunately, Broadway Al and Bleecker Bob’s friendship did not last and they parted ways, but Bleecker Bob’s Records went on to live for decades.

For the Records is a raw amateur documentary film by Hazel Sheffield and Emily Judem that was made for Capital, an online news site based in New York City. It's a great film telling the story of a once successful business and its current demise.

We are given a glimpse of what Bleecker Bob’s must have been like in its prime. It was known for having celebrities like Page and Plant digging through the albums, Bob losing his temper and chasing out customers who piss him off, and a steady flow of customers freely spending cash for the vinyl records.

Unfortunately, this quickly turns into a sad story. In 2001, Bob suffered a brain aneurism and has never fully recovered. He now lives in a special care home, unable to work at his record store. He carries the illusion that his store is still booming without him, not comprehending that the store is quickly reaching its end.

This documentary kept me interested throughout:  describing what a vinyl store was like in its prime, introducing me to a colorful store owner and staff with a truly unique personalities, showing how Bob’s loyal staff kept the doors open for as long as they could after he fell ill (even though some have no interest in being there) and showing the love of his girlfriend who has stuck by his side after he became sick. Sure we don’t hear any stories behind our favorite album, or any history on how records came to life, but it’s a nice real life story of what this great independent record store went through in its lifetime.

 

 

 

Mike Bravener - Coverin Hank review!

Mike Bravener is not a stranger to those involved in the local music scene here in Fredericton, NB. You may have seen him doing his uncanny Elvis impersonations at various events, playing guitar and harmonica outside the Boyce Farmers Market, or playing guitar with his son Josh at a local pub. Mike is the definition of passion when it comes to performing live music. He takes his performances very seriously and always looks to get a smile out of the person standing at the back of the venue who seems to be having a bad day. He is not shy, ask him if he knows a certain song next time you see him, but beware… if he knows it he will sing it loud and proud whether he is in the middle of a diner or library, as he should.

 

 

 

 

 

Coverin Hank is Bravener’s newest release which hits the market next Tuesday, April 2^nd. Eleven of the songs are cover versions of his favorite Hank Williams Sr. songs. It is uncanny how he can hit every note just the way Hank did. I’ve bumped into Mike at various times during the recording of this album and he was definitely in the “Hank zone”, living and breathing Hank Williams Sr. throughout the making of this album.

 

It’s a fitting tribute to the legend that has been gone for 60 years now. The album covers the majority of the classics including Kaw Liga, Cold Cold Heart and I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry. My favorite part of this release, however, is Mike’s original recordings.

“My 3 original songs were inspired by Hank and my experiences through 2011 and spring of 2012. They fit with this CD because Hank was an original and wrote what he lived.” – Mike Bravener  

My personal favorite of this album is his original closing track Livin Out The Dream which was written as a reflection. It gives thanks to all of the students and fans that have given him support over the years telling him “Never give up - hang in there – your dreams will come true.” The song is filled with passion, thanking God for everything in his life and is played in the same style that Hank would appreciate.

The album was recorded in Mike’s basement with him doing all of the recording himself as well as playing all of the instruments. He sent the track for mixing and mastering to Brad Perry Comptish Studio. This album sounds really amazing and had I not known it was recorded in his basement, I would have figured it had been recorded in a professional studio. Some of the music is a little raw which really works for these old Hank tunes. As Mike says “sometimes a train rolling down the track hits a little bump and sway and sometimes life isn’t perfect so why should music be?” I see this raw sound as a bonus in the recording of this album and wouldn’t want it any other way.

The Coverin Hank official CD release party is next Saturday, March 31^st at Cedar Tree Cafe in Fredericton at 7:50pm. Cover charge is $15 and this includes a copy of the new CD handed to you by Mike himself. If you can’t make it to the release party, you can buy Coverin Hank at The Lighthouse Christian Bookstore in Fredericton or at www.mikebravener.com.

 

 

Two Hours Traffic - Foolish Blood - Review!

Foolish Blood is the fourth full length album for Charlestown’s Two Hour’s Traffic. This album was produced by Darryl Neudorf (The Sadies, The New Pornographers) rather than long-time producer Joel Plaskett. Also, this is also the first album with their new lineup. Original guitar player Alec O’Hanley has left the band allowing Andrew MacDonald to switch from bass to guitar and newcomer Nathan Gill taking over the bass. The remaining members stayed the same with Derek Ellis on Drums and Liam Corcoran on lead vocals and guitar.

 

Foolish Blood got my foot tapping right out the gate. The opening track Magic has a catchy steady drum beat, with a sound so massive that it’s as if it’s being played through a huge sound system in a stadium. This steady beat and heavy sound reminded me of the single Unkind from Sloan in 2011. With this steady beat and some catchy lyrics, I was singing along before I was even through my first listen. The foot tapping did not stop there, leading directly into the same style beat into their song Audrey. Audrey was released last year on their 7” single along with the next track Amour Than Amis so it may be familiar to some.  A very strong trio to start off this album and they never let off the pace throughout. Andrew really had a lot to bring on the guitar; he has some great solo’s throughout. I particularly like the guitar in I don’t want 2 want U, giving it the feel of a classic 50’s pop rock song. Remember on Back to the Future when Marty was playing guitar just before Johnny B. Goode, this is the classic 50’s sound it reminds me of (yes, I compared this album to the styles of Marty McFly, and that’s a compliment in my books).With all this great rhythm and guitar, let’s not forget Liam’s strong vocals. The effects on Liam’s voice give it a really unique pop sound (what is it? a chorus effect?). He sings so clearly and the mix is so clear that I can forgive them for the lack of a lyric insert.

 

 

 

The packaging of this album is nothing special but at the same time it’s not really lacking, just not going above and beyond. There were no inserts but a nice inner sleeve with all the credentials. There is none of that unnecessary shrink wrap, instead they give us the poly sleeve which I always prefer. A big bonus is that they included a digital download card.

 

Overall this is a great catchy pop rock album. This is a great record for those nice sunny days in the spring. My only complaint is that it was over too quickly. I want more!

 

 

 

Bloody Diamonds - 'They've Got Secrets' CD and 'Monsters' 7" review!

It’s such a welcome change having all of these East Coast bands once again releasing these classic sounding heavy rock albums; and many with talented female singers. First, we had Tonella who I reviewed a few weeks back, and just recently I was introduced to a great band from Halifax called Bloody Diamonds.

 

 

Bloody Diamonds were formerly known as Eliza & the Strange and had one album under their belt with this name. They didn’t feel the name fit as they wanted to be known as a band rather than singer with backing band, so they decided to change their name to Bloody Diamonds and re-released their debut album under this new name with new artwork. They called the re-released album They’ve Got Secrets. I just picked up a copy of this album as well as their new 7” single Monsters. This post will be reviewing both.

The original lineup consisted of Sara Elizabeth on vocals and organ backed by Alex Macaskill on guitar, Jake Seaward on bass and Kenny Myers on drums. Somewhere between their original release and their brand new 7” single, Alex was replaced by Ian Bennet who had played guitar on the track They’ve Got Secrets on their initial release. Since this lineup change Ian also left the band along with Kenny. So when all the dust settles we are left with Sara and Jake.

 

 

Some bands have guitar as their strongest instruments, some drums. Bloody Diamonds takes a different approach with (believe it or not) the bass as its driving force. Even stranger than that… It works! This slightly distorted lead bass sound by Jake combined with Sara’s vocals give them a sound that can only be called their own. I've never heard anyone else sing like Sara, being able to hit all the challenging notes and still being able to scream like an 80’s hair metal star when she feels fit.

The album opens up with a heavy distorted bass riff beginning “Lady of the Night” followed by simple drums, a snazzy guitar riff and some sexy distorted vocals. Think The Black Keys meet ‘pre Tragic Kingdom’ No Doubt (did anybody else have that album or was it just me?)

 

 

The next song that jumped out at me was Twisted. There's loads of guitar throughout the album, but not that many actual solos. That seems to have been a conscious choice, because here Macaskill lets one rip that shows he has the talent and ability.

Another notable mention is the track Disease. Sara singing her verses with just the simple drum beat backing her and hitting the chorus backed by the full band gives it a great classic rock sound but just a little heavier.

