Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers:
Con Archer

Singer/songwriter CON ARCHER was born Conrad William Archer, November 8, 1941, in Bourlamaque (Val D’Or), Quebec. He later moved to Orillia, Ontario, where he first worked as a barber, and then pursued a singing career, initially performing with the local group, The Fairlanes, singing Country and Gospel music.  By the early 1970s, Con Archer headed up his own group, “The Sundowners”, and began his recording career, which would see him release seven albums and a series of nationally-charted hit singles.

A debut album, “The Many Moods Of Con Archer”, was released on the Dominion Records label in 1970. The album was produced by Jury Krytiuk and recorded in Nashville studios. The album featured a mix of Country, Rock ‘n Roll and Spiritual tunes. A lead single, “If I Can Help Somebody”, was a Top 40 hit on the RPM Country charts.

A follow-up album, “One More Valley”, released in 1971 on the Boot Records label, was heavily filled with Gospel songs. His 1972 album, “Robbin’ The Cradle”, was more Country, with the title track tune – a cover version of the Pop hit – making it into the Top 10 on Canadian Country charts; Con Archer’s best chart appearance. A version of the Country standard, “I Wonder Where You Are Tonight”, was also released as a single, peaking at #36 on the charts.

In 1973, Archer released the album “Sandy” on the Cynda Records label. The title track was a Top 40 hit. The album also included a version of the Gordon Lightfoot song, “Remember Me (I’m The One)”.

The 1974 album, “Sincerely”, was again a mix of Country and Gospel material, with the single release of the song, “Happy Anniversary”, providing Con with another Top 20 hit.

His next album, “Elvis Is Gone But Not Forgotten”, released in 1978 on his own Archer Records label, was a departure from earlier recordings; this one contained versions of songs popularized by Elvis Presley. The title track was a tribute song composed by Con Archer.

Archer closed out his recording career with the album “Four Books In The Bible”, released on Cheyenne Records. His recording of “Blue Spanish Eyes”, originally part of the “Sincerely” album, was featured on the 1974 Various Artists’ LP, “Country Music Cavalcade”, issued on the Marathon Records label.

Notwithstanding his impressive recording catalogue, Con Archer was largely overlooked by the music industry outside of his home base in Orillia, with no notable award nominations to his credit.

Con Archer passed away at age 47 on January 9, 1988, in Cannington, Ontario.