Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson dies
24/12/2007 2:40:25 PM
Internationally renowned Canadian jazz pianist and trumpet player Oscar Peterson has died.
Oscar Peterson performs in concert at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in this July 7, 1983 file photo. (Marc Miller / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
The 82-year-old died at his Mississauga, Ont. home on Sunday from kidney failure and other complications following a stroke several years ago, sources have confirmed.
Veteran politician Bob Rae — a close family friend of Peterson — told CTV that he heard the news from Peterson’s wife Kelly Sunday night.
“I’d been over to visit a couple of weeks ago. He’d been okay, but he was obviously failing,” Rae said on Monday. “It was not quite the Oscar we’d all come to know and love.”
Rae said that while the news did not come as a shock it was a great loss to the nation.
“He’s probably Canada’s best-known citizen internationally. No Canadian has done more in the cultural musical field than Oscar, and really as a humanitarian and a fighter for civil rights,” he said.
According to his website, Oscarpeterson.com, he was the fourth of five children born to parents Daniel and Kathleen. Peterson was born in 1925.
He began playing music when he was five, first under the tutelage of his father, a porter with Canadian Pacific Railways who was also a self-taught piano player, then later under the guidance of Paul de Marky, a respected classical pianist from Hungary.
Peterson’s introduction to jazz music also came at an early age. Growing up in Montreal’s poor, predominantly black Little Burgundy neighbourhood in the 1920s and ’30s, he was surrounded by a then flourishing jazz culture that came to define his long career.
His influences are said to be Teddy Williams, Nat King Cole and Art Tatum.
Peterson’s first national exposure in Canada came when he was 14, when his older sister Daisy arranged for him to audition for a national amateur competition. He went on to win the contest.
Oliver Jones — a friend of Peterson’s since childhood — said people could tell Peterson was destined for big things from an early age.
“He had this aura . . . we just knew he was slated for greatness,” Jones told CTV Newsnet from his home in Deerfield Beach, Fla.
“I don’t believe we ever knew just how much of an impact he would have on the world scene.”
Known as a virtuoso piano improviser, Peterson was described in a 1975 Maclean’s article as the “Best Damn Jazz Piano” player in the world.
On top of his technical and musical brilliance, Peterson was known for his left hand dexterity — his ability to spin creative, complex and clear streams of notes effortlessly with his accompanying hand.
It was also his left side, however that was weakened when he suffered a serious stroke in 1993. He never recovered fully, but played on a limited basis several years later until his death.
Liberal Leader Stephane Dion issued a statement on Monday, expressing his condolences to the family of the man he said was “one of the greatest pianists and composers the jazz community has known.”
“I would like to express my deepest sympathies to Mr. Peterson’s family and friends. I share in the grief of the millions of fans with whom Oscar Peterson shared the tremendous gift of his remarkable music,” Dion said in the statement.
Among the many awards Peterson collected during his 50-year career, he received eight Grammys, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for lifetime achievement and was a Companion of the Order of Canada.
Jones, a piano player himself, described Peterson as the epitome of “a complete musician.”
Jones said he knew what he wanted to do and was determined to be the best jazz pianist – not an easy task for a young black man growing up in Canada during the 30s and 40s.
“I’m thankful that he passed away at home with his family, apparently very peacefully and with dignity,” Jones said.
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A Concert for Diana
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Concert for Diana: Latest Headlines
Updated Sun. Jul. 1 2007 6:21 PM ET
As the news rolls in and the excitement builds for one of the summer’s hottest events, we’ll keep you posted on all the latest developments.
Top Five Moments
Here’s the top five moments of the concert from our vantage point here at CTV.ca.
Concert for Diana an exuberant celebration
Ten years after her untimely death, the most popular royal of the 20th century wwas remembered by some of England and the world’s most well-known pop acts.
Who Performed What?
Check out the rundown of artists and what they each performed during this memorable day
International Stars Join Concert for Diana as More Tickets are Announced
Anastacia, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Donny Osmond and Jason Donovan will be appearing in a special musicals medley which Andrew Lloyd Webber has put together for Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium on 1st July.
Diana’s sons still dwell on her death
The sons of England’s Princess Diana said in a television interview that they still think about their mother’s death all the time.
Nelly Furtado Added to “Concert for Diana” Line-up
Nelly Furtado will celebrate Canada Day on CTV’s broadcast of the “Concert for Diana” as one of five more acts announced for the greatly- anticipated memorial concert event.
CTV Named Exclusive Canadian Broadcaster of The Concert for Diana, July 1
As the exclusive Canadian broadcaster of Concert for Diana, CTV will connect Canadians with an expected worldwide audience of half a billion households.
JULY 1, 2007 Wembley Stadium, LONDON, ENGLAND
“The Concert for Diana” was an event that honoured the life and legacy of Princess Diana on the tenth anniversary of her tragic death.
It would have been her 46th birthday.
Prince William, along with his brother Harry, organized the day’s event which included performances from Elton John, Rod Stewart, Take That and Canada’s own Nelly Furtado.
Former President Bill Clinton also appeared via video message, along with others who knew Diana.
Proceeds from the concert went to charities supported by the late Princess, and to charities of which the Princes are Patrons.
