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101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts
101 true stories to surprise and delight Canadian music fans.
Did you know that Serena Ryder played the quietest concert ever from the ocean floor during low tide at Fundy National Park? Or that “I’ll Never Smile Again,” the hit that launched Frank Sinatra’s career, was written by Toronto pianist Ruth Lowe? What about 12-year-old Liberty Silver singing in a reggae band that opened for Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden? Did you know that the title of the Tragically Hip’s 1991 album, Road Apples , is not talking about apples?
In 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts , author and historian David McPherson shares these and 97 other tales gathered from his more than 25 years working in the music industry. Music lovers and trivia buffs alike will enjoy perusing this collection of stories ― collected from coast to coast ― to discover surprising facts and hilarious tales from Canada’s music industry.
Did you know that Serena Ryder played the quietest concert ever from the ocean floor during low tide at Fundy National Park? Or that “I’ll Never Smile Again,” the hit that launched Frank Sinatra’s career, was written by Toronto pianist Ruth Lowe? What about 12-year-old Liberty Silver singing in a reggae band that opened for Bob Marley at Madison Square Garden? Did you know that the title of the Tragically Hip’s 1991 album, Road Apples , is not talking about apples?
In 101 Fascinating Canadian Music Facts , author and historian David McPherson shares these and 97 other tales gathered from his more than 25 years working in the music industry. Music lovers and trivia buffs alike will enjoy perusing this collection of stories ― collected from coast to coast ― to discover surprising facts and hilarious tales from Canada’s music industry.
- GenresCanadaNonfictionMusic
264 pages, Paperback
Published October 31, 2023
10 people want to read
About the author
David McPherson
39 books20 followersEver since attending his first rock concert in 1989 (The Who) and buying his first LP (Freeze Frame by The J. Geils Band), music has been “the elixir of his life.” With more than 18,000 songs on his iPod, and an ever-growing vintage vinyl collection, it’s a joy for him to discover new music. He loves sharing these discoveries with his wife and two children. David watched his first show [the Old 97’s] at the Horseshoe Tavern more than twenty years ago; immediately, he was hooked. A regular contributor to Words & Music, Hamilton Magazine, and No Depression, over the years his writing on music has also appeared in Paste, American Songwriter, Bluegrass Unlimited, Exclaim! and Canadian Musician. As president and chief creative officer of McPherson Communications, David helps clients get their words right. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 19, 2023
I'm a music lover from the United States. Even though my country is 'next door neighbors' with Canada, I'm not overly familiar with Canadian musicians - except for popular Canadian acts who have great success here in the U.S., such as Bryan Adams, Rush, Celine Dion, The Guess Who, and a couple of small handfuls of others.
My main hopes when I began reading '101 Canadian Music Facts' were that I would discover Canadian musicians who were brand new to me, listen to some of their music, and hopefully be entertained by it.
I'm very happy to say that I discovered several new artists from the book. As I read it, I took extensive notes and created a long music playlist containing music written about in the book. Along the way, I've heard and enjoyed a lot of great music!
There is a lot of great trivia among the 101 Music Facts covered in the book. I learned a lot. It was a very educational and enjoyable read!
NOTE: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher.
My main hopes when I began reading '101 Canadian Music Facts' were that I would discover Canadian musicians who were brand new to me, listen to some of their music, and hopefully be entertained by it.
I'm very happy to say that I discovered several new artists from the book. As I read it, I took extensive notes and created a long music playlist containing music written about in the book. Along the way, I've heard and enjoyed a lot of great music!
There is a lot of great trivia among the 101 Music Facts covered in the book. I learned a lot. It was a very educational and enjoyable read!
NOTE: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher.
Read
December 28, 2024So you think you know music, more specifically Canadian music. Well even those who may be trivia experts in music history from the Great White North, will be awestruck many times while reading this most entertaining book. Every song and performer does have a story, and some of them are downright amazing.
As the title implies, there are 101 fascinating Canadian music facts within the pages of the book. They are short and to the point, the majority in the two page mark, just enough to give us the story without excess verbiage. Some of the stories might have some familiarity but there are also the majority that are far from public knowledge.
Anne Murray is a Canadian legend. She released a single in 1969, This Way Is My Way. But it wasn’t until the following summer that a US disc jockey played the B side of the single. That happened to be Snowbird, immediately taking the music world by storm. It reached number 2 in Canada and reached 8 on the U.S. singles chart and number 1 on adult contemporary charts, certainly propelling Anne’s career into the stratosphere.
The late Alan Thicke is mentioned. One of the stars of Growing Pains, he also helped write over 40 television theme songs. The songs included Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, which he co-write with his first wife Gloria Loring. Soap operas will recall her stint on Days of our Lives as Liz Chandler, for many years.
Leonard Cohen of course is mentioned for his contributions to the world of music. One of his most noted songs Hallelujah, was shot down by a Columbia records president. He said, “What is this? This isn’t pop music. We’re not releasing it. This is a disaster.” It was a song that received little recognition, then four years later, Bob Dylan heard it and started performing it. Others followed suit, showing how the song definitely was a moving piece of music. Rolling Stone even called it “one of the greatest songs ever recorded.”
