Stompin' Tom Connors
February 9, 1936 - March 6, 2013
Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Conno… Read Full Bio ↴February 9, 1936 - March 6, 2013
Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC was one of Canada's most prolific and well-known folk singers.
He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick to the teenaged Isabel Connors and her boyfriend Thomas Sullivan. He 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 was later adopted by a 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 on his guitar. At 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 a local radio station and the start of his recording career.
Connors' habit of stomping the heel of his left boot to keep rhythm earned him the nickname Stompin' Tom . 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". Connors periodically auctions off his "stompin' boards" for charity.
Typically writing about Canadian lore and history, some of Connors' better-known songs include "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 National Hockey League games. Connors' music is rarely heard outside Canada, with the possible exception of his anthemic "The Hockey Song" which has been covered by many artists. It has been suggested that Connors refuses to allow foreign release of his material (e.g. his music is not available through the US version of Apple's iTunes store, but is in the Canadian version), 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.
In 1974, Connors had a mini-series running on CBC Television in which, he met and exchanged with folks from all across Canada. The series called "Stompin Tom's Canada" was co-produced with the help of CBC and ran for 26 episodes of 30 minutes each.
As the 1970s progressed, he retired to protest the lack of support given to Canadian stories by the policies of the Federal government, particularly the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). He also boycotted the Juno Awards in protest of the qualification guidelines set by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for possible nominees who were being consistently nominated and awarded outside of their musical genre. He strongly opposed artists who conducted most of their business in the United States being nominated for Junos in Canada. Connors, who referred to these particular artists as "turncoat Canadians", felt that in view of the fact that they had chosen to live and work in the U.S., it was only fair that they competed with Americans for Grammy Awards, and left the Juno competition to those who lived and conducted business in Canada. His protest caught national attention in 1979 when he sent back his six Junos accompanied by a letter to the board of Directors.
He remained in retirement for nearly a decade before persistent love from young roots revivalists drew him back into the studio and on to the stage. To this day, Stompin' Tom's performances remain popular, and he 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", and in 2000 he did his second autobiography "The Connors Tone". Recent years have seen the re-release of 25 of his record albums.
Connors was involved in a controversy in 2005 with the CBC. After years of requests from CBC for Connors to do a music special, he produced, at a reported cost of $200,000 a live concert video shot and edited on HD, and presented a copy was presented to the CBC's head of TV variety programming. He received a reply the next day telling him that a decision would be reached within a few weeks. After 10 weeks another e-mail was then sent to the newly appointed programming VP, and a prompt reply came back saying that the broadcaster was moving away from music and variety programming and that the Connors special didn't fit with its strategy, and was invited to be a guest on another program. Connors responded, "(a)s far as I'm concerned, if the CBC, our own public network, will not reconsider their refusal to air a Stompin' Tom special, they can take their wonderful offer of letting me sing a song as a guest on some other program and shove it," said Connors.
He received a Doctor of Laws degree honoris causa 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 LL.D. by the University of Toronto.
In CBC's 2004 Greatest Canadian list, he ranked thirteenth, the highest placing for any artist on the list, ahead of such Canadian icons as Neil Young, Celine Dion, Bobby Orr, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, John Diefenbaker, Gordie Howe, Tim Horton, Dr. James Naismith, John Moulson and Joni Mitchell.
Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Conno… Read Full Bio ↴February 9, 1936 - March 6, 2013
Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC was one of Canada's most prolific and well-known folk singers.
He was born in Saint John, New Brunswick to the teenaged Isabel Connors and her boyfriend Thomas Sullivan. He 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 was later adopted by a 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 on his guitar. At 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 a local radio station and the start of his recording career.
Connors' habit of stomping the heel of his left boot to keep rhythm earned him the nickname Stompin' Tom . 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". Connors periodically auctions off his "stompin' boards" for charity.
Typically writing about Canadian lore and history, some of Connors' better-known songs include "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 National Hockey League games. Connors' music is rarely heard outside Canada, with the possible exception of his anthemic "The Hockey Song" which has been covered by many artists. It has been suggested that Connors refuses to allow foreign release of his material (e.g. his music is not available through the US version of Apple's iTunes store, but is in the Canadian version), 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.
In 1974, Connors had a mini-series running on CBC Television in which, he met and exchanged with folks from all across Canada. The series called "Stompin Tom's Canada" was co-produced with the help of CBC and ran for 26 episodes of 30 minutes each.
