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Tom was a guy who lived hard and stood for "the little guy " . He was a overnight sucess....it only took about 20 years of one night stands in small town beer joints, and living on Players plains and Fifty, and ham and cheese buns. He eventually found his way onto the radio stations in those small towns. He was never going to be "main stream " so he focused his music on the people like himself, the people who got their hands dirty in the mines, or trucking , or farming. Tom Conners was a honest man, with no vanity about himself. He did have a sense of right and wrong, and he was for sure a Canadian patriot. When he felt that the Juno awards were being twisted and perverted, he returned his Junos, and refused to attend the annual shows.
He had integrity, and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.
Tom was a guy who lived hard and stood for "the little guy " . He was a overnight sucess....it only took about 20 years of one night stands in small town beer joints, and living on Players plains and Fifty, and ham and cheese buns. He eventually found his way onto the radio stations in those small towns. He was never going to be "main stream " so he focused his music on the people like himself, the people who got their hands dirty in the mines, or trucking , or farming. Tom Conners was a honest man, with no vanity about himself. He did have a sense of right and wrong, and he was for sure a Canadian patriot. When he felt that the Juno awards were being twisted and perverted, he returned his Junos, and refused to attend the annual shows.
He had integrity, and he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.
Player's was (possibly still is) a popular brand of cigarette. They came in two versions: "Player's Filter," which had a filter tip; and "Player's Plain," which did not. Later, Player's would introduce "Lights" and "Extra Lights," also.
"Fifty" is a beer produced by Labatt. It's technically an ale, but flavour-wise, a very mild one; not too different from a lager.
Player's was (possibly still is) a popular brand of cigarette. They came in two versions: "Player's Filter," which had a filter tip; and "Player's Plain," which did not. Later, Player's would introduce "Lights" and "Extra Lights," also.
"Fifty" is a beer produced by Labatt. It's technically an ale, but flavour-wise, a very mild one; not too different from a lager.
Reportedly, Tom smoked up to five packs a day. But he made it to 77, and eventually died of kidney failure--so maybe the beer got him more than the cigarettes did.
I heard him in concert once, at Massey Hall, in Toronto. Great show, and I enjoyed it very much, but it was held in a concert hall. Tom seemed perfectly comfortable, but I couldn't help but think what it would be like to see him in a smoky bar, laughing and joking with a smaller audience, and interacting with them during breaks, wandering around the bar, and suchlike. That kind of setting suited him more, I think.
During the early 90's I lived out on a country road between Brampton and Georgetown. My mailing address was Norval, Ontario. At that time there was a small tavern at the 4 corners in Norval that was called the Holiday. Tom Connors lived over a bit to the west in a place called ( I think ) Baden . He and his Wife and his grown son used to come in once in a while, usually on a Tuesday night, for a few beers, and to play darts.
At that time the Holiday had live bands on the week ends, but Tom would never come in then, because he didn't want to be bugged by the crowd to " get up and sing a song ". My point is simple...By that time he was winding down his career, and spending more time on promoting young talent , and running his label Boot Records. He was never a pretentious kind of guy. Straight forward and unvarnished.
His music was like he was, straight to the point, and with a sense of self deprecating humour. Tom could tell jokes all night long. He had a wicked memory about places and people he had met along the way. Good memories.
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