Tommy Hunter

{{Infobox musical artist

|image =

| caption =

| image_size =

| name = Tommy Hunter

| honorific_suffix = CM, O.Ont

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Thomas James Hunter

| alias =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1937|03|20}}

| death_date =

| origin = London, Ontario, Canada

| instrument = Guitar

| genre = Country

| occupation = Singer

| years_active = 1956–2012

| label =

| associated_acts =

| website = {{Official URL}}

| current_members =

| past_members =

}}

Thomas James Hunter, CM, O.Ont (born March 20, 1937) is a Canadian country music performer, known as "Canada's Country Gentleman".

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, replacing the long-running variety show The Happy Gang, 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. Performers on the show included singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot in the early years of his own musical career.

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:

Garth Brooks
Shania Twain, then known as Eileen Twain
The Judds
Yvonne MurrayRPM Weekly, Volume 39 No. 7 October 15, 1983 - [https://worldradiohistory.com/CANADA/RPM/80s/1983/RPM-1983-10-15.pdf Page 16 Watch for yet another YVONNE MURRAY guest appearance on the Tommy Hunter Show, October 21st, 8:00 pm EST, CDC.]

After his show was cancelled by the CBC, Hunter continued to tour with his band, The Travelling Men.{{cite news | url=https://ottawacitizen.com/Entertainment/Canada+country+gentleman+long+from+done/1221067/story.html | newspaper=Ottawa Citizen | title=Canada's country gentleman a long way from done | first=Lynn | last=Saxberg | date=January 27, 2009 | access-date=January 27, 2009 | archive-date=May 15, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515002605/https://ottawacitizen.com/Entertainment/Canada+country+gentleman+long+from+done/1221067/story.html | url-status=dead }} He retired after his final tour in 2012.{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/television/tommy-hunter-hangs-up-his-guitar/article561125/ | work=The Globe and Mail | title=Tommy Hunter hangs up his guitar | first=Guy | last=Dixon | date=January 9, 2011 | access-date=February 16, 2023 }}

Awards and recognition

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.

Discography

=Albums=

class="wikitable"

! Year

! Album

1964

| Tommy Hunter

1968

| Travelling with Tommy Hunter

1970

| Tommy Hunter

1971

| Time Slips Away

1973

| Tommy Hunter's Greatest Hits

1975

| Tommy

1982

| Tommy

1983

| Gospel Readings and Recitations

1989

| The Anniversary Sessions

1993

| Tommy Hunter Sings for You

1995

| Timeless Country Treasures

1996

| Timeless Country Treasures Vol. 2

=Singles=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"\| Single ! colspan="3"\| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"\| Album
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="45"\| CAN Country ! width="45"\| CAN AC ! width="45"\| US Country
rowspan="3"\| 1967 ! scope="row"\| "Cup of Disgrace" \| 2 \| — \| — \| align="left" rowspan="5"\| Travelling with Tommy Hunter
scope="row"\| "The Battle of the Little Bighorn" \| 2 \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "Mary in the Morning" \| 1 \| — \| 66
rowspan="2"\| 1968 ! scope="row"\| "Half a World Away" \| 2 \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "I Can't Find a Space (To Park My Car)" \| 13 \| — \| —
1969 ! scope="row"\| "Walk With Your Neighbour" \| 4 \| — \| — \| align="left" rowspan="2"\| Tommy Hunter {{small\|(1970)}}
1970 ! scope="row"\| "Wait for Sunday" \| 3 \| — \| —
1971 ! scope="row"\| "Bill Jones General Store" \| 4 \| 15 \| — \| align="left"\| Time Slips Away
rowspan="2"\| 1974 ! scope="row"\| "The Departure" \| 33 \| — \| — \| align="left" rowspan="3"\| Tommy {{small\|(1975)}}
scope="row"\| "Born to Be a Gypsy" \| 6 \| — \| —
1975 ! scope="row"\| "Love of a Good Woman" \| 32 \| — \| —
1978 ! scope="row"\| "The Great Mail Robbery" \| 33 \| 28 \| — \| {{n/a}}
rowspan="2"\| 1982 ! scope="row"\| "Dance With Me Molly" \| 38 \| — \| — \| align="left" rowspan="2"\| Tommy {{small\|(1982)}}
scope="row"\| "Fool Enough to Fall in Love Again" \| 34 \| — \| —
1989 ! scope="row"\| "The Man of '87" \| 49 \| — \| — \| align="left" rowspan="3"\| The Anniversary Sessions
rowspan="2"\| 1990 ! scope="row"\| "Couldn't See the Gold" {{small\|(with Janie Fricke)}} \| 19 \| — \| —
scope="row"\| "Name the Place and Time" \| 64 \| — \| —
colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"\| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Single

! colspan="3"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="45"| CAN Country

! width="45"| CAN AC

! width="45"| US Country

rowspan="3"| 1967

! scope="row"| "Cup of Disgrace"

| 2

| —

| align="left" rowspan="5"| Travelling with Tommy Hunter

scope="row"| "The Battle of the Little Bighorn"

| 2

| —

scope="row"| "Mary in the Morning"

| 1

| —

| 66

rowspan="2"| 1968

! scope="row"| "Half a World Away"

| 2

| —

scope="row"| "I Can't Find a Space (To Park My Car)"

| 13

| —

1969

! scope="row"| "Walk With Your Neighbour"

| 4

| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Tommy Hunter {{small|(1970)}}

1970

! scope="row"| "Wait for Sunday"

| 3

| —

1971

! scope="row"| "Bill Jones General Store"

| 4

| 15

| —

| align="left"| Time Slips Away

rowspan="2"| 1974

! scope="row"| "The Departure"

| 33

| —

| align="left" rowspan="3"| Tommy {{small|(1975)}}

scope="row"| "Born to Be a Gypsy"

| 6

| —

1975

! scope="row"| "Love of a Good Woman"

| 32

| —

1978

! scope="row"| "The Great Mail Robbery"

| 33

| 28

| —

| {{n/a}}

rowspan="2"| 1982

! scope="row"| "Dance With Me Molly"

| 38

| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Tommy {{small|(1982)}}

scope="row"| "Fool Enough to Fall in Love Again"

| 34

| —

1989

! scope="row"| "The Man of '87"

| 49

| —

| align="left" rowspan="3"| The Anniversary Sessions

rowspan="2"| 1990

! scope="row"| "Couldn't See the Gold" {{small|(with Janie Fricke)}}

| 19

| —

scope="row"| "Name the Place and Time"

| 64

| —

colspan="6" style="font-size:8pt"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

External links

{{official website|http://www.tommyhunter.com}}
{{IMDb name|0403076}}
[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/tommy-hunter-emc/ The Canadian Encyclopedia: Tommy Hunter]
{{discogs artist|Tommy Hunter(2)}}

Category:1937 births

Category:Living people

Category:Canadian country singers

Category:Canadian television variety show hosts

Category:Juno Award winners

Category:Members of the Order of Canada

Category:Members of the Order of Ontario

Category:Musicians from London, Ontario