The History of The Great North Wind
Copyright © Steve Fruitman, 1999.
1996 1997
1998 1999
The Great North Wind began to blow on CIUT
on June 13, 1988 under the name 'Mariposa Radio Folkwaves'.
Since then there have been hundreds of programs devoted to exploring the
folk-culture of Canada through its incredible musical traditions. The program
delves into the vast pool of artists that contribute to our cultural heritage.
We bring back the grey hairs, bring on the long hairs and those who've
lost their hair along the way. Singers, songwriters, authors, players,
folklorists and collectors of folklore are featured. Even the bookers and
grand pubahs. On Thursday, March 12 we began broadcasting a two hour program
after nearly 10 years of one hour Monday shows.Finally, on June
18, 1999, after 11 years and two weeks The Great North Wind signed
off the CIUT airwaves for the very last time.
How It All Came About
In February 1987 I was elected to the board
of directors of the Mariposa Folk Foundation. I was concerned about the
state of our folklore, mainly because it didn't seem to be reaching vast
audiences. With the exception of Joe Lewis' "Folkmusic and Folkways"
program heard on CJRT 91.1 and a few 'here today, gone tomorrow'
folk programs on the CBC, there wasn't much to cheer about. TV had long
abandoned the music of the people; I used to love watching the Messer
show, Sing-Along Jubilee, and even the Pig and Whistle. The
few college radio folk shows we had tweaked in and out of existence without
much fanfare.
I was seeking something alternative in nature.
I wanted to hear music made by Canadians and I didn't care what style it
was, what tradition it came from: as long as it was for and about our people.
We need to hear ourselves on our so-called 'public airwaves' and yet there
was nothing much to celebrate; our airwaves were in the hands of non-Canadian
program direction units programming mostly American music that appeals
to the lowest common denominator: ratings (which =s money). For so long
I had been listening to the wise words of Stompin' Tom Conners so I set
about doing something about it myself. Why just whine and complain?
CIUT had just lost three poorly produced folk shows
and CKLN, our cousin station at Ryerson University, had just
lost a good one: Acoustic Espionage with Tim Harrison.
Steve
Pritchard was doing a good job with his Radio Boogie program
on 'LN and is still there today at his 10 pm Wednesday time-slot.
And Joe Lewis was playing clean folk music - the same thing every week;
I wanted to hear something different and exciting.
I approached the CIUT programming committee and
was immediately embraced and put on the air. The original idea was to get
Mariposa its own folk radio program that would let people know what the
Foundation was doing. We would also highlight artists that would be performing
at the festival as well as anything else that would fit into Mariposa's
mandate. My time-slot would be Monday nights at 10 and I would co-host
the program with Mariposa's 'Axleman' John MacIntyre.
John dropped out, scared shitless after flopping
through a few shows. That left it entirely on my lap and I wasn't sure
if I could carry it through. I had to produce, engineer, interview and
program a weekly hour of programming! But somehow I thrived on the challenge
and the program survived and still does to this day.
The Birth of The
Great North Wind
I broke with Mariposa the following summer of '89;
they were doing nothing to support 'their' radio program. It was then that
I conceived of a new direction for the show: It would be no longer a "folk
music program", but instead it would look at Canadian folklore through
the music of the people. I would change the name of the program to reflect
this and the only thing I could come up with, over and over again, was
the title of a wonderful song from the Grievous Angels cassette
'Toute
Le Gang'. I proposed the idea of using this name and the song as my
theme with creator Chuck Angus. In August 1989 the program
officially became 'The Great North Wind'.
In September of 1993 the program was moved to its
second parking spot: 8 p.m. on Monday evenings.
In March, 1998, The GNW expanded to a two hour
format on Thursday nights at 8 where it remained until June 18, 1999, the
night of the final broadcast.
The Shows
Almost all of the names appearing on the list below
performed live-in-studio. In fact, over the years I have made it a rule
that my musical guests must bring instruments and perform. Sometimes we
have just one person in the studio; other times it's a full blown band.
