BECOMING ‘THE PROMOTER’
How the son of a square-dance caller met his heroes and made his name
From Goose Bay, N.L., to Inuvik, N.W.T., promoting Canadian talent for more than 40 years has taken me to hundreds of cities and towns across the country, but my childhood home is where my story begins.
I was born in the hamlet of Cordova Mines, Ont., and raised in Peterborough, Ont. My dad was a square-dance caller, and our house was always full of country music.
By the time I was eight years old, I knew all the words to most of the standards of the day.
Being a country music fan in Peterborough, I was always listening to local disc jockey “Sunshine” Sean Eyre. I made constant calls to CHEX to request songs by Canadian legend Stompin’ Tom Connors. Sean started playing Tom more often, always dedicating the song to me.
Over the years, Sean and I became great friends. Before long, I was working at both the radio station and Sean’s production company.
In 1980, when I was still in high school, Sean came up with an idea: I should become a talent agent. In those days, the musicians’ union that licensed such booking agents frowned upon radio personalities booking live music. If I were to become the agent, Sean told me, we could work as a team. He could continue his radio shows, and I could book the talent. It was quite a coup, especially being only 17 years of age.
I became the youngest person licensed to book talent by the American Federation of Musicians, and I had no idea where it would ever lead me. Some 42 years, 5,000 shows and 100 artists later, I certainly made the most of it.
BIG NAMES BECKONING
My first big show was with Tommy Hunter —“Canada’s country gentleman.” I was still only 17 when I booked him to perform at a local festival here in Peterborough. A few short years after that, I became Tommy’s business manager, which I remain. Tommy was a mainstay on CBC television, and it was the connection I needed to take me to the next step—and a big step it was.
I spent many years representing some of Canada’s finest entertainers—stompin’ Tom Connors, Red Green, Rita Macneil, Carroll Baker, Hank Snow, Wilf Carter and
Frank Mills to name a few. Stompin’ Tom, in particular, really opened my eyes up to what it means to be a Canadian and proud of it. Tom’s connection with the audience from coast to coast and his vast knowledge of our great country made me want to explore every inch of Canada, and that’s exactly what I did.
Most of the smaller communities I went to never dreamt performers like the ones I represented would come to their town, so it was always a big event. I believe it was the best thing I ever did to build my company into what it is today.
In the early ’90s, I started to expand, building relationships with international artists such as Kitty Wells, Charley Pride, Roger Whittaker, Roy Clark and Wayne Newton. Working alongside these fabulous performers built our reputation all over North America and beyond.
Charley was already a huge international star before I ever did shows with him, and being associated with him put me into another league entirely.
I was determined to stay in Canada and continue my grassroots approach, which led to even more success. There was not a performance with Charley Pride we ever did that was not packed solid.
The ticket sales for the many shows we did with Charley put me in the top 50 promoters in the world. Not bad for a young lad who operated his business from the basement of his house.
STOMPIN’ GROUNDS
Stompin’ Tom and I developed a real close bond, almost unheard of in the world of entertainment. We started working together in 1989 with his comeback tour—tom’s first performances in 13 years.
It was unreal. Tom was larger than life, and every night the fans thought of him as a best friend. Yet he was as down-to-earth as anyone I’ve ever met. He loved Scrabble and chess and could talk intelligently about anything.
Our close relationship continued until his death in 2013. Tom loved to hear the stories of me working with so many artists he admired, like Hank Snow and his idol Wilf Carter. A few weeks before Tom passed away, I went to his house for a visit. He wanted me to tell him all those great stories again. Just as I left, he made it clear I needed to have these stories told in a book.
Over the next eight years, I put as many stories to paper as I could, spending several hours with a great writer from Peterborough, Ed Arnold. In November of last year, my book, The Promoter, was released.
Its 480 pages are full of pictures and stories told not only by me but by the artists I had the pleasure to work with.
What a career it has been— one that I would not change for anything! ■
The Promoter: An Entertainment Success Story is available for purchase at brianthepromoter.com