Stomping Tom Connors died yesterday, followed today by radio legend Max Ferguson. Like so many Canadian institutions, we got to know country legend Stomping Tom through CBC radio.
We can sing along to the hockey song, and know what the boys and girls are up to on a Sudbury Saturday night. This morning the radio played a song I had never heard before: "Fire in the mine." It was about a fire in the mine in the Northern Ontario town Timmins, back in 1964.
We have a family connection to Timmins. Our co-grandparents hail from there, so I gave them a call to ask if they knew their home town had been sung about on radio.
Guess what: our co-gramps had been working in that mine at the time, though not underground. It turns out Stomping Tom had started his career as a musician in Timmins.
My grandson has a grandfather who once had a beer with Stomping Tom Connors. Wow. A plugged-into-Canada moment. I love it.
P.S. My new blogger buddy Tossing Pebbles did a great post on Stomping Tom, complete with videos. Go see.
http://philiprobinson.blogspot.ca/2013/03/stompin-tom-connors-last-night-unique.html#links
And more on this much-loved Canadian:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/03/07/stompin-tom-connors-and-the-places-he-put-in-songs/
We can sing along to the hockey song, and know what the boys and girls are up to on a Sudbury Saturday night. This morning the radio played a song I had never heard before: "Fire in the mine." It was about a fire in the mine in the Northern Ontario town Timmins, back in 1964.
We have a family connection to Timmins. Our co-grandparents hail from there, so I gave them a call to ask if they knew their home town had been sung about on radio.
Guess what: our co-gramps had been working in that mine at the time, though not underground. It turns out Stomping Tom had started his career as a musician in Timmins.
My grandson has a grandfather who once had a beer with Stomping Tom Connors. Wow. A plugged-into-Canada moment. I love it.
P.S. My new blogger buddy Tossing Pebbles did a great post on Stomping Tom, complete with videos. Go see.
http://philiprobinson.blogspot.ca/2013/03/stompin-tom-connors-last-night-unique.html#links
And more on this much-loved Canadian:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2013/03/07/stompin-tom-connors-and-the-places-he-put-in-songs/
I believe the fire in 1964 was in the MacIntre Mine. There was one in the 20's in the Hollinger Mine. After more than a 100 years and they are still building new Gold Mines in the Timmins and Kirkland Lake area. It seems there is still lots of gold in them there hills. Unfortunately, is is not is the rivers or I might be tempted to pan for gold in my river, The Temagami River. I remember listening to "Rawhide", Max Ferguson when I was young. I was unaware that he was still alive up till yesterday. He had a great voice.
ReplyDeleteHave you panned in the past? People go panning for gold a valley over from here.. I have never understood gold fever. I mean, it is pretty stuff and it doesn't rust and all that, but it is too soft to make decent tools with and when all is said and done you can't eat it. I remember Max Ferguson from some afternoon program. We've been here a long time now.
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