“This has been the most perfect way of remembering her, and this is how she will always be remembered,” said Prince William.
If you missed any of these memorable performances, be sure to catch them all…
On Demand now …
Missed a Performance?
It was a memorable night and an unforgettable tribute to Diana’s legacy. Catch all your favorite performers and special guests On Demand now.
Stars make music at Diana concert
BBC NEWS :: Entertainment
Last Updated: Sunday, 1 July 2007, 21:54 GMT 22:54 UK
Up to 63,000 fans joined hosts Princes William and Harry at the gig, intended to celebrate Diana’s life, on what would have been her 46th birthday.
Sir Tom Jones, Rod Stewart, Duran Duran and Joss Stone also joined the eclectic line-up at London’s Wembley Stadium.
It is 10 years since the princess died in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
Prince William and Prince Harry returned to the stage at the end of Sir Elton’s final set, praising the artists for an “incredible evening”.
William, 25, called it “the most perfect way of remembering her”, adding that he hoped the concert had raised “enough money to make a difference”.
Sir Elton opened the six-hour concert with Your Song
In a televised tribute, ex-South African president Mandela praised Diana’s “energy, courage and selfless commitment” as he urged the crowd to “support the work that continues in her name”.
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bill Clinton were also among those who paid tribute to Diana in video clips during the show, along with members of a host of charitable organisations.
The event was broadcast to 140 countries, with proceeds from ticket sales going to charitable causes favoured by the princess.
Tight security
Earlier in the concert Prince Harry paid tribute to fellow soldiers serving in Iraq.
The 22-year-old had been due to be deployed in Basra this year, but military commanders decided against sending him there, deeming it too dangerous.
“I wish I was there with you. I’m sorry I can’t be. But to you and everybody else on operations at the moment, we would both like to say, stay safe,” he said.
Tight security greeted concert-goers attending the six-hour show, following recent attacks in London and Glasgow.
Sir Elton, 60, who famously performed a reworked version of Candle In The Wind at Diana’s funeral, opened the concert with a rendition of Your Song, performed in front of a giant photograph of Diana by Mario Testino.
He was followed by 80s stars Duran Duran played a trio of songs including Wild Boys – which they dedicated to the princes – and Rio, a favourite track of the late princess.
Hollywood stars including Dennis Hopper, Kiefer Sutherland and former X Files star Gillian Anderson also took part.
Film legend Hopper, 71, introduced Lily Allen who brought the crowd to their feet performing LDN and her number one hit Smile.
The princes announced plans to put on a concert last Christmas
Canadian singer Nelly Furtado also went down a storm with the crowd, including the princes, dancing throughout her three-song set.
The English National Ballet – of which Princess Diana was a patron – brought a change of pace to the day.
Their performance from Swan Lake reminded everyone of the princess’s love of the ballet.
Introducing the second part of the show, Status Quo had the crowd jumping with classic track Rockin’ All Over the World, recalling their iconic performance in front of the late princess at Live Aid in 1985.
Another rock veteran, Sir Tom Jones, thrilled the crowd with his version of Arctic Monkey’s I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor before duetting with Joss Stone on Ain’t That A Lot of Love.
Ballet stars performed an extract from Swan Lake
Will Young made a theatrical entrance. Dressed head-to-toe in white with a troupe of dancers, he sang Switch It On, before giving up the stage to Natasha Bedingfield.
The theatrical theme continued with a medley of hits from composer Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Led by US singer Anastacia, the medley included performances from Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman and Sound of Music star Connie Fisher.
Any Dream Will Do winner Lee Mead sang with fellow former “Josephs” Jason Donovan and Donny Osmond.
Joss Stone duetted with Sir Tom Jones to the crowd’s delight
Rod Stewart launched the third part of the day, as dusk fell on Wembley stadium.
A personal favourite of the late Princess, he sang Maggie May, Baby Jane – which he dedicated to Diana – and Sailing.
Some of Princes William and Harry’s favourites followed, with rapper Kanye West singing Gold Digger.
There was a poignant moment when P Diddy dedicated his hit track Missing You to the Princess.
Take That, who had been eagerly anticipated, did not disappoint, with their number one hit Patience, although rumours that Robbie Williams might join them on stage proved unfounded.
The evening wrapped up with a comic performance from Ricky Gervais, who was forced to improvise when technical problems caused a minor delay to Sir Elton’s closing set.
SEE ALSO
In pictures: Concert for Diana
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30 Jun 07 | EntertainmentDuran prepare for landmark gigs
29 Jun 07 | EntertainmentPrinces ‘excited’ over Diana show
14 Jun 07 | UKTake That to play Diana concert
01 May 07 | EntertainmentTouts target Diana concert seats
13 Dec 06 | EntertainmentPrinces reveal Diana concert plan
12 Dec 06 | Entertainment
RELATED BBC LINKS: Concert for Diana
In pictures: Concert for Diana
Last Updated: Sunday, 1 July 2007, 21:08 GMT 22:08 UK
BBC NEWS :: Entertainment
Sir Elton John opened Sunday’s Concert for Diana with a rendition of Your Song. The concert is intended to celebrate the life of the late Princess Diana, 10 years after her death.
Chart-topping 80s band Duran Duran sang a trio of tracks at Sunday’s memorial concert in London’s Wembley Stadium, including Rio – reportedly a favourite of the late princess.
Singer Lily Allen had the crowd on their feet with hit track Smile. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to charitable concerts favoured by Diana, Princess of Wales.
Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi (l-r) were among an eclectic bill at Sunday’s concert – a line-up inspired by the musical taste of Diana and her sons, Princes William and Harry.
The line-up included contemporary stars like The Feeling, Orson and rappers Pharrell Williams and P Diddy. The princes said the concert should celebrate Diana’s life “with music”.
Black Eyed Peas star Fergie gave a glamorous turn in the first part of the concert. She dedicated Boys Don’t Cry – “a song about hope” – to the late Diana, Princess of Wales
Prince William showed off his dance moves during Nelly Furtado’s performance of her hit track Maneater. The concert was also attended by his ex-girlfriend Kate Middleton.
Singer Nelly Furtado’s three-song set had the crowds on their feet at the revamped Wembley Stadium, on what would have been Princess Diana’s 46th birthday.
The late Princess Diana trained as a ballet dancer and went on to become patron of the English National Ballet. Members performed extracts of Swan Lake.
Sir Tom performed an Arctic Monkeys’ cover, before duetting with Joss Stone on Ain’t That A Lot of Love. “It’s wonderful feeling being here,” he said. “This is a wonderful tribute.”
Former Pop Idol winner Will Young performed in a white suit, flanked by female singers. The concert took place amid tight security, following recent attacks in London and Glasgow.
British Princes Honor Diana With Concert
Associated Press
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER 07.01.07, 4:24 PM ET
Waving their arms in the air with 70,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, princes William and Harry celebrated the life of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 46th birthday Sunday at a concert they organized.
William, 25, rocked his hips as Canadian pop star Nelly Furtado belted out her song “Man Eater” – to the embarrassment of younger brother Harry, who shook his head and laughed.
Harry, 22, said they asked Elton John to play “Candle in the Wind,” the song he sang at Diana’s 1997 funeral in Westminster Abbey. Originally about Marilyn Monroe, its lyrics were reworked in tribute to Diana and it became a worldwide No. 1 hit that same year.
“This evening is about all that my mother loved in life: her music, her dance, her charities and her family and friends,” William told the crowd, thanking them and millions more who watched the show on television.
Security for the event was increased after the discovery of two unexploded car bombs in central London on Friday and an attack on Glasgow airport on Saturday where a Jeep Cherokee slammed into the main terminal and burst into flames. At least 450 officers patrolled the concert.
The memorial concert mixed rock, pop, hip hop and classical ballet and featured some of Diana’s favorite acts including Duran Duran and Tom Jones. In honor of her love of dance and theater, there was a performance of an extract from “Swan Lake” by the English National Ballet and songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Younger artists such as Kanye West, Joss Stone and Lily Allen also performed.
William’s former girlfriend Kate Middleton attended the concert, further fueling rumors that the couple, who announced their split in April, have reconciled.
Diana died Aug. 31, 1997, along with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and their driver when their Mercedes crashed inside the Pont d’Alma tunnel with media photographers in hot pursuit.
The princes have said that the memorial concert was intended as a celebration of their mother’s life.
Weeks of soggy weather lifted as the sun peeked out from behind gray clouds rolling over the newly built glass-and-steel stadium – Britain’s largest – which usually hosts soccer games.
“This is not an exercise in nostalgia, this is a party!” director and actor Dennis Hopper said, introducing Allen, the British singing star who performed a cheery rendition of her chart-topper “Smile.”
The crowd cheered as John played the piano and sang “Your Song” – and they were on their feet as the princes introduced Duran Duran.
“Pray for sun!” lead singer Simon LeBon told the crowd as the band broke into “Sunrise,” followed by “Rio,” which they dedicated to the late princess.
Harry added a special message for his army unit, currently serving in Iraq.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to say hi to all the guys in A Squadron of the Household Cavalry, who are serving out in Iraq at the moment,” he said. “I wish I was there with you. I’m sorry I can’t be. But to all of those on operations at the moment, we’d both like to say stay safe.”
Harry, a second lieutenant in the regiment, was banned from going to Iraq for security reasons.
A family of fans from Portsmouth in southern England said they had come to sample the wide variety of acts all playing under the same roof – but Diana was also in their minds.
“I was devastated,” Karen Moore, 50, a restaurateur, said of her death.
Diana is remembered for her glamour, her extensive charity work and her tempestuous marriage to Prince Charles, heir to the British throne. The pair married in 1981 in a ceremony watched by millions around the world, but divorced in 1996 after admissions of adultery on both sides.
William said the concert was a chance for people to “remember all the good things about her because she’s not here to defend herself when she gets criticized.”
Tickets for the concert cost $90 with proceeds going to causes Diana supported.
