Rusty Ford’s Tribute to Stompin’ Tom

Stompin’ Tom Connors was officially memorialized on Wednesday night in Peterborough, and tributes continue across the country.

On Tuesday in Vancouver, Rusty Ford and Michel Drouin played Tom’s song “The Bridge Came Tumbling Down” at city council.

I asked Rusty what that was like. He said,

“It was a great honour to be asked by Vancouver’s Mayor to mark the passing of a great Canadian, Stompin’ Tom Conners. Perhaps more than any other artist, Tom dedicated his life to telling the story of our country, one community at a time. At Vancouver city hall, I sang a beautifully sad song that Tom wrote about the tragic collapse of the Second Narrows bridge in 1958. Rusty is a huge Stompin’ Tom fan and his simple funny and straight forward song-writing is hugely inspirational.

Thanks Tom – you will be sorely missed.”

Fans camped out and lined up to attend the Peterborough celebration.

Here’s Tom in 1973, accepting one of his six Juno Awards. The annual Canadian music awards are coming up next month, and one would expect his passing to receive significant recognition.

Just one thing, though, before rehearsing the “Hockey Song/Sudbury Saturday Night/Bud the Spud/Tillsonburg/Margo’s Cargo” medley.

In 1978, Stompin’ Tom packed up his Junos and returned them to the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, in protest over nominees who did not live in Canada.

As far as I know, nothing was done to amend the dispute.

One of my favorite Stompin’ Tom moments was when he was excluded from the lineup for Canada’s portion of 2005′s global “Live 8″ benefit concert.

In protest, Ottawa classic rock DJ Jeff Brown began playing Stompin’ Tom songs continuously, including a half hour string of “Big Joe Mufferaw”, until he was yanked off the air.

No More Blues

Daniel Romano with Aaron Goldstein on steel guitar, last night at the sold-out Starlight in Waterloo.

No More Blues

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Tomorrow night, they’re at Massey Hall in Toronto.  And there’s more shows after that in Canada and the US , including SXSW in Austin.

 

 

The Carroll County Accident

I was listening to this the other day.

It came out in 1969. The cover photo is by Les Leverett. Here’s Porter doing the title track.

Not many singers on the first wave of Nudie in Nashville, like Webb Pierce and George Jones, kept wearing embroidered suits beyond the early 60s. Notable exceptions were Wagoner (who also had a popular TV variety show), Hank Snow and some other Opry stalwarts like Little Jimmy Dickens.

ray price 2009

Ray Price, who got a pretty big stink going last week on facebook calling out Blake Shelton’s bonehead tirade on the value and appeal of old time country, abandoned his “Cherokee Cowboy” Nudies long ago but is still the man at 87 when it comes to classic country and western swing. He plays shows fairly often. I sure would like to see him come up around here!

Porter Wagoner and Nudie

Porter Wagoner and Tex Ritter

In the 1980s Porter fell to the depths of uncoolness, losing his record deal and getting a perm.

He and duet partner-turned solo superstar Dolly Parton had fallen out by the time Porter and Dolly came out in 1980. (their pictures on the cover were taken separately)

Meanwhile Ray and friend Willie Nelson did their own duet album in 1980, with Grady Martin on guitar and Buddy Emmons on steel, including Ray’s 1956 hit “Crazy Arms” and Willie’s “Night Life” along with standards like “I Fall To Pieces” and Floyd Tillman’s “This Cold War With You”.

porter wagoner by maria von matthiessen

Porter persevered, got his pompadour back, made up with Dolly, and with Marty Stuart made his last and (arguably) most acclaimed record, 2007′s Wagonmaster.

Wagonmaster and The Carroll County Accident are different kinds of country records. I like them both.

porter wagoner, mel tillis, dolly parton

Someone I know likes to test my country music knowledge by asking, “whatever happened to Mary Ellen Jones?”

come cry with me

Out soon on Normaltown Records, advance single “Middle Child” is already getting played around, like on WXPN 88.5 Philadelphia.

a day in the life of Rusty Ford

Wearing his new suit, Rusty Ford sets out for another day in the life of a country singer.

A diner breakfast heals the night before.

What waitress doesn’t prefer a serenade to a tip.

No such thing as a bad gig for Rusty.

