Day 145: A Little Lesson In History, In The Key of Canadiana

Just another evening around my apartment. Washing dishes from the morning, mixing vegan muffins on the counter across from my sink and, of course, tuning into CBC's Canadian Songwriters' online stream from CBC's website.

Suddenly, I was transported back to my father's shop, listening to classic "country tunes" he loved, while painting, building, or working on one of his miscellaneous projects.



BUT... this was not the tune coming from CBC's Canadian Songwriters' Channel? As fabulously as Mr. Johnny Cash was, he was no Canadian - sorry to disappoint you all (and that's supposed to be two words. :-D) And so, this was not the tune I was used to hearing. Who could be singing?

This song has quite the history! The original is, in fact, Australian - and I wouldn't recognize a single place in that song. Turns out, it was a Canadian-born Songwriter, Hank Snow, who changed the names and the opening line of Australian Geoff Mack's version to create the North American song we over here all know and love:



This was more likely the tune I would hear pumping from my father's ol' tape deck in his shop... BUT, this was still not the song I was listening to...

Luckily CBC encourages the promotion of fellow Canadian artists (with funding like that, it's kind of their "thing"). And so I was able to catch the name before the end of the song and search for the artist, Mike Ford.

Now, apparently, I'm on a theme of the younger audience this week... Completely coincidental and random, of course, 'cause that's how I roll. Turns out this artist tours the country, providing history lessons to young minds through song. And not necessarily the folky songs we've all come to expect from Canadian history songs...

Sadly, I could not find a video of Mike Ford and his lovely Canadian version of "I've Been Everywhere;" however, he was once in the same band as another gorgeous Canadian, who interviewed him this one time:



Although not entirely musical, I do reccomend watching this interview. Ford is quite eloquent in his self promotion, and I don't doubt he would be a fabulous guest to have in your classroom, if you're a teacher or student. Or, perhaps you're just a Canadian or history buff like me. Check out his website: http://www.mikeford.ca/pages/canada_song.html to order his music, have him come to your classroom or to just learn more about this educational Canadian artist!

Video From Day 22: Corb Lund and the Hurtin' Albertans - Long Gone to Saskatchewan

Day 21: "Everybody loves Saskatchewan, it's like your little brother."
Long gone to SK myself, today...sure to hear this somewhere along the way ;-)

Update: This summer, I told a friend of mine that I was from Saskatchewan. "Oh,that doesn't surprise me," was his response. "You're so down-to-earth. People from Saskatchewan are very down-to-earth." I'm always going to take that as a compliment. And, as a representative, based on the above statement, I am going to make Corb Lund an Honorary Saskatchewanian...or is Saskatchewanite? Whatever you want to call him, I'd give him the Riders bunny hug off my back, even if he lost us the game of Kaiser after downing the box of Pilsner...and you know he would be the one responsible for the latter two! ;-)

I do love Jian Ghomeshi as well...except for the occasional times when he insults the prairies. I know he probably didn't mean for it to come off as an insult, and he's entitled to not love every part of Canada, but being a man based out of Toronto, not agreeing to think of Saskatchewan as "your little brother," is almost as bad as being a liberal Frenchman flipping the bird in this direction while dancing behind the queen. Prairie people might not all live in big cities, only see the countryside during "cottage season," or EVER think they live in the centre of the universe, and that's what makes us such awesome people! But, you're entitled to whatever opinion you want to have of our rectangular BOOMING province...