(Above) Johnny Cowell performing with the CBC Festival Orchestra. (Right) Mayor Clare Esseltine presents Johnny Cowell with a special citation from the Town of Tillsonburg in 1965. In 1990, Cowell was named one of Tillsonburg’s favourite sons.
is. We’ve got two Jacks in the band now. And one more Jack is just one too many. So, from now on, we’re going to call him John,” Cowell re- calls. Before long the boys in the band were calling him ‘Johnny’—a name he’s embraced ever since. After spending the war years playing with the Royal Canadian Navy Band and the Victoria Sym- phony, Cowell returned to Toronto and won a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory. In 1952, he decided to audition for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). “There must have been twenty of us waiting outside the audition room,” Cowell recalled. “Each guy would go into a small crowded room and we’d hear him play a few short excerpts.” When it was Johnny’s turn and they asked him to keep playing, he knew he’d gotten the job. Yet for all his success as a profes- sional musician, Johnny also proved to be one of Canada’s most talented songwriters and arrangers. In 1956, his ballad, “Walk Hand in Hand” became an international hit for three different artists: Tony Martin,
Andy Williams and Ronnie Carroll. A decade later, Gerry and the Pace- makers put the song on the charts yet again. In all, more than 90 recordings of “Walk Hand in Hand” have been made over the years. In 2012, Andy Williams’ version was even featured in a Christmas episode of BBC’s Call the Midwife . Cowell’s second song, “Our Win- ter Love” also proved to be a win- ner. The instrumental number re- corded by Bill Purcell stayed on the top 100 for 14 weeks in 1963, and was later recorded by The Lettermen. “Of the 200 songs that I have written, I am pleased that 150 have been record- ed,” Cowell said in a 2009 interview. Dame Vera Lynn, Chet Atkins, Lawrence Welk, Anita Bryant, Al Hirt and even The Guess Who all benefited from Johnny’s song writing prowess over the years. With the arrival of the rock era, Johnny shifted his focus to sym- phonic pops music. In the 1960s, his friendship with American composer
Erich Kunzel resulted in “Girl on a Roller Coaster,” an encore piece that has since dazzled audiences around the world. During the course of his career, Johnny recorded more than 10 al- bums and played countless concerts. You can learn more about his musi- cal legacy at www.johnnycowell.ca.
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