If I had to pick a few of the all-time most important
features it would have to start with my 1989 live-to-air telephone interview
with Stompin' Tom Connors. It was to be the second media interview
with the man who had been in self-imposed exile from the music scene for
12 years, protesting the lack of Canadian content on our airwaves. (Gzowski
got him just before I did for Morningside).
Another was my recent telephone interview with
Stevedore
Steve from Saint John, NB. I had gently encouraged him over the years
to get back into the recording business, convincing him that things could
be done differently now.
Likewise, the release of Glen Reid's new
CD 'Heritage River' was most gratifying for much the same reason.
Rick
Fielding and I had been encouraging him for years to get back into
music and this was the result!
The Save the Rails campaign was great! And
so was the Walter Ostanek's 35th Anniversary (in show biz)
gala at Lulu's in Kitchener featuring the great Frankie Yankovik.
The Eleanor and Graham Townsend show was a blast too. And how about
our 5 hour folk extravaganza from the basement of St. Vladimir's church
which saw the likes of Toronto's finest folk artists!
The show that scared me shitless the most: The
Bruce Cockburn appearance which co-incided with my last Monday night broadcast
in March, 1998. Once the theme music started I felt just fine.
In the past couple of years of I became close with
Graham
Townsend. When I learned that he had terminal cancer in the summer
of 1998 I dedicated the fiddle spot, to open the program, to music made
by him. He passed away on December 3 just a week prior to being awarded
the Golden Porcupine.
About Steve Fruitman
[The weird art of writing
about one's self but here 'tis]
I'm probably one of the luckiest people! Although
I make no money doing my show every week, I have a hell of a lot of fun
doing it. It's been a great gig!.
Over the years I've met some of the nicest people
in the music scene. As well, I've been able to see some of the greats play
live right before me eyes, which is always a blast: best seats in the house
for free. I've had some amazing shows, some I'd rather like to forget,
and others that have been indispensable. With each program my world grows
into another dimension. I have learned so much from the people I've interviewed
and the things I've needed to research. It made me realize that "the more
you know, the more there is to know" and that's what drives me onward.
I am from the North, from the Porcupine
region of Ontario, the mining community of Timmins. My family were in the
lumber business and I spent a lot of time in the bush, going to the lumber
camps, watching logs floating down the Mattagami River, and hanging
around the saw mill. The sweet smell of freshly cut sawdust and chips wafting
out of the big burner filled my mind. I was told many stories by the men
and women who worked the bush, the mill, and the office, about the pioneering
days of the Porcupine.
The skyline was always trees and the headframes
of the mines: The Hollinger, MacIntyre, Dome, Preston,
Paymaster,
Pamour,
Aunor,
Delnite,
Buffalo
Ankrite, The Jupiter,
The Carium Mine. The town of Schumacher
is just a mile east of Timmins;
South Porcupine and the Golden
City (Porcupine) just 5 miles further.
When I was 12 the young, a tall itinerant folksinger,
Tom
Connors, started his playing career in the Skyway Room at the
Maple
Leaf Hotel. He would soon have his own radio program broadcast over
the local station CKGB daily. He recorded a few singles on the station's
own record label. The songs he sung were about The North and we all loved
him for doing it. I was then stricken forever with the bug of wanting to
hear the music of my own land.
The Canadian Shield has those deep black
lakes of northern running waters, the scent of the jack pines and red spruce
and birch trees, the low grey cloud cover in the mornings and the rich
mineral composition that brought in the mines. This is my spiritual home,
the one I carry around in my heart. It has become my spiritual centre as
I've expanded my homeland in my travels and discoveries of Canadian folklore.
This is what I try to bring to 'The Great North Wind'.
The List
Here are some of the features presented
on the Great North Wind over the years.
1988
-Paul James
Toronto
Blues Man
-WOMAD in Toronto SPECIAL
-Ron Sexsmith
-Norm Hacking Toronto singer/songwriter
-Kevin O'Shea actor, of Toronto
Irish Players
-Lewd Folksongs w/ Richard Flohil
-Two: Mary Ellen Anderson & Sandy Stubbert
Toronto
via Thunder Bay
-Anne Walker Whitby based
singer/songwriter
-Bobby Watt Whitby based
Scottish musician, founder of the Vital Spark Folk Club
1989
-Tribute To Stompin' Tom Connors w/
Chuck
Angus of the Grievous Angels
-Stewart Cameron Tribute
w/ Paul Morris
-Tribute to Stevedore Steve w/
guest Stompin' Tom Connors
-Jackson Delta Trio Peterborough
blues band
-Suzanne Pasternak folklorist
and composer from Long Point, Prince Edward County, Ontario
-Peter Eastmure Toronto singer/songwriter
-Ana Coutinho Toronto based
singer/songwriter
-Cheryl Gaudet singer/songwriter
now living in Nova Scotia
-Animal songs with Sir
James Cunningham of Toronto
-Wiz Bryant Canadian singer/songwriter
from Penticton, BC
-Kevin Blackmore of Buddy Wassisname
& The Other Fellas telephone interview from
Newfoundland
-Peter Cotton The Songs of
Lonnie
Donegan
-Marcello Puente Chilean
singer/songwriter and poet
-Chuck Angus & Michelle Rumball
of
The Grievous Angels
-Jeff Weed - Toronto Morris
dancer on the significance of May Day
-John Allan Cameron The Cape
Breton Ambassador himself, live in Studio
-Cynthia Namaro & Rob Minderman
Toronto
based singer/songwriter and her guitarist
-Axelman John MacIntyre singing
the blues
-Willie P. Bennett The legendary
singer/songwriter,
now living in Peterborough, ON
when
not on the road with Fred Eaglesmith
-CANADA DAY w/ Wiz Bryant Canada's
roving troubador
-Topaz Amber Dawn & Steve Marchant
of
the Jailhouse Cafe
-David Warren a.k.a Mr. Mariposa
-The Hillside Festival: Sue
Richards, A.D.w/ Tim Hadley and Michelle Rumball
-WOMAD '89 w/ Derek Andrews,
Artistic Director
-SUMMERFOLK FESTIVAL w/ Neil
Glenn, Artistic Director
-The Flying Cloud Folk Club w/
Steve
Pritchard, booker
-Eric Anderson: the legendary
Thirsty Booter himself, just in from Sweeden
-Michel Hasek the $100,000
blues man
-Special: The songs of Northern Ontario
-Hurdy Gurdy Man Steve Starchev Toronto
Hurdy Gurdy specialist
-Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot
-Bobby Watt on the songs
of Robbie Burns
-The Toronto Blues Society's Women in Blues
w/ Linda Partingon
-SAVE THE RAILS HOOTENANNY w/
Michelle
Rumball, Peter Jellard, Pete Duffin, Tim Hadley, Reno Jacks, Stephensteve
of the Big Smoke, Da Doo Dads & Rick Fielding. A jam session blow
out!!!
-NORTH ONTARIO SAVE THE RAILS TOUR: The
Grievous Angels, Stephensteve, High Lonesome, No Mean Feet, Positively
Stompin' Andy Maize, The Rheostatics and Cajun
Ramblers. Tape of the Northern tour from Cochrane and Kapuskasing.
-Tribute to Edith Fowke w/
David
Warren
1990
-Greg Hoskins & The Stick People Peterborough
singer/songwriter and his band
-Faith Nolan Toronto singer/songwriter
-Possibly Stompin'' on a
TTC Streetcar with Ted Trebner and Murray Heyward
-MINING SONGS
-Stephensteve - Steve
Wooler & Stephen Andrews of Guelph
-Cajun Mardi Gras w/ Peter Jellard
Toronto Cajun Freak
-Jonathan Lynn of Tip
Splinter, Toronto
-Thomas Brooman Co-founder
of WOMAD, in from the U.K.
