// by Larry Delaney // (Born: Bowmanville, ON) (#62 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Tim Taylor is one of those guys who has done it all… and he’s still doing it!! Singer, songwriter, recording artist, touring act, award winner – Tim Taylor can answer to all of that. Born in Bowmanville, Ontario, Tim Taylor spent his high school years in a variety of rock bands, playing school dances and social events. He eventually “graduated” to perform professionally with the country band, Buckshot. By the late 1970s, he had teamed up with vocalist Anita Perras, both on-stage and eventually, as a married couple. They quickly honed their talents and recorded a debut album, “Bought And Paid For”. Several hit single releases followed – separately and as a […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: January 20 – Montreal, QC) (#61 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Cliff Edwards grew up in a musical family and while in high school in Montreal, formed his first band, The Strata-Cats, performing a mix of rockabilly and country. He later headed up the group The Counts Four, and hosted the TV Show “Hurtin’ Songs”, aired on CFCF in Montreal. Cliff’s late brother, Brian Edwards, was an early career guest on the TV show and he later became lead voice for the Canadian rock band Mashmakhan. In 1965, Cliff Edwards formed the group The Five Bells, which would soon undergo a name change to The Bells. The group included sisters Ann and Jacki Ralph and pianist Frank Mills, who […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: March 1, 1945 – Ottawa, Ontario) (#60 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Peter Hodgson may not be a name that strikes familiarity among country music fans… but mention the name “Sneezy Waters”, and immediately many more know who you are speaking of. “Sneezy Waters” – aka Peter Hodgson – has been recognized in the music world for more than half a century, most notably in the leading role portraying the immortal Hank Williams in the stage play and movie “Hank Williams: The Show He Never Gave”. The Ottawa-born performer first attracted attention in the duo “Nev & Pete” with long-time friend and fellow entertainer Neville Wells. As a “folk” duo, they worked major stages and venues in Ottawa and […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: February 26, 1941 – Froomfield [Sarnia], Ontario) (Died: December 31, 2020 – Sarnia, Ontario) (#59 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Jimmy Phair was born February 26, 1941, in Froomfield (near Sarnia, Ontario). He received his first guitar – made from a cigar box – at age four and has never looked back. By the time he was 14, he was guesting on his first radio show, aired out of Marine City, Michigan. Soon afterwards, he was appearing regularly on his hometown radio station CHOK, which led to the hosting of his own radio show on the station. In 1962, Phair took his live show on the road, touring extensively in Ontario, Quebec and into the USA. He often shared […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: February 6, 1955 – North Bay, Ontario) (#58 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Randall Prescott is in the middle of a rare Canadian country music generational family tree: his father is Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Famer, Irwin Prescott; Randall is himself a multiple Hall of Fame inductee; and more recently, Randall and his wife Tracey Brown (of Family Brown) celebrate with great pride the emergence of their daughter, Kelly Prescott, on the Canadian music scene. That’s three generations of music-makin’ Prescotts. Randall Isaac Prescott was born in North Bay, Ontario. He and brother Ron Prescott followed their father Irwin Prescott when he relocated to Ottawa in 1971. Irwin Prescott founded and operated the famous Golden Rail club […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: March 20, 1937 – London, Ontario) (#57 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Tommy Hunter has affectionately been dubbed “The Country Gentleman”, thanks largely to a legion of fans he developed through his 27 years of hosting “The Tommy Hunter TV Show” on CBC-TV (1965- 1992). Many of the faithful who followed him on the television show also attended his concerts during his almost-annual tours across Canada. The TV show was unceremoniously cancelled by CBC after 27 years, to the dismay of his fans, who petitioned the CBC for its return, to no avail. Several seasons of the show were also televised on The Nashville Network. At its peak in Canada, the show was drawing a weekly audience in excess […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: October 28, 1947 – Ottawa, Ontario) (#56 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Wayne Rostad has long been one of Canada’s most visible country music entertainers, thanks to his long-running TV series “On The Road Again” – a homespun weekly show that featured vignettes on everyday people and places from all corners of the country. In fact, the TV series was so popular that it interrupted Wayne’s career as a country music recording artist and songwriter. Born October 28, 1947, in Ottawa, Wayne Rostad paid his dues in Canadian country music as a radio DJ at stations in Smiths Falls, Ottawa, and Kingston, Ontario and in Grand Falls, NL. During the 1970s, while in Ontario, Wayne was also the front-man […]

// by Larry Delaney // (born: September 19, 1940 – Chatham, Ontario) (#53 in the Ontario Pioneers Series) Sylvia Fricker was born September 19, 1940, in Chatham, Ontario. While still a teenager, she moved to Toronto to pursue her interests in singing and soon crossedpaths with Ian Tyson. Shortly after they met in 1959, they began collaborating vocally and as songwriters, composing songs together and individually. Within the year, they launched the duo Ian & Sylvia, attracting attention to their folk/country music throughout North America, highlighted by what would become a Canadian classic: Four Strong Winds. Sylvia and Ian were married June 26, 1964. They recorded a dozen albums and by the late 1960s, were fronting the country/rock band Great Speckled Bird. During this time, […]

// by Larry Delaney // (Born: John Ken Gulley – October 11, 1955 – Toronto, Ontario) (#52 in the Ontario Pioneers Series)   A guitar whiz since early childhood, JK Gulley first performed professionally in support of Canadian artist Alfie Fromager, then became a founding member of the country group Dusty Road (with Les Childs and Brian Callan). The trio released a self-titled LP (Thunderbird Records) which featured five songs written by Gulley. JK Gulley next joined the Ontario-based group Whiskey River, and by the late 1970s, was playing lead guitar in Billie Jo Spear’s Nashville touring band, with his first show date with the band taking place at the 1979 Wembley Festival in England. Following a near three-year stint with Spears, JK moved on […]