Stompin' Tom Connors And Photos By Fred Schulz

Photographs by Fred Schulz, Gravenhurst

Ken Dryden talking about Stompin' Tom

  

Sylvia Tyson and Cindy Church 

RCMP HONOR GUARD CARRYING THE FLAG DRAPED COFFIN

ABOUT A MUSIC ICON, A FRIEND, AND A PHOTOGRAPHER - A PROVENANCE OF RESPECT FOR ONE ANOTHER

STOMPIN' TOM CONNORS PLAYED THREE CONCERTS IN GRAVENHURST

     GRAVENHURST PHOTOGRAPHER, FRED SCHULZ, WAS ONE OF THE SPECIALLY INVITED GUESTS, AT THE RECENT MEMORIAL SERVICE, IN PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO, FOR CANADIAN MUSIC LEGEND, STOMPIN' TOM CONNORS, HELD ON MARCH 13TH, 2013. FORMER GRAVENHURST RESIDENT, FRANK HEWITT, WHO HAD WORKED WITH THE PERFORMER FOR MANY YEARS, AS TOUR AND EVENT SECURITY, WAS AN HONORARY PALLBEARER. THE PHOTOGRAPHS PUBLISHED ABOVE, WERE TAKEN BY FRED, WHO HAD FULL ACCESS TO THE MANY DIGNITARIES AND CELEBRITY ENTERTAINERS WHO APPEARED, AT THE MEMORIAL SERVICE, HELD IN THE PETERBOROUGH ARENA, TO HONOR THE LIFE'S WORK OF THIS NATIONAL ICON…..WHO ALWAYS CALLED IT THE WAY HE SAW IT! RIGHT TO THE END IN FACT, WITH THESE PARTING WORDS, NOT JUST TO HIS FANS….BUT ALL CANADIANS:

     "HELLOW 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." IT WAS SIGNED, SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH,  "SINCERELY, YOUR FRIEND ALWAYS, STOMPIN' TOM."

     FRED KNEW STOMPIN' TOM FROM A NUMBER OF ENCOUNTERS, HERE IN GRAVENHURST, AND REGIONALLY, INCLUDING AN EARLY 1970'S GIG FOR THE FIRST ANNUAL MUSKOKA WINTER CARNIVAL, ON THE STAGE OF THE FORMER "MUSKOKA THEATRE" (WHERE WE HAVE OUR MUSIC SHOP TODAY), AND THEN TWICE AT THE TOWN ARENA. I KNOW THAT FRED WAS DEEPLY MOVED TO BE INVITED TO THE MEMORIAL SERVICE, AND ARRIVED EARLY IN THE DAY, BEING WHISKED BY FRANK HEWITT INTO THE ARENA, TO JOIN OTHER FRIENDS OF THE ENTERTAINER AND HIS FAMILY. "IT WAS AN INCREDIBLE HONOR TO BE A PART OF THIS HISTORIC CANADIAN EVENT, RECOGNIZING TOM'S SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO OUR SENSE OF NATIONAL IDENTITY. THE MEMORIAL WAS OF COURSE A SAD EVENT, BECAUSE WE WERE SAYING FAREWELL TO A FRIEND; YET IT WAS FULL OF GOOD CHEER AND CONTENTMENT AT THE SAME TIME, WHICH WE ALL KNEW, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO KNOW HAD OCCURRED…..WITH SO MANY IN ATTENDANCE."

     FRED SAID IT WAS INCREDIBLE TO SEE HOW MANY FANS WERE LINED UP TO GET INTO THE LIMITED CAPACITY GENERAL SEATING, AND HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE HAD DRIVEN FROM THE EAST COAST, TO PAY THEIR RESPECTS. "IT WAS A FASCINATING EXPERIENCE TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS HUGE SHOW OF RESPECT," FRED COMMENTED, OVER COFFEE THIS MORNING, RECALLING THE SERVICE AND ENTERTAINMENT. "IT GAVE ME GOOSE-BUMPS TO HEAR THE TRIBUTES, AND SEE THESE MUSICIANS, SO PROUD THEMSELVES, TO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO ATTEND, AND PERFORM, IN MEMORY OF STOMPIN' TOM."

THE PROVENANCE OF PHOTOGRAPHS

     As a former news photographer myself, and having had the company of many professional photographers in Muskoka, on assorted feature projects in the past, I am always curious about how such personal property is dealt with, especially if…..God forbid, the person behind the camera passes away. There are lots of stories about how private photographs can get into the mainstream, or free market, because an estate doesn't manage the assets properly. I'm pretty much in the same boat as far as intellectual property goes, and I do worry about images I've taken since the late 1970's, being misused. I don't have too much worry that my family would handle all these bits and bobs responsibly, but I like to know from other professionals in the field, how they deal with their negatives in terms of security, and if they need to be insured as to their market value. I was talking with Fred about this, in part, because I've been writing this short series of blogs regarding provenance, and those collectible pieces that are in circulation that have nothing attached, as far as companion information. Photographs came to mind this morning, when I was reading Fred's weekly column, in The Gravenhurst Banner, and I saw one of the photographs he had taken while at the memorial service for Stompin' Tom. What I was primarily interested in, was whether or not Fred had a file of his negatives, such that he could go back forty years, and pull out images and portraits required by family making current requests. He admits it happens, that people will call about a photograph of a loved one, that may have been taken decades ago, which for whatever reason, is presently required. The short answer, is that Fred is able to do this, because he is meticulous, and has a memory like a steel trap. So he knows his body of work, and it keeps working for him.

