http://timestranscript.canadaeast.co...article/917270
Tommy Hunter takes the stage
Published Tuesday January 12th, 2010
Country gentleman promises fans a trip down Me
By BRETT ANNINGSON
Times & Transcript Staff
It is hard to imagine there is anyone who grew up in Canada who did not see the Tommy Hunter show.
What started in 1965 went on to run 27 years and introduced most of us not just to "The Country Gentleman" himself, but many of country music's up-and-coming stars.
In fact, by May 1992 when the show went off the air, it was one of the most popular variety programs on Canadian TV and the longest-running music show on North American television, with over 800,000 regular viewers.
On Thursday, Tommy Hunter takes the stage in Memramcook.
"When I got my own television show, they asked me what I wanted," recalls Tommy, "and I did not want bales of hay!
"I had a great belief that there was no need to stick country into the barn. I thought we should have evolved out of that barnyard image. That is what I tried to create, and let the viewer have an opportunity to watch the performers and guests without the distraction of the backdrop."
Those guests included such country greats as Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kenny Rodgers."I wanted the television camera to capture them, bring them closer, and allow the audience to get to "know" the people." Tommy says.
It was shortly after the Second World War that Tommy Hunter's father, a railroad worker, bought Tommy guitar lessons and rented him a guitar.
While he was still struggling to learn chords, he saw his idol Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys on stage for the very first time. Acuff set the tone for Tommy's onstage career, as well as the format that he would one day use on his own television show.
"I didn't have a clue it would work out the way it did," recalls Tommy. "I mean, I was hoping it would work out, but like any country singer of my era, the big outlet you had was the Grand Ole Opry; and it seemed a long way away.
"I was fortunate enough to do a five-day-a-week radio show when I first started; and then I was on country hoedown on television for nine years when I was 19."
"I loved television as well," Tommy says, "I saw it develop, and knew it could be done better. When I got my own show I realized I had no idea how to write the shows, so I hired some teachers to get me started."
Those were the days when Tommy had to be involved in producing, directing and writing, and he learned a lot about each part of the show.
He was also fortunate enough -- and talented enough -- to hire the best producer, the best writers, the best musical director; in fact, Tommy tried to get the best of the best to work on his show.
"We allowed people to reach a higher level of their own talents," says Tommy, "The success of the Hunter show was a team effort, I was the end result of a lot of people's efforts. It took all of these things -- wardrobe, makeup, details -- to get to a particular point, and we did it basically live, in front of an audience."
There was an energy and enthusiasm that kept the show rolling, and increased its popularity.
In his current stage show, "We try to create the same sort of thing on stage that we did on television," says Tommy, "I don't have an opening act, cause I never did on the TV show. We literally follow the same format as the show, tell the stories, sing you a song we introduced, or a song from a particular guest."
"It is like a trip down memory lane, and it is definitely aimed at the people who watched that television show. They walk away saying, 'It was just like watching the show and I knew everyone of the songs.'
"I have to be careful not to forget the words, because everyone is singing along," he laughs.
Although his band tends to tour in winter, Tommy has only ever had to cancel one show. They made every effort to return money to anyone who wanted it, and put another show on a Sunday for those who would rather come then.
Only two couples did not hear the news and showed up at the auditorium. They ended up getting to sit down and have a coffee with Tommy himself, some CDs and pictures, and tickets to any show the next time the band was in town.
"You are very much aware of what people think of you, and you are very respectful of it," says Tommy. "I respect the fact that when someone comes to my show, they have made an effort. You don't take it lightly, you don't sit back and say, 'Oh well, this is easy.'
"I approach it in a way of knowing the audience expects something and I try to fulfill what they want -- they have tapped their foot, and laughed at some of the stories, shed a tear or two down memory lane... it is all these little things that make it possible so that I never get tired of singing a particular song.
"I know, that each time, there is a reason."
Among the songs featured in the show, expect to hear classics like "Have
I Told You Lately That I Love You", "King of the Road" or perhaps his signature piece, "Travelin' Man."
Tommy Hunter takes the stage