-The Steel Wool Band with
Laine
Hoogstratten
-Joe King King of them Hurtin'
Blues, host of Saturday afternoon jams at the Country Music Store
-Washboard Hank the legendary
Peterborough Honkey Tonkin' Donkey singer
-OTTAWA VALLEY SONGS
-Ian Bell of Paris, Ontario
- curator and folk collector and all round fun guy
-Linda Brietag of Quebec
City based Josephine
-Brean Derg Muc - Field recording
of the
Merkin Gerkins
-The Return of Sir James Cunningham, PhD
L
-Concert:The Cajun Ramblers
-LIVE FROM ST VLADIMIR'S: A
5 Hour Special Hosted by Rick Fielding, Alan Baekland and Steve
Fruitman, Featuring:
Rick Fielding
Stephen Byers
Al Cromwell
Fred Robertson
Sonny Petersen
It Ain't Pretty
The Steel Wool Band
Cate Frieson
The Celtic Gales (renamed Mad Love)
Brean Derg Muc: The Merkin Gerkins
Willie P. Bennett
Norm Hacking
The Old Peculiar Jug Band
The Cajun Ramblers
Pat Temple and High Lonesome
Mose Scarlett
-Don Freed - now Joni's beau
-The Wakami Wailers of Picton
and Peterborough
-The World Radio Debut of Suzanne Pasternak's
Folk Opera Minerva
-Trout Fishing in America who
just happened to be in town
-FOLK ON THE ROCKS - Yellowknife,
NWT - Taped Highlights featuring
Grievous Angels
Cajun Ramblers
Flying Bulgar Klezmer Band
The Dots
Frank Cockney
Jimmy Ekho
Fort Good Hope Drummers
Uvagut
Simione Keenainak
Charlie Panagoiniak and Lorna Tassoer
Attima Hadlari and Rose Marie
Cape Dorset Throat Singers
-Two Penny Opera who used to
be known as
Two
-Ken Brown of Anderson & Brown
from
Guelph
-Mendleson Joe - the legendary,
extraordinary, one and only
-Steve's Trip to the Maritimes: a
reconstruction of my trip, a slide show on radio
-The Music of Chang Mai w/
Kenneth
Puley - Music he brought back from Thailand
-Klezmer with the Flying Bulgars, Toronto's
best known Klezmer band
-Bill Bourne & a drunken McLeod - I
don't even want to talk about it, but let's just say that Bill was great
dispite his worser half
-On Air Hootenanny featuring:
Bobby Watt
Brean Derg Muc
Danny Bakkan
Ken Puley
Mary Ellen
Rick Fielding
-Metis Fiddling W/ Lawrence Teddy Boy Houle
-
Manitoba fiddler and Elder
-The 1st Annual Porcupine
Awards
1991
-Tailspin:
Catherine
Crowe & Martin Gould, Half of this Hamilton/Toronto
band
-Bobby Watt on Robbie Burns again
-Oliver Schroer - The Frank
Zappa of Canadian fiddle
-Derek Andrews on the Juno Awards
- Roots/Traditional catagory
-The Last of Sir James Cunningham
-The Harbord Trio: Don Ross, Kelly McGowan
& Oliver Schroer
-Creole Music w/ Peter Jellard
-John Ferguson of McGinty
in from Halifax
-Bob Snider - One of Canada's
Great wordsmiths
-St Jean Baptiste Day - I
actually did it all in French!
-Grit Laskin - luthier and
singer/songwriter extraordinaire
-WOMAD special
-Lorne Brown, storyteller
-The Big Squeeze Accordion Festival special
-Tom Lewis and his modern
day shanties in from BC
-Cheryl Gaudet: Artistic
Director, The 1st Eaglewood
Earth Festival
-Suzanne Pasternak
& Alec Lunn in from Picton
-2 Of Us - a young Celtic
duo from Toronto who seem to have dissappeared
-Valerie Mindel on folk dancing
-Tom Mawhinney - Kingston
based singer/songwriter
-Tex Konig - another legendary
songster about his Greenwich Village days
-Marie-Teresa Lawlor: Women of the Porcupine
- a glimpse of pioneer women of the Porcupine gold camp of
Northern Ontario
-Mac Beattie Tribute: The
songs of the Ottawa Valley
-Jamie Snider & Brian Tahany
-
from Tip Splinter
-Anne Lederman - Toronto
musician and folklorist
-Socially Unacceptable Folk Songs -
One could get kicked off the air for airing these
-Bobby Watt without
sheep jokes
-The 2nd Annual Porcupine
Awards
1992
-The Celtic Gales: Audrey Vanderstoop &
Alan Beardsell of Toronto who changed their name to Mad
Love shortly after the program
-Brydon From Brantford who
broke up shortly after the program
-Dick Nolan - The man who
gave us "The Night We Stole Aunt Martha's Sheep"
-Roy Payne - Another of Newfoundland's
best singer/songwriters
-The Folk Quiz Show
-Jim Martin & Don McLean -
Jim has a Newfoundland/Irish voice that can shatter glass
-Ken Brown & Mary Anderson
-Harmonicas w/ Larry Chaddock of
Bolton
-Brigand - Toronto based
Celtic Rock band
-Margaret Christl & Michael Johnston
-
in from Pennsylvania
-Rodeo du Camion, in Notre
Dames du Nord, Quebec - ever been to a truck rodeo, Billy?
-Trevor Randall - I honestly
can't remember this show
-Songs of Pain and Agony
-Gentleman Jim Ediger - wonderful
fiddler who now resides in Japan
-David Turner - singer/songwriter
in from the UK
-The Songs of Mac Beattie -
The epitome of the Ottawa Valley
-Geoff Butler - ex-Figgy Duff
accordionist,
in from Brandon, Manitoba
-Barney McCafferey from Wilno
-
singer and accordion player from Canada's first Polish Settlement
-Glen Reid & Ron Jones -
Billed as Glen-Jones from Burk's Falls and Scarborough
-Walter Ostanek of St. Catherines
ON, just prior to his winning 3 Grammy Awards for Polka music
-David Stone - songs of herring
and potatoes
-Live from Lulu's:
Walter
Ostanek's 35th Anniversary party featuring
Frankie
Yankovik and Myron Floren,
Tony Prakocic and the Black
Forest Band - taped highlights from Kitchener ON, home of Octoberfest
in Canada
-The 3rd Annual Porcupine
Awards
1993
-Hank Williams Special: It's
Been 40 Years since he left us
-Focus on Prince Edward Isle
-Focus on Saskatchewan
-Donna Dunlop - Toronto singer/songwriter
-Les Tetes Cubee - or The
Cube Heads, short lived Toronto outfit featuring Chris Rawlings
-Danielle Martineau & Rockabayou -
in from Montreal
-Debut of a New Song: Lifeline by
Glen
Reid of Burk's Falls, performed by Rick Fielding
-Pirate Jenny - featuring
October
Browne, Jamie Snider and Kevin Fullbrook of Toronto
-Urban Acoustic: Keith McKie &
John
Jackson of Toronto
-Focus on Nova Scotia
-Mark Haines & Tom Leighton of
Toronto
-Tex Konig returns
-Focus on Ontario
-The Freres Brothers - Alex
Lunn and Rick Bauer of Picton/Belleville
-Tribute: Don Messer
-Focus on Northwest Territories with
Simon
Qittagiatuq
-John Allan Cameron returns
-10th Anniversary of The Flying Cloud Folk
Club: Toronto's traditionally oriented folk organization
-Ian Bell of Paris, Ontario
-Holmes Hooke - poetry to
music
-Chris Wood & Andy Cutting visiting
from the UK
-Focus on Alberta
-Stompin' Tom in Matheson,
Northern Ontario - taped highlights of the show
-Ken Knights fiddle family
w/ Ruthie Steel of Nashville
-Richard Knechtel and his
Northern
Lights Band from Walkerton, Ontario
-Focus on Labrador
-The Serious Side of Stompin' Tom: Two
part series on Connors' serious songs
-Hockey Songs
-Watershed: debut of a new CD from
the
Grievous Angels
-Earl Heywood - Star of the
CKNX
Saturday Night Barndance from Wingham, Ontario
-The Blues Heads W/ Rick
Fines of Jackson Delta
-Focus on Northern Ontario
-The 4th Annual
Porcupine
Awards
1994
-Square Dancing w/
Bill
Russell (caller), Bernice Cameron-Hill (caller), Ed Langois
(fiddle) and Michael Jack (piano)
-Slim Gaynor: The Electric
Washboard Man of Pefferlaw w/ Fred Winfield on guitar
-Focus on The Yukon
-Inuit Music W/ Simon Qittagiatuq
of Toronto
-L'ensemble Annonymous -
in from Quebec City
-Special on La Bottine Souriante
-Nathan Curry in from Ottawa
-Focus on Cape Breton
-Randy Morrison: Canadian
fiddle champion
-The Black Donnelleys w/ Earl Heywood
- Canada's most infamous rural feud
-James Bay Fiddling - Native
fiddlers of the Moose Cree
-Oliver Schroer: He wrote
the Porcupine Reel
-Mark Haines & Nancy White