A memorial service is also planned in London on Aug. 31, the anniversary of Diana’s death.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Stars pay tribute to Princess Diana
Sun Jul 1, 2007 1:20 PM EDT
By Paul Majendie and Mike Collett-White
LONDON (Reuters) – An international lineup of pop stars paid tribute to Princess Diana on Sunday at a memorial concert watched by her sons Princes William and Harry and a crowd of 60,000 at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Elton John, a good friend of the princess who sang at her funeral, kicked off the show with a rendition of “Your Song” in front of giant black and white photographs of Diana beamed on to the stage backdrop.
He was followed by veterans Duran Duran, younger acts The Feeling, Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, Lily Allen and rapper Pharrell Williams and The English National Ballet, a favorite of Diana’s.
The princes organized the event to mark the 10th anniversary of their mother’s death and to celebrate her humanitarian work, which they felt had been forgotten amid negative press.
“After 10 years there’s been a rumbling of people bringing up the bad and over time people seem to forget or have forgotten all the amazing things she did,” William said before the gig, the proceeds of which go to charity.
Fans at the newly refurbished Wembley stadium agreed.
“I camped out in London for her funeral, so I really wanted to be here today. She was a caring person who always thought of others,” said Julie Rocks.
Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland called Diana a “great icon of giving,” while the princes praised their mother on what would have been her 46th birthday.
“This evening is about all that our mother loved in life — her music, her dance, her charities and her family and friends,” William, 25, said, to a standing ovation.
Harry, 22, paid tribute to his fellow soldiers serving in Iraq. The third in line to the throne had been due to be deployed in Basra this year, but military commanders decided against sending him there, deeming it too dangerous.
“I wish I was there with you. I’m sorry I can’t be … stay safe,” he said.
SECURITY TIGHT
Security at the concert was heightened after two car bombs were found on Friday in central London and two suspects rammed a petrol-filled four-wheel-drive vehicle into Glasgow airport on Saturday in what police called a terrorist attack.
The six-hour show was broadcast to 145 countries and an estimated audience of 500 million people.
Diana’s death in a Paris car crash provoked an unprecedented outpouring of grief from the normally reserved British and some commentators feared the concert could strike a mawkish note.
“There might even be a danger of the whole event descending into a cringingly sentimental affair,” The Daily Telegraph said of preparations for the music and dance extravaganza.
The event also faced competition in a packed pop calendar with fans still scraping mud off after the rain-sodden Glastonbury Festival and Al Gore staging “Live Earth” concerts on July 7 around the world to highlight the climate crisis.
William’s ex-girlfriend Kate Middleton was in the audience, amid speculation in the British media that the couple, who split up in March, might have rekindled their relationship.
Harry was joined by his girlfriend Chelsy Davy, and also in the crowd was Diana’s brother Charles Spencer, who gave the oration at her funeral which included a bitter tirade against the media who followed her every move.
© Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved.
A birthday concert fit for the People’s Princess
By Shaun Archer and Jordana Camerman
Diana’s life commemorated in July 1st mega-celebration
In addition to marking Canada’s 140th birthday, this first of July would also have been Diana, Princess of Wales’ 46th birthday. Since her death 10 years ago, Diana’s legacy of charity and kindness has continued to live on, and her sons, William and Harry, are ensuring that it will continue to do so.
In celebration of their mother’s life, the princes have organized a massive memorial concert on Diana’s birthday. The Concert for Diana will take place at London’s new Wembley Stadium, and will be broadcast live around the world.
Princes William and Harry have played an active role is planning the festivities. “We want it to represent exactly what our mother would have wanted; how she was and all that sort of thing,” Prince William has said. “We wanted to have this big concert with, you know, full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted. And on her birthday as well, it’s got to be the best birthday present she ever had. And with it we can, by, the two of us organizing it…we wanted to have the fact that the evening is all about our mother. The main purpose is to celebrate and to have fun and to remember her in a fun way.”
The princes have lined up an amazing roster of internationally-known performers for the event, including Elton John, Joss Stone, Rod Stewart, Lily Allen, Duran Duran, Nelly Furtado, Brian Ferry, Tom Jones, Fergie, Kanye West, Josh Groban, and many more. [Scroll down for a complete list of performers.] The lineup reflects both the music that Diana loved, as well as some of her sons’ contemporary favourites.
Said William, “The idea is we wanted to get artists that our mother really loved, and then artists that both Harry and I enjoy, and in the middle with the [English National] ballet and Andrew Lloyd Webber – obviously she loved her dancing and her musicals. So with that you’ve got a sort of something different, it’s not just any old concert.”
While the concert is principally intended to be a celebration of Diana’s life, it also gives the princes an opportunity to perpetuate Diana’s devotion to helping those in need. Proceeds from the concert will be donated to various charities of which Diana and the Princes are Patrons. Diana’s charities include The National AIDS Trust, The Royal Marsden Hospital, The Leprosy Mission, Great Ormond Street Hospital and the English National Ballet.
In addition to the concert, William and Harry have organized a more solemn memorial for their mother. A church service will be held on August 31, the day she died, which both Diana’s and Charles’ families will attend. Price Harry says the service will be “very simple and nice,” and will include Diana’s favourite hymns, “all the good ones.”
Any mother would surely be proud of all the work and devotion the princes have put into the cause. The concert will air, in Canada, on CTV, and is sure to be a fitting tribute to a beloved cultural icon. As William has said, “We both want to make sure, first and foremost, [that] the evening is for her. It’s to remember her and to commemorate her life and celebrate it.”
