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.
Guysborough Train
Stan Rogers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or so the man said,
So it might be a good place to be...
I sit in this station,
And I count up my change,
And I wait for the Guysborough train...
Now I've sat in your kitchens,
And I've sung about your withering pain,
Shattered your temples,
And I've brought on your fall,
Now I wait for the Guysborough train...
[Chorus]
And I ride for all time, on the Guysborough line,
And I grow by the North Country rain,
And the North Shore's begun, the man I've become,
In rags, on the Guysborough train...
No train to Guysborough
Now ain't that a shame,
Though I know there will be one in time,
And the house that's alone,
It soon will be gone,
Razed for the Guysborough line
[Chorus]
People are simple,
Like the rain clouds sweet,
Both grown by that North Country rain,
The Interval is clear,
Will it soon disappear,
Under the Guysborough train?
[Chorus]
The song "Guysborough Train" by Stan Rogers is a story of a man waiting for the train at a small station in Guysborough, Nova Scotia. The man is broke, counting his change and waiting for the train that may never come, as he is told by a man at the station. He reflects on the times he has spent with the people of the region, singing about their pain, destruction, and fall. As he waits, he realizes that he has become a man of the North Shore, shaped by the rain, and he rides the Guysborough train for all time.
The lyrics of the song paint a picture of a rural and remote area where the train is both a lifeline and a symbol of progress. The man at the station tells the singer that there is no train to Guysborough, implying that the region has been left behind by modern transportation. However, the singer remains hopeful that the train will come in time and that progress will arrive in the area. The chorus of the song emphasizes the importance of the Guysborough train to the singer, who rides it for all time, growing with the rain of the North Country, and becoming the man of the North Shore.
The song reflects the beauty and simplicity of life in rural Nova Scotia and the importance of transportation infrastructure to the lives of the people who live there. The singer's reflections on the people he has met in Nova Scotia, as well as his hope for the future, make "Guysborough Train" a poignant and touching song.
Line by Line Meaning
Now there's no train to Guysborough,
The man was told there are currently no trains going to Guysborough, leaving him stranded
Or so the man said,
The man is skeptical if there really is no train to Guysborough as he was only told and hasn't witnessed it himself
So it might be a good place to be...
Despite being stranded, the man is optimistic about Guysborough and sees potential in it
I sit in this station,
The man is currently waiting at the train station
And I count up my change,
The man is low on money and is uncertain if he has enough to afford the train ticket
And I wait for the Guysborough train...
The man is patiently waiting for the train to Guysborough, hoping to leave the station soon
Now I've sat in your kitchens,
The man has spent time with the people in the towns he's visited
And talked about walls,
The man has had conversations about meaningful topics with the people he's met in these towns
And I've sung about your withering pain,
The man has performed songs that touch on the struggles and afflictions experienced by the people in these towns
Shattered your temples,
The man may have disrupted the status quo of these towns by making people think differently or question their beliefs
And I've brought on your fall,
The man may have caused people to take drastic action or rethink their way of life
Now I wait for the Guysborough train...
Despite having made a significant impact in these towns, the man is now waiting for his next journey to Guysborough
And I ride for all time, on the Guysborough line,
The man sees the train ride to Guysborough as a significant moment in his life
And I grow by the North Country rain,
The man feels that his experiences in the North Country have helped him grow and evolve as a person
And the North Shore's begun, the man I've become,
The man has been shaped and influenced by the North Shore and the people he's met there
In rags, on the Guysborough train...
Despite his shabby appearance, the man is content and at peace with riding the train to Guysborough
Now ain't that a shame,
The man is disappointed that there is still no train to Guysborough
Though I know there will be one in time,
Despite the current lack of a train, the man trusts that one will eventually be available
And the house that's alone,
There is a building in Guysborough that stands abandoned and empty
It soon will be gone,
The abandoned building will be demolished to make way for the train line
Razed for the Guysborough line
The building will be destroyed and the train line will take its place
People are simple,
The man believes that the people he's met on his travels are uncomplicated and easy to understand
Like the rain clouds sweet,
The man compares the people he's met to sweet rain clouds - natural and refreshing
Both grown by that North Country rain,
The people and the rain clouds are both products of the North Country's climate
The Interval is clear,
The future of the Interval (a region in Nova Scotia) is uncertain
Will it soon disappear,
There is a possibility that the Interval may no longer exist in the future
Under the Guysborough train?
The construction of the train line may be a factor in the disappearance of the Interval
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STAN ROGERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind