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Anecdotes & Memories |
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Here are some various stories about Stan, as told by those who
knew him. These memories give us a greater insight to
the generosity and 'larger than life' aspect of an artist who
touched many lives, and even continues to today. If you have
any anecdotes of your own you'd like to share,
send it to us
and we'll consider adding it to this page. |
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From Geist
Magazine |
The folks
over at Geist Magazine published an extended selection of stories
from people across Canada and the US, sharing their experiences with
Stan's music.
Check it out |
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Memories from Mitch |
Mitch Podolak was a key figure in Stan's early rise on
the folk scene. Read some interesting memories
about Stan, including the story about Stan's commission
for mining songs.
Read... |
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Kevin Hall, guitar mechanic Timberline Guitars |
September, 2005
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First met Stan in about '64 or 65 when we were both
hanging around the Ebony Knight coffeehouse in Hamilton.
Our paths crossed repeatedly over the years as he grew
in stature as a performer and writer and I established
myself as a guitar builder and restorer. When I came
back from a year in Europe in '71 and started work at
Waddingtons' Music on John St. in Hamilton Stan was one
of the regulars when ever he was in town. Seems to me he
was playing with a band called 'Tranquility Base', or
maybe it was 'Ian, Oliver and Norah' in those days, with
Ian Thomas and a couple of others.
Through the '60s and ' 70s the folk scene in Hamilton
was pretty lively with a handful of clubs like the Ebony
Knight, Bohemian Consul and later Campbells and the
Knight Two providing venues for Stan, Doug McArthur,
Gord Lowe, Willie P. and many others.
In ' 74 I had moved to Toronto to put the Ruby Banjo
company together, and Stan would drop in from time to
time, either to Ring Music on Harbord or later to our
larger workshop on Dupont St. I had living space next to
the shop and Stan would crash there from time to time.
One night we had been on a bit of a pub crawl and were
walking down Yonge St. in the very early morning, having
done serious harm to a bottle of Bushmills' Irish
Whiskey in the hours leading up to our ramble. We passed
by a shoe store and I noticed the front window was
broken. Stan kept walking for a few yards not noticing
I'd stopped to see what was up with the shop. Inside a
couple of guys were grabbing things and attacking the
cash register, so I yelled at them and immediately
realized that may not have been the smartest thing I
ever did. The pair of them started toward me and I
braced for a serious punchup. Suddenly the two crooks
stopped dead in their tracks and headed for the street
well clear of where I was. Stan had realized I was no
longer beside him and had come back to see why. While
the robbers had been less than impressed by my (then)
125 lb. frame, the sight of Stans' bulk looming head and
shoulders over me was enough to deter the rascals. We
chased them off, then realized that if the cops came by
at that point, in the absence of the real crooks Stan
and I could easily wind up in the crowbar hotel as the
most likely suspects. Being relatively ragged,
undoubtedly drunk, and having no visible means of
support are not qualities that endear one to Torontos'
finest, even if you are the good guys!
In the early ' 70s I had kept Stans' old Guild, which he
called ' Galatea' in running order. When his strap came
off the endpin during a performance and the guitar fell
from Stans' grasp, missed the edge of the stage and
bounced off the concrete floor of the auditorium I
managed to put it back together again for him. That
guitar sounded lousy in a small room, or being played in
the shop etc., but it miked like a champ and recorded
very well. Stan loved the thing but eventually he
outgrew it musically. He started agitating for me to
build him one, but at that point in both our lives Stan
couldn't afford to pay for one and I couldn't afford to
make one without getting paid. Like most people involved
in the folk music scene in that era we were both living
pretty much hand to mouth at the time.
Like thousands of others I was very pleased when Stan
started to get the attention he so justly deserved and
when he started to enjoy the first stages of relative
prosperity. He could be harsh, quick-tempered, even rude
at times but he could also be very thoughtful and kind
to those who needed that the most. A man of immense
talent and strong opinions he left an indelible
impression on all who knew him.TOP |
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Douglas McArthur, Songwriter |
July, 2003
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One afternoon in the shade of the last century Stan
Rogers and I were sitting in Smales Pace coffeehouse in
London Ontario when the strangest apparition appeared.