     I was primarily interested, in his collection of celebrity photographs, he has taken in his many happenstance roles as portrait, wedding, feature and news photographer, depending on the customer or the organization he was working for at the time. Like the occasion he was in Toronto, fully loaded for just about anything of interest to pop-up (as photographers are seldom more than an arm's length, at any time, from a camera), and there, right in front of him, stopped a limousine, carrying Queen Elizabeth. He knew who was going to be in the procession, but hadn't counted on the car coming to a stop right in front of him……fully camera-ready. Former Gravenhurst Mayor Wanda Miller was quite impressed with this Gravenhurst photographer, who had "a personal meeting with the Queen." So it was kind of the point, as to whether he had any sense of the enormity of his photographic archives, especially of these celebrity, dignitary and "significant other" images, during his busy professional life…..still ongoing I should note. I was just captivated, honestly, by the access he had at the memorial event in Peterborough, and just how significant those photographs are today……and not crassly, as marketable images…..but what they mean to his entire body of work, spanning many decades. I hate to remind him of this, but he is one of the senior (old) photographers in our area of Ontario…..and there are a lot of budding photographers out there, who would lop off an arm or leg to have access to his private stash.

    One of the great horrors I have, on a routine basis, is finding a Victorian era photo album, loaded with magnificently conserved images, without any sign, even one word to identify the people in the family collection. I have thousands of unidentified photographs in boxes all over our house, and I'm willing to bet, you're somewhat similar with heirloom photographs. If you turn one over and it isn't identified, or dated, or localized, then it is deficient and that's all there is to it. This may read callous, but it's not intentional. Antiques dealers somewhere down the line, may wind-up with your family's photographs, and wonder who the images belong to…..and where the photographs were taken. Consider the broken family, or the disgruntled aunt, uncle, sister or brother, or the daughter-in-law who has wound up with the family archives, and wishes to disperse them into the garbage, or fob-off on an unsuspecting antique dealer. I can tell you, that having the names on the photographs or albums, would inspire most of us to do a little research and possibly make a few calls. I have returned diaries, farm journals and photographs to family, when I was able to follow the names through the book, with some of the communities listed…..even of the photo studios that took the images in the albums. Antique folks like this kind of provenance, when they can actually provide some tangible clues and related information, if and when they do sell photo collections…..which happens far more regularly than you might think. Buying a collection of unidentified photographs is generally for the image collector…..and not for the dealer interested in the historical aspects of the collection. I have had numerous photo collections with substantial links to Two World Wars and the American Civil War, and I have appraised another startling collection, that had hundreds of intimate snapshots of Canadian military encampments, during training, in Western Canada…..that with only a few names, we were able to research successfully back to the pioneer roots. Sure it's difficult but honestly, it's such a shame to find these amazing vintage photographs, and have nothing at all to go on, except the address of the photo studio…..most of which have no current record in reference books or online. I hate it, with a passion, when I see a display of antique images, in a collectable shop, with the caption, "Own an instant family - buy these photographs." It's used a lot, and it does emphasize what we have neglected for many years……properly identifying our family photographs etc. And by the way, even if these photographs have no living family to belong to…..antique dealers and those who collect these kind of things, are proud to own photographs with provenance. It's part of our history. We may not have known your family, but we do respect the images left behind. And yes indeed, they are much easier to sell when they are accompanied by adequate provenance.

     I think I may have inspired Fred to check over his massive photographic collection. I do know, that for our future amalgamation, coming on the first of April, where Fred will supply the Muskoka regional photographs for my revamped "Muskoka as Walden" blogsite, he will show at least part of his coveted Muskoka collection…..that he hasn't thought about for awhile. I'm telling you, Fred has a nice collection to present, and I'm thrilled we were able to make a deal to offer them for public consumption. I'll let you know the exact date we will begin the daily blog with photographs. It's for folks who love Muskoka…..town, village, hamlet, neighborhoods, trains, train tracks, architecture, and those magnificent spring days of early lilacs and azure sky. I hope you will be able to join us, for this special presentation.

     I've been literally long-winded today, but I'm just so darn excited about some new ventures, and great new prospects, and well, the good life here in South Muskoka. I'm glad you found time to drop by. A little more snow coming, but sooner or later…..it's going to break…..the real spring break. We've got Easter to look forward to….but the parade will likely be conducted in slushy conditions. Oh well, at least its spring in fact!