As the 1970s progressed, he retired to protest the lack of support given to Canadian stories by the policies of the Federal government, particularly the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). He also boycotted the Juno Awards in protest of the qualification guidelines set by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) for possible nominees who were being consistently nominated and awarded outside of their musical genre. He strongly opposed artists who conducted most of their business in the United States being nominated for Junos in Canada. Connors, who referred to these particular artists as "turncoat Canadians", felt that in view of the fact that they had chosen to live and work in the U.S., it was only fair that they competed with Americans for Grammy Awards, and left the Juno competition to those who lived and conducted business in Canada. His protest caught national attention in 1979 when he sent back his six Junos accompanied by a letter to the board of Directors.
He remained in retirement for nearly a decade before persistent love from young roots revivalists drew him back into the studio and on to the stage. To this day, Stompin' Tom's performances remain popular, and he 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", and in 2000 he did his second autobiography "The Connors Tone". Recent years have seen the re-release of 25 of his record albums.
Connors was involved in a controversy in 2005 with the CBC. After years of requests from CBC for Connors to do a music special, he produced, at a reported cost of $200,000 a live concert video shot and edited on HD, and presented a copy was presented to the CBC's head of TV variety programming. He received a reply the next day telling him that a decision would be reached within a few weeks. After 10 weeks another e-mail was then sent to the newly appointed programming VP, and a prompt reply came back saying that the broadcaster was moving away from music and variety programming and that the Connors special didn't fit with its strategy, and was invited to be a guest on another program. Connors responded, "(a)s far as I'm concerned, if the CBC, our own public network, will not reconsider their refusal to air a Stompin' Tom special, they can take their wonderful offer of letting me sing a song as a guest on some other program and shove it," said Connors.
He received a Doctor of Laws degree honoris causa 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 LL.D. by the University of Toronto.
In CBC's 2004 Greatest Canadian list, he ranked thirteenth, the highest placing for any artist on the list, ahead of such Canadian icons as Neil Young, Celine Dion, Bobby Orr, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, John Diefenbaker, Gordie Howe, Tim Horton, Dr. James Naismith, John Moulson and Joni Mitchell.
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Stompin' Tom Connors Lyrics
"Wop" May From out of all the heroes of the land, there comes…
A Real Canadian Girl She loves the way it feels, driving snowmobiles And laughing…
Alberta Rose Alberta means so much to me, every time I play, My…
Algoma Centra No. 69 She's on a bar hoppin spree back in Sault Ste.…
Around the Bay and Back Again From Espanola ta Manitoulina cross the channel I'm bound|I h…
Back Yardin Back yardin', back yardin' thats a chit chat party in…
Back Yardin' Back yardin', back yardin' that's a chit chat party in…
Believe In Your Country Goodbye Jim & Jackie, goodbye John & May We hate to…
Ben In The Pen They call me Ben, here in the pen, where ya…
Big Joe Mufferaw Hey-Hi, Hey-Hi-Ho, the best man in Ottawa was Mufferaw Joe,…
Blue Berets Yes we are the Blue Berets We're up and on our…
Blue Nose [Chorus] My father was a Blue Nose, and his dad through…
Bud The Spud It's bud the spud from the bright red mud Goin down…
Canada Day Up Canada Way It's Canada Day up Canada Way on the first day…
Cross Canada C-A-N-A-D-A Tell me, what's a Douglas fir? C-A-N-A-D-A Bet y…
Don Messer Sto He was born in ol' New Brunswick In the early part…
Entry Island Home Entry Island Home|Another day in Ontario, |working' to pay t…
Farewell To Nova Scotia The sun was setting in the west The birds were singing…
Football Song We'll see you down at the football game|See you in…
Greetings And Merry Christmas Everybody Merry Christmas everybody! and a happy New Year too.|May you…
Gumboot Cloggeroo Oh we sailed away at the break of day to…
Handy-Man Blues I got the "I don't know how to fix the…
