Simon Rafuse

Stan Rogers became one of the most beloved Canadian musicians of the late-20th century. His songs told the story of Canada, its culture, its people and its history. Rogers was taken far too soon but his legacy endures. This is his story. Stan Rogers was born in Hamilton on Nov. 29, 1949 to Nathan and Valerie Rogers. Both his parents came from Atlantic Canada and relocated to Ontario for work shortly after their marriage. Rogers often spent his summers visiting family in Nova Scotia. His family and Atlantic Canada influenced his musical development. He received his first guitar, which was hand-built by his uncle, when he was five. In high school, Rogers played in garage bands and started to dabble in folk music as time went on. In 1970, he was signed to RCA Records and released Here's To You Santa Claus and The Fat Girl Rag the following year. He soon left his contract with RCA because he felt they were turning him into a novelty act. He then spent several years honing his songwriting skills. In 1975, he played the Winnipeg Folk Festival and made an impression with Mitch Podolak, the event's artistic director. This led to recording some demo tracks in Daniel Lanois' basement. Those tracks formed the basis of his first album, Fogarty's Cove, in 1976. The album included one of his most popular songs, Barrett's Privateers. The success of the album, and his growing fanbase at concerts, led to Rogers forming the label Fogarty's Cove Music. It was managed by his mother Valerie and included many notable folk acts. In 1977, Rogers released the album Turnaround, which included the ballad The Jeannie C. Two years later, he released the album Between the Breaks...Live. That was recorded at the Groaning Board restaurant in Toronto and captured the energy of his performances. In 1981, he released the final album during his life, Northwest Passage. The album covered many topics relating to Canadian history and culture. The album included the title track Northwest Passage, which is considered one of the best Canadian songs ever written. By this point, Rogers was performing to larger crowds and was often joined by his brother Garnet and bass player Jim Morison. He was also starting to perform in the United States where his popularity was growing. On June 2, 1983, Rogers was returning to Toronto on Air Canada 797 from San Antonio. An electric fire broke out on the plane, leading to an emergency landing in Cincinnati. A flash fire occurred on the tarmac, leading to the deaths of 23 of 41 passengers. Rogers was killed in the fire. He was only 33. Today, The Stan Rogers Festival is played yearly in Canso, Nova Scotia. In 2021, a stamp was issued in his honour. Learn more in my Deep Dive 👇 canadaehx.com/2023/05/23/sta… I hope you enjoyed that look at the life of Stan Rogers. If you enjoy my Canadian history content, you can support my work with a donation at 👇 buymeacoffee.com/craigu 📸 Stanrogers.net 📸 Canapress 📸 CBC 📸 Denis Ryan Sources: Canadian Encyclopedia: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/e… IMDB: imdb.com/name/nm3608887 Fogarty's Cove Music: stanrogers.net Canada Post: canadapost-postescanada.ca/c…