(Reuters) - Canadian country singer and folk icon Stompin' Tom Connors, known for songs "The Hockey Song," and "Sudbury Saturday Night" and his staunch patriotism, has died at age 77, his record company A-C-T Records said.
Connors died at his Ontario home on Wednesday of natural causes, A-C-T said in a statement posted on Connors' website.
Born Thomas Charles Connors in Saint John, New Brunswick, Connors was raised by foster parents on Prince Edward Island and hitchhiked across Canada as a teenager.
Connors, who penned hundreds of songs mostly about Canadian history and traditions, earned his nickname from his habit of stomping the heel of his boot while keeping a song's time.
He rose to prominence in the late 1960s, and released more than 20 albums, including "My Stompin' Grounds" and "Believe in Your Country", over a five-decade career.
Connors retired in 1979 and returned his six Juno Awards for Canadian music in protest over the Americanization of the national music industry. He returned to music in 1988.
Connors thanked his fans in a posthumous statement released by his family.
"It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with its beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world," Connors said in the statement posted on his website.
"I must now pass the torch, to all of you, to help keep the Maple Leaf flying high, and be the Patriot Canada needs now and in the future," he added.
He is survived by his wife and four children.
(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Piya Sinha-Roy; and Peter Galloway)
Blog List
-
Kaley Cuoco Shows Off Fit Physique In Skin-Revealing Yoga Outfit - By Suzy Byrne Kaley Cuoco leaving yoga class in L.A. on Monday. (X17online.com)Kaley Cuoco gave new meaning to hot yoga on Monday when she emerged from cla...10 years ago
Pageviews
Popular Posts
-
In a news conference today (Dec. 21), National Rifle Association Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Wayne LaPierre blamed ...
-
1. Eiffel Tower - Paris, France When Apple Maps launched in September, there was a funny picture of the Eiffel Tower looki...
-
Mashable's Anita Li contributed to this report from Toronto. Research in Motion , maker of the once-treasured but now beleaguered BlackB...
-
HONOLULU (AP) The Hawaii state Senate passed the so-called Steven Tyler Act Tuesday, a bill that seeks to protect celebrities from overeager...
-
Tonight Doctor Who fans get to gorge on their annual Christmas fix -- a full-length special episode the series has produced every year for ...
-
As any fan of Doctor Who knows, the title character's ship does some pretty incredible things even when it's not traveling through ...
-
A jury in California has determined that Best Buy ( BBY ) must pay $22 million in damages for improper use of another companys trade secre...
-
NEWTOWN, Conn. (AP) He was the awkward kid who wore the same clothes to school every day. He rarely spoke and even gave a school presentatio...
-
NEW YORK (AP) Michael Smerconish is jumping from traditional talk radio to satellite, saying the media form he has loved essentially left hi...
-
The following list represents the top streamed tracks on Spotify from Monday, Dec. 17, to Sunday, Dec. 23: UNITED STATES 1. The Lumineers,...