When I published my book (My Good Times With Stompin' Tom) in 2018, the reaction from the obviously educated and highly sophisticated Canadian populous was immediate! The sales were so robust, a second edition was soon ordered. I'm thrilled to report that to this day, the book continues to sell well. Some stores have sold over 30 copies to date. How cool is that?

Recently, another book about Stompin' Tom was published by my friend from Nova Scotia, Charlie Rhindress. It's called Stompin' Tom, The Myth And…

Throughout the day, when I'm not despairing over the state of the world, a ray of sunshine (metaphorically speaking) sometimes breaks through the clouds and lifts my spirits.  The first of the day appeared this morning when I booted up the old computer and read my emails.  There was one from my new pal, Bill Houston.

I've recently connected with Bill, a resident of Thunder Bay.  Bill is a Canadian singer songwriter who has been on all of my playlists since there was such a thing.  In 1972, I worked at…

When I published my book (My Good Times With Stompin' Tom) in 2018, the reaction from the obviously educated and highly sophisticated Canadian populous was immediate!  The sales were so robust, a second edition was soon ordered.  I'm thrilled to report that to this day, the book continues to sell well.  Some stores have sold over 30 copies to date.  How cool is that?

Recently, another book about Stompin' Tom was published by my friend from Nova Scotia, Charlie Rhindress.  It's called Stompin' Tom, The Myth…

Whiskey Jack performed our first and only Stompin' Tom show this past Friday, September 11 in Corbyville Ontario.

Our special guest was honoured member of the Whiskey Jack fraternity, Conrad Kipping.  Connie was also one of Stompin' Tom's favourite pickin' buddies.  The 1993 Kic It tour featured many all night sessions with Tom and Conrad. 

We can't describe the bliss we felt when we first began to play and sing that night.  Our sound man at Signal Brewery was Wolfgang and he was amazing.  The enjoyment…

Here at Whiskey Jack head office, we join our fellow Canadians and look forward to a more secure and predictable future. We certainly hope this finds you and your family Covid-free and ready to take on whatever tomorrow presents. 

There are some very creative and determined programmers in Canada who are working diligently to keep their theatres, clubs and festivals alive, and to those people, we say thank you. All of us in Whiskey Jack will be there to stand on your stage and entertain the fans with our…

Greetings from Whiskey Jack head office. Sadly, we're working from home, our on stage office being temporarily closed. It will reopen.

It doesn't happen often but sometimes my real estate, music and hockey interests overlap and good things happen. I brought my banjo to an International RE/MAX convention in Las Vegas and enjoyed this moment in the spotlight. Then there was the Joker Hockey Club appearance at the Sudbury Comedy Festival a few years ago.

Yesterday, this overlap happened again. My teammates on…

Happy Canada Day to you and yours from Whiskey Jack head office. We thank you for supporting our music over the years. It continues to give us hope that some day we'll once again stand on a stage, sing our songs and share our stories.

In the meantime, we're doing what we can to keep the dream alive by using the tools and opportunities available to us. This week, the "new" Whiskey Jack assembled 6' apart, played a lot of tunes and reminisced about the biggest and most thrilling gig of our lives. On July 1,…

Bob McNiven, professional singer, songwriter, guitar and banjo player, unapologetically romantic with a smile permanently imprinted on his face, was born in Pennsylvania on May 24, 1952 and died at home in Toronto on May 4, 2020 of ALS. 

Bob’s unusual childhood was the roadmap for his life as a professional musician. He grew up singing and playing music with his family band, The Singing McNiven’s. His dad was a preacher and they travelled America singing gospel music in camps and churches. Originally from…

Erin Davis from CHFI fame was recently interviewed on a podcast called Toronto Mike'd. It was an all encompassing conversation and in a round-about way, she made mention of Whiskey Jack. Her husband Rob Whitehead played bass for us for many years. She also spoke glowingly of Arlene Zock, our brilliant vocalist who died in 2011. I'm very pleased to announce that Arlene's fans can now, for the first time, listen to her on Spotify, Apple Music and all the other streaming platforms. I'm sorry it took so long to…

As many of our fans know, we toured with our show in Northern Ontario in May, 2019.  At the time, we jokingly referred to these shows as Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom On Steroids.  The steroid part was the addition of Cindy Church, Russell deCarle and The Good Brothers to our stage.  

At a preproduction meeting with all of the participants earlier that year, I gave Bruce and Brian Good a copy of my book, My Good Times With Stompin' Tom.  One chapter in that book inspired the twins to write a song.  It's…

It's now official.  Banjodunc made his debut today on this great podcast and much was said about our main man, Stompin' Tom Connors.  Let the advertising campaign begin and please everyone, share the news that the 7th Annual Stompin' Tom Birthday Celebration is coming up at Zoomer Hall on April 16, 2020. Tickets are on sale now.    

Mike and I spun a few discs and talked about many things and people ... Dan Kershaw's Bramalea, Douglas Cameron's Three Chord Johnny and Mona With The Children, @BernieFinlest…

When we're not on tour with Whiskey Jack performing Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom Show across the country, Duncan and Douglas are making friends and music as a duo. They call themselves Doogie and Dun. Sometimes, with too much time on their hands, things get out of hand.  This is what happens.  

Think of this as a Fantasy League for Canadian music fans..."What would happen if?"

In this case, what would have happened if Leonard Cohen got fed up with trying to write the lyrics for his little ditty…

As Whiskey Jack begins its seventh touring season, our quest for world domination continues.  Increasing our footprint... our profile - that's what it's all about.  I'm happy to report that we are making progress on that front.  We have entered into a business relationship with what we think is the hottest media outlet in the GTA and beyond, a podcast called Toronto Mike'd.  There is even hope that this is a game changer for our show.

