Joe St. Denis "Joe St. Denis" (Periwinkle Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Glenn Clarke & Art Snider)

Joe St. Denis "Country Convert" (Grand Slam Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Coad & Gene Rice)

Joe St. Denis "The Courage Of Terry Fox" (Burco Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Larry Coad)

Joe St. Denis "Daddy Please Don't Go" (Lynnkell Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Joe St. Denis & Gene Rice)

Joe St. Denis & Kelly St. Denis "All The Little Children And Me" (Lynnkell Records, 1978) (LP)

Rip Sanders "The Country Way" (Banff Records, 1971) (LP)

Chris Scott "Now That I'm Back" (Boot Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Fred McKenna)
An early signing on Stompin' Tom Connor's independent label Boot Records, Chris Scott became known as a highly successful country and folk music songwriter, though this debut album includes only four of his own compositions: "Don't Leave Me Girl," "Now That I'm Back," "Singing Along" and "What Did I Do To Deserve You." His version of John Cameron's "Sit Down Mr. Music Man" was also included on the 1973 soundtrack album, Across This Land With Stompin' Tom Connors.

Hugh Scott "Sings Country At The Chamberland Club" (Banff Records, 1967) (LP)
Mixing old, old-school country, honky-tonk and rockabilly, in the late 1960s Ottawa, Canada's Hugh Scott led the house band at the Chamberland Club, as heard on this live recording. There's some stuff you've heard elsewhere, and some that maybe you haven't, songs like "Don't Let Her Get The Best Of You," "You're The Least Of My Worries," "Sea Of Booze" and "After You Leave." Scott's compact band included bassist Marcel Amyot and Wilf Arsenault on lead guitar. Nice stuff, although I wasn't able to find much information about Scott online...

Hugh Scott "Trouble's Back In Town" (Banff Records, 1972) (LP)
The liner notes detail how at the time Hugh Scott was playing a regular gig at the Chaudiere Rose Room, in the Ottawa Valley, and had been working as an entertainer for the last fifteen years. It also offers the highly-specific brag that he'd just been signed to a $70,000-a-year record contract (which back in 1972 was a lot of monye, even in Canadian dollars!) A lot of Canadian content on this one, bracketed by covers such as "Proud Mary," "Me And You And A Dog Named Boo" and "Donna On My Mind..." Six of the songs were originals credited to Hugh Scott: the title track, "Trouble's Back In Town," along with "All Of You Belongs To Me," "Just One More Night," "I'll Never Love Again," "Mister Sad," "You've Just Begun To Say Goodbye."

Hugh Scott "Mr. Versatile" (Banff Records, 1973-?) (LP)

Hugh Scott "Now... And Then" (Snocan Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Barry Brown, David Dennison & Ralph Carlson)
A good-natured honkytonk-meets-rockabilly set, remincent of the more robust offerings of guys like Roy Head and Joe Stampley, with one foot in the world of rock, but a full commitment to country twang. The album includes a fun version of Dick Damron's "Good Old Timey Country Rock'N'Roll," sort of a statement of purpose, along with various cover songs, including a couple of old Elvis Presley hits. Three songs are Hugh Scott originals: "Here I Am," Behind These Lonely Prison Walls" and the forlorn, sad-sack "I'll Give My Heart (To Anyone Who Wants It)." Not sure when this one came out, though I'm guessing 1979 from his groovy 'Seventies get-up on the cover, and by the album's matrix number (WRC1-79-1). The sessions were recorded at Snocan Studios in Ottowa, with Bob Boucher on lead guitar, Al Bragg on piano and pedal steel, Al Cherney on fiddle, and several other local players. Nice, low-key outing by a veteran player who was still having fun.

Joyce Seamone "Testing, 1-2-3" (Marathon Records, 1972) (LP)
Nova Scotia's Joyce Seamone had a breakaway hit with her independently produced single, "Testing, 1-2-3," which topped the charts in Canada and led to several albums on the Marathon label. This debut disc also includes several "girl" singer classics, including covers of "L.A. International Airport," "One's On The Way," Cotton Jenny" and "Help Me Make It Through The Night." After several years in the spotlight, Seamone quit touring, though she continued to perform locally and started her own label, Gemini Records, after moving back to Nova Scotia in 1987.

Joyce Seamone "Merry Christmas From Joyce Seamone" (Marathon Records, 1972) (LP)

Joyce Seamone "Stand By For A Special Announcement" (Marathon Records, 1973) (LP)

Joyce Seamone "I Can See It In His Eyes" (Boot Records, 1976) (LP)

Joyce Seamone "The Other Side Of Me" (Gemini Records, 1987)
(Produced by Georges Hebert)

Jack & Ruth Shalanko "Old Fashioned Melodies" (Diadem Productions, 19--?) (LP)
This Russo-Canadian couple were working as evangelical ministers in Quito, Ecuador when they made this album, hosting a radio show on station HCJB, which was syndicated through various Christian networks. The music is solidly old-school, pre-honky tonk country, the kind of sentimental material Roy Acuff and his generation performed back in the 1930s and '40s, complete with accordion, acoustic guitar, and squeaky fiddle. The Shalanko's worked for the Slavic Gospel Association, a group that apparently recorded a couple of records by other artists also ministering in South America, though I can't say for sure how country-sounding those albums might have been.

Norm Shaver "Portrait" (Circle M Records, 1979-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Barber & James Evans)

Zeke Sheppard "Plugged In Muzekely" (1980) (LP)
(Produced by Zeke Sheppard, Sam Allison & Peter Cardinali)
Some pretty good indiebilly from Orlando, Florida... Despite one of the most unflattering album covers of all time and a really poor sound mix, this is a nice, twangy set, mostly cover songs but with two originals -- "Fallin' In Love" and "United" -- which were written by Sheppard and recorded in a studio, while the other tracks were apparently taped at a live performance in an Orlando, Florida venue called Church Street Station. Originally from Canada, lanky, wild-eyed Frank Sheppard (1941-1997) was formerly in the Toronto rock bands McKenna Mendelson Mainline (1971) and Blackstone (1973) but seems to have moved to Florida sometime in the 'Seventies. Mr. Sheppard was still working the crowd at Church Street when they upped the ante and installed a cheesy new country-themed music-hall called The Cheyenne Saloon, and he sang lead on several tracks on an otherwise-dismal live album by the house band, The Cheyenne Stampede. He also performed in Church Street's trad-jazz band, which made an album in 1982. At any rate, this low-budget album definitely has its charms, and fans of uptempo twang by scruffy, little-known locals might get a kick out of it. A nice document of an aspiring bar band, with covers of songs by The Band, John Denver, Waylon & Willie and Jimmy Buffett's "Coast Of Marseilles." Worth a spin!

Sheila Ann "The Pump Proudly Presents The Sheila Ann Show" (Gaiety Records, 1976) (LP)
(Produced by Don Grashey)
A funky, charming souvenir album marking a gig held by singer Sheila Ann at a nightclub in Regina, Saskatchewan called The Pump. The band included Sheila Ann on lead vocals, along with Bobby Buchholz (piano), Sonny Cape (drums), Al Gains (steel guitar), Mel Mathews (banjo, bass and lead guitar) and Dave Vonau on lead guitar. This was one of very few LPs released by producer Don Grashey's independent Gaiety Records label, and Grashey seems to have been equally interested in promoting guitarist Dave Vonau as a solo artist as Ms. Sheila -- the album opens with two tracks that were also issued as a single under his name; in total he has three spotlight numbers, the same as Sheila Ann. Sonny Cape and Al Gains also got solo numbers, though I'm not sure if these tracks also came out as singles. Surprisingly for a Canadian album, there's little "Canadian content": most of the songs are covers of tunes from writers in the States, although there are two songs credited to producer Don Grashey, "The Beginning Of The End" and "Tender Emotions, Love And Devotion." This appears to have been the only record that most of these musicians played on, although Sheila Ann made a couple of other albums, under the guidance of producer Ray Griff.

Sheila Ann "Dream Maker" (Boot Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Ray Griff, Lee Hazen & Harold Lee)

Sheila Ann "Sometimes When We Touch" (Boot Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by David Cline & Ray Griff)

Shirley Ann "Easy Listening" (Big Chief Records, 1970) (LP)
(Produced by Ernest Klump & Bruce Thompson)

Shotgun "Turning Point" (Double Barrel Records, 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Tony Migliore, Pat Riccio Jr. & Dave Hieronymous)
A Top Forty-ish set recorded partly in Ontario, and partly in Nashville... The band included Cam Kingelin on drums, Neal Mattice (guitar), Brian Twaites (bass), Rusty Walker (steel guitar) and Steve Woolhead (keyboards) with some additional studio assistance from the likes of session drummer Jerry Kroon and producer Tony Migliore on keyboards. It looks like this was their only album.

Showdown "Welcome To The Rodeo" (Damon Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Gary Lee Berthold)
A country covers band from Alberta, Canada, who were mediocre but enthusiastic, and who scored a big hit with a song that was banned from airplay... It's a funny album: usually these bar-bands would have one really hot picker, and while the banjoist and fiddler are okay, the band never really gels, and the vocals are, well, very local. Still, they cover some fun songs, like Michael Murphey's "Cosmic Cowboy" and Lee Dresser's "Redneck Disco," but their big moment comes with Gaye Delorme's hilariously profane novelty number, "The Rodeo Song" ("not suitable for airplay," they warn us, which is an understatement...) Written from the perspective of a very pissed off, road-ragey rural driver, the song is sort of an obscene take-off on the Hank Snow style of country rapping. When it became an underground classic, they re-recorded it for a new single, with singer Garry Lee billed as the star, and it has been covered many times since. I believe this is the original version, and a pretty good reason to hang onto this admittedly so-so album. From humble beginnings...

Showdown (with Garry Lee) "Wanted: Loaded, Loose And Rowdy" (Damon Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Garry McDonall & Garry Lee)
The runaway success of the "Rodeo Song" single apparently allowed the dudes in Showdown to go back into the studio and beef up their sound, taking on a more electrified (and mildly disco-y) tone... Although they sound more professional and musically accomplished than on their first album, they also sound less rootsy and a lot less fun. They also decided to make crudeness their "thing," giving this album full of songs about one-night stands, girls losing their virginity and saying "no" when they really mean yes, along with plenty of thinly-veiled sexual metaphors, and an unfortunate Alvin And The Chipmunks-style remake of "The Rodeo Song" that features the squeaky-voiced "Canadian Beavers" singing a version that's way less fun that the original. Oh, well. I suppose this was funny at the time, but it doesn't hold up very well. Worth noting: some of the electric guitar twang-banging is courtesy of Redd Volkaert, who had recently moved to Alberta from British Columbia, and would join Merle Haggard's band nearly two decades later. As far as I can tell, this must have been one of his first recorded sessions, in case anyone out there is keeping track...

The Siebert Brothers "Rodeo Action" (Banff Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Dougal Trineer)

The Siebert Brothers & Wendy West "Rodeo Action" (Vintage Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Art Snider & Martin Hurst)

Stephen Sinclair "Sad And Lonely Saturday Night" (MCA Records-Canada, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Artie Butler)

Sonny Sinclair "Relations And Friends" (Rural Root Records, 19--?) (LP)

Sonny Sinclair "True Feelings" (Rural Root Records, 1980) (LP)

The Singing Sweethearts "Together Forever" (Canatal Records, 1959) (LP)
(Produced by Art Snider)
This was a Toronto-area country duo, made up of husband and wife Reg and Elanor Bartley. Mr. Bartley owned a barber shop in Long Branch, Ontario, and liked to sing as a sideline. According to the (charmingly misspelled) liner notes, they played with American artists such as "Max Weisman and Le Roy Van Dyke" as well as Canadian country acts like Chef Adams and Bill Long. The songs are mostly covers of stuff like Hank Williams, and Johnny & Jack, though there are some originals including one by the Bartley's, "My Doll."

Brian Sklar "Proudly Canadian Proudly Country" (Royalty Records, 1973-?) (LP)

Brian Sklar "Captain Canada And The Legendary Sons Of The Golden West" (RSC/World Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Erickson, Cory Halverson & Garry McDonall)
Wow! Really? Well, yeah, I guess so... Apparently multi-instrumentalist Brian Sklar, who had been recording under his own name since the early 'Seventies, also had a superhero persona where he donned a red-and-white, fringed-leather cowboy suit emblazoned with a maple leaf chest logo -- looking half Vegas-Elvis/half-Captain Canuck -- and blazed away on a repertoire heavy on cajun, bluegrass and western swing fiddle tunes. I suppose this album, which packs in twenty-four separate tracks, is something of an "easy listening" set, although the performances are pretty dynamic and well produced. The compact comb includes Brian Sklar on fiddle and piano, alongwith Ron Jeffrey on bass, Tim Jeffrey (steel guitar), Daltn Rohn (guitar) and Gary Whitman on some rather feroicious drums... Solid music, with kitsch value set aside. (Note: some folks list this album under "Captain Canada," though Sklar's name is right there on the front cover, albeit in relatively small print...)

