Recognizing his dedication

P.E.I.’s Jon Rehder receives Stompin’ Tom Award

When Jon Rehder got a telephone call telling him that he had been chosen as P.E.I.’s recipient of the Stompin’ Tom Award by the East Coast Music Association (ECMA), he was “humbled” and surprised. “It’s just came out of the blue…I didn’t expect it. And I appreciate it,” says the P.E.I. bass player.

In fact, Rehder didn’t give it much thought until a day or two later when congratulatory messages started popping up on his Facebook page. And by the end of the day there were more than 100.

“It’s recognition for a lifetime of playing music; playing with other people. Even people from Montreal and Toronto heard about it,” says Rehder, who was honoured in Halifax over the weekend.

The award is presented annually to one person or group from each of the ECMA’s five regions (the Atlantic provinces and Cape Breton), in recognition of their long-term contribution to the music industry on the East Coast, and the roads they have paved for new artists.

The P.E.I. resident has been a freelance musician for nearly 45 years. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Rehder is also a prolific songwriter with his band Rhythm Rules.

“What I do is do is guided by what I like and what I think is a good thing to do. But it just so happens because I like accompanying people I ended up doing a lot of different things with a lot of different people.”

He has performed with a wide variety of Island artists such as Mitch Schurman, Chas Guay, Catherine MacLellan, Bonnie LeClair and many more. He’s also a member of the awardwinning Amanda Jackson Band.

In 2016, Rehder was the recipient of the 2016 Doug Riley Musician award at the TD P.E.I. Jazz and Blues Festival.

But, instead of talking about his accomplishments, Rehder prefers to converse about his craft.

“I love music and when it works it’s a magical, transformative experience. And, I think, ‘What can I do to make that happen more (often)?’ and ‘what am I doing that interferes with that happening?’” says Rehder.

He received the Stompin’ Tom Connors award during the 2018 East Coast Music and Industry Awards Show at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel on Sunday.

SALLY COLE/THE GUARDIAN Jon Rehder and his partner, Debbie Carruthers, stand outside Baba’s Lounge in Charlottetown where he and guitarist Chris Corrigan perform a weekly show, “Tune in Next Week.” Rehder is the P.E.I. recipient of the Stompin’ Tom Connors Award. He received...