Here's why it's so important.  In our 40+ year history, Whiskey Jack has…

Georgette A. from the Brantford area is the lucky winner of the Hockey Song Christmas Ornament Giveaway draw.  We thank everyone who participated by ordering an item from our online store.  A special thank you to Georgette for her support of our show.

This giveaway campaign was also promoted on one of Canada's premier podcasts, Toronto Mike'd.   For those who haven't discovered the world of podcasting, we encourage you to check this out.  Mike Boon is the host of this very popular show.  Banjo Dunc and…

Stompin' Tom Christmas Ornament Giveaway - This ornament lights up and plays The Hockey Song...very cool. It's the only one we have. A collectors item.

If you want a chance to win, all you have to do is go onto our website www.whiskeyjackmusic.com, click on STORE at the top of the page, and buy either a copy of Duncan's book, My Good Times With Stompin' Tom or buy any of the CD's listed there. One entry per item purchased.

We will draw the winner on Dec. 15, 2019 and Express Post the ornament to you the…

There are two moments in our shows when the crowd loses control of their senses.  We live for these moments.  It happens at every show!

The first is when our official Whiskey Jack dancer, Douglas John Cameron begins to floss.  The reaction from the crowd is immediate and loud.  Smiles and laughter ensue.  Why does Douglas John floss?  Like the audience, he can't help himself.  His arms spontaneously begin to swing and there's no stopping them.  This phenomena has been studied by scientists around the world…

Make no bones about it. If you're looking for a show that will appeal to your audience born before 1979, call Duncan and ask about available dates for "Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom"!  John Miller from Stratford Summer Music calls it "one of the most entertaining all Canadian shows on the circuit".  It features Whiskey Jack, Stompin' Tom's touring band and stars of The Tommy Hunter Show (CBC-TV).  Sure, some youngsters are often spotted in the audience, but most of them are pushing wheel chairs. They…

Since our very first show on February 9, 2014, we've sung our songs and told our tall tales to Canadian music fans in more than 100 theatres, fairs and festivals. This celebration of Canadian music is called Whiskey Jack Presents Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom. Our playlist defines us as a nation.

All of our tours with Stompin' Tom were designed to reach as many Canadians as possible. They included towns, communities and cities of all shapes and sizes. That's our goal for 2020 and 2021. This message is to…

On June 21, 2019, we debuted our new show at Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music in downtown Toronto.  Moses Znaimer from MZ Media and Zoomer Media invited us to close his three day conference, Idea City and what a show it was.

Rick Mercer and Mary Walsh set the table nicely and then, as you can see from this video, Whiskey Jack with guests Marie Bottrell and Russell DeCarle took over.  

The concept for our 2020/2021 tour is here for all to see.  It's a Canadian music narrative featuring…

​Moses Znaimer (from City-TV fame) has invited Whiskey Jack to perform highlights from their Stompin' Tom show at his annual conference, Idea City. The stage is the glamorous Koerner Hall, the conservatory's performance centre piece. We've been asked to close the conference, tearing it up right after performances by Rick Mercer and Mary Walsh from "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" fame.

Dr. Stompin' Tom was very proud when he received his Doctor of Laws degree from St. Thomas University New Brunswick university in…

We are presently drafting a special 15 minute presentation for the 20th anniversary of the Idea City Conference at Koerner Hall in downtown Toronto.   This program will salute the great Canadian musicians and singers who came before us, the "old timers" who travelled the dusty roads (before there was a Trans Canada Highway) in beat up Chevy station wagons in pursuit of fame and fortune.  I'm referring to Stompin' Tom, Don Messer, Wilf Carter, Al Cherny, Ward Allen and more.  These great Canadians made it…

On January 31 of this year, we hosted our 6th Annual Stompin' Tom Birthday Celebration at Zoomer Hall in Toronto. In the audience that night was broadcaster (City-TV) and media pioneer, Moses Znaimer. He's also the founder of Idea City, an annual gathering of "the smartest people. The biggest ideas".

Shortly after our show, Moses sent me an invitation to perform at the closing ceremonies to the 20th anniversary of this conference.   We are honoured to be a part of this event. Whiskey Jack will be…

When I'm interviewed by the media about my show, I often wonder out loud what Tom's legacy will look like in the decades to come, long after I've joined him in the afterlife.  Now that our Northern Ontario tour is over and I have time to bask in the glory from these amazing shows, I think I have a hint of how it will be.

Often each night, in all of the great theatres we played, I'd look across the stage and see some scenes I could only dream about.  First there was a spirited Russell deCarle swinging his…

RHYMES AND GOOD TIMES

OVERVIEW:  

This new CD, Rhymes and Good Times, has been in the works since this show began almost 6 years ago.  Says co-producer Duncan Fremlin, “each time I performed these songs with Tom over the years, I was hearing other versions in my head.  I was imagining what they would sound like if they were arranged and produced using elite Canadian musicians who really understood and appreciated Canadian country music. I now know! Some are right here on this CD. To my ear, Tom’s songs…

The great Mac Wiseman died yesterday.  His voice was a part of my life for as long as I can remember.  In the 1950's, Don Ramsey's radio show in the Soo was on all the time in our little house on Pumpkin Point Road in Laird Township near Bar River, Ontario and Jimmy Brown the Newsboy was my favourite song at that time.

Years later, I played banjo for Mac on one of his Canadian tours.  Whiskey Jack even recorded a radio special with Mac on David Essig's show on the CBC.  I have that recording somewhere.  On…