Perfect weather for late afternoon busking.

Contemplating the honky tonk life….

there’s no tears in this beer.

 Rusty’s heading for Nashville next month, so watch out for him down on Lower Broadway.

All photos by Ruby Woods.

Tribute to Patsy

The seventh annual Patsy Cline Birthday Spectacular is coming up on September 6th at Toronto’s Lula Lounge. It is going to be a great show.

Thanks to k.d. lang, Patsy was one of the first country stars I appreciated. In 1988, k.d. got Patsy’s producer Owen Bradley out of retirement for her LP Shadowland, which included “Honky Tonk Angel’s Medley” with Brenda Lee, Kitty Wells and Loretta Lynn, who was Patsy’s good friend.

Patsy’s mother Hilda, an accomplished sewer, made her early western-style outfits. After she got to Nashville, she was encouraged to wear cocktail dresses rather than fringe shirts. Patsy Cline was the first woman to wear pants on the Opry. At the time of her death in March 1963, she had an order in with Nudie for two dresses and a silver lame cape with red satin lining.

The Toronto tribute, organized and hosted by cowgirl Heather Morgan, has singers like Russell deCarle,  Mary Margaret O’Hara, Treasa Levasseur, and Danny Marks, who will attempt to outdo last year’s highly fringed version of “Blue Moon of Kentucky”

Another honky tonk angel, Jean Shepard, whose husband Hawkshaw Hawkins was on the plane with Patsy, did “Seven Lonely Days” in 1969, reaching number 18.

The original version was a number seven for Bonnie Lou in 1953. Patsy’s version never charted.

Jean was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year. She has been performing on the Opry for over 50 years.

Wanda Jackson: You Know I’m No Good

Last Wednesday, I  saw Wanda Jackson, Queen of Rockabilly, play a show in New York’s Central Park.

She was fantastic. It was too dark to get good pictures with my little camera.

It was a stirring moment when she did Amy Winehouse’s You Know I’m No Good.

Wanda Jackson

Donn Reynolds, King of the Yodellers

I just got this picture of Canadian country singer and world champion yodeller Donn Reynolds.

This would have been in the forties. The picture came from Nashville. There’s several sites around with write-ups about Donn. I have his first Arc LP The Blue Canadian Rockies and love his incredible yodelling.

I recently got his other Arc release, Springtime in The Rockies and enjoyed that too. He had several other LPs on other labels, and lots of singles. There’s a comprehensive discography, pictures and bio at this site, including Donn looking cool at the top of Toronto’s CN Tower,

and on the TV show Cross Canada Barn Dance

 

Charlie Louvin, traveling on

Charlie Louvin died today at his home in Wartrace, Tennessee.

In the 50s, Charlie recorded with his brother Ira as The Louvin Brothers, above with Ernest Tubb.

The brothers went solo a couple years before Ira’s death in 1965. Charlie continued playing and recording and said he always missed Ira’s high tenor harmonies. At 81, he released two records in one year: Charlie Louvin Sings Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs and the appropriately named Steps To Heaven, a gospel record which contains several odes to his own mortality including “I Feel Like Traveling On”.

My heavenly home is bright and fair
I feel like traveling on
No pain nor death can enter there
I feel like traveling on.

Charlie and Ira always wore matching outfits, often made by Nudie. They were known for both Christian material and murder ballads, with LPs like Satan Is Real and Tragic Songs of Life. Some of their best-known songs are “There’s A Higher Power”, “I Don’t Believe You’ve Met My Baby”, number one for two weeks in January 1956, and “Cash On the Barrelhead” also from 1956, which was covered by Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris on the 1974 LP Grievous Angel.

Charlie Louvin with a smitten fan at the Americana Music Association Conference in Nashville last September.

Ira and Charlie, George Jones, Ernest Tubb.

The Rhythm Sweethearts

I just got this LP and am really enjoying the songs as well as the great outfits.

The Rhythm Sweethearts were Lorrie Gail, from Moncton, New Brunswick, Patricia Hennessey from Digby, Nova Scotia, Myrtle Gifford from Marmora Ontario, and Bessie Brunette from Pembroke, Ontario.

I’ll get more about them shortly. The liner notes are reprinted here.

Myrtle, Patricia, Lorrie, Bessie