National Network for Equitable Library Service

Stompin' Tom Connors is a legend. There are very few Canadians who don?t know the foot-stompin' patriot in the cowboy hat who sang almost exclusively of the country he loved and called home. But there is much more to Tom Connors than 'Bud the Spud' and 'The Hockey Song.' Tom's childhood was traumatic and he never fully recovered from being separated from his mother at a young age. As he made multiple trips across Canada, the country became his home and its people his family. Along the way he developed his musical style and wrote many hits which are still heard on the radio, in bar rooms and at arenas across the country. Tom was a trailblazer, creating his own record label and serving as his own producer and promoter. At a time when it was unheard of, Tom showed that it was possible to stay in Canada, sing songs about this country and have a significantcareer. Tom rebelled against the Canadian music industry, fighting for it to support its own artists, inspiring a new generation of musicians to sing about Canada. This biography offers an in-depth look at the man behind 'Stompin' Tom.' It tells the story of an earnest, intelligent and complicated man who created a character that would be embraced by Canadians from coast to coast.