He will be missed. Like the incomparable Gordon Lightfoot, Stompin' Tom sang passionately about the country whose grandeur never failed to move and amaze him. He sang of small-town Canada, about its people, unspectacular in the larger scheme of things, but spectacularly Canada.
His penchant for stamping his foot in time to the music he produced marked him as different, and his stomp became part of his act and part of his appeal, as a punctuating musical instrument accompaniment of his very particular devising. It demonstrated how deeply his own music and the thoughts that compelled him to write of ordinary, everyday things Canadian moved him.
Born in 1936 in Saint John, New Brunswick to an unmarried teen, his early life was a misery. At age four he was sent by his mother to beg in the streets. He lived with his mother for a short time in a low security penitentiary before the Children's Aid Society took him in, and he was then given to the care of foster parents.
He ran away at a young age and set out to make a place for himself in the world at a time when most young people live securely in an emotionally supportive home environment. His sad early life was not the worst of what children experience born into dysfunctional situations without parental guidance, care and support, but it stands right up there with the worst violations of a child's right to emotional security and stability.
He matured earlier than most children would ever dream of needing to, because he had to, to support himself. He acquired his first guitar at age 14 and began a hardscrabble life of small-town performances in hotels operated by those who recognized his talent.
He left a letter to those whom he credited with supporting him all his performing life; the ordinary people who enjoyed his folksy demeanor, his plain, simple and moving songs, his inimitable delivery and his determination to be who he was meant to be. So many others within society deprived of the kind of nurturing every child needs to survive into well-balanced adulthood have ended up as social deviants, detesting the world that they inhabit.
This was not Stompin' Tom Connors. He leaves behind a wife, children and grandchildren. And he also left behind a public legend of himself as one of the people, but an extraordinary Canadian withal. The other thing he left behind was that letter to the public who thought so highly of him:
Stompin' Tom's final message to his fans
Hello friends, I want all my fans, past, present, or future, to know that without you, there would have not been any Stompin' Tom.
It was a long hard bumpy road, but this great country kept me inspired with its beauty, character, and spirit, driving me to keep marching on and devoted to sing about its people and places that make Canada the greatest country in the world.
I must now pass the torch, to all of you, to help keep the Maple Leaf flying high, and be the Patriot Canada needs now and in the future.
I humbly thank you all, one last time, for allowing me in your homes, I hope I continue to bring a little bit of cheer into your lives from the work I have done.
Sincerely,
Your Friend always,
Stompin' Tom Connors
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