THE YOUNG YEARS You won’t believe where some of Canada’s most talented musicians got their start
T illsonburg has been known for producing many things over the years—from E.D. Tillson’s famous oats to Gerry Livingston’s Olym- pic basketball teams. But did you know Tillsonburg is also known for its musical talent? Here are some of the most accomplished musicians to ever call our community home. Johnny Cowell When five-year-old Jack Cow- ell got his hands on a battered old trumpet in 1932, he couldn’t have been happier. Who cared if his new horn had pennies for valve caps? It meant he could finally join his father and uncles in the Tillsonburg Citi- zens Band. Of course, first he had to figure out how to play the thing. But figure it out he did and by the time he was eight, not only had he become a full-fledged member of the local band, he was also its fea- tured soloist. In 1942, Cowell was listening to the radio when he heard the prin- cipal trumpet player of the Toronto Symphony Band was leaving the group to join the RCAF. Seeing an opportunity, the now fifteen-year-
old Cowell penned an application letter to bandmaster Laidlaw “Puff” Addison. There was just one prob- lem: his age. “You can’t audition for our band,” Addison told Cowell when he showed up on his doorstep in Toron- to. “You’re just a kid. We can’t even hire you. You’ve got to be sixteen to join the union.” When Cowell made it clear he
wouldn’t take no for an answer, Addison relented—and the rest, as they say, is history. A new “junior” level of union membership was cre- ated and Cowell headed off to his first rehearsal. Bandmaster Addison’s introduc- tion was memorable, to say the least. “He said, ‘Okay, gentlemen, this here’s Jack Cowell. He’s from Tillsonburg, wherever the hell that
(Above) The Tillsonburg Citizens Band in 1938. Johnny Cowell is in the back row on the left. Conductor Martin Boundy is in the front row, just to the left of the bass drum.
12
DTMag Fall 2017 FINAL.indd 12
2017-10-24 3:30 PM
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker