The Americana and roots music authority

Stompin' Tom Connors: 1936 - 2013

Canadians, we're fond of saying, often define themselves as "not Americans." With so much shared culture the line between what's Canadian and what's American can be a blurry one at times. We like hockey a lot more than Americans, we eat more doughnuts and there's always the unexplainable cultural appeal of Tim Hortons and Canadian Tire stores.

It stands to reason then that if there's a style of music called Americana we're going to try to define Canadiana. That definition got a bit blurrier today: Stompin' Tom Connors passed away.

Stompin' Tom was about as Canadian as it gets. It wasn't that the music was all that different–it was a pretty standard twangy mix of guitar, fiddle, upright bass, snare heavy drums and whatever else fit the mix. This is classic cowboy music performed by a fine practitioner.

The subject matter was an entirely different issue and it was here that Stompin' Tom was the Canadian artist. Eschewing the standard tales of heartache and break, fast cars and life in small towns (or trying to escape it) that characterize the songs of Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle and other practitioners of Americana Stompin' Tom sang about Canada and did it unapologetically. Bud the Spud told the folksy tale of truckin' potatoes (because it definitely wasn't trucking) from Canada's smallest province to it's largest. Roll on Saskatchewan celebrates the big skies, cold winds and homeliness of one of Canada's prairie provinces. Tillsonburg is an ode to life in a small town in what was once Ontario's busy tobacco growing country. These are the stories of normal Canadians (and potatoes) living normal lives just trying to be happy, and they're great stories.

The Hockey Song may be Stompin' Tom's greatest legacy. It's refrain of the good ol' hockey game / is the best game you can name / and the best game you can name / is the good old hockey game has become a part of the cultural zeitgeist. There's no escaping it, no matter how hard you try: it's on the radio, the television and probably in every small town area in the country. It's a part of the fabric of the country, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Canadiana will go on: we have Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn, Whitehorse, the Rheostatics and other fine singer songwriters who define themselves to a great extent by their essential Canadian-ness. Stompin' Tom wasn't the only distinctly Canadian musician out there, but he was probably the most distinctly Canadian.

That's a loss, and it's a big one.

So long, Stompin' Tom. Well played.

Tags: Obituaries, Roll on Saskatchewan, Stompin' Tom Connors, The Hockey Song, Tillsonburg

Comment by William Michael Coughlan on March 7, 2013 at 12:37pm: Long live Stompin' Tom in our hearts and ears...

Comment by Dave D. on March 8, 2013 at 4:39am: Very nice tribute.

Comment by Bruce Parkinson on March 8, 2013 at 5:02am: Well done Skot. Will be attending the memorial here in Peterborough, where Tom earned his Stompin' nickname. His deceptively simple songs and lyrics will live on, for many a Sudbury Saturday Night.

Comment by sluggo on March 8, 2013 at 6:29am: R.I.P Tom,

State funerals in Canada are basically reserved for high ranking politicians and approved Canadians who were responsible for bringing Canadians together .

I can`t think of any politican who made me feel as warm in my heart as much as Stompin`Tom. If he doesn`t fit the bill for a state funeral then I don`t know who does.

Comment by Skot Nelson on March 8, 2013 at 6:39am: Hoist a pint for me in Peterborough, Bruce. I miss that town--I used to spend time there with my grandfather.

We need to do a celebration in Vancouver for the man.

Comment by Mud, Blood & Beer on March 8, 2013 at 8:03am: From one Canadian to another, we salute you and doff our hats, Stompin' Tom. You will be missed.

Comment by Skot Nelson on March 8, 2013 at 4:05pm: My map says out Caledon way.

Comment by Skot Nelson on March 8, 2013 at 4:38pm: Greenbelt Harvest Picnic is relatively near Caledon. If you need an excuse for a road trip, you won't find a better one.

http://www.harvestpicnic.ca

http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/daniel-lanois-greenbelt-...

Comment by Stina on March 8, 2013 at 4:46pm: Will definitely keep it in mind. Nice review. I didn't know that Daniel Lanois was Canadian. Know him mainly through his work with U2. Interesting. As for Emmylou (who appeared there), am addicted to "Boulder to Birmingham" recently and it would be quite the treat to see her live.

As for Stompin' Tom, I didn't know he had pieces of lumber he stomped on to save the stages from being harmed. Apparently, once a piece was too stomped to use he often auctioned them off for charity... I think I read that one sold for $11,000 or so (my memory is faulty) a couple of years ago. Nice.

Comment by Dick Estel on March 15, 2013 at 10:57am: We Americans who are hockey fans are usually familiar with The Hockey Song, but probably most don't know who sings it. We heard it at every game of our ECHL team (now defunct) and every game of our current WSHL and NAHL teams. I was fortunate enough to see Tom sing it on TV at a Hall of Fame induction ceremony, probably when Wayne went in. So of course, I knew about the stompin' board. I never heard anything else by him, but when I heard of his passing I checked out his stuff on iTunes, and purchased several cuts. As an old country boy, I like his voice and style. We played the song at my grandson's Midget team games last weekend. We are lucky enough to have a couple of Canadian families on the team, and one of the dads was in the booth. RIP Tom.

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