-The Willies of Toronto
-May Ip - of Hong Kong, now
living in Sauble Beach, Ontario
-Morgan Lefaye - Toronto
based Celtic-Rock band featuring Jamie Snider, October Browne and
Pat
O'Gorman
-Eleanor and Graham Townsend
- Two hours featuring these two Canadian fiddle legends
-Artisan in from the UK
-Ian Bell on the Fiddle
Sticks Folk Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake
-Rusty Leach Memorial Show -
tribute to an Ottawa Valley folksong collector
-Profile on the career of Andre Marchand
of
Joliette, Quebec
-David Stone's Fare-the-well
To Nova Scotia - moving from Toronto
-Tom Lewis returns
-Rejean Archambault of La
Bottine Souriante telephone interview
-The Nationals - Toronto
based blues band
-Tailspin - Toronto/Hamilton
Celtic quartet
-The Worst of the Great North Wind -
simply the worst music I could find from my collection
-The Rick Fines Band
-Pat O'gorman - piper and
flutist of Rare Air and Morgan Lefaye
-Dan Penny &
Lorne Buck - two icons of the Canadian country and bluegrass
scene of the 1950s
-The 5th Annual Porcupine
Awards
1995
-Ken Brown unveils a brand new
album
-Tamarack - Their first visit
to the Great North Wind - what took them so long? James Gordon, Alex
Sinclair and Carol Leclair.
-Songs of Toronto
-Roy MaCaull & Jim Martin
-
Jim sings to the fabulous mandolin picking of one of the Original Blue
Diamonds before Roy moves to PEI
-Barney McCafferey from Wilno
- Round Two
-Alan Baekland subs for me
w/ guest Ron Sexsmith
-Eileen McGann & David Knutson
in from Calgary
-Honey Novic & Charlie Roby
-
separately
-Derek Andrews & Dan Meany:
Porcupine
Award recipients for the Folkbuilders catagory
-Ghosts!!!!! - a look at
spooks in folksong
-Jughead - Toronto's Motorgrass
jug band
-A look at the life of Joseph Montferrand
- Canadien hero
-Dave Wilson - singer/songwriter
based in Toronto
-Derek Andrews of Harbourfront
Centre - our attempt to save its funding which eventually did succeed
-St Jean Baptiste Day Show
(in English this time!)
-Robert & Susan in from
Victoria, BC
-Gene Wilburn - book launch
for Northern Journey
-Diane Maracle Band - local
singer/songwriter
-Mendleson Joe retrospective
of his 25 year recording career - without Mr. Joe being there
-James Keelaghan live in
studio
-Brian Tahany & Loretto Reid
just
back from a festival in Labrador
-Steaphane Hannigan in from
the UK
-Lee Murdock - Songs of the
Great Lakes - in from Illinois
-Brian Morton & Anne Walker
-Jeremy Greenhouse Band in
from Victoria, BC
-Marie-Teresa Lawlor - Women of the
Porcupine book launch & Northern Ontario Music
-The Quebec Refererndum
Special: telephone interviews with Heidi Fleming
of Montreal, Danielle Martineau of St. Melanie & Jean-Paul
Loyer of Joliette, Quebec
-Stevedore Steve
telephone
interview from Saint John, NB
-Carlos Del Junco & Champaign Charlie
-
The blues in action
-Stan Rogers Tribute w/ Paul
Mills, Bill Garrett & Brian Morton
-The 6th Annual
Porcupine
Awards
1996
-Robert Service Special
-Mose Scarlett - Toronto's
best eccentric singer and guitarist
-Tamarack returns with Molly
Kurvink
-Gene Wilburn - he sings
too!