Home On The Island Entry Island Home|Another day in Ontario, |working' to pay t…
I Am The Wind I am the wind, I am the wind Without foes, without…
I've Been Everywhere (Spoken)|This here next song is the story, about the fella…
Isle of Magdalen I'm the galf I'm saying learns After cost that being eye The…
Jack Of Many Trades Down in the man power office I was lookin' for…
Lady k.d. lang Where the wild roses grow in Alberta-|On the banks of…
Lady, K.D. Lang Where the wild roses grow in Alberta- On the banks of…
Long Gone To The Yukon I'm long gone to the Yukon boys 'Cause the Yukon's calling…
Luke's Guitar Twang Twang-adiddle dang a diddle danga twanga twanga twang …
Margo's Cargo Have ya heard the news in Newfoundland, rollin' around the…
Marten Hartwell Story LOST!...Up in no-mans land of the Northwest Territories They…
Merry Christmas Everybody Merry Christmas everybody! and a happy New Year too. May yo…
Move Along It's time to move along|Write another song|You made a schmuc…
Muckin' Slushers Come on you muckin' slushers You jack leg, driller and blast…
Muleskinner Blues ‘Good morning, Captain!'||‘Good morning to you, sir!'|Hw…
My Brother Paul Well im sitting around the house day by day I…
My Hockey Mom When I was young, I do recall,|We would go to…
My Hockey Mom (Tribute) When I was young, I do recall We would go to…
My Home's In Newfoundland I tried to wait For you to shake Toronto town. You couldn't …
My Little Eskimo I′ll make my way to Saturday To my darling oh so…
My Stompin' Grounds I've been all across this country|From the East coast to…
Name The Capital Ottawa is a mighty good town, they never turn the…
Okanagan Okee When the birds are singing springtime in the mountains And m…
Old Flat-Top Guitar Well I work all week, the wife does too She get's…
One Blue Light I got the ‘I don't know how to fix the…
Polka Playin' Henry Come and listen to the music of the Northern Land The…
Poor Poor Farmer I came from the city many months ago|Sold almost everything…
Red River Jane Here I walk in the Winnipeg rain Tryin' to get a…
Reesor Crossing Tragedy Just a little bit west of Kapuskasing,|Reesor Crossing, that…
Reversing Falls Darling …
Roll On Saskatchewan Let my heart sing an old river song As we journey…
Roving All Over The Land from the island of vancouver|to the isle of newfoundland|the…
Rubber Head Good Bye Rubberhead lyrics I told my baby nice-please don't …
Rubberhead Goodbye Rubberhead, so long boob! Go and blow your inner-tub…
Saint John Blues Way up in King Square, where the fountain flows, |I…
Sasquatch Song One day at midnight, the sun was so bright|The moon…
Shakin' The Blues Someday they say We're gonna shake this beautiful world Some…
Snowmobile Song It's Wintertime and the weather's fine The snow on the woods…
Story Of Jesus In a land so far away, so long ago, lived a…
Sudbury Saturday Night Well the girls are out to bingo and the boys…
Suzanne De Lafayette I travelled south to Baton Rouge. way down in Louisiana I…
T.T.C. Skidaddler I'm a TTC Skidaddler yeah to sockit to my big…
The Bridge Came Tumblin' Down Nineteen scarlett roses the chaplin spread around In the wat…
The Bug Song Now when the good ol' holidays roll around, I'm the kind…
The Canadian Lumber Jack If I Sang about a saddle with a lasso and…
The Coal Boat Song I left Cape Breton on a coal boat for St. John's,…
The Consumer The Consumer they call us We're the people that buy Well e…
The Hockey Song Hello out there, we're on the air, it's 'Hockey Night'…
The I Don't Know How To Fix The Damned Thing Blues I got the ‘I don't know how to fix the…
The Ketchup Song There was a guy from PEI they used to call…
The Maritime Waltz When the moon gives her light On the harbour tonight We'll d…
The Moon-Man Newfie You might tink it's goofy, but the Man in the…
The North Atlantic Squadron Away, Away with fife and drum Full of the devil and…
The Old Atlantic Shore When the big moon shines in the Maritimes|On the old…
Tillsonberg Hey Tom, You ever been to Tillsonburg? Tillsonburg? My back …
Tillsonburg Hey Tom, You ever been to Tillsonburg? Tillsonburg? My back…
To It There's a rainbow in Toronto where the Maritimers are bold T…
Tribute To Wilf Carter Hello friends, This is Stompin' Tom Connors And I'd like to…
Valentine Song You are my one and only valentine|You are my love,…
Wop May From out of all the heroes of the land, there comes…
Wreck Of The Tammy Anne We'll remember '87, on November Twenty-one, it was stormin…
Zakuska Polka Upupupup, Papa, upupupup! Come up and dance Mama, upupupup!…