GRAHAM TOWNSEND Salutes Canada's P.M.s

Monday, November 14, 2011


In 1967 Canada celebrated it's Centennial and Graham chose to mark the occasion by composing fourteen tunes, each named in honour of one of the country's (then) fourteen Prime Ministers. It is a testament to Townsend's influence that some of these tunes wound their way into Canadian fiddle culture and are still played today. By the end of the year following the release of this LP, "Trudeaumania" had set in and John Durocher would compose "Prime Minister Trudeau's Reel" for Don Messer. I am not aware of any subsequent memorializing of Prime Ministers via fiddle tunes...

Includes jacket/label scans.

To see a video of Graham playing for legendary Ottawa Valley stepdancer Donnie Gilchrist at the 1983 Pembroke, Ontario fiddle contest, click here.

Tracks:

1. Sir John A. MacDonald Waltz
2. Alexander MacKenzie March
3. Sir John Abbott Waltz
4. Sir John S.D. Thompson Jig
5. Sir MacKenzie Bowell Jig
6. Sir Charles Tupper Waltz
7. Sir Wilfred Laurier Reel
8. Sir Robert Borden Waltz
9. Arthur Meighen Two Step
10. W.L. Mackenzie King Strathspey
11. R.B. Bennett Hornpipe
12. Louis St. Laurent Reel
13. John Diefenbaker Polka
14. Lester Pearson Clog

*download here*

2 comments:

mrmeadowlark said...

Thank you for posting yet again another bunch of great albums! :).

Lonesome Lefty said...

My pleasure!