It was a little furry guy with round spectacles and wild
hair and about fourteen instrument cases hanging off
him. John Smale sidled over and whispered "Stay and
check this out - this guy is supposed to be good". Stan
muttered "He had better be."
We were witnessing an early manifestation of the Dave
Essig phenomenon and after his "audition" Stan and I
picked our jaws off the floor and rushed over to
introduce ourselves. Dave has only gotten better and it
is interesting that he plays at least as much in Europe
and Asia as he does in Canada. A true original.
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A Stan Moment...by David Essig |
Although Stan and I had a long musical relationship, my
strongest memory of our time together is vehicular. It's
true, Stan and I hung around a fair bit on the SW
Ontario musical scene and I often joined him onstage to
add some mandolin. But where the rubber hit the road for
us, figuratively, was right about in the same place,
literally.
I suppose it stemmed from his love-hate for his blue van
and my purple car. While Stan crossed the continent in
the van, I had started working in Europe and developed a
taste for the Alfa Romeo - not the most politically
correct steed for a folkie back then. (We were supposed
to, and often did, drive beat up Volvos, preferably
inhabited by mice...)
We scrimped and saved and ultimately satisfied the Alfa
craving with a seriously beat, but cute and shiny,
Giuletta 1800. Shortly after we got the car, the Canada
Council awarded me a fairly hefty one-year grant to
study improvised music. "That damn weird guitar stuff,"
Stan called it, had paid for the Alfa - he was certain!
No matter what I said to the contrary.
In the months following, Stan would invite me up on
stage and, after a glowing musical introduction, rip my
face in front of the audience for having bought this
cream puff on the backs of the honest taxpayers. I
seriously considered planting the mando in his cranium.
But we stayed friends and he was finally mollified when
we drove the Alfa to Winnipeg for the festival and a
truck backed into the front grill. Two weeks later in
Vancouver, another truck did in one of the doors. Then
we blew a head gasket coming home around the Lakehead.
Stan never mentioned the car again. In his mind, justice
had been done."
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Hugh Johnston, "Uncle Hug" |
February, 2003
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In 1977 I booked Stan and his brother Garnet to do a
series of concerts in northern Manitoba at The Pas.
Mitch Podolak helped set it up. My role was to produce a
Stage Show for the Trappers Festival at The Pas and I
used the name Uncle Hug on stage. A show featuring the
best of northern talent in the first half, with Stan to
be the headliner and close the show.
Stan was no stranger to me as I had caught him on two
occasions at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. However I
believe his concert hall performances with us were the
first for Stan outside of the true folk festival
setting.
An American TV station WCCO, the CBS outlet in
Minneapollis had sent up a crew to cover the Trappers
Festival. Normally they wouldn’t touch the Stage Show
but they discovered Stan the first night and decided
they would shoot film of him the second night. He was
outraged and refused to let them film him. I tried to
explain to him that it would give him some exposure to
the United States. “Damn Yanks, think they can come up
here and steal our culture for nothing no way. Give me a
union contract and I will do anything they want. CBS
retreated. I also realized what a strong Canadian Stan
was.
On stage Stan made reference to the then disco fad,
announcing to one and all that “Disco Sucks.’ It was
Sunday afternoon at the beerfest and he was tired. All
of the musicians were drinking beer at one table and
taking turns entertaining the crowd who were in a party
animal frenzy. Stan grabbed the mike and accompanied by
blues man Big Dave McClean and harmonica player Gord
Kidder and local drummer Jack Hebert launched into some
old time rock songs, leading off with “Long Tall Sally.
He was wearing a black T shirt that had inscribed on it
in green, “Disco Sucks.’“You like it? You want it? It’s
yours,” said the big burly guy, whipping off the black T
shirt with the Disco Sucks inscription in green and
handing it to me. I still have it, but have long out
grown it. I will never out grow Stan. Two weeks later he
sent me a card with the inscription, “Thanks for the
biggest whip up ever,” referring the the reputation of
the Trappers Festival as being one big long four day
party.
