Stompin' Tom Connors "The Northland's Own Stompin' Tom Connors" (Dominion Records, 1969) (LP)
Stompin' Tom Connors "On Tragedy Trail With Stompin' Tom Connors" (Dominion Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Sings Bud The Spud And Other Favourites" (xxxxxxxxxxxxx, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk & George Semkiw)
The title track proved to be one of Tom Connors' biggest hits... Also notable here are the backing musicians -- Mickey Andrews (dobro and steel guitar), Gerry Hall (guitar) and Randy McDonald (bass) -- who were core members of the Toronto-based country-rock group, The Good The Bad and The Ugly, which released tits debut album this same year.
Stompin' Tom Connors "...Meets Big Joe Mufferaw" (Dominion Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk & George Semkiw)
Alas, Big Joe Mufferaw was not another colorfully-named country star, but rather the hero of several Canadian tall tales in the same tradition as Paul Bunyan. The equally titanic Stompin' Tom Connors tackles the tall tale genre with the title track, the lead-in to another set of all-original material.
Stompin' Tom Connors "Merry Christmas Everybody" (Dominion Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Stompin' Tom Connors Sings 60 Old Time Favourites" (Dominion Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk & Merv Buchanan)
Stompin' Tom Connors "My Stompin Grounds" (Boot Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk, Cub Richardson & George Semkiw)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Love And Laughter" (Boot Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk, Cub Richardson & George Semkiw)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Live At The Horseshoe" (Boot Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Sixty More Old Time Favorites" (Boot Records, 1971) (LP)
Replicating the five-LP box set that wrapped up his tenure at Dominion Records, Stompin' Tom delves into another set of country oldies and gives fans a chance to hear him tackle material from other composers. A lot of honkytonk classics, covering hits from the likes of Johnny Cash, Jiimmie Davis, Al Dexter, Bobby Helms, Harlan Howard, Kris Kristofferson, Hank Locklin, Hank Thompson, Charlie Walker, Hank Williams and many others. There's also a hefty chunk of Canadian twang, notably a bunch of Hank Snow standards, as well as a few of Stompin' Tom's best-known songs ("Squid Jiggin' Grounds," "I'se Da B'ye") to further entice his fans. Mostly, though, the appeal of these big box sets is to hear Connors playing the music that inspired him, and in particular stuff from south of the border, from the Nashville scene that he scrupulously kept at arm's length throughout his career. Seems like this atypical material would be ripe for reissue, doesn't it?
Stompin' Tom Connors "Stompin' Tom And The Hockey Song" (Boot Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk, Fred McKenna & Bill Seddon)
Kicking his career into overdrive, this all-original set include Stompin' Tom's enduring classic, "The Hockey Song," which became sort of an unofficial athletic national anthem… Also of interest here is the presence of Canadian country old-timer Fred McKenna, who both co-produced and performs on this album.
Stompin' Tom Connors "To It And At It" (Boot Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk & George Semkiw)
Stompin' Tom Connors/Various Artists "Across This Land With Stompin' Tom Connors" (Boot Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Stompin' Tom Meets Muk Tuk Annie" (Boot Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk)
Though this album is still predominantly made up of Stompin' Tom's own originals, he's unusually expansive in sharing the spotlight this time around, with nearly half the tracks written by other Canadian artists. The title track was composed by Bob Ruzicka and originally recorded by Jimmy Arthur Ordge, with other songs written by Matt Osbourne, Al Oster and Keray Regan, capped off by a version of Wilf Carter's classic, "My Old Canadian Home" which closes the album out. Though it traffics in ethnic stereotypes, "Muk Tuk Annie" was seen as a social commentary on the discrimination faced by first nations people, telling the tale of a feisty gal from Nunavut who travels to Montreal and is sneered at my the supposed sophisticates down South. The song is joined by a couple of other arctic-themed tunes, rounding out Connors's regional music portfolio.
Stompin' Tom Connors "The North Atlantic Squadron" (Boot Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk)
Stompin' Tom Connors "The Unpopular Stompin' Tom" (Boot Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Chuck Goudle & Peter Mann)
Stompin' Tom Connors "At The Gumboot Cloggeroo" (Boot Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Tom Connors & John Dell)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Fiddle And Song" (A-C-T Records, 1988)
(Produced by Tom Connors & Brian Hewson)
Stompin' Tom Connors "More Of The Stompin' Tom Phenomenon" (Capitol Records, 1991)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Believe In Your Country" (Capitol Records, 1992)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Dr. Stompin' Tom...Eh?" (EMI Music-Canada, 1993)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Long Gone To The Yukon" (EMI Music-Canada, 1995)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Move Along With Stompin' Tom" (EMI Music-Canada, 1999)
(Produced by Tom Connors)
Stompin' Tom Connors "An Ode For The Road" (EMI Music-Canada, 2002)
(Produced by Tom Connors & Brian Hewsen)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Stompin' Tom And The Hockey Mom Tribute" (EMI Music-Canada, 2004)
Stompin' Tom Connors "The Ballad Of Stompin' Tom" (EMI Music-Canada, 2008)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Stompin' Tom And The Roads Of Life" (EMI Music-Canada, 2012)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Unreleased Songs From The Vault Collection, Volume 1" (Universal Music, 2014)
The first of many posthumous releases… And a nice glimpse into the huge reservoir of Connors's previously unreleased archival backlog!
Stompin' Tom Connors "In Live Concert" (Universal Music, 2014)
(Produced by Doug McKendrick)
Stompin' Tom Connors "…Sings Old Time Favourites, Volume 1" (Universal Music, 2015)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Unreleased Songs From The Vault Collection, Volume 2" (Universal Music, 2015)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Unreleased Songs From The Vault Collection, Volume 3" (Anthem Records, 2018)
Stompin' Tom Connors "Unreleased Songs From The Vault Collection, Volume 4: Let's Smile Again" (Anthem Records, 2021)
Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Charles Thomas ("Stompin' Tom") Connors (1936-2013) was one of Canada's biggest country stars throughout the late 1960s, 'Seventies, and beyond. A prolific songwriter and indefatigable troubadour, Stompin' Tom cannily provided himself with an evocative nickname that helped build his brand both in Canada and down south in the United States. He was also an influential business figure within the northern country scene, founding Boot Records in 1971, which provided countless Canadian bluegrass, folk and country artists with a new chance to be heard. He was also a powerful proponent of what's sometimes referred to as "Canadian content," pushing for stronger government support of homegrown artists, and criticizing fellow Canadians who sought larger audiences and more lucrative work in the US. Tom Connors was a notably prodigious recording artist, releasing about four dozen LPs during his career. Here's a quick look at his work...
