Jesse Joe
01-06-2008, 05:48 PM
http://harvest.canadaeast.com/image.php?id=71910&size=300x0
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canadian country musician Tommy Hunter will tour the Maritimes later this month, but there is no Metro Moncton stop on the schedule.
This is sad news for me, I've been a fan of him for many years. Plus he's a good friend of Gordon Lightfoot. Probably mentions him in his shows, and must sing one of his songs. As he did often on his TV show...
~ Jesse Joe ~
Tommy Hunter snubs Metro
Canada's Country Gentleman tours Maritimes, but will not make stop in Metro Moncton.
Tommy Hunter has been known as Canada's Country Gentleman for almost 50 years and he can still attract large crowds to his concerts.
Hunter, who turns 71 in March, will tour the Maritimes later this month, but he won't be stopping in Metro Moncton and the president of the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame calls it a shame.
Ivan Hicks said yesterday Hunter, whose award-winning variety show was a staple of Canadian television from 1965-92, would likely sell out the Capitol Theatre in Moncton or Riverview Arts Centre.
However, Hicks will have to travel if he wants to see Hunter on this tour, which begins Jan. 14 at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John.
The tour continues with shows on consecutive nights in Fredericton, Summerside, Wolfville, Halifax and Truro before heading to St. John's, N.L. for a pair of dates.
Hunter's long-time tour manager Brian Edwards said yesterday there were no tour dates remaining to squeeze in a Moncton show. However, the country music icon has played Moncton several times over the years.
Capitol Theatre general manager Marc Chouinard said Hunter's promoters did not contact the venue in an effort to book a Moncton visit.
"Tommy Hunter is still a big draw and we would have liked to see him come here," Chouinard said.
"A lot of factors go into booking a concert," he said. "You have to consider price, timing, availability, what kind of draw the act will be, but we would have liked to make something work with him in Moncton.
"There are still a lot of people who would like to see him perform."
Hicks, who was inducted in the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and whose wife Vivian entered the shrine in 1996, has seen Hunter perform in concert a few times, including a performance in Sussex about three years ago."A lot of people were upset when his show went off the air," Hicks said. "What made his successful was his personality and he remains the same today.
"He has always been a kind, loving person who appreciates his fans. You can have all the talent in the world, but you also need the right kind of personality to capture people. He has all of that and more."
The Tommy Hunter Show debuted on radio in 1960 and it ran until 1965, when he moved to television as a successor of the popular Country Hoedown.
His television show often featured young, up and coming musical stars, like Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and The Judds.
Hunter, a native of London. Ont., won three consecutive Juno Awards (1967-69) as Canada's best country singer and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1986.
Hunter still performs about 50 concerts a year.
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Canadian country musician Tommy Hunter will tour the Maritimes later this month, but there is no Metro Moncton stop on the schedule.
This is sad news for me, I've been a fan of him for many years. Plus he's a good friend of Gordon Lightfoot. Probably mentions him in his shows, and must sing one of his songs. As he did often on his TV show...
~ Jesse Joe ~
Tommy Hunter snubs Metro
Canada's Country Gentleman tours Maritimes, but will not make stop in Metro Moncton.
Tommy Hunter has been known as Canada's Country Gentleman for almost 50 years and he can still attract large crowds to his concerts.
Hunter, who turns 71 in March, will tour the Maritimes later this month, but he won't be stopping in Metro Moncton and the president of the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame calls it a shame.
Ivan Hicks said yesterday Hunter, whose award-winning variety show was a staple of Canadian television from 1965-92, would likely sell out the Capitol Theatre in Moncton or Riverview Arts Centre.
However, Hicks will have to travel if he wants to see Hunter on this tour, which begins Jan. 14 at the Imperial Theatre in Saint John.
The tour continues with shows on consecutive nights in Fredericton, Summerside, Wolfville, Halifax and Truro before heading to St. John's, N.L. for a pair of dates.
Hunter's long-time tour manager Brian Edwards said yesterday there were no tour dates remaining to squeeze in a Moncton show. However, the country music icon has played Moncton several times over the years.
Capitol Theatre general manager Marc Chouinard said Hunter's promoters did not contact the venue in an effort to book a Moncton visit.
"Tommy Hunter is still a big draw and we would have liked to see him come here," Chouinard said.
"A lot of factors go into booking a concert," he said. "You have to consider price, timing, availability, what kind of draw the act will be, but we would have liked to make something work with him in Moncton.
"There are still a lot of people who would like to see him perform."
Hicks, who was inducted in the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and whose wife Vivian entered the shrine in 1996, has seen Hunter perform in concert a few times, including a performance in Sussex about three years ago."A lot of people were upset when his show went off the air," Hicks said. "What made his successful was his personality and he remains the same today.
"He has always been a kind, loving person who appreciates his fans. You can have all the talent in the world, but you also need the right kind of personality to capture people. He has all of that and more."
The Tommy Hunter Show debuted on radio in 1960 and it ran until 1965, when he moved to television as a successor of the popular Country Hoedown.
His television show often featured young, up and coming musical stars, like Shania Twain, Garth Brooks and The Judds.
Hunter, a native of London. Ont., won three consecutive Juno Awards (1967-69) as Canada's best country singer and was appointed a member of the Order of Canada in 1986.
Hunter still performs about 50 concerts a year.