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Grit Laskin, Luthier |
Christmas, 2001
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I made 3 instruments for Stan. His 6-string, his
12-string and his tenor mandolin. I think Nathan has
Stan's 6 string (plus a new 6 and and a 12 that he got
from me recently). David's guitar also is one that was
built fairly recently, just for him. Stan's original
12-string was given to Paul Mills by Ariel, and Paul
uses it regularly.
I don't have any anecdotes about the guitars
specifically, except to say that he was a wonderful
supporter. Once Stan was on your side, he never wavered.
I suppose the most unusual thing was that he would show
up at my door, after a tour, with actual deposits for
guitar orders that he had obtained for me while on the
road. He would just be so enthusiastic about the guitars
at his gigs that people would want to get one for
themselves and he'd offer to convey the deposit cheque.
It was really quite special. No other maker I know has
had a client that was so thoroughly a fan.
As you may know, I was the first artist he chose to
record when he decided to expand Fogarty's Cove to be
more than a vanity label. So, in yet another way, I was
the beneficiary of his largesse.
Like many, I sure wish he were here. |
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Raymond Philippe Folk Singer |
June, 1998
I traveled back into my good memories and found this
great event of my artistic life: recording an album
under one of my favourite folk singers, Stan Rogers!
The first time I heard Stan, was in 1977 at Mariposa
Folk Festival, I was there with some old members of Les
Danseurs du Saint-Laurent as "Kins" of Estell Klein who
was the artistic director at that time. I was already a
fan of John-Allan Cameron, but I didn't know this great,
should I say powerful, voice of the young and full of
promises Stan Rogers. I was nineteen when I bought his
first album, and I played it for years before I became
the lead singer of ERITAGE, a well-known Quebecois folk
group with whom I was going to perform during four
years, from 1981 to 1985. In April 1985, the group
disbanded, after a great career on the north-American
folk scene.
In the spring of 1982 we (Eritage) were looking for a
record label who would accept us to sign-up for the
fifth album (my first with the band) we wanted to
record. The few contacts we had in Quebec were not
fruitful, and since I loved Stan's productions, I
suggested that we write to him, sending him a demo tape
and asking him for being recorded under his label,
Fogarty's Cove Music. Stan quickly called Marc Benoit
(our double-base and guitar player, and our valourous
booker at that time!) and told him he had been thinking
of Eritage since he saw the group in Owen Sound (!!!) in
a previous summer! WOW! I couldn't tell how happy I was.
This great folk singer I'd been religiously listening to
for years was offering us a contract on his label!!! We
rapidly took the arrangement to write a contract that
would have legal course in Quebec and Ontario as well,
and we met in Montreal, in a bar of north Saint-Laurent
street, and we all signed the famous contract. Very
often, my mother who's now 76 listen to Stan's album and
recalls that day she was so proud to hear Stan's voice
on the phone, calling me to fix the famous rendezvous.
Even if she couldn't understand what he was saying, she
could know he was asking for me and was very happy to
answer him a very shy "Raymond not here ... call later".
She loved his album and still listen to him with great
delight even if she doesn't understand a word of
English!
So, the following October, November and December, we
were at Grant Avenue Studio (Daniel Lanois' studio) to
record La Ronde des Voyageurs, it was in the same period
Brian Eno was recording one of his "ambient" albums (we
met him when we quit the studio after our second
recording session!!).
Recording with Stan and sound engineer Greg Robert was a
big piece of cake! Always taking care of our wishes,
always looking at things to make the sessions a great
venture for each of us. I remember a special moment,
when I was recording one of the songs, the tone was very
low and I had a difficulty to reach the lowest note,
Stan came quietly, stood right in front of me and sung
to me the very low note I had a hard time to adjust. I
still remember the powerful vibration of his voice I
fell in my chest and on my vocal cord. It was like
student receiving the Power by the master!! I could
return it right into the microphone! I had gooseflesh
when I listened to the tape just after. We were working
hard and Stan was not looking at the clock for the time
in studio. He and we were all reasonable and he knew
when it was time to do and re-do a take when we,
individually, were unhappy.