Concert for Diana, Sunday, July 1, 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT, CTV
Elton John
Here’s a list of the performers scheduled to appear during the Concert for Diana
Duran Duran
Fergie
Rod Stewart
Published: Thursday, June 28, 2007
Ode to the lost art of record hunting
Jun 30, 2007 04:30 AM
Ben Rayner - The Star
Pop Music Critic
Sure, Sam’s wasn’t what it used to be – for the last few years, it’s been notably overpriced and understocked – but those huge, blinking discs outside were a beacon to many a deprived, out-of-town record shopper looking to stock up on tunes while visiting the big city.
When I’d come here from New Brunswick as a kid, my knowledge of Toronto geography could get me to the CN Tower and to Sam’s – and that was about it. The shop exuded permanence and, like many of us, I took it for granted that it would be a fixture of the downtown’s most famous strip forever.
Now, though, since Sam’s is following beloved Spadina Ave. electronic-music outpost 2 the Beat (R.I.P.) into that good night, I’m beginning to wonder if I haven’t also taken for granted that record shopping will be around forever.
Until recently, there was no greater pleasure available to the music fan than perusing the stacks at his or her favourite record store, but there seems to be a generation coming up behind us for whom iTunes and Beatport and the like have supplanted the physical act of shopping for vinyl LPs or CDs.
Could the day really be coming when the record shop – much like old-fart cranks such as myself who refuse to listen to music through computers – will be completely obsolete?
Horror of horrors, I hope not. Think what we’ll be missing:
Just being around all those records. Albums, glorious albums, as far as the eye can see. The sucking sound of plastic LP sleeves being pulled apart or CDs clacking against each other as you work your way to the back of the “Miscellaneous S” titles. The dust on your hands. The dude patiently waiting next to you for his own chance to dig into the same pile. Thinking about it fills me with an unspeakable love.
The thrill of random discovery. Yeah, I know, you can find everything online somewhere, but patiently scrolling through thousands and thousands of titles in hopes that something unexpected will leap out at you can’t compare to suddenly yanking an out-of-print New Order 12-inch from the bin or happening across an album – something by the Residents, perhaps – whose cover immediately suggests it’s something you’ve always needed to have and didn’t even realize it.
The self-righteous clerk. Can anyone shame a music fan more than the impossibly hip record-store employee who can’t disguise his contempt for your purchases? This endangered character has touched all of our lives at one point or another and inspired comic gold for the likes of the Kids in the Hall (“Do you have the new Pixies album?” “Yeah, it’s over there. But it sucks.”) and Jack Black in High Fidelity.
I was so terrified of the guy who used to run Birdman Sound at the end of my street in Ottawa that I’d go to other, lesser record shops to purchase records I assumed he’d think I should already own. Is there a sweeter breed of masochism?
The walk home. Downloading provides instant gratification, yes, but a visit to the record shop provides extended relief from life’s drudgery by allowing you that excitable trip home with a paper bag of new records or CDs tucked beneath your arm. The only thing more satisfying than finding the entire Killing Joke catalogue on vinyl is rushing home to immerse yourself in it. The journey is never fast enough.
The promise of more record shopping. As with any addiction, the promise of the next fix can be all-consuming and the spectre of total withdrawal is terrifying. Which is why, the passing of Sam the Record Man notwithstanding, I feel confident that the record shop will never completely disappear, no matter how much the industry contracts. The streets would fill with losers like me who suddenly have nothing to do with their Saturday afternoons.
Your Sam the Record Man memories
May 31, 2007 11:12 AM
We asked you to tell us your Sam the Record Man memories. Here’s what you had to say.
I’ve been going to Sam’s for nearly 45 years. My most memorable experience was lining up to buy the Beatles’ White Album on the first day it went on sale. A Sam’s employee was just taking the albums out of box and writing the price on the cover with a magic marker. Probably half my CD collection comes from Sam’s. I’ll be sorry to see it go.
Thomas Linderoos, TorontoSam’s will be missed. No other retailer besides the web had such a wide selection of artists and back catalog. I miss the Montreal store very much and would go to the Yonge St. store every time I came to visit Toronto. A knowledgeable staff and wide selection are now going to be even more difficult to find.
Kevin McCoy, MontrealThe legacy that Sam the Record Man has built should be honoured by the City of Toronto. It should be named a Historical Landmark and perhaps it could become the home of the Canadian Record and Music Hall of Fame.
Patrick Rutledge, TorontoI remember going to Sam’s to find a record that I couldn’t find anywhere unless I ordered it from Europe. I was lucky enough that Sam himself was in the store that day. I asked a clerk and he then asked Sam, and low and behold, Sam came through with a copy. I even got it at regular price rather than import all because Sam and I had something in common: love of music. You will be missed.
Laurence Habel, VancouverSam the Record Man on Yonge St. is as important to this city as the CN Tower. I will always remember taking the subway from Scarborough and spending hours in the store. I’d search every inch of the store buying music, compiling a wish list and talking to the staff about music. I will truly miss Sam the Record Man and will always look back at those excursions with a smile.
Troy St. Denis, OshawaI remember coming to visit my brother in hospital and going to Sam’s to buy him 45s from the CHUM Top 100. He developed quite a collection.
Elvina Barclay, EtobicokeI remember visiting Toronto and buying records at Sam’s. It is a shame that this landmark could not survive. I would think a civic-minded individual or company would purchase the building and reopen it as a restaurant or music club, keeping the Sam’s name as part of Toronto landscape.
Mark Pardue, Fergus, Ont.I still buy a lot of music from Sam’s, since they are more knowledgeable and carry more esoteric stock in music then the Big Box/Wal-Mart stores will ever sell. In the article it says that CD sales are down. Could it be that a lot of great artists get little or no radio play so people can’t hear them? So why would you buy a CD from an artist you haven’t heard before?
Alan Whitley, TorontoWhen I immigrated to Canada in the early 80s from Vietnam, I knew nothing about English music. My sister’s boyfriend took me to Sam the Record Man. I was overwhelmed with the selections. I ended up making my first ever purchase of English music, a single LP of U2’s “With or Without You” at Sam the Record Man. I still have it at home.
Jett Chow, TorontoThanks to Sam’s and my father, my grounding in fine music started young and has continued undiminished for almost 70 years. I hope the thieving downloaders are happy with their handiwork.
Larry Solway, TorontoAlmost 30 years ago, I walked into the store looking for what I figured was an impossible find: a recording of the Christmas children’s opera Amahl and the Night Visitor for my Dad. Sam managed to floor me; I had looked by myself for half an hour before going to him and within 5 minutes he was back with a copy of the original recording from the CBS annual Christmas broadcast from 1951. So instead of sitting around a TV, we sat around the record player and had wonderful memories of Christmas’s long, long ago.
Judy Kennedy, Campbell River, B.C.
SO LONG, SAM
TheStar.com – entertainment – The final cut
`For Toronto music lovers for whom Sam the Record Man was the centre of the universe, the world will be an emptier place after today’
Jun 30, 2007 04:30 AM
GREG QUILL
ENTERTAINMENT COLUMNIST
Sam the Record Man’s flagship Yonge St. store, which closes its doors for the first time today, couldn’t withstand the dawning of the digital age as music downloads ate into its album sales.
It was like a trip to Mecca, or some other holy shrine, recalls Larry LeBlanc, music publisher, longtime Canadian editor of the American music industry magazine Billboard and the custodian of perhaps the largest private music library in Canada.
“If you loved music, and you were a serious record collector, Sam the Record Man was the only game in town from the time it opened in 1961 ’til … well, ’til now.”
‘Til today, that is.
Sam the Record Man’s Yonge St. flagship store, for decades the centre of an empire that spread across the nation from east to west and boasted as many as 150 regional stores in its retail empire, closes for good this afternoon.
It’s the end of the record retail business in Canada as we have known it, the end of an era. Toronto will never be the same.
Internet retailing, computer file sharing, a collapsing music industry infrastructure, the effects of the globalization of culture, mass acceptance of portable, disc-free music-listening technology, a radical shift in musical tastes have all made Sam the Record Man – even the signature hometown store that survived the chain-killing bankruptcy a couple of years ago – a relic of the past.
Sales of CDs and music DVDs in Canada in the first quarter of this year fell by an unprecedented 35 per cent – to $68.7 million from $105.6 million in the same period in 2006 – the most drastic decline in “physical” music sales of any country in the world, according to figures released in April by the Canadian Record Industry Association. Unit sales for the same period were down 30 per cent, to 7.1 million from 10.2 million in 2006.
Sales of CDs and music DVDs in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2007 have fallen by about 20 per cent. Music industry sources point out these declines have been largely responsible for the closure of thousands of music retail outlets in both countries and for trimming inventory to a relative handful of top-selling artists.
For Toronto musicians and music lovers for whom Sam the Record Man’s three-storey building was the centre of the universe – with its garish “revolving” neon LPs overlooking the action on Yonge St. and beckoning the faithful, its overloaded bins, creaking stairs, burrow-like aisles, its hidden nooks and crannies, walls covered with posters and autographed photos of music legends, the dumb waiter bearing ancient or lost treasures from the basement, the third-floor trove of discounted deletes known as the Room Of Broken Dreams, the racks of foreign-language recordings, opera and folk music that no one else carried, the overworked but reassuringly professorial staff – the world will be an emptier place after today.
The twin discs – quintessential Toronto iconography that appears in countless images of the downtown core – will stay on the building. It was designated a heritage property last week, and its preservation will pay tribute to the Toronto that used to be.
“If you were from outside Toronto, Sam’s was magic,” Leblanc continues. “Sam’s had Sam.”
That would be founder and lifelong Canadian music booster Sam Sniderman, who on any given day for more than 40 years could be found just inside the door checking the comings and goings of his customers and staff, making sure you got what you came for and who would take things into his own hands if you didn’t.
“I swear, he knew every item in the building, and where it was,” LeBlanc says. “And if he couldn’t find a particular record, he’d make sure to get it for you, usually in a matter of days.”
Sure, Eaton’s and Simpson’s carried the latest 45s back when LeBlanc ventured in from Peterborough in his teens with his paper route cash in hand – “39 cents for a 45-rpm single, $3.98 for an LP” – on a Saturday morning. And A&A’s, Sam’s archrival, was just a few doors north selling records and – yuck! – books.
But if you wanted real music, not just the hits, not the records your parents would buy, but the music that came over your radio late at night from Detroit and Chicago and New York, or poured through the doors of nearby rock ‘n’ roll, R&B and folk joints, Sam’s was the only destination.
“You’d go with your buddies,” LeBlanc explains. “There was always a queue at the counter. We’d never seen so many records in our lives, and Sam always met you at the door, like P. T. Barnum pitching a show. He was proud to be a retailer. He used to say, `Anyone can sell you a record, but it takes a salesman to sell you two.’ “
And a lot of what Sniderman sold was music made by local artists who had no major label deals. The first time Gordon Lightfoot’s music reached the record-buying public was when his Two-Tones singles on the independent Chateau label appeared at Sam the Record Man on consignment.
“The same with Raffi’s first album, before he became a children’s entertainer,” continues LeBlanc. “If you were a Canadian artist with records to sell, Sam’s was the first place to stop. He’d take your stuff, front-rack it, put up a sign, point it out to customers. He’d put band gig posters in the front window or on the wall near the cash registers. He knew all of Canada’s music stars before anyone else. He was a friend to musicians. They loved him.
“On a Saturday afternoon during matinee breaks, Sam’s was where the musicians playing in the local bars went to stack up on the latest records. It was a gathering place. It felt like home to them.”
Veteran Toronto guitarist and songwriter Danny Marks remembers those days well. “Sam’s was my store,” he says. “I could walk there. I could find just about anything I wanted. They sold my records. They made me feel as if my music mattered. Like Sam Shopsy, Ed Mirvish and Bargain Benny, Sam Sniderman was one of those eccentric and inventive Jewish entrepreneurs who gave Toronto its character. He was a real hands-on guy. You don’t see that any more.”
Sam the Record Man was where Canadian blues legend Donnie “Mr. Downchild” Walsh remembers buying The Coasters’ Greatest Hits in his teenage years.
“You couldn’t get it anywhere else. Sam had all the music I listened to, stuff that was way off the beaten path, in every category. He put Downchild’s first album, Bootleg, in his window, and a pile right inside the front door. If you heard bands anywhere on the Yonge St. strip, you could walk down to Sam’s and buy their music.”
It was where Arkansas rocker Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks – later The Band – bought the elemental R&B, blues and rockabilly records that inspired their raw and vital style.
“If it wasn’t in stock, Sam would order it for you,” says Hawkins, who first met Sniderman in 1958, when his store was a “hole-in-the-wall,” a radio shop.
“Robbie Robertson learned a lot of licks from the records we found at Sam’s. It’s a shame that it’s gone … it was a huge part of what made Toronto interesting.”
Working at Sam’s was more than just a retail job
Jun 30, 2007 04:30 AM
Ryan Watson
Special to the Star
Recently, a lot of column inches have been devoted to delivering eulogies for Sam the Record Man since the announcement of its closing in late May. We’ve seen missives from customers who work as local writers to high-profile patrons such as renowned crime author Ian Rankin lamenting “the end of an institution” and “the end of an era.”
Appropriate sentiments, of course, but for nearly 50 people, myself included, it’s also the end of our livelihoods. Sure, it’s just a retail job, not a “real job” (as many have put it over my five-year stay), but as the staff will testify, working at Sam’s meant more than just schlepping CDs.
Over the years, Sam’s developed a community feeling among its workers that had a way of inspiring loyalty unlike any other place. Several Sam’s staff members can count more than 30 years of service, including everyone’s favourite, Ken Slater, whose first month on the job was back when The White Album was a new release.
Outside observers who dismiss the value of working at Sam’s simply underestimate the unyielding grip music has on us and the intangibles that became invaluable to our daily experience – the thrill of randomly discovering new favourites like Spiral Beach, the Ex, New Young Pony Club and countless others, the buzz in the store when Johnny Marr dropped in to buy a Buffy St. Marie disc, trading arcane knowledge with the regular customers … The list of unofficial perks goes on and on, varying with each one of us.
Losing Sam’s also means losing an outlet for the largest selection of independent music titles in the country.
As the manager of consignment sales, I was responsible for only a fraction of the store’s revenue. Consignment sales were divided 80-20 in favour of the artist, but an incalculable amount of goodwill was also fostered through Sam’s legacy of supporting Canadian musicians.
Few other shops in the city now bother with accepting CDs on consignment, a sound decision logistically and perhaps economically as well, but a policy that emphasizes the importance of our role in the local indie community.
During the past four weeks, I’ve been swamped with paperwork in the basement tying up the accounts of hundreds of consignment titles, generally unaware of the degeneration the shop is undergoing upstairs.
But each time I’m paged to the main floor and see the bare walls, the chaos produced by the dozens of bargain hunters and the weary faces of remaining staff members, I get mixed feelings.
On the one hand, it’s a new world order in the music business, one that we all have to adapt to and change with and I should look forward to new opportunities.
