Birth name Thomas James Hunter Spouse Shirley Brush (m. 1963) Name Tommy Hunter | Years active 1956–2012 Occupation(s) Singer | |
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Born March 20, 1937 (age 87) ( 1937-03-20 ) Role Musical performer · tommyhunter.com Marriage location All Saints Anglican Church, Sandy Hill, Ottawa, Canada Awards Juno Award for Best Country Male Artist Nominations Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series Similar People Al Cherney, Gordie Tapp, Renee Martel, Don Messer, Hank Snow | ||
The Tommy Hunter Show 20th Anniversary outro (1984)
Thomas James "Tommy" Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".
Contents
- The Tommy Hunter Show 20th Anniversary outro 1984
- Tommy Hunter Interview on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
- Career
- Awards and recognition
- References
Tommy Hunter Interview on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight
Career
In 1956, he began performing as a rhythm guitarist on the CBC Television show, Country Hoedown. The Tommy Hunter Show began as a CBC radio program in 1960 and went on to replace Country Hoedown on CBC Television in 1965; Hunter's show was picked up by TNN in 1983 and ran on CBC until 1992.
The book Cue the Elephant by Knowlton Nash (1996, McClelland & Stewart) featured some disparaging remarks from the show's make-up artist. "He could sell himself terrifically but there was no love lost between Tommy and the crew. Some of the guys loathed him ... Everybody made snide remarks behind Tommy's back ... people might say he was the biggest jerk in the world. But that was not my experience. For me, I saw a very easy down-to-earth manner. But Tommy does generate anti as well as pro feelings from people ... he didn't trust people around him, he became a monster to some."
People who performed on The Tommy Hunter Show early in their careers include:
After his show was cancelled by the CBC, Hunter continued to tour with his band, The Travelling Men. He retired after his final tour in 2012.
Awards and recognition
Tommy Hunter was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1986, Hunter was made a Member of the Order of Canada. He has received three Canadian Juno Awards and one Gemini Award. In 1990, he was given a place in the Country Music Hall of Fame's "Walkway of Stars". A street ("Tommy Hunter Way") was also renamed in his honour in his hometown of London, Ontario, in the late 1990s. He became a member of the Order of Ontario in 1996. In 2005 he was honored with a GMA Canada Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is handed out annually by the Gospel Music Association of Canada.
Tommy Hunter received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.