MAC BEATTIE A Visit To The Ottawa Valley

Monday, January 9, 2012


Mac Beattie and the Ottawa Valley Melodiers are one of my very favourite "classic" Canadian country bands, and I am most pleased to present seven of their vintage Banff albums at the Scratchy Attic.
"A Visit to the Ottawa Valley" was the group's first LP, originally issued on the Rodeo label (RLP 64) c. 1960, and reissued on Banff (RBS 1170) in 1963. Some of the recordings comprising the LP were definitely first released as singles in the fifties on the Rodeo and London labels; I'm not sure if any of these tracks were recorded at the time of the album's release or not.
John MacNab Beattie (1916-1982) was a native of Arnprior, Ontario. He led the Melodiers from 1937 on and off until his death, and became a legend in the Ottawa Valley playing dances, bars, radio and television. He composed songs about Valley life and culture, several of which have become classics. His autobiography, "This Ottawa Valley of Mine" was published shortly after his death in 1982 and is a fascinating document of not only Mac and the Melodiers, but of Valley life in the early and mid 20th Century. If you can't track down a copy, you can visit a wonderful website dedicated to Mac here.

Includes jacket and label scans.

Tracks:

1. The Log Drivers Song
2. Moonlight Memory
3. Moonshine Mac
4. Blue Laurentians
5. My Renfrew County Home
6. The Arnprior Centennial Song
7. Lake Dore Waltz
8. Tribute To Frank Martin Of Lake Dore, Ont
9. Little Stubby Toes
10. Such Is The Life Of A Band

*download here*

8 comments:

Uncle Gil said...

Thanks for these great discoveries!!!
Cheers !

Lonesome Lefty said...

You're welcome, Uncle Gil. Thanks for the plug!

It's All Tunes To Me said...

It's Steve in London call some night around 9 pm

Glenn said...

Love Ottawa Valley Country music. Thanks for keeping this stuff available.

Andyrama said...

For fans of the Ottawa Valley country music and history, I recommend the documentary 'Closing Time - Hotels of the Ottawa Valley'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDjZWFMPJPM

and this old wedding party footage set to Mac Beattie's 'Saturday Night Up the Gatineau' filmed at the renowned Ottawa Valley watering hole Keon's in Chapeau, QC

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV0bTKJe-5w

Lefty, you're a national treasure!

Andyrama said...

One more Ottawa alley ink.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68Dg08HE9QY&feature=related

Lonesome Lefty said...

Thanks for the links, and the praise, Lester!

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