Stompin’ Tom Connors is dead. Long live Stompin’ Tom!
The Canadian legend died of natural causes Wednesday night at the age of 77.
The man behind such classic tunes as “The Hockey Song,” “Bud the Spud,” “Tillsonburg,” and plenty more, was a fiercely independent artist and patriot who once returned all his Junos and retired for over ten years in protest of what he saw as the failings of the Canadian music industry to nurture and reward homegrown talent.
The news hit me hard on Wednesday night, so I pulled on my Tim Hus toque and my boots and headed out to the local honky tonk. The house band played a set in Tom’s memory, with Watermelon Slim joining in on the harp. The whole bar got stinko. It was a great tribute to a man who is not only inspirational to countless musicians in Canada, but also a man whose songs helped define our country.
Take a look at this here full length concert film that Stompin Tom recorded back in 1973 at the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto. It’s a beauty, alright. And just look at how much fun everyone is having singing and clapping along to Tom’s songs, and smoking up a storm while they’re at it. What ever happened to smoking in bars in Canada anyway? Did we lose a war or something?
via:StompinTom.com
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