Charles Thomas Connors (1936 - 2013)

Born 9 Feb 1936 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

Ancestors

Died 6 Mar 2013 at age 77 in Ballinafad, Erin, Wellington, Ontario, Canada

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Biography

Tom Connors was born in New Brunswick, Canada.

Tom Connors is Notable.

Stompin' Tom Connors, often called the unofficial poet laureate of Canada, is credited with writing more than 300 songs. His four dozen albums have sold in excess of four million copies.

Born in 1936 in Saint John, New Brunswick, to teenage parents, Thomas Sullivan and Isabella Connors, he spent his early childhood in an orphange and foster care before being adopted by the Aylward family in Skinners Pond, Prince Edward Island. He wrote his first song at 11 and left home at 15 to hitchhike across Canada. His first paid performance took place in 1964 at the Maple Leaf Hotel in Timmins, Ontario. Three years later he was first introduced as "Stompin' Tom" at a Peterborough, Ontario tavern. "Stompin'" refers to the "stompin' board" he placed under his boot to protect stage floors during his performances.

As a songwriter, he wrote what he described as "traditional country music." His best-known songs include "Bud the Spud," "Ketchup Song," "Moon-Man Newfie," "Canada Day, Up Canada Way," and "The Hockey Song." He also wrote two best-selling autobiographies.

Over his long career, Connors received many awards and honours. In 1996, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. Three years later, he received a SOCAN National Achievement Award and, in 2000, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award. In 2009, he received a SOCAN Lifetime Achievement Award. He was the subject of a postage stamp issued in Canada Post’s Canadian Recording Artist series. A road in Skinners Pond, PEI, is named for him. He also received honorary degrees from St. Thomas University, the University of Toronto, and the University of Prince Edward Island. In 2017 he was recognized with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in Toronto.

He married Lena Welsh on November 2, 1973.^[1] He had two sons and two daughters.

His obituary was published in the Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta, Canada), on 7 Mar 2013, page 2.

Sources

1. ↑ "Newspapers.com", The Daily Herald-Tribune (Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada) Thu, Nov 1, 1973, page 6, Newspapers Clip: 130712341 (accessed 26 August 2023)

• The Canadian Encyclopedia: Stompin' Tom Connors

• Wikipedia: Tom Connors

• Wikidata: Item Q3499695

• https://www.canadaswalkoffame.com/inductee/stompin-tom-connors

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106341169/tom-connors: accessed 17 January 2023), memorial page for Tom Connors (9 Feb 1936–6 Mar 2013), Find A Grave: Memorial #106341169, citing Erin Cemetery, Erin Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada; Maintained by Find a Grave.

See also:

• Stompin Tom Connors @IMDb.com

• https://www.stompintom.com/index.php/stompin-tom/

• https://stompintomcentre.com/

• https://www.youtube.com/@StompinTomConnorsMusic