Traditional music Hall of Fame names 2019 inductees

May 08, 2019

The Land O’Lakes Traditional Music Hall of Fame has revised some of its categories this year, and will be holding its first stand alone induction ceremony at the Lion’s Hall in Verona on October 6.

Everyone who is a member of the organisation has the opportunity to vote for new inductees each year, from a list of nominees that is developed by the jury.

This year 171 ballots were turned in, and the winners were announced last week.

This year the entertainer category has been expanded to include three winners, one each from Frontenac, Lennox and Addington and Hastings Counties.

The Frontenac inductee is Wayne Eves from Battersea. Wayne is well known as the house bass player at the weekly Sunbury Jam and at the twice monthly Bedford Jam. The voting in the Frontenac category, which had six nominees, was tight. Both Joey Saunders (Sydenham) and Don Cochrane (Kingston) were only three votes behind.

In Lennox and Addington, Yarker’s Barry Calthorpe was selected. Barry was the dobro player in Echo Mountain for many years and now plays with Bill White and White Pine. He will also join his wife Sheila, who joined the hall in 2017 as a songwriter.

From Hastings County, the new member will be Sid Prescott from Foxboro, in another close vote. Sid plays pedal steel in the band Heartland, and is also fiddle player and vocalist.

In the posthumous category, Tamworth’s colourful fiddler Don Johnson has been elected.

In the songwriter category. Bob Mcquaid from Trenton, who penned the Highway of Heroes song among many others, is the 2019 inductee. The other nominee in the category was Clarendon Station’s own Dave Dawson, who finished a close second.

In the promotors category, Ellis Wolfreys from Verona was elected. Ellis is a performer as well as the host of a radio program on CJAI FM from Amherst Island that spreads the word about the music scene in Eastern Ontario.

Two other people are being inducted this year. Odie Snider from Cloyne will receive the lifetime achievement award, and from Bancroft John Forman is a Directors pick.

Tickets have not been printed yet for the induction ceremony and gala performance on October 6, but about one third of them are already spoken for and the Hall of Fame President Bob Taylor said he is certain it will be a sell out. Music lovers are encouraged to get them early, by visiting the hall of fame website or contacting him directly at 613-336-9633. They are only $10.

For more information, go to lolmusichof.ca