Stompin' Tom Connors Dead: Canadian Music Icon Dies At Age 77
The Huffington Post Canada/The Canadian Press
6 March, 2013
Stompin' Tom Connors has died at the age of 77. Photo by Edward Regan / The Globe and Mail
Canadian music icon Stompin' Tom Connors has died at the age of 77.
A release on the folk musician's website confirms that Connors died of natural causes at his home in Ontario.
Long-time friend Brian Edwards said the musician, rarely seen without his signature black cowboy hat and stomping cowboy boots, knew his health was declining and penned a message for his fans a few days before his death.
"I know Tom loved the fans more than anything. He's probably one of the few artists that built his whole life around fans and nothing else,'' Edwards said.
"The man stood for everything that Canada stood for and he was very adamant that he stayed a Canadian and made it very apparent that he never left the country to advance his career and stayed very, very true to who he was.''
In the letter posted on his official website, Connors issued a final thank you to his fans, to whom he credited his entire career.
"I want all my fans, past, present, or future, to know that without you, there would have not been any Stompin' Tom,'' Connors wrote.
"It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with its beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.''
The musician said he hoped his work would continue to ``bring a little bit of cheer'' into people's lives even after his death and called on his fans to continue to bring Canadiana to the world.
"I must now pass the torch, to all of you, to help keep the Maple Leaf flying high, and be the Patriot Canada needs now and in the future.''
Connors is survived by his wife Lena, two sons, two daughters and several grandchildren.
Dubbed Stompin' Tom for his propensity to pound the floor with his left foot during performances, Connors garnered a devoted following through straight-ahead country-folk tunes that drew inspiration from his extensive travels and focused on the everyman.
Although wide commercial appeal escaped Connors for much of his four-decade career, his heritage-soaked songs like "Canada Day, Up Canada Way,'' "The Hockey Song,'' "Bud the Spud,'' and "Sudbury Saturday Night,'' have come to be regarded as veritable national anthems thanks to their unabashed embrace of all things Canadiana.
The chorus can send shivers down the spine of any Canadian, even in the middle of the winter.
"The Hockey Song" , by Stompin' Tom Connors, is as Canadian as Hockey Night In Canada or a steaming cup of Timmies.
"The good old hockey game, is the best game you can name," the song's famous chorus goes. (See full lyrics below.)
In the message posted on his website, Connors says Canada kept him
"inspired with its beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.''
Connors had other popular songs, including "Sudbury Saturday Night."
"The Hockey Song" first appeared in Connors' 1973 album, but only the 1990s did it become popular. We've compiled some of his hits, including an appearance on the Conan O'Brien Show when the U.S. TV host visited Toronto. The performance got the crowd on its feet as Connors sang and stomped his way through the tune.
See the lyrics of the song below:
The Hockey Song
Quote:
Hello out there, we're on the air, it's 'Hockey Night' tonight.
Tension grows, the whistle blows, and the puck goes down the ice.
The goalie jumps, and the players bump, and the fans all go insane.
Someone roars, "Bobby Scores!" at the good old Hockey Game.
Oh, the good old hockey game, is the best game you can name.
And the best game you can name, is the good old hockey game.
Second period.
Where players dash, with skates aflash, the home team trails behind.
But they grab the puck, and go bursting up, and they're down across the line.
They storm the crease, like bumble bees, they travel like a burning flame.
We see them slide, the puck inside, it's a 1-1 hockey game.
(Chorus)
Third Period. Last game of the playoff too.
Oh take me where, the hockey players, face off down the rink.
And the Stanley Cup, is all filled up, for the champs who win the drink.
Now the final flick, of a hockey stick, and the one gigantic scream.
"The puck is in! The home team wins!", the good old hockey game.
(Chorus)
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RIP Tom
.