Ontario’s Country Music Pioneers:
Dusty King and Dusty King Jr.

Not often do we get the opportunity to showcase two generations in the same “Pioneers” feature. Here’s one profiling father and son, Dusty King and Dusty King, Jr.

THE FATHER
Dusty King was born Robert Bruce Dustin in 1938 in East Hatley, Quebec. He worked in the Montreal music scene, leading his band “Country Cats,” which featured renowned musicians Neil Flanz, Paul Gurry, Wayne King, and others. Dusty King later performed on the “OK Jamboree” TV show out of Cornwall, Ontario, and soon became a fixture on the Ottawa Valley music circuit, becoming a star attraction at local Country venues and festival events.

He also entered the recording field with a pair of mid-1960’s singles on the Delta Records label (“Sure As Death & Taxes”) and the Arc Records single “This Ole Heart”. He recorded albums, including the Arc Records releases “This Ole Heart” and “I Remember Jim Reeves”. He was also featured on several of the Arc Records “16 Top Hits” albums. Dusty King later delivered a 10-song cassette “Something To Say”, which included two of his own compositions.

Dusty King was inducted into the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001. He passed away on January 8, 2003, in Hamilton, Ontario, at the age of 64.

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THE SON
Dusty King, Jr. was the proverbial “chip off the old block” – born into Country music thanks to the path paved by his father.

He was born Robert Dustin on July 1, 1957, in Ayerscliffe, (Rock Island), Quebec. Like his father, he too migrated to the Ottawa Valley Country music scene. His early years were spent as a member of the Russ Orange band “Country Unlimited,” and by the early 1980s, he had become a fixture as the bass player/vocalist in the award-winning band “Terry Carisse & Tracks.”In April 1987, Dusty King, Jr. launched his own recording career, releasing the single “When It Comes To Love” on the Savannah Records label. The song was written by Terry Carisse.

Dusty King Jr.’s talents as a bass player were often called upon for recording sessions, which included credits on albums by Terry Carisse, Bruce Golden, Rae Palmer, Peter Dawson, Pat Willbond, Tom Wilson, and many others. He also produced the 1984 recording “Driving From The Wrong Side Of The Truck”, a nationally charted single for Eileen Walsh.

As a member of the band Tracks, Dusty King, Jr. was named as part of the CCMA’s All-Star Back-Up Band in 1985.
Dusty King Jr. is now based in Lakefield, Ontario, where he remains active on the Country music scene throughout the Ottawa and Seaway Valley regions.

Dusty King, Jr. was a 2012 inductee of the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame.