Stompin' Tom Connors

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Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors OC (born February 9, 1936) is one of Canada's most prolific and well-known folk singers.

Contents

[edit] Early life

He was born Charles Thomas Connors (known as Tommy Messer) in Saint John, New Brunswick to the teenaged Isabel Connors and her boyfriend Thomas Sullivan. Tom spent a short time living with his mother in a low-security women's penitentiary before he was seized by Children's Aid Society and later adopted by the Aylward family in Skinners Pond, Prince Edward Island.

At the age of 15 he left his adoptive family, to hitchhike across Canada, a journey that consumed the next 13 years of his life as he traveled between various part-time jobs while writing songs for his guitar. In his last stop in Timmins, Ontario, he worked in one of the local gold mines and was offered a year-long contract to sing on stage at the Maple Leaf Hotel, which earned him the attention of the local CKGB radio station.

[edit] Musical career

During the mid-1970s, Connors wrote and recorded "The Consumer", an ode to bill-paying that became the theme song for the popular CBC consumer affairs program, Marketplace. For the first few seasons, Connors appeared in the opening credits of the program, before "The Consumer" was replaced as the theme initially by an instrumental background version, and ultimately by another piece of music entirely.

Typically writing about Canadian lore and history, some of Connors' better-known songs have included "Bud the Spud", "Big Joe Mufferaw", "The Black Donnellys", "Reesor Crossing Tragedy", "Sudbury Saturday Night" and "The Hockey Song" (aka "The Good Old Hockey Game"); the last is frequently played over sound systems at NHL hockey games.

[edit] Nickname

Connors' habit of stomping the heel of his boot to keep rhythm earned him the "Stompin' " nickname - first announced at the King George Tavern in Peterborough, Ontario. Various stories have circulated about the origin of the foot stomping, but it's generally accepted that he did this to keep a strong tempo for his guitar playing - especially in the noisy bars and beer joints where he frequently performed. After numerous complaints about damaged stage floors, Tom began to carry a piece of plywood that he stomped even more vigorously than before. The "stompin' " board has since become one of his trademarks. After stomping a hole in the wood, he would pick it up and show it to the audience (accompanied by a joke about the quality of the local lumber) before calling for a new one. It was reported that when asked about his "stompin' board", Tom replied, "it's just a stage I'm going through". Stompin' Tom periodically auctions off his stompin' boards for charity.

[edit] Notable achievements

He received an honorary Doctorate of Law from St. Thomas University in 1993, which was the inspiration for his album titled Dr. Stompin' Tom Connors, eh?, released the same year. In 1996 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, and four years later was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Toronto.

As the 1970s progressed, he retired to his farm in Norval, Ontario to protest the lack of support given to Canadian stories by the policies of the Federal government, particularly the CRTC. He remained in retirement for 12 years before persistent love from young roots revivalists drew him back into the studio and on to the stage. To this day, Stompin' Tom never fails to sell every available ticket for a performance, and remains one of Canada's more prolific recording artists. His songs often pay tribute to Canadian newsmakers or personalities, and can be topical, referring to news events of the day.

An autobiography detailing his childhood years in a female prison, in an orphanage, and as an indentured farm labourer became a bestseller in 1997. It details his life "before the fame". Recent years have seen the re-release of 25 of his record albums.

Connors' music is rarely heard outside Canada, with the possible exception of his anthemic "The Hockey Song" which has been recorded by many artists. It has been suggested that Connors refuses to allow foreign release of his material, although a more likely reason is that the very Canadian-specific subject matter of many of his folk songs has resulted in limited demand in foreign markets. When Late Night with Conan O'Brien taped a week's worth of shows in Canada in 2004, Connors was one of the guests of honor, leading the Toronto audience in a rendition of "The Hockey Song"; this was one of the only times Connors had ever performed on American television.

In The Greatest Canadian list, he ranked #13, the highest placing for any artist on the list.

He currently lives in Ballinafad, Ontario.

[edit] Discography

Tom has released music on no fewer than seven different labels. His earliest foray into recording was on the CKGB Timmins radio station label. These 45 RPM singles were pressed by Quality Records in Toronto, and distributed (and paid for) primarily by Tom. His first two albums (and two subsequent 45 RPM singles) were released on the Rebel Records bluegrass label, under the name "Tom Connors".

Most of Tom's well-known albums were released on Dominion Records, and on the Boot Records label that he co-founded with Jury Krytiuk and Mark Altman. His releases on Dominion (and all subsequent releases) were done under the name "Stompin' Tom Connors". Most of the Rebel and Dominion albums would be reissued (and in some cases, re-recorded) under the Boot label, and would represent the bulk of his recorded material. It was released on 33 1/3 RPM record albums, 45 RPM record singles, 8-tracks, and cassette tapes.

After his retreat from the music business in the late 70's, he started the ACT (Assisting Canadian Talent) label in 1986, and released two albums.

All of his subsequent releases (and rereleases) have been through Capital / EMI. Most of this work is now available on compact disc.

A partial list of his recorded works includes:

  • 1967 The Northlands' Own Tom Connors
  • 1969 On Tragedy Trail
  • 1970 Bud the Spud and Other Favorites
  • 1970 Stompin' Tom Meets Big Joe Mufferaw
  • 1970 Merry Christmas Everybody
  • 1971 Live at the Horseshoe
  • 1972 My Stompin' Grounds
  • 1972 Love & Laughter
  • 1973 Stompin' Tom and the Hockey Song
  • 1973 To It and at It
  • 1974 Across This Land with Stompin' Tom Connors [live]
  • 1974 Stompin' Tom Meets Muk Tuk Annie
  • 1975 The North Atlantic Squadron
  • 1975 The Unpopular Stompin' Tom Connors
  • 1976 Stompin' Tom at the Gumboot Cloggeroo
  • 1985 Stompin' Tom Is Back to Assist Canadian Talent
  • 1994 Fiddle and Song
  • 1995 Stompin' Tom and the Moon Man Newfie
  • 1995 Northlands Zone
  • 1995 The Unpopular Stompin' Tom Connors
  • 1996 More of the Stompin' Tom Phenomenon
  • 1996 Once Upon a Stompin' Tom
  • 1997 Believe in Your Country
  • 1997 Long Gone to the Yukon
  • 1997 The Confederation Bridge
  • 2001 Sings Canadian History

[edit] Compilations

  • 1971 The Best of Stompin' Tom Connors
  • 1972 Stompin' Tom Connors Sings 60 Old Time...
  • 1973 Northlands Zone
  • 1976 Stompin' Tom Sings 60 More Old Time Favorites
  • 1978 Pistol Packin' Mama
  • 1978 Bringing Them Back
  • 1990 A Proud Canadian
  • 1993 Dr. Stompin' Tom, Eh?
  • 1993 K.I.C. Along with Stompin' Tom
  • 1998 25 of the Best Stompin' Tom Souvenirs
  • 2001 And the Moon Man/Unpopular
  • 2006 Live Concert (DVD)

[edit] External links

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