-Bill Garrett and Curly Boy Stubbs -
an inkling of Borealis
Records
-The Yukon: 100 years since
Klondike
-Focus on Claude Methe of
Quebec
-Ken Whiteley &
Paul Mills - so what's Borealis?
-Fred Eaglesmith & Ralph Schipper
-
just off the road
-Cec Fry of Labrador Black
Spruce - telephone interview from Labrador City
-The Return of David Stone
-Modabo in from Fredricton,
NB
-Chuck Angus and Rick Conroy:
world debut of The Grievous Angels new CD 'Waiting for the Cage'
-Edith Fowke Tribute:
telephone
interviews with
Beverlie Robertson (Waterloo),
Estelle Klein
(Bloomfield),
Ian Bell (Paris, ON) and in studio guest Maureen
Redden
-Celebrating 26
years of True North Records
with label founder Bernie
Finkelstein
-26 years of Bruce Cockburn
-True North Now with
Bernie
Finkelstein
-Mill Race Traditional Music Festival
with
Brad
McQuewen, Artistic Director
-Jan Zollars Live telephone
interview with from Brittanie's Festival Interceltic
-Tim Harrison - Toronto's
singer/songwriter and folk festival inventor
-Return of Steaphane Hannigan back
from the UK
-Glen Reid from Burk's Falls
-John Switzer
- profile on a folk music producer
-3 Part Series on The Music of Northern Ontario
-Murray McLachlan - Gulliver's
Taxi CD Release
-Borealis Recording Company
- the launch of a new Canadian folk music label
-Brian Morton - The CD Launch
that never happened! This was before he dissappeared
-Doug Cox & Tammy Fassaert in
from BC
-Rick Fielding - a profile
on my favourite partner
-The 7th Annual Porcupine
Awards
1997
-Loretto Reid and Brian Taheny -
Just back from Ireland
-Jughead plus Oliver
Schroer
and a phone calle from Bill Bourne
from
Nipigon
-Artisan Just in for the
Folk Alliance, plus Kieran Halpin from Ireland
via Scotland
-Tamarack, The Return Of
-Erin Benjamin & Dick Van Raadshoovan
in
from Sudbury
-Bill Usher in from the Bain
Co-op
-Lenny Breau Speacial with
Randy
Bachman
-Bill Elliot with
Scott
and Kendra Woods
-Tranby Croft in from London,
Ont.
-Eric Wilson's old Canadian
78s
-Phyllis Silver-Cavallini:
CD Release
-Melissa Deebold, Brian Buchowski, Willis McNeilly
and
Bill Oja: Another Fiddle Night
-Manny Pitson - CBC TV producer
(Singalong Jubilee, Don Messer and other programs)
-Oliver Schroer - Stewed Tomatos
CD
Release
-Ivan & Vivian Hicks -
Champion Fiddler in from New Brunswick
-6 Hour Special: Live from The Horseshoe
Tavern - Caledon Folk Fest Preview
James Keelaghan
TimHarrison
Glenn McGuire
Holmes Hook
Glen Reid
Norm Hacking
and many, many more.