Now let’s not forget their new single Monsters. It shows their songwriting is improving with time . Sara’s vocals really shine in this single, not being masked with many effects and really letting her voice speak for itself. I have to admit it’s a shame that they lost two of their members as they really sound tight on this new single. Regardless, I have full faith that Bloody Diamonds will prevail with whoever they choose to fill the voids in the band. I posted their new video for Monsters below. That’s right; they even have a great video (actually they have a few and you can find them at www.bloodydiamonds.com).

 

 

Their music is being released on the small indie label Strange Blood Records that just so happens to be owned by the new fabulous duo of Sara Elizabeth and Jake Seaward. This is a totally separate business than Bloody Diamonds. This label deserves credit on its own; having a handful of solid releases, a great website and as far as I’m concerned a great reputation. I’m anxious to see where this label leads. Hopefully I can follow up with an interview regarding the label in a future post.

 

 

The CD is lacking a bit on packaging having just a one page cover and no insert, but this is a new band releasing debut material on a small label. They seemed to put their money where it mattered, into the sound and this album sounds great. Let it be known that regardless of there being only minimal packaging on this album, what was included looks great.

Now sure the CD may have been lacking inserts but boy did they make up packaging with their new 7” single. Thick heavy vinyl wrapped in a standard white sleeve housed in a heavy glossy cardboard picture sleeve. All this set in a 3 mil poly sleeve that’s practically a necessity for most collectors before any of their prized vinyl lands on the shelf (it is in mine). They didn't even cheated on the download card, having it look like a rock and roll credit card. This is a fine package that will be a great addition to anyone's collection.

I am anxious to see what Sara and Jake have up their sleeve next. Currently being the only two members of Bloody Diamonds, they are getting ready to tour as a bluesy duo across the Eastern Provinces and in the meantime find replacements to top up their lineup. Part of me is more interested to hear them as a duo. It will definitely be interesting. I’ll have to wait until they pass through Fredericton April 15^th to see it for myself. Be sure to check them out on this spring tour, they have 29 dates lined up starting in Montreal March 29^th and ending in Halifax May 1^st.

You can pick up their album or new single at their website www.bloodydiamonds.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crash course on The Shocking Blue and Colossus Records!

I recently bought a collection that contained an unfamiliar album that a friend noticed and recommended I try. He gave me a quick crash course of The Shocking Blue mainly pointing out that they wrote and performed the song Love Buzz which Nirvana had covered on their album Bleach (and as a single on Sub Pop).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background on The Shocking Blue:

The Shocking Blue was a band from the Netherlands who were having moderate success in their home country. They quickly achieved worldwide success with their smash hit Venus in 1969. I recognized this song immediately, hearing it many years selling women’s razor blades on television commercials (“I’m your Venus, I’m your fire at you desire”.. come on… admit your guilty pleasure.. you sing along too!).  

The original lineup consisted of Robbie van Leeuwen on guitar, Fred Dewilde singing lead vocals, Klassje Van der Wal on bass and Cornelius Van der Beek on drums. Fred Dewilde only lasted for a short while as lead singer before being replaced by the sexy voice of Mariska Veres. Robbie van Leeuwen handled the majority of their songwriting, writing every song on this particular compilation.

The Shocking Blue are classified as 60’s psychedelic rock or bubble gum pop by most. They remind me of bands such as Jefferson Airplane of another band I previously wrote about called The Yellow Balloon.

After their demise in 1974, The Shocking Blue had only been together for a few reunions and such, but no new material was released. Sadly Mariska died in 2006 from cancer ending any other chances of reunions or recordings with this lineup.

 

Background on the label Colossus:

 

The Shocking Blue originally only released their albums in Europe, but once Venus became a huge hit worldwide it was only a matter of time before they had their music released in North America. This is where this album comes into play. It is a compilation album released in 1970 containing their biggest hits so far. Now it’s not safe to call this their greatest hits as the band stayed together releasing material until 1974.

 

 

This album was released on the Colossus label. I did not recognize this label and after a little research it was apparent why as it was short lived, only open from 1969 to 1971.

Colossus was founded by Jerry Ross who was also owner of the label Heritage Records. His labels were distributed by MGM Records, which struck me as strange since mine had no mention of MGM but instead Quality Records Limited.

 

 

It turns out that Quality Records Limited was a Canadian vinyl record (also cassette and 8-tracks) manufacturing company from Toronto. They would partner with companies such as MGM and handle the Canadian manufacturing and distribution of their albums.

 

 

 

Since this album was manufactured at Quality Records, the label does not quite match what the internet tells me the Colossus label should look like. Colossus labels were yellow with fancy gold and red text saying Colossus on the top. Not mine. It has the same style but no color, just a black and white label. At first I thought it may be a promotional copy but after further research I believe this is just how the Canadian label looked. If anybody else has any other Colossus albums with this white label I would love to hear about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manfred Mann’s Earth Band – The Roaring Silence - rediscovering a classic!

Manfred Mann (his name at birth was Manfred Sepse Lubowitz) is a keyboard player originally from South Africa. In his early twenty’s he left South Africa and moved to the United Kingdom where he began forming and playing in bands beginning with self titled band Manfred Man followed by Manfred Mann Chapter Three and eventually Manfred Mann’s Earth Band in which this album The Roaring Silence falls under.

Manfred Mann’s Earth band released sixteen albums to date. The first six albums had a consistent line up of Mann on Keyboards and vocals, Chris Slade on drums, Colin Pattenden on bass and Mick Rogers on guitars and vocals.

The Roaring Silence was the first of many line-up changes within this band; replacing Mick Rogers with Dave Flett on Guitar and adding lead singer Chris Thompson. This is an incredible lineup for the band with plenty of talent throughout.

This is one of those cases where I associate a band with one song so much that I wrongfully assume that all of their material will sound the same. I thought the Blinded By The Light cover was all they had to offer. Now sure it is a great song and I like it (hell Springsteen wrote it), but I had enough of it and needed to find out what else they had (funny how I talk about this like it’s a brand new album, guess I’m about 40 years behind on catching up to new music). So the purpose of spinning this record through was hoping for more from Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and boy is there ever more.

 

Drummer Chris Slade really has a great groove going on throughout this album. Never settling for the easy beat and making challenging fills sound so easy.

***Fun fact: After his time with Manfred Mann he drummed for AC/DC for a while. He drummed on the Razors Edge album and stuck with the band for five years after until he was booted out to make room for original drummer Phil Rudd***

 

Colin Pattenden finishes off the rhythm section and holds the band tightly together with his great consistent bass playing. Bass can be approached simply or complicated; Colin seems to hit both aspects making the complicated bass lines sound simple.

Dave Flett on guitar absolutely blew me away on this album. He never ceased to amaze me with his countless guitar solos filled with wah-wah effects. This guy deserves loads of credit as a guitar player and I can’t believe I haven’t I heard of him more over the years. He is a highly under rated guitar player. 

Again, this is the first album with Chris Thompson on lead vocals. Funny how I always assumed it was Manfred Mann singing all these years, never knew it was Chris Thompson’s voice stuck in my head singing Blinded by the Light.

Last but not least of course is non-other than Manfred Mann himself, making these crazy sounds squeal out of that keyboard. It’s hard to describe Mann’s playing in a few years, you really need to hear it for yourself, and this is a great album to start with.

A few songs stood out above others to me. Starbird is one with a very cool a cappella type style verse, than breaking into everybody just showing off any talent they have and plenty of talent there is. A little too “prog” for my taste normally, but it works well here.

My favorite on this album is the instrumental written by Mann himself called Waiter, There’s a Yawn in my Ear (hence the cover I guess). This is just an amazing instrumental filled with jazz styles mixed with progressive rock.

This, like most Manfred Mann albums consisted of both original material and cover songs. The most notable cover would of course be Blinded by the Light written and recorded originally by Bruce Springsteen and released on his album Greeting from Asbury Park, N.J.

I’m definitely late in the game starting with Manfred Mann’s Earth Band but that’s how it works with this record collecting hobby I love so much. Discovering these albums from years ago as if they are brand new. Most of the time people feel that it’s only the rare albums that are out there to explore but that’s not true. This, for example, is a pretty common album found in many collections that I just kept passing through. One day I finally figured I should see what all the fuss was about. Obviously, in this case, most people bought the album for Blinded by the Light but it was a pleasant surprise to find that there was so much more here.

Back from the dead turntable - Phillips GA212

What a great score I made today. I picked up this beautiful vintage Phillips GA212 turntable and this table is just like brand new.

 

 

 

The original owner really took pride in his gear and babied this table throughout it's 30+ year life. It even came in the original box with the owners manual. 

 

 

 

This model is a full manual turntable except for it turning off when it gets to the end of a side. The wow factor for this table is the speed controls and stop button. These are not push buttons at all but instead electronic touch controls. Just touch the button and it switches on and off with attractive green lights. Ok I know touch control is nothing fancy in todays world, but this was made in the 70's! This turntable was way ahead of its time.

 

 

 

Apparantly these tables were known to have the power switch to start sticking over time but the switch was replaced on this years ago to solve this issue. he really did a nice clean job of replacing this switch I must say.

 

 

This table is fitted with a stanton L720 cartridge and D71EE stylus. Not sure if this was the stock stylus or not but it really sounds great with this set up.

 

 

The floating suspension of the tonearm and turntable is great as well, you can jump right next to this table and it never skips.

 

This will definetly be my new primary turntable.



 



 

 

 

Why I love Stompin' Tom Connors!

It is now known by most Canadians that we just lost one of Canada’s treasured musicians Stompin’ Tom Connors. So this will not be like most tributes running through his entire history and talking about how much he will be missed (although I love reading them, I just have nothing to add). Instead I just focused on some of my favorite things about Stompin’ Tom Connors.

 

 

 

 

He owned his own record label

 

Tom and his manager Jury Krytiuk created Boot Records in 1971. At first it was just a place to release Stompin’ Tom’s own material. They quickly decided to evolve and started releasing other great Canadian talent under the label including Con Archers, the Emeralds and Dick Nolan.

 

Although these other artists releasing albums under his label, Stompin’ Tom still dominated the number of releases, having 29 albums released in the 1970’s alone.

In later years, Boot Records started a budget label called Cynda which re-released a lot of the albums originally recorded on Boot.

 

He returned/refused many awards

Stompin’ Tom had won six Juno awards but later returned them. He felt that the competition was not fair for Canadians as most people who were nominated and winning Juno awards were performing and releasing their material in the United States. Stompin’ Tom did not have a problem with people recording and performing in the States but he didn’t think it was fair for them to be competing with people who released and performed primarily in Canada. He felt people who worked in the States should compete for Grammys and those who worked in Canada should compete for the Juno’s. I totally agree.

In 1993 he was presented with a lifetime achievement award at the East Coast Music Awards. Instead of accepting the award, he asked them to keep it and instead give out the award to the unsung heroes in the East Coast. This turned into an annual award and is called none other than the Stompin’ Tom Award.

 

He had a big heart

This is actually a story known only to a few and happened to my first cousin Danny from Miramichi, NB.

 

Here it is in Dan’s own words:

“My Stompin Tom Connors story in a nutshell....I was 18 - first trip to Toronto - got mugged and lost everything....knew nobody - slept on a park bench - while walking aimlessly the next day, ran into the legend himself.....Stompie! - tell him my story and he takes me to eat where Dick Nolan ("Aunt Marthas Sheep", etc) is playing - buys me lunch and a pitcher of beer which they pass around when it was empty - raised enough money for me to rent a room from a nice Jamaican family (whole other story lol) RIP Stompin Tom!!!!!!!”

“follow-up story.......my dad never ever believed that story but many years later I took Dad to a Stompin Tom concert in Miramichi....got backstage and Stompie remembered and verified my story......a great night again all around.”

 

He was never afraid to speak his mind

A good example of this is when CBC sent numerous requests to Stompin’ Tom to record a TV concert for the network. Stompin’ Tom finally agreed and recorded the concert; however, when he sent it to CBC they refused to air the concert saying that they would be moving away from music specials. Making it even worse CBC then asked Stompin’ Tom to perform a song for the series Hockeyville and/or be interviewed for the series Life and Times.

A classic Stompin’ Tom response followed in an open letter:

“As far as I'm concerned, if the CBC, our own public network, will not reconsider their refusal to air a Stompin' Tom special, they can take their wonderful offer of letting me sing a song as a guest on some other program and shove it” –Stompin’ Tom

 

I have always had space in my record collection for any Stompin’ Tom. His albums get plenty of play every year at my house and always will. Stompin’ Tom was a universal music artist being that he was loved by fans of all genres of music. Whether they are metal heads, punk rockers, or jazz and blues fanatics, more often than not you can still find a Stompin’ Tom album hidden within their collection.