Every night Ariel was cooking a great meal for us all
and it was good to sit conformably and talk and laugh
with this happy family, especially with the kids who
were very young at that time! Ariel was sweetly
supporting the venture her man and her new friends were
having all together. We laughed so much together. I also
remember the visits of mom, dad and brother Garnet
during the recording. All of them so proud of what was
happening!
Finally, December arrived and we put the finishing touch
and worked on the final mix of the album! A very
religious moment! One month to listen at the rough mix
had been a hard exercise. Having to take note of what's
good to keep and what needed to be changed, our ears
were too close to our product and it took Stan to have
the final outside "sight" on it! It was December 23, we
were all tired because we had been in studio for a whole
night and it was around four or five a.m. when we left
Hamilton for Montreal, under a freezing rain. Bringing
back so many good experiences and souvenirs for...a life
time.
I will remember this last time I saw Stan: It was just
before we left him on Grant Avenue. He gave me a happy
and warm hug, and said "You're a great little boy!"
Later, I re-read a little word he wrote me in a greeting
card accompanying the pay I got for the recording
sessions, the night before. Stan wrote: "Raymond ca
n'est pas Pavarotti, c'est Paul Robeson" (Raymond is not
Pavarotti, he is Paul Robeson). I knew it was a
compliment, but I didn't know who was Paul Robeson,
until I heard one of his albums during a tour in
Massachusetts, a few weeks before the plane crash which
had stolen our friend so suddenly. I heard that he had
given a whole box of our albums to the public of Dallas
during his last appearance. Stan was proud, happy of
this great production, the last album he produced, just
before he finished his own two last.
Sometime I dream of these great days and thank Life for
having brought my road under these blue skies. I
sometime think about Stan and fell that I will never
meet a greater voice in my life. That is why I still
work on mine and wish to use it more and more to give
back what I received!
Thank you for reading this short memory It was a great
moment to recall it!!
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Tom Rogers |
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My wife found it quite amusing...when we went out to see
Stan at the Rebecca Cohen, she had never seen so many
bald, young guys (me included) in one place. Not only a
great voice and tunes, but an icon for balding guys
everwhere! (long hair was still the style at the time). |
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Paul Mills |
Many of us who have been attending the Summerfolk
Festival for years remember the incident which makes the
dedication of this stage so appropriate. It was the
evening concert at one the Fogarty's Cove Musics around
1979 or '80 when Tony Bird was performing. This is
before the stage had any covering to speak of. Anyway,
it was pissing down with rain and Stan decided that a
talent as great as Tony Bird needed some more protection
in order to dedicate his entire focus on the delivery of
his songs. Stan grabbed an umbrella from backstage and
went out on stage and held it over Tony for the
remainder of his set. The audience applauded and Tony
beamed appreciatively.
Whenever I see the Fogarty's Cove Music stage and it's
dedication, I think of that moment which so aptly
demonstrated Stan's enormous generousity. |
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Joe Blau |
Thank you for taking over the Stan Rogers page! It was
one of the first websites I ever visited, and it led
indirectly to a good friendship, so I'm glad you'll be
keeping it alive. Here's my contribution:
My brother Frank and I are two of Stan's biggest
(American) fans. We were at his last show at McCabe's in
Santa Monica, CA. After Stan died, Frank gave me a
T-shirt that just said "Rise Again". I still wear that
shirt once in a while. Inevitably I get Christian
fundamentalists coming up to me and saying "Amen! Praise
the Lord, brother!", and once a sex therapist stuck her
card in my pocket. ;-) - Joe Blau
"No matter what you've lost, be it a modem, a server, an
ISP, Like the Stan Roger's Website, rise again..."
