Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces and, later, the farms of the Canadian prairies and Great Lakes. Rogers died in a fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797 on the ground at the Greater Cincinnati Airport at the age of 33.
Rogers was born in Hamilton, Ontario, the eldest son of Nathan Allison Rogers and Valerie (née Bushell) Rogers, two Maritimers who had relocated to Ontario in search of work shortly after their marriage in July 1948. Although Rogers was raised in Binbrook, Ontario, he often spent summers visiting family in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia.
It was there that he became familiar with the way of life in the Maritimes, an influence which was to have a profound impact on his subsequent musical development. He was interested in music from an early age, reportedly beginning to sing shortly after learning to speak. He received his first guitar, a miniature hand-built by his uncle Lee Bushell, when he was five years of age. He was exposed to a variety of music influences, but among the most lasting were the country and western tunes his uncles would sing during family get-togethers. Throughout his childhood, he would practice his singing and playing along with his brother Garnet, six years his junior.
While Rogers was attending Saltfleet High School, Stoney Creek, Ontario, he started to meet other young people interested in folk music, although at this time he was dabbling in rock and roll, singing and playing bass guitar in garage bands such as "Stanley and the Living Stones" and "The Hobbits". After high school, Rogers briefly attended both McMaster University and Trent University, where he performed in small venues with other student musicians, including Ian Tamblyn, Chris Ward and fellow Hobbit Nigel Russell. Russell wrote the song "White Collar Holler", which Rogers sang frequently on stage.
Rogers signed with RCA Records in 1970 and recorded two singles: "Here's to You Santa Claus" in 1970, and "The Fat Girl Rag" in 1971. In 1973, Rogers recorded three singles for Polygram: "Three Pennies", "Guysborough Train", and "Past Fifty."
In 1976, Rogers recorded his debut album, Fogarty's Cove, released in 1977 on Barnswallow Records. The album's subject matter dealt almost entirely with life in maritime Canada, and was an immediate success. Rogers then formed Fogarty's Cove Music, and bought Barnswallow during the production of Turnaround, allowing him to release his own albums. Posthumously, additional albums were released.[citation needed]
Rogers' songs often had a Celtic feel which was due, in part, to his frequent use of DADGAD guitar tuning. He regularly used his William 'Grit' Laskin built 12-string guitar in his performances. His best-known pieces include "Northwest Passage", "Barrett's Privateers", "The Mary Ellen Carter", "Make and Break Harbour", "The Idiot", "Fogarty's Cove", and "White Squall".
Rogers died alongside 22 other passengers most likely of smoke inhalation on June 2, 1983, while traveling on Air Canada Flight 797 (a McDonnell Douglas DC-9) after performing at the Kerrville Folk Festival. The airliner was flying from Dallas, Texas, to Toronto and Montreal when a fire of unknown ignition source within the vanity or toilet shroud of the aft washroom forced it to make an emergency landing at the Greater Cincinnati Airport in northern Kentucky.
There were initially no visible flames, and after attempts to extinguish the fire were unsuccessful, smoke filled the cabin. Upon landing, the plane's doors were opened, allowing the five crew and 18 of the passengers to escape, but approximately 60 to 90 seconds into the evacuation the oxygen rushing in from outside caused a flash fire. Rogers had initially been one of the passengers to escape, but he at some point re-entered the plane to assist in the effort to help others escape.
Rogers' legacy includes his recordings, songbook, and plays for which he was commissioned to write music. His songs are still frequently covered by other musicians, and are perennial favourites at Canadian campfires and song circles. Members of Rogers' band, including his brother Garnet Rogers, continue to be active performers and form a significant part of the fabric of contemporary Canadian folk music. Following his death, he was nominated for the 1984 Juno Awards in the category for Best Male Vocalist. That same year, he was posthumously awarded the Diplôme d’Honneur of the Canadian Conference of the Arts. In 1994, his posthumous live album Home in Halifax was likewise nominated for Best Roots and Traditional Album.
Stan's son, Nathan Rogers, is also an established Canadian folk artist with a voice and lyrical acumen similar to his father's. He has released two critically acclaimed solo discs and tours internationally as a solo act and in the trio Dry Bones.
Acadian Saturday Night
Stan Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He tole his wife's he's gone for the fishing
But in the waters off St. Pierre and Miquelon Isles
The fish come in bottles of gold
If the Anne-Marie floats and the Mounties stay blind
He'll be back before the moon is rising
With a very fine catch all safe in the hold
Thirty cases of Trinidad light
Emmeline Comeau works the general store
Papa says she's good for the custom
She's go eyes like fire and hair past her shoulders
As shiny black as ant'racite coal
You can see her Sunday morning on the St Phillipe road
Her mother close behind like a dragon
But her mama doesn't know what she does behind the hall
Away from the music and lights
On Acadian Saturday night.
[Chorus]
Oh, don't the fiddles make you roll
'Til your heart she pounds like a hammer
There's a fat lady beating her piano like a drum
And everybody's higher than a kite
On Acadian Saturday night.
Granpa says it was better in his day
The Mounties stayed away from the parties
And he didn't mind a fight when the spirits got high
(You could always throw them out in the snow)
And the rum was better and it came in bigger bottles
And the revenue cutters were slow -
Still, the old Anne-Marie has wings on the water
And there's nothing like Trinidad light
On Acadian Saturday night
The Acadian Saturday Night by Stan Rogers tells the story of a traditional event on the Isle of St. Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory off the coast of Newfoundland. The islanders gather for a night of music, dancing, and revelry, fueled by rum smuggled in from Trinidad. Uncle Emile, a fisherman, is on a mission to bring back thirty cases of the prized liquor in exchange for a big payout. Meanwhile, the locals gossip about Emmeline Comeau, a young woman who dances behind the hall with a man who is not her fiancé. The song speaks to the pride of the islanders in their cultural traditions, the thrill of breaking the law, and the joys of community and celebration.
The lyrics of Acadian Saturday Night are rooted in the history and culture of the Acadian people, who were originally French settlers in Atlantic Canada. They were displaced from their homes by the British in the mid-18th century and forced to flee, becoming refugees in their own land. Many ended up in Louisiana and became the Cajuns, another distinct cultural group with its own music and customs. The song celebrates the resilience and spirit of the Acadian people in the face of hardship, as well as their love of music, drink, and good company. The references to rum-running and smuggling reflect the islanders' defiance of Prohibition laws in Canada and the United States in the early 20th century, and their determination to hold onto their traditional practices despite legal prohibitions.
Line by Line Meaning
Uncle Emile, he's gone now nearly ten days
Uncle Emile has been gone for almost 10 days
He tole his wife's he's gone for the fishing
He told his wife he was going fishing
But in the waters off St. Pierre and Miquelon Isles
He is actually at St. Pierre and Miquelon Isles
The fish come in bottles of gold
The valuable fish are abundant in the area
If the Anne-Marie floats and the Mounties stay blind
If the ship Anne-Marie sails undetected and the police stay unaware
He'll be back before the moon is rising
He plans to return before nightfall
With a very fine catch all safe in the hold
He will have successfully smuggled a valuable catch
Thirty cases of Trinidad light
He has smuggled thirty cases of Trinidad light rum
For Acadian Saturday night.
For the upcoming festive night in Acadian
Emmeline Comeau works the general store
Emmeline Comeau works in the general store
Papa says she's good for the custom
Emmeline gets along with the customers well
She's go eyes like fire and hair past her shoulders
Emmeline has striking fiery eyes and long hair
As shiny black as ant'racite coal
Her hair is as black and shiny as anthracite coal
You can see her Sunday morning on the St Phillipe road
People can see her on St. Phillipe road on Sunday morning
Her mother close behind like a dragon
Her mother follows her, keeping a close eye on her
But her mama doesn't know what she does behind the hall
However, her mother is unaware of what Emmeline does behind the hall
Away from the music and lights
When she is away from the music and lights of Acadian Saturday night
On Acadian Saturday night.
The night of festivity and celebration in Acadian
Oh, don't the fiddles make you roll
The fiddles make you want to dance and move to its rhythm
'Til your heart she pounds like a hammer
It makes your heart beat heavily and fast
There's a fat lady beating her piano like a drum
A larger woman plays the piano intensely like a drum
And everybody's higher than a kite
Everyone is very intoxicated and under the influence
On Acadian Saturday night.
During the night of celebration in Acadian
Granpa says it was better in his day
Grandpa believes that everything was better in the past
The Mounties stayed away from the parties
The police used to stay away from the parties
And he didn't mind a fight when the spirits got high
He didn't mind a physical altercation when people were drunk
(You could always throw them out in the snow)
You could always forcibly remove them by throwing them out in the snow
And the rum was better and it came in bigger bottles
The rum was of better quality and came in larger bottles
And the revenue cutters were slow -
The police were not as fast and efficient
Still, the old Anne-Marie has wings on the water
However, the Anne-Marie ship is still fast and efficient
And there's nothing like Trinidad light
There is no rum better than Trinidad light rum
On Acadian Saturday night.
During Acadian's Saturday night celebration
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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