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.
Fisherman's Wharf
Stan Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With new life pushing through
That I looked from the citadel down to the narrows and asked what it's coming to
I saw Upper Canadian concrete and glass
right down to the water line
I have heard an old song down on Fisherman's Wharf
Can I sing it just one time?
for the warm wind giving thanks
I dreamed of the years of the deep laden schooners splashing home from the Grand Banks
The last lays done in the harbor sun
With her picture on a dime
But I have heard an old song down on Fisherman's Wharf
Can I sing it just one time?
CHORUS:
And haul away and heave her ho
This song is heard no more
No boats to sing it for
No sails to sing it for
There rises now a single tide of tourists passing through
We traded old ways for the new
Old ways for the new,
Old ways for the new, for the new
Now you ask "What's this romantic boy,
Who laments what's done and gone?"
There was no romance on a cold winter ocean and the gale sang an awful song
But my fathers knew of wind and tide, and my blood is maritime
And I heard an old song down on Fisherman's Wharf
Can I sing it just one time?
CHORUS
(Repeat first verse)
The lyrics of Stan Rogers's song Fisherman's Wharf are a reflection on the changes that have taken place in the Canadian fishing industry, particularly in Halifax. The singer, looking down on the city from a high vantage point, observes the new concrete and glass buildings that have replaced the old fishing docks, and asks what it's all coming to. He longs for the days when schooners would bring in loads of fish from the Grand Banks, and the harbor was alive with activity, including the singing of old sea shanties. He yearns to sing this old song, perhaps as a way of holding on to a time that is rapidly disappearing, replaced by a tide of tourists who have no connection to the old ways of life.
The singer's nostalgia for the past is tempered by a recognition of the harshness of the old way of life, with its cold winters, dangerous seas, and hard physical labor. Nevertheless, he feels a strong connection to his maritime heritage, passed down to him by his father, and expressed through the old songs that he hears down on Fisherman's Wharf. He laments the fact that these songs are no longer being sung, as the fishing industry has been replaced by tourism and the old ways have been left behind in favor of the new.
Line by Line Meaning
It was in the spring this year of grace
The story is set in spring and the singer is looking down to the narrows, wondering about what's going to happen.
With new life pushing through
Spring brings new life and energy to the world.
That I looked from the citadel down to the narrows and asked what it's coming to
The singer is standing at the citadel and looking down to the narrows, questioning what the future holds.
I saw Upper Canadian concrete and glass
The artist sees a lot of modern buildings made of concrete and glass in Upper Canada.
right down to the water line
These modern buildings go all the way down to the water, showing a shift towards modernization even in traditional fishing areas.
I have heard an old song down on Fisherman's Wharf
The singer has heard an old song at the Fisherman's Wharf, indicating a sense of nostalgia.
Can I sing it just one time?
The singer wants to sing the old song just one time before it gets lost in the changes happening to the area.
With half-closed eyes against the sun
The artist is partially shielding their eyes from the sun.
for the warm wind giving thanks
The artist is enjoying the warm wind and feeling grateful for it.
I dreamed of the years of the deep laden schooners splashing home from the Grand Banks
The artist has a dream or memory of the past when sailing schooners would come home from the Grand Banks, heavily laden with fish.
The last lays done in the harbor sun
The final sail making is done in the harbor with the sun shining down.
With her picture on a dime
The artist is referring to the image of the schooner on a Canadian dime coin.
And haul away and heave her ho
This line is from the chorus and might be interpreted as a call to action for sailors to hoist the sails and get to work.
This song is heard no more
The old sailor's song is not sung anymore.
No boats to sing it for
There are no boats left to sing the song for, as the way of life has changed.
There rises now a single tide of tourists passing through
The artist notices a new tide of tourists coming through the area, indicating that the place is changing from traditional fishing to a more tourist-oriented area.
We traded old ways for the new
The artist acknowledges that the area has traded old fishing ways for new tourism opportunities.
Now you ask "What's this romantic boy,
The singer is addressing someone who might question his romantic views of the past and the changes happening in the present moment.
Who laments what's done and gone?"
The singer is being accused of being too nostalgic and holding onto the past in an unrealistic way.
There was no romance on a cold winter ocean and the gale sang an awful song
The artist is acknowledging that working as a fisherman on the cold ocean is not romantic or easy, often accompanied by bad weather.
But my fathers knew of wind and tide, and my blood is maritime
The artist is proud of his family's seafaring heritage and feels a deep connection to the sea.
And haul away and heave her ho
This line is repeated again from the chorus, suggesting a desire to keep the old seafaring traditions alive through song.
This song is heard no more
The old sailor's song is not sung anymore.
No boats to sing it for
There are no boats left to sing the song for, as the way of life has changed.
Old ways for the new,
The singer acknowledges that old ways of life have to sometimes make way for the new realities of the world.
Old ways for the new, for the new
This line is repeated again to emphasize the idea that change is inevitable and sometimes necessary.
(Repeat first verse)
The song ends with a repeat of the first verse, emphasizing the theme of change and progression over time.
Contributed by Miles D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.