-Special on Festival
Memoire et Racine, Joliette QC with Mario Forest
(AD) and
Andre Marchand
-Mike Reganstreif of CKUT-FM
Montreal - guest host
-Doug Cox & Ken Hamm in
from Vancouver Island
-Pete Handley - former folk
show host from North Bay
-Jan Zollars reports from
Lorient, Brittany - Festival Interceltique
-Derek Swain - Rodeo Records
- Singer/Songwriter
-Tim Harrison on Eaglewood
Folk Festival
-Stephen Fearing - CD Release
and live in studio performance
-Graham Townsend -
on George Wade and His Cornhuskers
-Strada - in from Quebec
City
-Cate Friesen - host of Absolutely
Folk, CJRT-FM
-Charlie Chiarelli - songs
about growing up Scicilian in Hamilton
-Noah Zacharin & Tim Harrison
- contemporary singer/songwriters from Toronto
-Lee Murdock - the Cap'n
returns
-Sharlene Wallace - World
Champion Harpist
-Michelle Rumball - singer
of the GNW theme song
-8th
Annual Porcupine Awards Show
1998
-Mark Haines & Tom Leighton -
The Magical Duo
-Garrison Creek - Local Toronto
Can-trad band now called
Flapjack
-Tamarack - for the first
time in '98
-Sandy MacIntyre - virtuoso
Cape Breton fiddler
-Bruce Cockburn - just
back from Africa (This was the Last Monday Night Show of the GNW)
-Donna Marchand - debut of
her CD (First Thursday Night GNW Show)
-Beverley Robertson - folklore
writer and singer
-Dave Hadfield & Gerald Levine
-
from Barrie, ON
-Steve Patterson - Singer/songwriter
-Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield -
from Houston, TX w/ brother Dave Hadfield & Gerald Levine
-Tom Nunn & Northern City Limits Bluegrass
- from Brantford, ON
-Doug Cox, Ken Hamm & Vox Violins
-
CD Debut
-Greg Lawless, Jory Nash & Tim Harrison
-
for funding drive
-Robert Priest -
Toronto poet singer
-Daisy DeBolt - high priestess
of accordion rock
-Lenny Gallant - PEI singer/songwriter
-Holmes Hooke - poet's poet
-Pamela Morgan - from Newfoundland
-Greg Lawless - on his own
-Gray Townsend - Graham
Townsend special, the unreleased tapes
-Don Bird - Summerfolk A.D.
-Glen Reid - on the Heritage
River Music Festival
-Christina Smith - Jean
Hewson's musical partner, fiddler, from Newfoundland
-Doug MacArthur & Jeffra -
singer/songwriting duo from California
-Moxy Fruvous live
in studio
-Eric Wilson on Wilf Carter
-Tim Harrison on Eaglewood
FF
-Don Bray - Singer/songwriter
from Barrie, ON
-Eve Goldberg - CD debut
-John Gardner & Richard Knechtel -
stories
& song
-J.P. Cormier & Hilda Chaisson-Cormier
w/
Graham
Townsend telephone interview
-Megacity Choir - barbershop
singing explained
-The Mummble Ducks - from
Newmarket, ON
-Bill Usher on Ontario Contact
-Doug Cox & Chuck Brodsky
-The Wailing Aztecs - from
The Soo
-Trans-Canada Train Special
-Charlie Sohmer - singer/songwriter
from Ottawa, ON
-Stevedore Steve -
special featuring telephone interview with the man from Saint John, NB
-Penny Lang - in from Montreal
-Tamarack - second time in
'98
-Andrea Koziol - Toronto
based singer/songwriter
9th
Annual Porcupine Awards Presentation
1999
-Randy Morrison - fiddler
-Jory Nash - Toronto singer/songwriter
-Ken Brown - Celtic guitarist
-Chuck Angus - Highgrading
again
-Laura Repo - CD Release
-James Keelaghan -
CD Release
-Katherine Wheatley - Toronto
singer/songwriter
-Mike McKenna - Toronto Blues
Guitarist
-John Borra - Toronto singer/songwrite
-Enter The Haggis - Toronto
Celtic Pop band
-Sirens - singing trio from
London, ON
-Swamperella - Toronto Cajun
Band
-Mike Helms - The man with
the original
Stompin' Tom Rebel Records
-Terry Tufts - telephone
interview from Ottawa
-Pierre Schryer - Canada's
Great fiddler
-Tanglefoot - Canadian folk
band
-David Teichroeb - Singer/Songwriting
owner of DROG Records
-Cathy Miller - singer from
Calgary
-Sam Baardman - Singer/songwriter
from Winnipeg
-Holmes Hooke - Toronto's
folk poet
-Peter Sabourin and Brian Hebert -
fiddling from the Ottawa Valley
-Oliver Schroer - releases
a new album
-Ron Nigrini - tribute to
Norm
Hacking
-Mike McKenna and Mainline - GNW
11th Anniversary Party
-James Gordon - solo
"I don't know
what folk music is these days,
but I do know what it isn't."
...Steve Fruitman (on the Bluenose II)
steve@backtothesugarcamp.com
Back To The Index Page