There is so much more to the book including Paul Anka writing My Way for Frank Sinatra, Meryl Streep wanting to sing with Blue Rodeo, David Clayton Thomas and writing the classic song Spinning Wheel in just fifteen minutes in his apartment, the Canadian that coined the phrase “Beatlemania, Gordon Lightfoot’s beginning on the CBC television show Country Hoedown, and so much more.
Fans of Canadian music, or music in general, will find this book strikes the perfect note in terms of fun facts and the history of how Canadians made such a contribution to musical entertainment in this country and worldwide.
As the title implies, there are 101 fascinating Canadian music facts within the pages of the book. They are short and to the point, the majority in the two page mark, just enough to give us the story without excess verbiage. Some of the stories might have some familiarity but there are also the majority that are far from public knowledge.
Anne Murray is a Canadian legend. She released a single in 1969, This Way Is My Way. But it wasn’t until the following summer that a US disc jockey played the B side of the single. That happened to be Snowbird, immediately taking the music world by storm. It reached number 2 in Canada and reached 8 on the U.S. singles chart and number 1 on adult contemporary charts, certainly propelling Anne’s career into the stratosphere.
The late Alan Thicke is mentioned. One of the stars of Growing Pains, he also helped write over 40 television theme songs. The songs included Diff’rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, which he co-write with his first wife Gloria Loring. Soap operas will recall her stint on Days of our Lives as Liz Chandler, for many years.
Leonard Cohen of course is mentioned for his contributions to the world of music. One of his most noted songs Hallelujah, was shot down by a Columbia records president. He said, “What is this? This isn’t pop music. We’re not releasing it. This is a disaster.” It was a song that received little recognition, then four years later, Bob Dylan heard it and started performing it. Others followed suit, showing how the song definitely was a moving piece of music. Rolling Stone even called it “one of the greatest songs ever recorded.”
There is so much more to the book including Paul Anka writing My Way for Frank Sinatra, Meryl Streep wanting to sing with Blue Rodeo, David Clayton Thomas and writing the classic song Spinning Wheel in just fifteen minutes in his apartment, the Canadian that coined the phrase “Beatlemania, Gordon Lightfoot’s beginning on the CBC television show Country Hoedown, and so much more.
Fans of Canadian music, or music in general, will find this book strikes the perfect note in terms of fun facts and the history of how Canadians made such a contribution to musical entertainment in this country and worldwide.
October 6, 2023
101 FASCINATING CANADIAN MUSIC FACTS by David McPherson is a delightful treasure trove for Canadian music enthusiasts, revealing 101 captivating true stories that span the spectrum of musical genres and eras. I enjoyed finding out how Anne Marie was discovered through one of her songs, which was on the B-side of her album. I was also surprised to learn that a Canadian journalist coined the term "Beatlemania." There are so many interesting music facts. The book is a testament to the vast and diverse musical landscape of Canada, making it a must-read for both music lovers and trivia aficionados seeking an enjoyable, educational experience.
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July 18, 2023
This is an interesting and fun book of 101 stories for music fans, especially Canadian music fans. They range from the distant past about Wilf Carter and Hank Snow to recent times about Justin Bieber and Tate McRae, from rock like April Wine and folk like Stan Rogers, and bars like Lulu's Roadhouse in Kitchener and Toronto's Horseshoe. It was amazing to find out how far the Canadian reach is.
I liked the writing style ... the stories were short and snappy. I thought they were interesting and I found myself pausing at times as I was reading to Google to learn more about what I was reading about. I had no idea what a road apple is and "bop bada baa, bop bada baa" was a code with Crowbar ... ha! Some of the stories are well-known and some not so well-known like that of Maritimers MacLean & MacLean.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2023/07...
I liked the writing style ... the stories were short and snappy. I thought they were interesting and I found myself pausing at times as I was reading to Google to learn more about what I was reading about. I had no idea what a road apple is and "bop bada baa, bop bada baa" was a code with Crowbar ... ha! Some of the stories are well-known and some not so well-known like that of Maritimers MacLean & MacLean.
Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2023/07...
Read
November 9, 2023As it sounds, this book is a collection of 101 facts and anecdotes centered on Canadian music artists, industry and even some venues.
There were a few that I wished were fleshed out into more of a story and a few that I thought were a little long, but overall every entry was a decent length of 1-3 pages.
It's a well-written, well-researched collection on a wide variety of subjects that everyone with an interest in Canadian music, the music industry or artists in general will find interesting.
There were a few that I wished were fleshed out into more of a story and a few that I thought were a little long, but overall every entry was a decent length of 1-3 pages.
It's a well-written, well-researched collection on a wide variety of subjects that everyone with an interest in Canadian music, the music industry or artists in general will find interesting.
January 5, 2025
This book was a quick read. Lots of interesting facts about famous musicians.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews