Two years ago, as published on the Royal Canadian Geographic Society's web site, this was the news of the day across the country:

"There are more than 450 species of birds across Canada, but until now, not one of them has been designated as our national bird. In 2015, the team at Canadian Geographic decided it was time to change that, and founded the National Bird Project with the aim of declaring an official bird for Canada by 2017, the 150th anniversary of Confederation."  

Only hours ago, the results were…

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Thanks to a Canadian visionary John Miller, the Artistic Producer at the Stratford Summer Music Festival, Whiskey Jack has been spending quality time with the music that influenced us the most in years past.  I'm referring to the country/folk music of the 1950's and 60's.  

The fans who attend our shows in Stratford each year also reminiscing with us about their memories of this music.

Local Don Messer fan, Cliff Morgan is a case in point.  Check out this fabulous story published yesterday in the Stratford…Read more

Attention all you Stompin' Tom fans in New Liskeard and surrounding communities... Whiskey Jack Presents Stories & Songs of Stompin' Tom is coming to your area this weekend, July 22, 23 and 24, 2016. This will no doubt be a spirited gathering of Northern Ontario country music fans. The event is the 18th annual Sutton Bay Country Fest.   

On Friday and Saturday we'll be telling tall tales of life on the road with Tom and performing all the hits....Bud the Spud, The Hockey Song, Sudbury Saturday Night, Margo's…Read more

Somehow I missed reading an email that I received in April, shortly after Whiskey Jack returned from our northern tour of Elliot Lake, Manitoulin Island and Sudbury.  I discovered it this morning.

Thank you to Elliot Lake vocalist and dobro player, Gloria Jean Hansen from Elliot Lake who wrote: 

"My head will ring for days with the sounds, the beautiful joyful noise you made on the stage of our Civic Center tonight."

Gloria Jean plays with country band Val Spencer & Northern Cross (see photo).  She even…Read more

I'm sorry to say, I don't know if Gord Downie ever got to meet Stompin' Tom.  From what I heard on the radio this morning, they should have. My guess is, they would have hit if off.  

'm also sorry to say, I know very little about Downie's band, The Tragically Hip.  After listening to a short phone-in segment on my local CBC affiliate this morning, I know a little bit more.  It was announced today that Gord Downie, the lead singer for this band,  has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  Their fans are…Read more

Every couple of months, I take a leisurely country drive to Erin Ontario and spend a few hours with Tom Jr, Lena at the family compound.  We talk hockey, the good old days on the road but mostly, we talk about the future....the future of the Stompin' Tom brand.

The passion we all share is the desire to keep the legacy of Stompin' Tom Connors relevant in 2016 and beyond.  To that end, we forged a new relationship during my visit yesterday.

Later in 2016, Universal Records will be re-releasing the 1993…Read more

We invite you to join us for an afternoon of Whiskey Jack gospel music on Sunday, November 22nd at 4:00 pm. We'll be performing in the chapel at The Church of St Simon the Apostle complex. John A. MacDonald was Prime Minister when this complex was built. The address is 525 Bloor St. E. and it is a short walk from the Sherbourne Subway. There is ample parking nearby. We know the chapel well. It's our rehearsal space.

If you've seen Whiskey Jack, you'll know that gospel music has been an important part of our…Read more

As a boy, from 1959 to 1969, I would religiously watch Don Messer's Jubilee on the CBC.  I had Don Messer albums and I enjoyed the Charlie Chamberlain and Marg Osborne duets.  Each week, the show would begin with Don Tremaine on camera announcing, "From Halifax, It's the Don Messer Jubilee".  His face became one of the most recognizable in the country.

As it turns out, he's one of the last surviving cast members and I spent an hour with him at his home in Halifax yesterday.  This was in preparation for the…Read more

In prepartaion for next summer's salute to Don Messer's Jubilee at the Stratford Summer Music Festival, I began to search for surviving cast members of the venerable CBC show.  I was worried we were too late.

I need not have worried.  The stars were aligned a few minutes ago when I received a call from the Don Messer Show MC, Don Tremaine (seen here on the right), just back from the cottage and happily living in Dartmouth.  I'm pleased to report that he is alive and well and eager to share some memories with…Read more

We have a lot of videos, some new, some old, that are available on our Youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist…

I was checking out the number of visits on some of the more recent uploads and noticed that our fiddle medley featuring our champion fiddler Randy Morrison has 2566 hits...in a very short period of time. That's a big number. Congratulations Randy...the whole world is watching!

I notice two of my favourite singers and song writers are coming to Massey Hall soon.  Emmy Lou Harris and Rodney Crowell are touring together and odds are, it should be a good show.

I've seen each of them perform on their own and I've been less than impressed.  The songs are good.  The singing is great but I left each show feeling let down.  I never found them to be even slightly entertaining.  I won't be buying tickets to their Massey Hall show.  I'll stay home and listen to their CD's.

Lyle Lovett is an…Read more

At 93, Canadian icon, Gordie Tapp can still inspire side splitting laughter followed by a standing ovation.  Said Gordie, "a standing ovation...the best compliment an entertainer can receive.  Thank you!".

It was a trip down memory lane for all of us in the band as well as the 260 fans who clapped and laughed all evening.  We started with the Don Messer theme, moved on to salute the Tommy Hunter Show, Wilf Carter, Hank Snow (Howard Willett really nailed I'm Movin' On), King Ganham (Randy Morrison did him…Read more

I enjoyed a long lunch last week with the great Gordie Tapp, aka Cousin Clem and John Miller, Artistic Producer of the Stratford Summer Music Festival. We discussed the plans for our show in Stratford on August 1, 2015. The show is called, Whiskey Jack and Gordie Tapp Salute Legends of Canadian Country Music.

The list of legends is long and storied... Hank Snow, Wilf Carter, Stompin' Tom, Lucille Starr, Carol Baker, Tommy Hunter, Ward Allen, King Ganham, Al Cherny, Maurice Boyler and the list goes on and on…Read more