Stan Rogers
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Stanley Allison Rogers (November 29, 1949–June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and composer. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and died in Cincinnati at the age of 33. His death was caused by smoke inhalation from the electrical fire aboard Air Canada Flight 797.
Rogers was noted for his finely crafted traditional-sounding songs based on Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially in the fishing villages of the Maritime provinces. His best known pieces include "Northwest Passage", "Barrett's Privateers", "The Mary Ellen Carter" and "The Idiot".
He received his first guitar at the age of 5, which was homemade by his uncle.
The Stan Rogers Folk Festival is held every year in Canso, Nova Scotia.
His song "Northwest Passage" was featured in the last episode of the TV show Due South.
History and Discography
Stan was signed to RCA records for a short period of time in the 1970s, when he wrote and recorded some of his own material, as well as writing material for a band called Le Maitre from Montreal. This period resulted in five singles, Here's To You Santa Claus in 1970, The Fat Girl Rag in 1971, and Three Pennies, Guysborough Train and Passed Fifty in 1973.
In 1977, Stan formed Fogarty's Cove Music, a label where he released the eight albums with which he has been most closely associated:
- Fogarty's Cove (1977)
- Turnaround (1978)
- Between the Breaks ... Live! (1979)
- Northwest Passage (1981)
- From Fresh Water (1984)
- Home in Halifax (1994, posthumous)
- Poetic Justice (1996, posthumous)
- From Coffee House to Concert Hall (1999, posthumous).
For the Family was also released in 1983 on another label.
External links
- The Stan Rogers Page (http://stevebriggs.superb.net/stanrogers/)
- http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusicPopEncycloPagesR/rogers_stan.html
- Stan Rogers for Hall of Fame (http://www.geist.com/stanrogers/index.php)