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Bill Usher |
I first met Stan back in '74 when the cream of the
Ontario-based singer/songwriters etc. were brought
together by Paul Mills to do a concert at Alumnae Hall
at Western. I was a coffee house rat at the time --
mostly at Smale's Place in London and Grumbles in
Toronto -- sitting in with whomever would have me --
learning by doing. Paul was putting on this big concert
that I remember was quite packed (over a thousand,
Paul?) and was being recorded by CBC as a precursor to
the upcoming debut of Touch the Earth. The stage was set
up like a living room and we all took turns coming up
off the sofas, making up impromptu 'groups' throughout
the night Willie was there with 'white lines' David
Bradstreet and Steve? [the guy who should be a doctor by
now in California and a massive guitar player :)] and
Gord Lowe, Frank Wheeler (who I played with again at
this past Eaglewood) and the first of many jams with
David Essig was Colleen there? Daisy and Allan? It's all
a bit foggy. And Stan.
Out of the euphoria of that night came an invitation
from David Essig to a bunch of us to visit him and
Caroline (and Peregrine) up in Emsdale for a weekend of
singing and recording. You see David had a Revox 2-track
and some microphones (cutting edge for the time) and he
could do 'sound on sound' recording but perhaps, most
importantly, he was in the woods up north and adventure
beckoned. It was winter and snowing hard on the Friday
night I arrived. Over the next few hours Stan and Willie
P. and Doug McArthur and Gord Lowe and David Bradstreet
and Steve and who else? [help me now :)] arrived with
food, beer and other 'stuff' hanging snow soaked coats
to steam by the wood stove. It was our version of Big
Pink. Over the next two days the living room became a
recording studio and bunkhouse. Everybody did a song and
others would help out. While some recorded, others slept
or drank or played cards or went to town or like the
young Mr. P found joy in carving angels in the virgin
snow. One copy of the tape is around here somewhere in a
box: for some reason having to do with a diet of beer
and beans I think, the sessions were called 'Berts and
Pharts.'
I remember Willie P. seeming to be the rambunctious
teenager yet, when he sangxwiser than his years -- and
Stan was not yet a God :) but every bit his big and
blustery self. When Stan came through the door -- full
sail with waves crashing upon your beachhead -- it
always seemed like he had just arrived after 24 hours
straight on the road from down east only to remember
soon enough that it wasn't really that far to Hamilton.
His was a presence that made the room smaller. It took
some of us (mea culpa) quite some time to manoeuver our
way past his 'blow-hard' image to relax and enjoy the
fruits of his incredible talent. Some of us I suspect
were jealous. Hats off to Paul for seeing and believing
right from the first.
The last time I saw Stan was in '77. I was on tour with
Bruce Cockburn in Edmonton and taking a walk down the
pedestrian mall on my way to get to the Jubilee for
soundcheck and there coming the other way was Stan and
Garnet and David Woodhead. We all said hellos and
minutes later we're back on our way going in opposite
directions. I remember thinking something romantic and
self-congratulatory like "Wow, look at how far we've all
come from that cabin in the woods." Mentions of Stan
sometimes bring the memory of that on-the-road casual
encounter to mind: perhaps it's a reminder of how
precious the little things in life are ["you don't know
what you've got till it's gone" reminder] or perhaps I
just realise again that "I knew him but I didn't really
know him." My fault not his.
Was Stan a sexist? By today's standards, you bet. But
then so were even us sensitive hippies soon to be known
as SNAG's -- and Stan was NOT a hippie!!! :) I think
Stan cultivated an image of himself as "the man's man"
-- a hardworking carouser who the women would forgive
because he was "exciting" and "a good decent, man" at
heart. I have no idea if he was like that in the dark
when he took his clothes off at night but the 'image' he
seemed to project reminded me of Alan Bates in Saturday
Night Sunday Morning. It was an image that was tailor
made for Stan and the songs he had to write. I suspect
there were many who again were jealous because that kind
of decent 'working class' school of hard knocks
'traditional' background was not available to most of
his songwriting peers to claim as their own. Stan at the
time seemed to be a descendant of 'the folk' and
therefore closer to godliness than those of us who grew
up listening to Randy Ferris late at night on CKFH
romanticising 'the folk' -- who we only got to hear on
record. |
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