Joey Sloan "Average Canadian Man" (Academy Records, 19--?) (LP)

Hank Smith "The New Country Sounds Of Hank Smith" (Birchmount Records, 19--?) (LP)

Hank Smith "Country My Way" (Quality Records, 1972) (LP)

Hank Smith "Bluegrass Music's Here To Stay" (Point Records, 196-?) (LP)

Hank Smith "Ten Golden Years Of Country" (Point Records, 196-?) (LP)

Joyce Smith "Canadian Queen Of Country Music" (Point Records, 196-?) (LP)
Country covers and some originals from singer Joyce Smith... These tracks may have been released elsewhere first, as the Point label (a subsidiary of "The Compo Company") seems to have been a budget label from Quebec, similar to American companies such as Crown, Sutton and so forth. Anyway, this includes versions of standards such as "Big City," "Making Believe," "Once A Day" and "Release Me," as well as songs I think were originals from Canadian songwriters who are unfortunately not identified in the nonexistent liner notes... "Don't Wanna Walk," "I'll Take A Chance On Loving You," "Lonesome Used To Be," "Take The Hands Off The Clock," and "You'll Never Get A Better Chance Than This." There's also no date on the disc, but I'd guess 1966-68, based on some of the songs she covers.

R. Harlan Smith "Uptown Country" (GRT Records, 1972-?) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Clarke & Don Paches)

R. Harlan Smith "I Remember Love" (GRT Records, 1973) (LP)
(Produced by Bob Clarke & R. Harlan Smith)
A countrypolitan album, I suppose, but a soulful one, and quite pleasant. While older country stars down south in Nashville were abasing themselves trying to keep up with the times singing bland, tepid pop-country crossovers, a few artists here and there were able to get the vibe right. Apparently R. Harlan Smith was one of them. Maybe it helps that almost all the songs were original Canadian content, with more than half the tracks written by Smith, along with others by Dick Damron, Gary Fjellgaard, Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Ruzicka. Indeed, the only song from the States is a languid cover of Larry Collins's "Delta Dawn," and it's perhaps the only genuinely weak track on the entire album. (Leave that one to Tanya Tucker!) Overall, this is a relaxed, well-measured set, reminiscent of Don Williams, though distinctive enough to be taken on its own terms. And if you dig all the Canadian-written tunes, you might also appreciate the lineup of local musicians (including Dick Damron on rhythm guitar) with nary a Nashville pro to be found. Worth a spin.

R. Harlan Smith "Here Comes Yesterday" (Royalty Records, 1977) (LP)

R. Harlan Smith "We've Got The Magic" (Royalty Records, 1978) (LP)

R. Harlan Smith "Original Hits, Original Recordings" (Royalty Records, 2007)

Hank Snow - see artist discography

Roni Sommers "High Calibre" (Great North American Phonondisc Co., 1985) (LP)
(Produced by Dallas Harms & Michael Francis)

Sons Of The Saddle "Sons Of The Saddle" (Canatal Records, 19--) (LP)
(Produced by Art Snider & Dave Newberry)
A popular band originally from Calgary, The Sons Of The Saddle were formed in 1950 by accordionist Gene Siebert, along with his brothers Lenny and Vic. Over the years, the group headlined a network show on CFAC, Calgary in the 1950s, later moving to Winnipeg, then Hamilton, and finally to Toronto, where they were the house band at the El Mocambo Supper Club. In addition to the Siebert brothers, this edition of the band also featured steel player Johnny Allen, Lucky Ambeault (guitar and fiddle), Ricki Reynolds (drums) and singer Diane Leigh, who later launched a solo career. The songs are mostly honkytonk standards, tunes like "Big River," "Cattle Call," "Crazy Arms," "Heartaches By The Number" and "Pick Me Up On Your Way Down." It's worth noting that the Siebert Brothers also recorded under their family name.

