365 Days #103 - The Ukuleles Of Halifax - Country Roads (mp3)

MP3:
The Ukuleles Of Halifax - Country Roads (2:33)

The Ukuleles Of Halifax were the brainchild of J. Chalmers Doane, a Halifax educator who devised a method of ukulele instruction that was eventually used in elementary schools across Canada throughout the 1970's and '80's. I myself received ukulele lessons in grade 6 at my grade school in Sarnia, Ontario, although I must sadly admit that none of it stuck with me.

Doane recorded three albums with The Ukuleles of Halifax; Ukulele Yes!, Ukulele Magic and Ukuleles On Tour. If you'd like hear about The Ukuleles of Halifax from the perspective of one of the kids in the band, you can click here to read my interview with Bruce Jacobs, who played string bass on two of the albums, although not this one.

This version - performed by 35 kids and their ukuleles accompanied by a bassist and drummer - of John Denver's "Country Roads," transforms a wimpy, annoying artifact of the '70's into a hymn-like celebration of the great outdoors.

- Contributed by: Beau Levitt

Images: Front Cover, Back Cover

Media: LP
Album: Ukulele Yes!
Label: World Records
Catalog: C-110
Credits: Produced by Music Department, Halifax School Board. Arrangements - J. Chalmers Doane
Date: 1973

Comments

[denys]

Wow, that was mighty enjoyable... unexpected! Quite the tracklist on that 'ukulele yes!' album. I wish you'd also posted their rendition of Spinning Wheel, I can't even imagine that on ukes.

[Beau]

"Spinning Wheel" (which is good, but doesn't have vocals) is available on my original blog post for Ukulele Yes!; I meant to include that link in the post here.

[scottsnailham]

Here's a bit of surprise, given I live here in Halifax, NS Canada and don't often see any homegrown material in the 365 day project, but hey, now I'm kicking myself, as I wanted to contribute to this edition of the project (as I did in 2003) and forgot about this album.

This is just one of numerous albums I've found from different school systems and schools in Nova Scotia during the 70's. I'll have to dig some of them out. Chalmer's also ran "Doane's Music" for years a music store focused on what he did with the school. His Daughter Melanie Doane is quite a Canadian Artist in her own right. I wonder if chalmers forced her to play a ukuleke of her own? hehehehe.

The album is fairly common around the halifax area still, in thift stores, salvation army and the like, up there with anne murray's first album...yes, she's from our province.

We've play country roads on our show before....maybe time to dig it out again.

[poesboes]

Ohh.. How i wish i had ukulele lessons in school!!!

[Nipper]

I am a ukulele teacher in the UK, and help many schools to provide ukulele lessons. I have always been fascinated by the Doane progam, it gave rise to so many great ukulele players. I have never heard the children before and I am so glad to hear them strumming and singing; that is the best way to play the uke!

Best
Nipper

[Listener Kliph]

This record is fairly common in Canada, at least more so than the other two you mentioned which I didn't even know existed. The Audat label that put out Ukulele Yes! also put out a record called Toronto: What Other City Calls It's City Younge in 1974 or so and it contains some pretty movin' tracks about the town.