But in the meantime, I know I’m going to miss this environment and the people who made it what it was – part business, part salon, part clubhouse.
Tomorrow, long after the doors of Sam’s have shut for the final time, 50 people, myself included, will wake up not only hung over from the piss-up the night before, but beginning the unenviable process of finding new work after having wrapped up an irreplaceable chapter of their lives.
It’s the end of an era indeed.
Rockin’ about their generation
‘Old people in this country are just brushed to one side, like rubbish, past our sell-by date’
ALFIE CARRETTA, ZIMMERS LEAD SINGER
The Zimmers, who boast a 90-year-old singer, a 100-year-old drummer and a hit on the pop charts, want the world to know they’re not going to f-f-f-f-fade away
Jun 09, 2007 04:30 AM
Mitch Potter
EUROPEAN BUREAU
Members of band The Zimmers perform their cover of ‘ My Generation ‘ on The Graham Norton Show ,’ shown on England’s BBC2.
The Zimmers, by the numbers
90 – Age of London-born lead singer Alf Carretta, who snarls “Hope I die before I get old” in the geriatric rock group’s jaw-dropping cover of The Who’s “My Generation.” As a nonagenarian, Carretta is old enough to have fathered Elvis.
26 – Rank of the Zimmers’ fast-rising debut single on this week’s British pop charts, eclipsing new releases by Enrique Iglesias and Simply Red, among others.
2.66 – Viewings, in millions, of the Zimmers’ debut video on YouTube.com.
100 – Age of Zimmers drummer Buster Martin, who is believed to be the U.K.’s oldest employee as he continues to work three days a week with a London plumbing company.
50 – Percentage of Zimmers proceeds going to the U.K. charity Age Concern, which organizes lunch clubs, outings, learning, advocacy, and counselling services for more than 250,000 older people.
0 – Number of the 40 band members who walk with the aid of a “zimmer,” the tubular metal frame more commonly known to Canadians as a “walker.”
LONDON–They are on their way to a chart-topping seniors moment that almost no-one saw coming, least of all The Zimmers – a group of 40 rocking pensioners with a combined age of 3,000.
But such is the strength of Zimmermania that more than 2.66 million viewers worldwide have tapped the London band’s debut single since its launch on the Internet two weeks ago, lifting it into the British pop charts at No.26.
And all on the strength of a raucous rendition that turns the generational tables on “My Generation.”
The Who’s iconic youth anthem retains its snarling, angry bite in the hands of the Zimmers – but now the one doing the snarling is 90-year-old lead singer Alfie Carretta, backed by a cast of raging grannies and granddads who wish the world to know that being old is no cause for neglect. The Zimmers YouTube.com performance comes to an instrument-trashing finale with a middle-finger salute from 100-year-old drummer Buster Martin.
“Old people in this country are just brushed to one side, like rubbish, past our sell-by date,” Carretta told the Daily Mail on Sunday, as the group readied for liftoff to Los Angeles, where they appeared this week on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
“People seem to think that if you’re old then you’re silly and doddery and pointless. Walk down the street and people don’t seem to notice us – we’ve become invisible.”
It is precisely the message BBC documentary maker Tim Samuels received while doing research last year into the marginalized conditions of British seniors, 3.5 million of whom live alone, often in total isolation.
Samuels came away with more than a documentary. He also built a band, recruiting 40 spry and willing seniors from the homes he visited and putting them together with a team of music business professionals inside London’s famed Abbey Road studios.
“I wanted to give them a voice – and what better way than to get them in the pop charts?” said Samuels. “This would say: `They’re old, but they’re not past it.’” Thus was born The Zimmers, borrowing the name from the British term for a tubular metal walking aid.
Half of the profits from Zimmers sales are destined for the U.K. charity Age Concern, the country’s largest seniors support group. But already, interest in the Zimmers is transcending borders, with requests for appearances from more than 50 countries.
Neil Reed of X-Phonics Records, a small London independent label, is backing the group.
“This is the most fun any of us have ever had,” Reed told the Star from Los Angeles. “The music business can be such a nasty beast and normally it is so focused on the supposed angst, passion and drive of youth.
“But here we have a group of people who had basically given up on life and suddenly they’ve become a part of a huge thing. And they actually say, `Thank-you’ which is not something I’ve heard very often in my career.”
What will the Zimmers do for an encore? The British press has had great fun with suggestions ranging from “Stairlift to Heaven” to “When I’m 164.” Reed said the group is still tossing around the possibilities but is expected to begin full-album recording sessions in two weeks.
“Iggy Pop’s `Lust for Life,’ Simple Minds’ `Alive and Kicking’ and `Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ are possibilities for the album,” said Reed.
As for concert dates, it remains to be seen how many Zimmers will be able to mobilize for the rigours of the road. But judging by the adrenal effects of the performance on lead singer Carretta it might yet happen. Backstage at the Leno show Tuesday night, the 90-year-old frontman told fellow guest George Clooney “I feel 70 again.”
Asked how he intended to celebrate his band’s arrival on the charts, Carretta spoke of popping champagne. “I don’t know about going on a bender though,” he added. “I can’t walk that far.”