Sons Of The Saddle & Johnny Allen "Steelin' Guitars" (Canatal Records, 19--) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Newberry)
An instrumental showcase album for steel player Johnny Allen, who started his career in Edmonton back in the late 1940s, then joined the Sons Of The Saddle in the early '50s, after moving to Calgary. The album is mostly covers -- classics Leon McAuliffe, Merle Travis, Bob Wills and the like, along with several Allen originals: "E String Rag," "Johnny's China Boogie," and "Ripple Rock." He's backed by his bandmates, Gene Siebert (accordion), Lucky Ambo (guitar and fiddle), and Ricki Reynolds on drums.

Sons Of The Saddle "Sons Of The Saddle, Volume One" (Aragon Records, 19--) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Newberry)

Sons Of The Saddle "Sons Of The Saddle, Volume Two" (Aragon Records, 19--) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Newberry)

The Sou'Westers & Ray Johnson "The Newfoundland I Love" (Audat Records, 1973) (LP)

The Sou'Westers "A Daisy A Day" (Audat Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Grant Kennedy)

The Sou'Westers & Ray Johnson "Sing Me Back Home" (Afton Records, 1975) (LP)
(Produced by Grant Kennedy)

The Sou'Westers "Life By The Ocean" (SWC Productions, 1985) (LP)

Isiadore Soucy "...Et Son Ensemble" (RCA Victor-Canada, 19--?) (LP)

Skip Spence "Oar" (Columbia Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Alexander Spence, Charlie Bradley, Mike Figlio & Don Meehan)
This is not an easy album to contend with, either in its original major-label release or any of the various expansions that have followed... The music is dissonant, disjointed, disassociated, pretentious and far-flung, but also visionary and genre-busting, with moments of compositional beauty as well as remarkably challenging and futuristic; it's about as avant garde an album as the hippie-rock folk-freak fringe had to offer. Skip Spence (1946-1999) was one of the great legendary flameouts of the original San Francisco hippie scene, an artist venerated by generations of music critics, but also a tremendously tragic figure. A Canadian, born in Windsor, Ontario, Spence found his way to San Francisco and was an original Summer-Of-Love scenester playing guitar in Quicksilver Messenger Service, drums in the Jefferson Airplane, and co-founding Moby Grape. Ultimately, though, he fell off the radar after his probably neuro-divergent psyche collapsed under the weight of heavy, sustained rock-star drug use. As his mental health deteriorated, Spence's behavior on tour also became corrosive: during a particularly "bad trip" in 1968, he became violent, the cops were called, then he got sent to Bellevue, where he was diagnosed as schizophrenic, and was locked up for over six months. The Oar album was conceived of while he was incarcerated, and recorded soon after his release. Spence traveled to Nashville to record the sessions, though not to take advantage of the city's wealth of musical talent, rather just for the studio time: Skip Spence performed all the parts on the entire album, making it one of psychedelia's true auteur magnum opera. Again, this is a very challenging record, and while it's not really a "country" record, there are rural rock threads that are worth tugging on, not surprising considering the strong country-rock vibe in many of Moby Grape's best songs. Spence's morose vocals sounded quite a bit like Leonard Cohen and his instrumental forays prove in turns dark, giddy, genius and foreboding. It's certainly worth a spin, but perhaps best suited to those who are searching for pop music's unseen, frightening boundaries, rather than its warm, fuzzy comforts.

Dick Stacey's Country Jamboree "Live In Canada" (By Golly Records, 19--?) (LP)

The Stardells "The Stardells" (Westmount Records, 1975-?) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Mitchell)

Lucille Starr "The French Song" (A&M Records, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by Herb Alpert, Dorsey Burnette & Jerry Moss)
French-Canadian vocalist Lucille Starr (nee Lucille Marie Raymonde Savoie, 1938-2020) had an early hit with a novelty pop single, "The French Song," which got a gold record in Canada and charted in the US as well. That led to this disc, a pop-vocals outing with nods towards classic French chanson, as well as American country. Along with a version of Edith Piaf's "La Vie En Rose" are covers of "Crazy Arms," "Release Me" and "In A Little Spanish Town" and others, recorded under the auspices of pop producer Herb Alpert, with former rockabilly star Dorsey Burnette helping manage the twang.

Lucille Starr & Bob Regan "The Canadian Sweethearts" (A&M Records, 1964) (LP)
(Produced by Herb Alpert, Dorsey Burnette & Jerry Moss)
Ms. Starr was also paired up with her husband, singer Bob Regan (1931-1990) in a duo called The Canadian Sweethearts which similarly split their albums between country and pop material. They first recorded together in the late 1950s and performed together for roughly two decades, even after divorcing in the 'Sixties. They were quite popular in the Canadian charts, although they were unable to break into the American country top forty, despite a handful of singles that charted in the mid-1960s.

Lucille Starr & Bob Regan "Side By Side: Pop And Country" (Epic Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Sherrill)

Lucille Starr "In South Africa" (A&M Records, 1968) (LP)
I guess working segregated venues in apartheid-era South Africa wasn't an issue for Canadian artists in 1968, or at least not a deal breaker. This looks like a tour album, though there's an awful lot of overlap between this set and the songs on her first LP, listed above. I'm not sure if this is a live album, or simply a repackaging of earlier recordings, for the South African market.

Lucille Starr "Lonely Street" (Epic Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Billy Sherrill)

Lucille Starr "The Sun Shines Again" (CBS Records, 1981) (LP)
(Produced by Howard O. White, Jr.)

Cye Steele "Fiddle Champ" (Audat Records, 1974) (LP)

Cye Steele "Fiddle Champ, Volume Two" (LP)

Stevedore Steve "Songs Of The Stevedore" (Dominion Records, 1969) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk & George Semkiw)

Stevedore Steve "Hard Workin' Men" (Boot Records, 1971) (LP)
(Produced by Jury Krytiuk, Cub Richardson & George Semkiw)

Stevedore Steve "I've Lived" (Boot Records, 1972) (LP)
(Produced by Fred McKenna)

Brett Stevens "Brett Stevens Arrives" (Arc Records, 1978-?) (LP)
(Produced by Roy Segal)

Scotty Stevenson "Country Songs" (London Records, 196-?) (LP)

Scotty Stevenson "Scotty Stevenson" (RCA Camden, 196-?) (LP)

Scotty Stevenson "Versatile Scotty Stevenson" (London Records, 19--?) (LP)

Scotty Stevenson & The Canadian Nighthawks "Variety In Country Style" (London Records, 19--?) (LP)

Scotty Stevenson & The Canadian Nighthawks "Present Big Scene '67" (London Records, 1967) (LP)
(Produced by The Nighthawks)

Scotty Stevenson & Debbie Davis Stevenson "Can't Take Alberta From The Boy" (London Records, 1974) (LP)

Scotty Stevenson & Debbie Stevenson "Can't Take Alberta From The Boy" (Aquila Records, 197-?) (LP)
(Produced by Rick Bell)

Scotty Stevenson "Gallivanting Country Style" (Buzzy Fret Records, 1980) (LP)
(Produced by Barry Hawkins & Joe Kozak)

Andy Stewart & Ann Williamson "Country Boy" (Pye Records, 1974) (LP)
(Produced by Pete Kerr)

Chuck Stewart & His Maritimers "My Nova Scotia Home" (Arc Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Weatherby)
This appears to have been the only album recorded by East Coast singer Chuck Stewart, a Hank Snow tribute album featuring a dozen of Snow's old classics, all given a slight modernization, with a zippy, twangy, bouncy sound. Unfortunately the members of the Maritimers backing band are not identified, so I dunno if it was actually Stewart's own group, or a set of studio pros lined up by the label. (It does seem likely that this was some version The Blue Diamonds, featuring Al Hooper, Roy MacCaull, Eddie Poirier and Goug Watters, who first started out billing themselves as the Maritimers... though that's just pure speculation on my part. Anyway, this is a pretty solid country set, even if there's no original material. It should be said that Chuck Stewart did a darn good Hank Snow imitation.

The Stoltz Brothers "Across Canada With..." (Noram Records, 19--?) (LP)
The songs are mostly polkas and waltzes, also some country numbers, including "Stop The World," "Stolen Moments," and Hal Lone Pine's "Prince Edward Island Is Heaven To Me", most tracks are credited to the Stoltz's, who were by the way, Billy, Eddy, Johnny, and Paul.

Linda Stone "Goin' Home Today" (Marathon Records, 1972) (LP)
Linda Stone was a singer from St. Peter's, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, with a repertoire including covers of femme-country hits such as "Honky Tonk Angels," "Stand By Your Man" and "Take Me To Your World."

Stringband "The Maple Leaf Dog" (Nick Records, 1978) (LP)
(Produced by Ben Mink & Danny Lanois)
Celtic-flavored bluegrass from Ontario... I imagine most folks would be intrigued by this early effort by "Danny" (Daniel) Lanois, owner of the Grant Street Studios, who both performs on and produces this album. Lanois would later, of course, produce albums by U2, Emmylou Harris, and many others... I'm kind of curious about sisters Nancy and Aileen Ahern: any relation to Canadian country producer Brian Ahern? Well, yes, it seems so: Nancy Ahern, who sings lead on this album, also played on several of Emmylou's album around this time, including the all-bluegrass Roses In The Snow and Harris's Christmas album, Light In The Stable, both produced by Brian Ahern who -- I'm guessing -- was her brother.

Ollie Strong & Kenny Hepburn "Sleepwalk With Ollie Strong And Kenny Hepburn" (Arc Records, 1959) (LP)
A set of country and pop/rock instrumentals showcasing guitarist rockabilly Kenny Hepburn and steel player Ollie Strong, who went on to be a prolific session musician. Hepburn also released a solo album a couple of years later.

Sugarbush Country "...Featuring Sherry Black" (Kodiak Records, 19--?) (LP)
(Produced by Ron Dann & Paul Evans)

Gordie Sullivan "...Sings" (Plaza Records, 1964-?) (LP)
So, are we keeping track of Canadian rockabilly artists, too? I guess we are now. Apparently this posthumous release was the only full album of material by Gordie Sullivan, a Canadian wildcat who died young in a November, 1963 airplane crash. By and large, this is pretty tame material, crafted in an Elvis-y style, though Sullivan's "Rockin' Chair Mama" was pretty zippy, and his covers of uptempo rockers like "Forty Days" and "Ride On Josephine" are worth a spin. The slower stuff, maybe not so much. One wonders what he might have acomplished if he'd had a longer career!

Terry Sumsion "...Our Lovin' Place" (Summit Records, 1982) (LP)
(Produced by Brian Ferriman & Bill Seddon)

Terry Sumsion "Midnight Invitation" (Savannah Records, 1984) (LP)
(Produced by Brian Ferriman & Bill Seddon)

Sundown Jim "Sundown Jim And His Willoughby Ramblers" (Willoughby Records, 19--?) (LP)

Sundown Jim "...And His Willoughby Ramblers" (Willoughby Records, 197--?) (LP)
(Produced by M. Addario)
This was the second album by this Ontario-based band, which played a mix of classic country and polka tunes. Among the country stuff are hits such as "Born To Lose," "From A Jack To A King," "Green Green Grass Of Home" and "There Goes My Everything." Like a lot of old Canadian LPs, this doesn't include a release date, but based on the repertoire it must have been sometime in the early 'Seventies, at the latest. And I'm guessing Jim took his stage name from the hero in Ernest Haycox's western series(?)

Rocky Swanson "Rocky Swanson" (Music Line Records, 1989) (LP)
(Produced by Ralph Murphy)

Sweet Daddy Siki "Squares Off With Country Music" (Arc Records, 197--?) (LP)
Professional wrestler Reginald "Sweet Daddy" Siki (aka "Mr. Irresistible") was born in Texas and started his career in the American Southwest, but moved to Toronto, Canada, where he became a local and national celebrity. He was a major figure in professional wrestling during the 1960s and '70s and somewhere along the line he diversified into singing country music, as heard on this album,

Sweet Daddy Siki "Sweet Daddy Siki" (Periwinkle Records, 1972) (LP)
This album is heavy on Merle Haggard songs and honkytonk oldies and early '70s hits such as "Is Anyone Going To San Antone" and "Kiss An Angel Good Morning." No info on the backing musicians, etc. Alas.

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