Stompin’ Tom remembered by East Coast musicians
Posted Mar 8, 2013 06:23:58 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Musicians attending the East Coast Music Awards in Halifax are continuing to remember Canadian country music icon Stompin’ Tom Connors, who died Wednesday evening at the age of 77.
Back in 2002, Nova Scotia musician Dave Gunning toured with Stompin’ Tom.
Gunning tells News 95.7, the off-stage Tom had a quieter demeanor.
“Soft spoken, very focused, he didn’t like small talk he liked really good chats,” says Gunning. “It was really great to get to know him,” says Gunning.
VIDEO: Dave Gunning on how he ended up on Stompin’ Tom’s tour
Gunning says Connors was an inspiration for his career.
“That tour sort of changed things for me after doing that tour with Tom I sort of felt more focused in my own career,” he says.
Gunning says Connors wasn’t just a musician but a historian of sorts.
“He helped preserve a lot of Canadian history,” says Gunning. “He played a major role in giving us a greater personality. If you remove Stompin’ Tom from the Canadian equation, things would be more boring around here.”
The death of Connors has touched off a flood of remembrances across the country.
There were public tributes yesterday from the likes of K.D Lang, Bryan Adams and Margaret Atwood.
